Why have there only been 43 presidents?

Well, interestingly enough, President Grover Cleveland was elected for two non-consecutive terms and is counted twice, as our 22nd and 24th president.

So…  Enough about politics…   Let me ask a more important question…  

What would you do?

It’s a question I sometimes ask myself when I have heard or read about something that has happened in the world.  I asked myself that same question when I read about the following:

San Diego, CA(NNWS) – A Dodge Avenger struck a group of 12 motorcycles Saturday on a highway in El Centro, Imperial County, just east of San Diego, after swerving to avoid a gold Honda Civic that had just passed the bikers.  Four people on the bikes and a passenger in the Dodge Avenger died on the scene, California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Deeann Goudie said. Six other motorcyclists were seriously injured.

“The gold Honda Civic left the scene without stopping and police want to talk with that driver,” Goudie said. “We’re looking for a 1995-2000 model year Gold Honda Civic.”

Police suspect the Honda driver may have fled across the nearby border into Mexico, prompting them to take a look at the border camera video, according to another California Highway Patrol spokesman, Pablo Torrez.  A drunk driving charge that was initially made against the Dodge Avenger driver was dropped Monday after blood test results came back negative, Torrez said.

The bikers are part of the Saddle Tramps Motorcycle group in Lakeside, California. They were taking a casual ride on their Harley Davidsons to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary.

I am saddened by the events that transpired on that day in Imperial County.  My heart goes out to the families that must now suffer from a senseless act of vehicular manslaughter.  I don’t pretent to understand the reasons why, but I will grieve quietly for all of those folks killed or injured.

Yet it begs me to ask that question.  What would I have done?

I picture myself in that scenario.  Would someone running caboose for my riding group jump on the radio and warn all the riders of impending vehicular stupidity?  As a group would we have listened and made the appropriate safety adjustments?  Would slowing and pulling to the right have been effective enough to alleviate the carnage that ensued here?  Would my pride and irritation have been too strong and would I have pressed the issue of not allowing a cage in between our riders?  Would my leader have seen the out of control vehicle approaching my group and warned everyone behind him of impending disaster and moved abruptly to the right hand road edge?  Would I have been aware enough, and capable enough, to stave off impending disaster in the sceanrio we just read about?

The other day on a ride home from work on my motorcycle, I encountered a “what if…” issue (it’s a pre-emptive derivative to the “what would I have done” scenario).  There are two lanes both going westbound.  The far left lane allows for going forward and making a left hand turn against oncoming traffic.  The far right lane only allows for going forward across the intersection.  I am stopped at the light, first in line in the left lane.  I need to continue west bound which means I will be going forward.  A red Ford Focus pulls up on my right hand side.  I glance at the driver.  She’s an elderly lady with eyes glassed over and not moving a muscle as she waits for the light to turn.

Something in my mind said, “This is an accident waiting to happen…   What if???”. 

The light changed green.  Normally I am on the throttle and pulling away from the stop.  But that inner mind thing told me to sit for a few seconds.  And it’s a good thing I did.  The red Ford Focus turned left right in front of me; the driver oblivious that she was making an illegal left hand turn.  Had there been oncoming traffic, I am sure she would have turned right into someone going the opposite way across the intersection.  Thankfully, no one was there and thankfully my inner voice told me to be cautious.

What would you have done?  Suppose your inner-self told you nothing was wrong with this particular picture and you pulled away only to find yourself being tossed over the left front fender of Grandma’s red Ford Focus?  Close your eyes and visualize this scenario.  What would you have done?  Now, revisualize this scenario and this time think of yourself in your car…   What would you have done?

On a recent ride in the twisties of the Bay Area, west coast of California, I found myself on dry twisty roads and having a beautiful day on which I could run a route.  The posted road signs may say “Caution 25 mph” for an upcoming turn, but the bike screams 40+ and a push to make the turn with the throttle cracked open.  As I am working outside to inside to outside, just as I get to “inside” a small white pick-up, half way into my lane, comes barreling around the corner at an excessive speed.  What would you have done?  Close your eyes and picture yourself in that same scenario.  What would you have done?

