Happy Halloween

I am officially rooting for the Green Bay Packers in the Packers at Redskins game. It is sad that I am using superstition to put my canadate over the top. What is hilarious is hearing my dad cheer against the Redskins. Something I never thought I would hear. Well, at least it is his boyhood team he's cheering for and not the Dallas Cowboys or something like that. Also, despite the 85° heat in DC today, I am not washing my truck. Whenever I wash my truck, Kerry goes down in the polls. Whenever my truck gets really dirty, Kerry goes up in the polls. Needless to say, I want to go off roading today or tomorrow. Besides, I get more attention when my truck is full of mud.

Yesterday at Kings Dominion was just OK. The lines were hideously long, because they were running all the rides at half capacity (except ones like Drop Zone which are all or nothing). Couple that with wonderful weather, the park was extremely crowded and the lines were horribly long. At least I got to ride a few things that were not open at the park back in 2000, such as Hypersonic XLC, Drop Zone and Ricochet. My favorite, the Anaconda was broken for most of the day. I think Sidy and I set an endurance record on that ride during the summer of 1999, with riding it 25+ times in a row without getting off. I got a 2005 Gold Season Pass, so I plan on going back at least twice next year. I want to go in the middle of the week when things are a lot less crowded.

It looks like that Deputy US Marshal is going to get deep fried by the Montgomery County States Attorneys Office. I have been planning on writing about this since details have come out. First of all, I hope that jurisdictional pissing contests or the thin blue line don't dictate what happens. I hope that the Montgomery County Police can and will take all the facts in a neutral manner and determine the right outcome. Honestly, it does not look good for the deputy. He would not produce a department issued photo ID to go with his badge and gun when asked by the Navy seaman. However, he did fire into the front of the vehicle, which could indicate that he was about to be run over. However, witnesses put the car and the deputy about 50' apart, which lends itself to getting out of the way. Some civilians are decrying the fact that nine shots were fired. Most people forget that law enforcement officers are trained under the premise of shoot to kill, empty the clip and reload. It is instinctive, not with thought. Plus, semi-automatic weapons become easier to fire after the first shot. Once shot one is fired, generally a well trained officer will fire out between eight and sixteen shots, depending on many factors. I find no fault in this detail. Where I do find fault is the Deputy had his family and wife with him. He could have let this situation blow over. Now his children are traumatized, he may be going to jail for the rest of his life. He could have been the bigger man and just let it go, and as a law enforcement officer, that is what I would expect of him. Angry gestures, yelling and fist fights should not be part of everyday driving, but sadly they are. I just hope there is a break in the thin blue line if he should be charged, and I hope that jurisdictional rivalry does not dictate charges if he would have been justified. Lets just hope for the truth.

I guess this whole topic leads into another concern of mine. The Washington DC Metro area has too many cars on the road at any given moment, in relation to the road capacity. New roads are needed, highways need widening, traffic signals need better timing, and interchanges need to be reengineered. Slow growth or no growth will not fix these capacity issues now. Metro is already overcrowded and over capacity during rush hour, just like the roads. Metro is not the answer anymore, unless expansion is brought forth. I personally would not mind paying another 10-15¢ per gallon of gas, if it goes towards highway improvements and metro expansion. This money would be well spent, because if my truck does not have to stop and go so much, I get better gas mileage, which offsets the extra gas tax. Add in the fact that it may force some people to change their driving habits or vehicle choices, and this appears to be a winner from many vantage points. We cannot take a "Not in my Backyard" approach anymore. We have done this for thirty years, and look at where we are today? Quality of life has suffered. Enough is enough, we need to build new roads NOW.