Originally Posted by swifferman
I said I agree with the parents in that their law suit will most likely result in a verdict for them. The city probably did not do all it could to prevent an accident from happening.
What's the difference if they're everywhere or not? If you have murderers at every playground do you say, "Oh, they're at every playground so there's nothing we can do." Obviously not, so not entirely sure how it's different depending on the numbers.
But I still don't agree that mountain biking should take place where animals would be likely to strike. Not entirely sure how you can defend yourself if a lion goes chasing after you. You sure as hell won't be able to outrun him.
If you truly believe that mountain biking shouldn't be taking place where lions can strike, then maybe we should ban mountain biking from the Rocky Mountains all the way to the west coast. Oh, and while we're at it we'll just ban it in Texas too because they have Rattle Snakes there and I hear they're dangerous. Oh that's right, there are Rattle snakes the Appalachians and up in Minnesota and Wisconsin too. Oh well, can't be helped, we'll just have to ban mountain biking there too. Let's see, are there any other dangerous critters out there?
Come on man, GET A CLUE! Life is an inherently dangerous activity and we all take our chances every day. We need to remember that we are encroaching on wildlife and we need to choose our actions accordingly. What we don't need is someone taking that choice away from us. You may choose not to ride in mountain lion country, but I understand the risk and I choose to accept it.
This issue isn't about selfishness; it's about the freedom of choice. Swiff, your stand implies that you believe it's OK for someone else to make that choice for you, or even worse, that you think it's OK for someone else to take your freedom to choose away from you. The reason you're catching all this flack is because most of the members here, me included, don't believe it's OK for someone else to take their ability to choose away from them.
Swiff, since you’re posting to this list I assume you’re riding a mountain bike. Isn’t it nice that you have the freedom to choose mountain biking even though it can be dangerous at times? And, isn’t it nice that someone didn’t decide that mountain biking was a bit too dangerous for anybody under the age of, oh lets say, 18? I hope you get my point.