You and your five buddies are riding for the day.  It’s warm, sunny and a beautiful day.  All five motorcycles are pulled up at the stop light awaiting your turn to go across the intersection.  Two cars are in front of you and a string of cars making a left are next to you.  You sit patiently and glance down at the rear view mirror and see a 10 ton gravel truck about 50 feet behind you.. And it’s in mid-broadside with tires smoking.  The driver, who just moments prior, was buzy texting his wife, is trying frantically to get his rig stopped.  What would you do?  Close your eyes and picture yourself in that same scenario.  What would you do?  Put yourself in your car and rerun the very same scenario.  What would you do then?

Okay…   I know…  get to the point.  The point is this; we are pressed into these life and death situations almost daily.  We hope that those around us are watching out for thier safety as much as you are watching out for yours.  How we keep out of these dangerous “no-win” scenario’s is dependant on how we “sense” what goes on around us and the decisions we make way before anything bad can happen.  For those of us on motorcycles, we have to have a sixth, seventh and eighth sense when it comes to traveling on America’s roadways.  When I ask myself the “what would I have done…” question, I almost always come to the conclusion that any one of the above scenarios could have resulted in death.  My death.

And it scares the hell out of me.  And that’s the point.  These things that we read about, hear about or have been involved in should scare the hell out of us. If you have had a circumstance happen where the adrenaline was pumping because of an “Oh SHEEIT” moment, then you have been scared by something that just happened.

The one thing that this motorcycle fascination has taught me is that I have to be more careful in my daily life, whether I am on the motorcycle or not.  I am so much more aware of my driving habits now then I would be had I never taken up the sport again.  I find myself in the car, doing the same thing I do on the bike.  What if this guy..?   What if that lady..?   I should be here because if something happens I have a way out…  Now, if I check the rear view mirror before I move, I get the full picture, not just a furtive glance and allowing my mind to get buzy filling in the blanks because that’s what I should see.

I cannot tell you what I would have done in situation in Imperial Valley on that sunny day in November.  But the one thing I cannot do is accept that there was nothing that could have been done to keep me and my riding friends safe.  Somewhere…  somehow…  in that whole situation, something could have been done differently.  Now the question is, would I have known what that was?  Would I have been able to make the right decision to keep me, and those I am riding with, out of harms way?

I also realize that one of the reasons that people often make bad decisions, is because they put themselves into these “no-win” scenarios.  Am I doing that when I swing a leg over my motorcycle and prepare to do battle on the roads of America?  Everytime I crank the starter, am I putting myself into a no-win situation?

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Until next time…

In fact, Lincoln’s wife was prescribed cannabis for her nerves after his assassination. Virtually every president from the mid-19th Century up until prohibition routinely used cannabis medicines.

So…  What was California’s Prop 19?

I’ll tell you what it wasn’t. It wasn’t about making marijuana a legal intoxicant, which would have legalized small amounts of recreational marijuana for personal use. It wasn’t a legalization thing. What this law supposedly allowed for was the use of marijuana to be available for any adult over 21 to grow or posses a legal narcotic. This wasn’t about legalizing marijuana so that it will make our citizens healthier, solve California’s budget crisis, or reduce drug related violence in Mexico.

I’ll tell you what it was. It was a poor excuse for a referendum on legalizing a narcotic.

Would I ever vote in favor of a law or proposition for the legalization of Marijuana? Hell yeah. In a flat heartbeat. But the main problem about floating these ideas is the ignorant folks who write these stupid propositions. They are sampling to much of their own “chronic” and have no regard for me or their loved ones or anyone else for that manner.

You want a proposition about legalizing marijuana that I will vote for? Here you go… Try this on for size.

PROPOSITION

I can have in my possession as an adult over the age of 21, and not involved with the licensed selling or cultivation, less than one ounce. Anything more than one ounce is punishable by 4 years in a federal prison. PERIOD.

If it is determined that you are driving or operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated or high on marijuana, or have a joint smoldering in your ash tray, the first offense is a mandatory punishable sentence of 8 years in a federal prison. The second offense draws a punishable sentence of 25 years. The third offense carries a life term. PERIOD!

Should it be determined that someone is killed due to your negligence and from being intoxicated on marijuana, you will be incarcerated for 40 years with no eligibility of parole. PERIOD!

