Way OT-my missing son

So why do we pay them then?

A

I thought we already discussed that many if not most are volunteers?

Oops...forgot to mention one more thing. I don't think it was ever up to debate as to what type of stupidity causes most deaths. Yes...feeding your face with one hand, holding a cell-phone to your ear with the other, watching a map, deciplining the kids in the backseat while driving with your knees is NOT taught in any driver ed course...yet people choose to do that every day and endager lives too. But, I gave the example of drinking/drugs.....because I bet if I even tried to sew not sober I would be in the emergency room!!!! Anything that impairs reactions & behavior........blah, blah blah...why am I telling you this? You lost your brother. So he didn't ram into my family or kill a bus load of kids....was his loss o.k.? I can't even immagine you find it acceptable...but yet it sounded like you were saying somehow that drunk drivers are o.k. because they are not really hurting as many people as other types of accidents. I don't belong to any organizations so I can't debate on the facts...I just know when I am on vacation I have had a drink and it does effect me. Well......they don't end up crashing in thin air. When they lose control of their vehicle....something stops it. I CARE that big old trees are hit and that a neighbor lost the front of her house for nearly 6 months, and that fences and crops etc. are ruined. I don't like the needless destruction of anything....especially the life. But, like you say, each person has a choice to live that as they choose. There is nothing acceptable about the CARELESS death of anyone!! You must surely see how it impacts everyone, both in the immediate family, loved ones and even casual observers. Good, rational decisions are often difficult enough to make even with plenty of planning and sober!

In my world....people try really hard to take care of themselves, they look after their neighbors and pitch-in in times of need ....and we don't send anyone to the other side of the planet for different points of view.

Joy Sewing Sober so as not to run over my finger with the needle.

In article , small change of

uttered>>I thought we already discussed that many if not most are volunteers? >We have. She's just being a pain in the proverbial because some of us disagree with her blinkered selfish viewpoint. People volunteer because they are decent human beings who feel a need to put something back into the society in which they live. Many others take up a vocational occupation for the same reason, but can't afford the luxury of total philanthropy.

And then there are the total a**eholes who take everything they can extract for free, never contribute a thought (let alone a deed) for anyone else, and who do exactly as they choose regardless of the potential consequence to themselves, let alone anyone else. And those who are nearly as bad in that they condone the actions of the half-wits whilst expecting some faceless "them" to deal with the ensuing chaos - paid or unpaid. These last would be the first to whine when they waited hours in A&E (aka the ER) because there weren't sufficient over-worked nurses and doctors to deal with their problem - which may well have been caused by one of the halfwits in the first place. They complain the loudest when insurance premiums go up to pay for the compensation paid out for the damage being done by the halfwits ...

In the UK a few weeks back a 12yo boy died after his best friend shot him in the eye with an air rifle. Amongst all the cries for "bannning" air rifles (incidentally, the current laws are adequate for the father of the boy to be jailed for assorted firearms offences as they stand), I didn't hear one person ask what sort of fool left an air-rifle and pellets where the boys had access to it - let alone what sort of fool taught their child it was "fun" to point a gun at his mate's head and play at killing him.

Time for some folk to take a reality check and examine their *own* attitudes and standards.

Reminds me of the old saying "the right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins"

Freedom carries responsibility and part of that is to not harm others. Some people can't manage that and so we have laws on the books (around the world, in different ways) to protect people; from drunk drivers, from careless drivers, and from people who swing their fists indiscriminately. Makes the idea of being a lawyer appealing again!

-Charlotte

Joy, sewing sober is wise, but I find it is best to plan with a nice glass of red wine. Though, in this heat, I'll take a mojito, please.

Joy, don't you take any of this to heart. We who've been reading and lurking in this group for years know you for the kind soul you are and you are a lady at all times. I hardly think what you said was of a level to incite such a reaction, but then some people tend to react vehemently to anything. Sharon

And in my world I realize that even smart people make bad decisions, and I try not to be harsh and judgemental.

A

And most of them don't end up crashing at all.. But nobody wants to hear that.

A

So, it's selfish not to be harsh and judgemental? How do you figure that?

As for the fact that most of them are volunteers - that waivers back and forth. There's been a bit of "they're not worth my tax dollars" bantered about too.

Are you the one who gets to decide who is half-witted? That will be very handy to know.

,

Wow - absolutely no sympathy for a little kid who made a bad choice and will have to live with that mistake forever. I never want to think like that - I hope I never have to.

Judge not......

A

Let me get this straight: are you *defending* the right of people to drink and drive????

You seem to think it's ok, as long as they "don't end up crashing at all."

The statistics on motor vehicle crashes overwhelmingly cite drunken/drugged drivers and others involved as one of (if not THE) biggest contributing factors:

" Using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) criteria for Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), it is estimated that an alcohol crash occurs every 32 minutes. NHTSA defines an alcohol-related fatal crash as one that was reported by a law enforcement agency and involved a vehicle operator or a non-occupant (e.g., pedestrian) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 grams per deciliter (0.01 g/dl) or greater. In 1997, 16,189 alcohol-related fatalities occurred, 38.6% of the total fatalities for the year."

38.6%!!!

You're right, I don't want to hear "And most of them don't end up crashing at all.."

Didn't see Larisa's original post! But I'm glad she asked. My DS (10) and I just made a stuffed monkey. I used the opportunity to practice resizing a pattern, something I have never done before. This is 25% of the original size. However, the true fascination lies in my son's choices of eyes. The pattern just called for felt. He wanted buttons. THESE buttons.

pics don't really do it justice. Those buttons *really* catch the light in person. The thing really kind of creeps me out. Bright eyed and bushy tailed - DS thinks it is a hoot.

A

It's great! Well done the pair of you - and I applaud the eye choice!

Love the eyes! And anyone what ever the age would have to love the animals. Emily

First one scared me, but I really like it!! It can always be a deterrant for annoyances (kids he doesn't want in his room, somebody sneaking about, etc.). I had a doll that my uncle gave me when I was little that was my guard doll...scared the bejiggers out of anybody who came upon her unexpectedly.

Larisa..love the blue fur, btw

Kate Dicey wrote:

It is a McCall's 7837 from 1986 - either a yard sale find or one my Mom shoved off on me when she cleaned out her sewing room. Also has a really good looking panther, but neither of mine have any interest in that.

When he was younger, DS #1 had a big stuffed tiger that he absolutely adored during the day, but refused to let sleep in his room.

"Angrie.Woman" > When he was younger, DS #1 had a big stuffed tiger that he absolutely

When DD was around three, my brother gave her a sitting tiger that was a little over 4 feet tall. She took one look and ran screaming from the room. Poor thing lived it's life out in the attic.

Sharon