Spectator Code of Conduct

Received an email from Tim Mayer suggesting that car show organizers hand out cards to spectators that state a code of conduct expected of spectators.

I understand - too many cars get scratched by uncontrolled children, peed on by uncontrolled dogs, and dinged from bikes and strollers.

So, HotKarz has designed "business cards" that say the following:
_________________________________________________

FOR THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLES

Please...

No pets, skateboards, or bikes
If you brought children, please control them
Do not touch or climb on vehicles

Thank you

__________________________________________________

If you are connected with a show as an organizer or club, these cards will be made available FREE for your show. Simply email me, and let me know how many you need, and where I should send them. Please do not request more than you feel you may need, as the pockets of KotKarz are not that deep :o)

If you go to a show that does not have these cards, and you think they should, please let the organizers know about them, and tell them where they can get them for free next year.

Together, we can make shows a safer environment for your investment.

Bill

Gun Rights Upheld - Barely!

Well, the Supreme Court, by a slim margin of 5-4, found that we, the people, have a right to bear arms. What I find surprising is that the four liberal justices somehow fail to find anything in the Constitution that guarantees that right.

Hm-m-m. Exact wording of the 2nd Amendent states "...the right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged." Correct me if I am wrong (I'm not), but it sounds to me like the Constitution clearly states that the right of the people - you and me - to bear arms shall not be abridged.

In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons." He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."

Actually, there is evidence the Framers made that choice - when they specifically worded the 2nd Amendment that clearly states "The right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged." Apparently Justice Stevens has not read the Constitution. Either that, or like many liberals, has chosen to ignore it, or wants to give it new meanings that simply do not exist in reality.

Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."

Justice Breyer is even dumber than Stevens. Seems to me that crime-ridden areas are EXACTLY the place where people need to be able to defend themselves. And there IS an "untouchable constitutional right" - it's called the 2nd Amendment. It states "the right of the people", not "the right people EXCEPT those who live in unsafe places where people are in greatest need of self-defense."

Is this guy an idiot, or what? If an area is 100% safe, then guns are not necessary. Crime-ridden areas are exactly the place where people need to be able to defend themselves. How did such a dummy ever get appointed to be the judge of anything? I don't think he is qualified to judge a bikini contest - or a car show!

Why is it that liberals have so much difficulty when it comes to understanding clearly stated rights? What is so hard to fathom about "the right of the people to bear arms shall not be abridged"? Do they think the Constitution is actually a secret code that means the opposite of what it says?

Throughout the last 60 years it has been liberal justices who have found the term "separation of church and state" in the Constitution when, in fact, there is no mention of that in the document. And they found a constitutional right to deprive people the right to pray in school, in spite of the 1st amendment that clearly states that government may NOT interfere in the practice of religion. Yet the liberal justices did interfere, big time. In fact, liberal judges are actively trying to prevent the spread of Christianity.

And then those liberal justices found a new meaning to "eminent domain." While the Constitution states clearly that eminent domain can only occur if there is a need to have the land for PUBLIC USE, the liberal justices instead rewrote the Constitution to have it say PUBLIC BENEFIT. Apparently, these uneducated dunces believe that USE and BENEFIT mean the same thing. They do not.

And now the liberal justices would have rewritten the 2nd Amendment had it not been they were out-numbered by sane, intelligent conservative justices.

So, when you go to the polls in November, stop and think - in the next 4-8 years, chances are excellent that at least one justice will retire or pass away. The President will nominate a new justice, and Congress will approve. Before you cast your ballot, ask yourself if you want the Supreme Court to go back to being liberal, stripping us of even more rights.

I do not own guns, though I have, and may again, depending on the circumstances. But I certainly have no intention of ever giving up my right to defend myself, my family and my home, all so some idealistic fool can play havoc with reality.

Ask yourself - City A has guns, and owners who know how to use them. City B has no guns, because they have been banned. Assuming you are a criminal with at least an IQ of two digits, where would you ply your trade? In a town where you are likely to get shot, or in the town where the citizens are unarmed sitting ducks (otherwise known as "prey")?