Establishments that serve alcoholic beverages or have any kind of liquor license are not allowed to have on the premise anyone smoking or ingesting marijuana or indulging in the sale of the drug under penalty of loosing their business, their licenses and any and all proceeds in the till. Proceeds from the auction of the items on the premises deemed to be owned by the business will be forfeit. PERIOD!

Should you be found to be under the influence at a work place where you and/or others lives are in jeopardy by your use of marijuana, you will be incarcerated for 7 years with no possibility of parole. PERIOD!

- – - – - – -  end of proposition – - – - – - -

Throw in a crap load of legal mambo-jumbo and you have a proposition that I would vote for.

Unlike “Bubba” Clinton, I inhaled. Much like booze, I can see where this intoxicant has a place. Where it does not have a place is where it becomes a danger to someone else. Right now today, I drive down the freeway wondering what ass-hat is drunk and driving a 1/2 ton moving weapon. In and around construction sites, I can imagine grisly consequences if a worker falls asleep at his/her job due to a BAC of .09 and above.

The above are the kinds of rules I’d like to see for DUI – Alcohol. I grow weary of the repeat offender who has been tagged for four, five or six violations for driving while intoxicated and yet they continue to put me and those people I care about in harms way. Attorney’s for these folks who have been cited for intoxication, should not have any defense for their client because the client is troubled and/or misunderstood. My ass! If they are found guilty, they go away. PERIOD!

An estimated 11,773 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2008. The number of injured is more than three times that amount. You want to see a reduction in those numbers? Apply the rules you see above… AND MAKE IT STICK! You want to be able to relax around your hot tub in your backyard with a little weed, a Maker’s Mark (double) over ice while shish-ka-bobs roast on your grill, I have no issues. Hell, I’ll even join in. But the moment I do anything to cause harm to another due to my negligence using a vehicle or being on the job, I expect to go away. It’s the price I will pay for having the ability to smoke or ingest marijuana.

I can hear the bleeding hearts now… “Oh, my. How will we pay for all of those prisons that will be needed to house all those folks who will be incarcerated?” It’s simple. If you’re a company that wants to cultivate, produce and sell? You will pony up 10 million bucks to build an energy producing institution. The government will pony up the rest… after all, Uncle Sam will be getting a generous “cut” of every ounce sold to repay the cost of construction.

However, those poor folks who are being sent away will make, and/or manage, electrical power. The power that is being provided to the electrical grid will pay for the upkeep of the prison. There is nothing wrong with hard labor. Don’t feel sorry for those folks who made bad choices. It was those bad choices that could have gotten you and/or your family and friends killed.

Yeah… It’s harsh. It has to be. There are too many jerks on the road, or are working who are well over a BAC or .08. I sure as hell do not want to legalize marijuana so that anyone who’s had a snort and a loaded brownie can wipe out my family and be doing the same thing three weeks later. The rules associated with being able to fire up a number have to be strict. They have to be harsh. They have to be severe. You put that in some kind of proposition and I’m ready to sign my name. And then throw a blanket on the ground, roll a bomber and watch the stars twinkle against a black velvet background.

So everything you read is…  well…  interesting.  I guess what I am asking for is a proposition with some teeth. Don’t just sashay around an issue and expect the American public to swallow what you tell us to swallow.  We are already doing way to much of that right now!
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Until next time…

Article found on the next to last page of the New York Times… in an alternate time-line.

Venice, LA – May 27, 2011; Mr. David Miller, 49, the former assistant drilling supervisor stationed aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig contracted by oil giant British Petroleum (BP), was sentenced today to 35 years to life for his actions aboard the Deepwater Horizon.

“His actions were reprehensible. The admission of guilt by Mr. Miller was more than enough to seal his fate and solidify our charges of terrorism on board the Deepwater Horizon”, said Mr. Gerald Fanner, attorney for BP Operations.

As Mr. Miller was being led out of the courtroom, members of the crew that had stood by him during his trial shook their heads in disbelief. Directly behind the defendants table Mrs. Miller cried softly all the while being comforted by her two young sons.

