--- On Sun, 6/14/09, OrionWorks <[email protected]> wrote: > From: OrionWorks <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [Vo]:Public apology to Kyle Mcallister, and a rephrasing of my > original comment > To: [email protected] > Date: Sunday, June 14, 2009, 6:15 PM > Kyle, > > Thanks for taking the time to explain your situation more > clearly. It > helps me understand where you are coming from.
No problem. > It is not my place to explain Jed's actions. That's Jed's > responsibility, should he feel compelled to do so – > perhaps when his > sentence is up. Oh, given what he wrote back to me in private, I suspect he will. > I'll simply say that I think many of your perceptions are > not without merit. > > I was particularly struck by one of your comments: > > > [those who have sufficient income to afford > ECO-friendly cars, > > BMWs, Porches and other imported overpriced garbage] > have disdain > > for people who perform labor, actual work. They think > we > > [meaning you] aren't doing enough. WHOA! Hold up a sec, putting (ECO) in front of my writing BMW and Porsche is bad bad! These, especially when engines are malfunctioning, and this is something that happens so often in these 'high-end' cars, are some of the worst smog dumpers out there. Porsches will produce exhaust that will knock a buzzard off a gut wagon. BMWs tend to have so many emission control problems that they are laughable. When these control devices fail, they boost emissions by an amount which probably cancels any effect they had in the first place. Working in a garage here where it is very cold in the winter, the doors must be kept closed. If even a small exhaust leak develops in the exhaust (with road salt, this always happens), it is suicide to run the engine indoors, even with a hose venting the exhaust to the outside. They tend to burn oil very badly, have head gasket issues if overheated (you only get one chance, then the engine is el-toastarino), etc. NOT eco friendly. I would guess some older Toyota or Nissan is not bad if you're going eco route. They are hard to work on in some ways, but not so bad as many newer American cars. They are also harder, however, to do tricks on to get better mileage and lower emissions. Car computers don't like it when you mess with the C/O mixture. They will try to compensate, and that makes things worse. > In order to reconcile > this > disquieting realization many might feel compelled to > conjure up > rationales, like vilifying those they perceive as > unfortunate. Once > vilified, it is easy to take the next step and rationalize > why others > are not as fortunate as themselves, because: " It's their > own damned > fault. They deserve what they get because they aren't > working hard > enough." This may be true, and for many, I suspect it is. It doesn't make it any less wrong to vilify these people. On the contrary, it makes the person doing the vilifying, and justifying it, seem psychotic. > I'm sure you already know this. But of course, knowing this > does not > necessarily make your circumstances any better for you in > the physical > sense. However, knowing this on an emotional level, that > you are not > going to buy into their own fears essentially forces them > to > eventually face their own fears, and no doubt, most will > resist doing > so for as long as they can possibly get away with it. The problem begins when these people have the power to do something to those that they hate without reason. If they have no power, they are a barking dog that one can ignore. Once unleashed, they can do great damage without thinking of the results of their actions, and by proceeding from a false premise. > respond. I know that's what I would likely do. I also know > that such > interactions are fruitless. I do not wish to become another > one of Don > Quixote's endless windmills to slay. I don't blame you for leaving there. When thinking of VoB, I am reminded of the words of Yoda: "A domain of evil it is. In you must go." "What's in there?" "Only what you take with you." > As Dirty Harry once said: "A man's gotta know his > limitations." My wife tells me the same thing, only she doesn't carry a .44 magnum. Thankfully. Nevertheless, I continue to push those limits, and suspect it will one day kill me. Such is life, I guess. --Kyle
