Mailing List Archive Mailing List Archive
Zimmerman writes: >Let's dispense with the smoke and mirrors, talk of the public >good and whatnot...these are generalities that serve no point >in debate except to obscur. > >After all, who would dare challenge the "public good"? > >Fine, I will. > >Tell us who dear old grandma is going to impinge upon? To whom is >she going to cause detriment when she goes skiing, skydiving >or dives on the Doria? If Grandma is out of shape, or in any way it is foreseeable that her condition, physical or otherwise, could be construed as causing her to be predisposed to severe injury of some sort, then when she dives the Doria, she could be placing plenty of others at risk. Do not confuse this with the typical level of risk one incurs in participating in the sport, I am referring to significant additional risk that the individual is aware of. >Can she go grocery shopping without causing detriment? Or is >there social cost there too? Apply a risk/utility formula here; Grandma techdiving versus Grandma going to the store...you do the math. >Who's rights might she "compromise"? To continue with the above scenario, she places at risk anyone who might have to be called out to rescue her in the event of an accident, and those still in the water, etc. In a wider scope, who is going to foot the bill for the helicopter that has to evac her to medical care? Sure, she might have insurance, but what if she doesn't? Yes, there is a certain element of risk involved when she goes to the store, but that is nothing compared to the Doria trip, at least for Grandma. >What IS this awful public/social cost that you are insisting >upon? Boat crew, other divers, EMS, etc. Yes, there is a certain degree of this risk inherent in the job[s], but there is a significant cost in allowing frivolous expenditure of the lives of those who accept that risk. Grandma's poor judgement could be very costly. >Come on, out with it, stop speaking in code, granny is planning to >dive the Doria this weekend. She's got her doubles filled, and her >new >denture-less mouthpiece has come in. Who do we need to warn that they >are about to be compromised, caused detriment (excuse the grammar :-) ), >and impinged upon? Where is the social and public cost that will be >incurred? Who is the accountant that tallies this figure? >Where is the guy who tallies the cost in personal freedom, or >did he get cut in the last round of budget cuts? >You say you are for personal freedom, and before the ink bits can >dry you put it in some cage of "attendant responsibility"... If you think "attendant responsibility" is a cage...do you really see it that way? Grandma doesn't live in a vacuum. Are you implying that you feel that there should be no responsibility for the exercise of one's rights? That's crazy. > >Sounds like a tent precariously itched on a slippery slope >waiting for the next El Nino storm to come along. > In your world, though, I have a right to build that tent on the slippery slope, and then apparently it's acceptable for me to expect YOU to pay when it is swept away. >-- > _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
Navigate by Author:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Author Search Index]
Navigate by Subject:
[Previous]
[Next]
[Subject Search Index]
[Send Reply] [Send Message with New Topic]
[Search Selection] [Mailing List Home] [Home]