Assistant director of BP Drilling Operations, Jason Wilkommer held a press conference outside of the courtroom. “Justice was served today”, he said. “Mr. Miller now knows what it means when you tell your employees not to do anything unless someone higher up is notified of your intended actions. This chain of command was violated by Mr. Miller when he threw the switch that activated the bag to seal the well and started the emergency pumping of heavy drilling mud into the well head. His statements that ‘something was not right with the well’ and that he felt something was seriously wrong with the pressure testing being done on the well at the time in question tells us that Mr. Miller was trying to sabotage the drilling operation and deal BP and Transocean a huge set back.”

Connie Raybar, attorney for Mr. Miller tried to plead her case to anyone who would listen on the courthouse steps. “Mr. Miller had reason to believe that a dangerous situation was about to happen aboard that rig. His interpretation of readings during the pressure test indicated that the well was getting away from the crew on the platform and he initiated the shut-down procedure to preserve life and property. The very fact that BP and Transocean would not acknowledge the removal of alarms, the test results that showed that a problem existed at the well head and those senior members of the rig would not comment on, or did not know about conditions aboard the Deepwater Horizon, is proof enough that something was wrong on that rig.”

According to court documents, Mr. Miller was standing in the “drilling shack” trying to make sense of test readouts being performed during a static pressure test. As he was talking among the crew and voicing his alarm at the rise in pressures on a well head that should have had static pressures, senior executives, including Mr. Wilkommer, entered the shack on a tour. The executives did not seem to be as concerned about the read-outs as Mr. Miller was. In fact, when Mr. Miller started to protest, Mr. Wilkommer expressly told him to forget the readings and complete the test.

Mr. Miller was not happy with the decision and testified that he was so concerned that he decided to monitor the test for another hour. About thirty minutes later, he says he stepped out of the shack and could smell gas pouring up through the well head and past the blow-out preventer. He immediately initiated shut-down procedures by activating “the bag”, a thick membrane that surrounds a key part of the drill mechanism and ordered that heavy drilling mud be pumped back into the well to quell the leaking gas. In his testimony, Mr. Miller was adamant that had he not shut down the well, a catastrophic event could have occurred.

Crew members questioned about the actual situation said that they told Mr. Miller that it was not a good idea to shut the well down as management could come down hard on them for initiating the action. Several members said that Mr. Miller had said “They can kiss my ass. I am not about to lose my life or sacrifice yours because of a stupid rule. I have been doing this kind of work for 12 years. There’s something wrong with this well and I am shutting it down before things get out of control.”

Drilling crews testified that there were indeed issues with the well and the rig and since early March, and up until April 20th, many thought that the well was having some type of issue. The lack of management interaction was a concern, but they couldn’t say or do anything for fear of losing their job.

Most of the senior engineers aboard the rig testified that they had been told repeatedly that only Mr. Wilkommer and the President of BP operations, Mr. Norton Crouther were the only ones who could issue orders to actuate those emergency procedures. These were the same executives who had supposedly told rig engineers to silence the alarms on the rig so that members of the crew could get sleep without having to be woken up for minor issues.

Mr. Miller was taken into custody by security personnel aboard the drilling rig shortly after the incident and was subsequently charged with domestic terrorism, a charge which could have included the death penalty.

In the defenses closing statement, Mrs. Raybar said, “Mr. Miller acted according to what he felt was a dangerous situation. Tests are done on wells to show engineers if a problem exists. A problem did exist. Had Mr. Miller not shut down the well, there could have been an explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon which could have resulted in the loss of life, a loss of the rig itself or the spillage of thousands, perhaps millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP’s legal team showed that Mr. Miller’s contention that management and practices aboard the rig were responsible for a dangerous situation were unfounded. In fact, BP executives said that the Deepwater Horizon is as safe today as it was eight years ago when she was commissioned. Mr. Miller’s attempt to point the finger at BP or Transocean for flagrant safety violations was his way of trying to deflect what his true intentions were, which was the resultant damage he did to the rig.

The Deepwater Horizon stayed on station for an additional three weeks replacing the well head that is 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. According to sources on board the Deepwater Horizon, there was no chance of leaking oil or gas due to the amount of mud that had been pumped into the well head casing by Mr. Miller’s actions. The engineers for BP say that the well can be reopened and tapped for the future and no real significant damage to the well was done. The Deepwater Horizon has since moved onto another site in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Doomed Rig’s Last Day

There was nobody in charge

Until next time…