If you do want our rights infringed, vote liberal. But if that is not what you want, then you need to cast your vote AGAINST liberal politicians. America cannot afford a Supreme Court that thinks it has the right to make the legislature irrelevant, and with it, the will of the people.

Nice Time at Fab 50's

This evening we went to the cruise at Two Trails Fabulous 50's Diner in Standish. We really like this cruise because it is always a good time in spite of being a small cruise. But tonight was not so small. A total of 16 great cars showed up for all to enjoy. Check out the pix here.

In addition to the usual People's Choice trophy, a special award was presented to Eddie, the owner of street rod XXXII. Gibbs presented him with the famous "Horse's Ass" award. Eddie has always supported the Diner and the cruise, and this award was in recognition of that.

And for once, the weather was just fine, without any rain, or threat of rain. This, of itself, is somewhat unusual lately.

Not sure where we will cruise on Thursday this week - the weatherman says 50% chance of rain (as usual), so we may not go anywhere. If we do, we just might swing over to the Smokehouse in Ossipee for a change - haven't been there yet this year. If not, we may go to TJ's in Biddeford. We'll have to wait and see.

Have a good week, folks! And may the weekend bring us good weather.

Bill

Rearing Its Ugly Head Again

Once again the liberals are yelling about "carbon offsets", "carbon credits" to help reduce global warming. See below for the reason I am including this post on HotKarz.

First, I will not even get into the warming debate - I think most of it is based on junk science. Even NASA data shows the Earth has been cooling for the last 10 years.

That said, I still must ask the same question - you know, the one liberals can't answer:

"If everyone were to buy carbon offsets so they do not have to change their amount of carbon emissions, then how does that reduce carbon emissions?" You do not reduce carbon dioxide. Instead, you pay for the right to splurge all you want. The rich can afford more offsets, so they can do what Gore does (see below). Meanwhile, the rest of us must reduce our carbon emissions, because we are not rich enough to buy the credits. The little guy gets screwed again! You and I have to ride bicycles to work so Al Gore can fly his private jet.

Reports state that Gore uses 100 times more electricity in his home than the average person, and flies in personal jets, and drives huge, gas-guzzling SUV's. But that's OK because he bought carbon offsets.

Seems to me the only thing that changes with carbon offsets is whose pocket gets the money. "It's OK that I waste resources - I bought credits to offset it". Imagine a man robbing a bank, then saying, "But it's OK, Judge - I bought credits to offset it." Or a man cheating on his wife, then claiming it's OK because he bought credits to offset it.

Does the term "BS" come to mind?

Al Gore is reported to have made over $100 million dollars from his global warming crusade. Perhaps we should levy a windfall profits tax on him instead of the oil companies.

Oh! By the way - the National Weather Service is predicting an earlier, and longer winter this year. I don't think they got the word about Global Warming.

I am including this post on HotKarz for a reason. The liberals are currently trying to push forth bills in Congress that would require companies to either reduce emissions, or buy offsets. This is nothing less than extortion - a "protection racket" - if you pay us, you won't have to worry. This would impact you and I in two ways:

1) It would effectively be a tax on corporations. And as any thinking person knows, all taxes are passed on to the little guy in the form of higher prices for goods and services. WE will pay for those offsets.

2) It is only one step away from imposing the same restrictions on us. Once they have established this "tax on living" on the corporations, they can easily expand it to things like cars, size of the home you are heating, and any other aspect of your life that requires carbon emissions. We would be told to cut back, or pay up. In essence, it would truly be a tax on living, like the old "luxury tax" of the '50's or the "sin tax" imposed on cigarettes and alcohol.

Don't think that can happen? In your entire life, have you ever seen any tax that could have been imposed but was not? Have you ever seen any tax that was not expanded at the first opportunity?

Fear of terrorism convinced us to give up some rights with the Patriot Act. And the liberals will use the fear of extinction by global warming as a way to get away with a tax on living.

