Safety, I Get. Something about the official approach hits a nerve

On the radio, they seem to be waiting with bated breath for the first death of the holiday. It is kind of macabre, the way every news report includes talk of how many hours we are into the July 4th weekend, how many predicted fatalities, how many died last year, what police are doing to keep you in line, how many drunks have been arrested, etc. I can't quite put my finger on what bothers me.

It does bother me that so many people think they have to go out and be idiots on the road. It also puzzles me that those appear t go unnoticed by law enforcement, except at road blocks if they get nailed for being drunk. I'd think the most effective road blocks would be right there where people drink. Most of the bars are close together in places where drunks typically drive through store windows and restaurants.

That is another unusual thing I notice about California--people regularly drive through the walls restaurants. I rarely recall this happening in other places I've lived. Maybe it is how things are laid out, but it doesn't seem so different than elsewhere. You have a better chance getting offed in a fast food joint by a speeding zombie than getting struck by lightening or winning the lotto in SoCal.

I can only hope that CA Highway Patrol and the media are disappointed. They sound as if they want fatalities so they can admonish the public and excuse further intrusive tactics. If I had no obligation to play, I think I'd not drive this weekend. Holiday crowds are not a thrill to me. Unless, of course, I'm on stage and the lunatics are there to hear us play. Then I am all for lunatics crowding in.