Friday
Got a ticket for not wearing my seatbelt – Damned Government Leaches!
My seatbelt affects nobody but me! All this does is provides revenue for those who wish to control other people’s lives.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” He was writing in regards to government taxation – specifically the American Government wanting to tax the Penn family on lands they controlled when the Penn family wanted to give a smaller amount to purchase safety from this taxation. So, even though the context under which ole Ben wrote this, is exactly the opposite of what it seems to be saying, it can also mean that those who let others dictate their every move, thinking that these “others” have their safety in mind, really don’t deserve liberty or safety! Unfortunately, as this law (which I have to admit is not endemic to Hawaii) demonstrates, there are enough people who feel that having the government peeking into your car from behind the bushes promotes your personal safety.
That’s what happened to me.
I had gone to the park in Waiohinu to fill up some empty water bottles. I am preparing to pour concrete so I need as many full bottles of water as I can get. After filling the bottles, I thought that the glass of Pepsi with ice yesterday was soooooo good, that I would go to the strore in Naalehu and buy a bag of ice. It is cloudy today, so I cannot make my own. The distance from the park to the store is less than 3 or 4 football fields. Less than 100 feet from the store, I passed a cop hiding in his car behind some trees, and he pulled out behind me and turned on his little blue light (they don’t have red and blue flashing lights in Hawaii, it is a single blue light on top of the car – and most of the police cars are unmarked) and followed me into the parking lot of the store.
I cannot help but feel that if I had a Hawaiian name, or a Hawaiian driver’s license, he would have given me a warning, but I am one of those hated mainland haoles who have come here to steal their island, so I get a ticket! - $102.00! Plus $3.00 to the store, makes this a $105.00 bag of ice!
Before going into town, I had spent the morning cutting up the smaller branches on the Ahi driveway to fill in around the gravel. I am hoping that this will help to keep the tires from sinking in and pushing the gravel down the hill or off to the sides of the driveway.
When I returned from getting the ticket, I was backing down the driveway as I normally do. If I back down, it is easier to drive out than trying to back up the driveway. Anyway, As I was backing down the driveway, I was looking at the front to see what the tires had done to crush the branches I had cut earlier into the gravel. There used to be a flat area at the bottom of the driveway – a place I refer to as my “parking area”. As I back down, I can tell when to stop as the car begins to level out in this area.
Since I have lessened the slope by adding more material and gravel to the driveway, the slanted portion has extended to halfway into this flat area, so there is no flat spot where the cat begins to level out. As I was looking forward at what the car had done as far as crushing the branches, I was not paying attention to the rear.
Suddenly, there was an explosion at the back of the car.
I had backed into a tree limb and busted the back window of the lift gate. The window exploded into a million little pieces.
All I could do was drive forward a few feet so I could clean out the glass from the back as I unloaded the water bottles.
Then I went to the Holowai lot and had a glass of hundred dollar Pepsi!
TTFN
TropicalCastaway 