Mark my words - unless the people get wise and elect intelligent, thinking people who are not overly liberal, it will happen. When you go to the polls, think of the way of life you want for your children and grandchildren. And if you decide you do not want a socialist "nanny state", think conservative - or, if you can't do that, at least think moderate.

If we are not happy with Maine's liberal government, for example, it is our own fault, because we elected those clowns. And as Thomas Jefferson once said, "Every person gets the government they deserve." Because the power to change it lies with us!

Busy Weekend

It looks like my dear wife, Robin, plans to keep me busy polishing this weekend. First, she wants to go to the Sanford Airport show on Saturday. Then she wants to go to the Moonlight Madness show in Rochester Saturday afternoon. And Sunday she want to go to the show way over in Sunapee NH.

I had better pack a lot of cleaning cloths!

Just a reminder - we'll be at Rock n' Roll Diner in Scarborough tonite, to hold balloting for the Super Cruise. At least, we will unless we get rained out :o) Right now, as of 4:00pm, it doesn't look good - lots of thunder and black clouds in the Scarborough direction. And Weatherbug is not very promising, either.

Bill

Did McCain Listen?

On 6/11 I wrote a blog here that said the government should offer $100 million to anyone who solves the energy problem. I also made a few other suggestions to go with it.

I sent a copy to the McCain & Obama campaigns, just for kicks.

Today, 6/23, McCain said to a group in California that, if elected, he would offer $300 million to anyone who solves the energy problem - one dollar for every citizen in America. As I had said two weeks ago, that's a cheap price to pay (but I was even cheaper - I only suggested $100 million).

Hm-m-m. Looks like McCain not only talks, but listens, as well.

And I can only hope that he also considers the other points in that plan - and then manages to get elected so he can actually DO it. Because, regardless of who gets into office, that is exactly the plan that is needed. And, so far, McCain is the only one stepping up to the plate with it.

Now if only he would listen to my thoughts on immigration, health care and taxes, he'd make a good president :o)

Also in today's news, my point about regulating speculation was made:

"Near-record oil prices could quickly fall by half if Congress were to rein in speculators, according to testimony Monday from a hedge fund manager and oil company adviser on Capitol Hill.

"Michael Masters, of Masters Capital Management, told a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that - with greater regulation - oil prices could drop to $65 or $70 a barrel within about 30 days."

However, most of the Democratic Congress is opposed to regulation, so don't plan on lower prices anytime soon unless WE, THE PEOPLE put the pressure on them.

Imagine, in as little as 30 days the price of gas and oil could be cut in half! And if we authorize drilling off the coast, just the threat of an increased supply could bring prices down further.

Perhaps we should all contact our Congressmen...

The Way It Was

As "car folk", we tend to reminisce about the "old days", when things were simpler, and presumably better. But lately there are certain things that strike me as having become terribly wrong.

When I was growing up, every boy in school was fighting over what few jobs were available. We were always ready and willing to work our tails off for a nickle. But nowadays it is nearly impossible to find a young man who is willing to work, and when he does, it is begrudgingly, and the work is done in a sloppy manner. No longer is there any pride in accomplishment, or a job well done.

And growing up, a person could play harmless pranks on one another, and when caught, would likely be scolded, then everyone had a good laugh. Now, if a person plays a prank, he is sued, or tossed in jail. There seems to be little tolerance for pranks anymore.

When we wanted a bicycle, we would build it out of parts scavenged from all over town. Now a kid won't be caught dead with anything less than a brand new high-end bike. Ask a boy today to build a bike, and he would not know where to begin.

As a youngster, I could spend an entire summer entertaining myself. Exploring, baseball, fishing, skimming stones...Today, if you take a child's computer, game cube or cell phone away, they are lost and bored. They cannot entertain themselves - they must be entertained.

And I look at all the angry, lost kids. And I wonder if it would be different if they, like us, had been forced to be active, inquisitive, athletic, and a builder of dreams, and not just a dreamer. Would they be less angry if they were more independent, and more secure and confident in their abilities? Would they be less lost if they knew how to take something apart and put it together again - and make it work?

