I went out on a search for fireworks within easy cycling distance, but was unable to locate any displays. The economy is such this year that rather than fire some cops that desperately needed firing the city decided to cancel the fireworks display. You might think I hold animosity towards the men in blue, but that isn’t true. I only despise the ones that have personally caused me harm by failure to follow the law and investigate the guy that tried to kill me. Fortunately for them my brain damage plus previous psychological harm caused in my childhood has prevented me from remembering the names of the officers that caused me harm, which prevents me from cursing their lines to the 7th generation. 
So until somebody reminds me of their names, they and their descendants are safe from disfiguring skin diseases, humpback, halitosis, and speech impediments. But I really miss going to see fireworks.
Up first is an infrastructure story related to the cyclists killed last week in Ocean City MD. Route 50 Bridge Biking Questions Raised Apparently the anglers don’t want to share with the pedestrians, who don’t want to share with the cyclists, who are scared to death to share with the motor vehicles and can’t get around the anglers in the protected part of the bridge. Everybody wants their own separate part of the bridge and doesn’t want to share it with anyone else, and cyclists are getting killed because of it.
A Portland civil rights activist is killed while attending a conference in VA. UPDATED: Bicyclist killed on Virginia Tech campus identified and Friends remember bicyclist killed on Virginia Tech’s campus also Cyclist killed at Virginia Tech remembered for devotion to activism Still nothing certain about the wreck except that it happened. Nothing about any stop signs, who they might have affected, speed limits (apparently this was an area where the speed limit was low enough and the road steep enough to make exceeding the speed limit on a bicycle possible) or anything else except the sight line was known to be clear.
We are finding out more about the victim of an impaired driver in Lost Wages. Fatal bicycle crash victim identified He was a retired military man, and was operating his cycle with all legally required lights and reflectors, even though it was still light out at the time of the wreck. For those who might have a hard time placing this one, the driver was so intoxicated they had to hold his head up to take his mug shot. Preliminary reports say he may have had multiple drugs and alcohol in his system when he killed the cyclist.
Another reason to ride out in the traffic lane where people can see you. Bicyclist killed in Fayetteville wreck The cyclist was struck by 2 vehicles while hugging the curb. If there ever was an endorsement of Vehicular Cycling, this is it.
The cyclist killed this week in Seattle touched many lives and had a positive effect on many more. More on the cyclist killed Wednesday in Seattle and Friend: Cyclist killed in Seattle ‘would know and touch every life’ also Bicyclist killed Wednesday night is identified and video of the wreck investigation Raw: Seattle cyclist struck and killed The video is very disturbing with clear pictures of the victim’s bicycle crushed under the car that killed him.
An OR cyclist on a trans-continental bike ride is the victim of a hit-and-run in ND. Cyclist injured in hit and run Actually from the victims’ descriptions I wouldn’t call it hit-and-run but assault with a deadly weapon and attempted homicide. The vehicle swerved from the far inside lane to the shoulder of the road to hit 2 of the group.
A LI NY teen is hit by a drunk driver. Alcohol Blamed in Crash That Injured Teen Bicyclist Apparently the driver of the SUV hit the cyclist from behind and was under the influence of alcohol. Which seems to be a common thread in many of the other headlines in today’s paper…
We lost another LEO on a bike, and we need all that we can get. Bicyclist killed in Pompey crash and Veteran state trooper killed in Pompey car-bicycle crash The second link was consolidated from a number of different links when I first filtered the Feed, when I got to this story, they were all the same report. The driver went off the road and hit the State Trooper riding on the side of the road, cell phone use suspected. I don’t know that LEO suspect cell phone usage but a large number of the people making comments sure did.
Another Tucson rider killed. Tucson police identify cyclist killed Thursday From the description the cyclist was getting ready to make a left turn and was hit from behind.
Bakersfield CA riders are up in arms about losing one of their own to a drunk driver. Bike Riders Remember Fallen Friend Killed By Alleged Drunk Driver and Dozens participate in memorial ride for cyclist and finally Is Bakersfield a safe place to ride a bicycle? If you look at it rationally there is no city that is truly safe to ride a bicycle, until you either get rid of all the drunks or get rid of all the cars. We have had drunks since the discovery of fermented beverages, back in the earliest days of agriculture, but we have only had cars a little over 100 years. I think it will be easier to get rid of the cars than drunks, but I hold little hope on either front in my lifetime. But even if we somehow manage to get rids of all the drunks but keep the cars cyclists will still be in peril until and unless there is a way to screen out psychotics and sociopaths from ever driving, because of the destructive potential of the motor vehicle.
A Canuckistan cyclist is killed. Elderly cyclist killed on Barton That’s another thing, even when you get rid of the psycho- and sociopaths, you still have people that get killed because someone didn’t pay attention.
And finally some people are really nice. Bicyclists find hospitality during cross-country adventure A tire blows out on your bicycle while you’re eating dinner and Good Samaritans come out of the woodwork, there are times when I love MO.
Sorry it was so late.
Billed @$.02, Opus
