Charlie Self wrote:

rcook5 resonds:


This is the part I find so interesting, not the relatively mundane
statistical details. It is interesting for the light it throws on
these people and their thinking. As a philosophical matter it says
some pretty ugly things about the way these people think and perhaps
what their real motives are. As a practical matter it gives us
guidance on how much credence to place on their continuing campaigns
for laws to make us 'safer.'

I've always felt that, as an example, Ralph Nader had some psychological
problem that made him want to fix my--and your--life. Back when I was much
younger and he was killing the Corvair, a big thing was made by the press
that he was sacrificing a lot to do in a car that he felt--wrongly,
IMO--was more dangerous than the norm. IIRC, he was drawing only $100 a
week in salary, etc. This was in the mid-'60s when such a salary was a
living wage, if only barely (minimum wage at the time, I seem to recall,
was around $1.25 or $1.50). He also didn't have a wife or girlfriend, no
family life, was a workaholic, all seemingly admirable qualities to too
many journalists of the time because he was taking on GM...and winning.

I never have been able to determine if the guy was a power freak or had
some other head problem, but he has been a bug on the windshield of U.S.
life for decades now, obscuring vision and screwing up elections.

I wonder if he has upped his draw from 100 bucks a week.

Did my heart good when he tried to Corvair the Beetle. While attacking GM
was OK with a lot of people, attacking the Beetle was sacrilege at that
time, and that was pretty much the end of his widespread support. Note his
success in the Presidential elections. Barely got on the ballot in a few
states.

Funny thing though, he never won anything against GM in the courtroom-his
battles were won in the press.

There's gotta be a special place reserved in Hell for him.

Charlie Self
"It is when power is wedded to chronic fear that it becomes formidable."
Eric Hoffer

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)