Perhaps it is our fault. In our quest to provide a better life for our kids than we had, we tend to deprive them of the fun, education and confidence that comes from the school of hard knocks. We tend to forget that we got where we are because of those hard times, not in spite of them. We are strong, and we are builders and doers. We have accomplished much. And we owe that to what we learned along the way.

What are today's kids learning along the way? They know which stores in the mall have all the latest electronic gadgets and games, and which have the latest fashions. They know how to text message, but cannot carry on a face-to-face conversation.

In our quest to give them something better, I wonder if we have, in essence, taken away the best, and replaced it with shallow nothingness.

I am glad that I did not do everything I could have done for my child. I'm glad that I made her earn everything she got. I am happy that she was encouraged to be independent at an early age. I am glad that I did not rob her of the very lessons we wish they did not have to learn, but they must.

And I am so very touched when she looks at me and says, "Thanks Dad, for letting me figure it out and do it myself."

I hope she remembers - and gives her own children the same gift of strength and confidence.

Winner's Circle

Someone asked why I usually only post pictures of the First Place winners in the Winners Circle. It has to do with server space. HotKarz has a limited amount of server space, and pictures take up a lot more space than text. And HotKarz is picture oriented. For this reason, we cannot post all the pix we get, or all the winners, so we limit the Winners Circle to First Place winners.

Someday we hope to have at least a little income from HotKarz, from sponsors and advertisers, so we can increase server space. But for now, everything comes out of my pocket, so limits must be imposed.

Don't forget that HotKarz Super Cruise balloting takes places in two locations this coming week - at Rock n' Roll Diner (Rt 1 Scarborough) on Tuesday and Blast From The Past Diner (Rt 5 Waterboro) on Friday.

Moonlight Madness 2008

Just a note that this coming Saturday, 6/28, there will be a cruise and/or show on Main Street, Rochester NH. It is called Cruisin' New England Super Wheels Showdown (Moonlight Madness 2008), and runs from 4-8pm. All area shops and restaurants will remain open, and there will be vendors. Assemble at Ben Franklin Craft Shop at 3 (corner of Union & Wakefield), to get directions. Trophies & plaques to be awarded.

Sorry, don't have any more info on it at this time.

Vertical Outlaws Show

Hoping the weatherman was wrong (he usually is), we trekked on up to Lisbon for the Vertical Outlaws Show. No rain in sight. And thankfully, the rain held off until after the show. Most of the day was sunny, warm and breezy - near perfect.

But it seems the threat of bad weather, along with the show in Brunswick kept the turn-out lower than was hoped. I would guess about 100 cars and trucks, plus motorcycles. Not bad, but we had hoped for more.

The first thing that struck me: the classes were reasonably adequate. They even had a class for me, which was a pleasant surprise. The second thing that stood out was that the show was well organized - all the classes were laid out, and the folks running the show appeared to know what was going on. That was also a pleasant surprise, compared to some shows we had been to this year.

The motorcycle stunt show was a nice distraction. Most shows do not offer entertainment, but this one did. Kudos for that!

Ran into a bunch of old friends, and made some new friends. And that is what shows are really all about. Trophies are nice, but the true prize is always friendship.

As the day wore on, I only had one complaint, and it may not be shared by all. It is more of an opinion than a complaint. It was the music. Since 90% of car folks are (well) over 40, and most are over 50, the music being played did not seem suited. I have a fancy for pre-80's music, from the 50's to the '70's, with a few new tunes to break up the monotony. But that's just me. I'm sure some folks thought the choice of tunes was just fine. But it still would have been nice to slip in at least a few old tunes for us "seasoned" folks.

To the fine people who hosted the show, I thank you for a very good show. We appreciate the time and effort you obviously put into it. But how you managed to keep the rain at bay is beyond me - you guys are GOOD!

The pix of the show, the bike stunts, and the Winner's Circle (as well as some new "funnies" are now up on HotKarz.com. Enjoy!