On 26 Sep 2005 19:23:09 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:
On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 12:11:46 -0700, David wrote:
Dave Hinz wrote:
As with so many other things, it's the person, not the tool, that
determines good or bad.
If it's "not the tool", how come we aren't allowed to carry loaded
firearms in public? 
In most civilized states, that specific thing _is_ allowed, and it has
reduced violent crime in every one of them.
See what happens if you have a loaded gun in
sight when stopped by a police officer...
Depends on if you're in an open-carry state, I guess? (shrug)
ever tried to enjoy a quiet dinner
with the wife in an otherwise cozy restaurant, only to have the mood
broken by some loud mouthed bozo yakking away on his phone in the next
booth?
There's another example. That guy is a rude loudmouth, regardless of
the fact that he's on a cellphone. The phone didn't turn him _into_ a
rude loudmouth.
... and if he were sitting with someone else and without a cell phone,
you would get to hear his loud, obnoxious conversation with his dining
companion (BTDT).
OTOH, it does seem that a lot of people tend to speak much more loudly
when using a cell phone than when engaged in normal conversation.
IMO, we really don't need more laws, what we need is more training in
proper etiquette and being polite around others. The old fashioned virtues
of being concerned about what the other person thinks about us, not making
others wait because we are engaged in some activity that will cause them to
have to delay for us (even if they only "have to slow down for 30 seconds"
to go around us - remember that's not *your* 30 seconds of their time to
waste), remembering that others are sensitive to sights, sound, and smells
(and I'm not just talking perfume here -- I'd rather smell perfume than
unwashed body any day), and all of those other little things that make a
civilized society, well, civilized.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+