... if the command structure has the guts to implement it.

Any soldier who attacks one of his (or her) comrades-in-arms in the middle of a war zone should be put up against a wall and shot. The fact that this isn't happening is yet another sign of the breakdown in the US military being caused by this moronic war. During my service as a medic (1989-1997) I served with many women who took the same risks and did the same job I did, and while some of them did face of sexual assault and harrassment, these incidents were dealt with swiftly and appropriately. As a result, it didn't happen very often -- no more often than in the civilian world, at any rate, and the justice the perpetrators faced was much harsher. Iraq is poisoning us.

I lived in ND during much of his administration. He's a corrupt party hack. Anyone who thinks dirty machine politics is limited to big-city Democrats need look no further than Schafer for proof that rural Republicans are at least as bad.

You would think that, by the way people act when they pass you sometimes. They sincerely believe that bicycling is WRONG, and they want to harm people on bikes. I think it's no so much a religious thing as an "environmentalist=pussy" thing.

As an environmentalist who walks or rides the bus whenever possible, but finds it necessary to drive (a small, fuel-efficient car) fairly often, here's my answer: I don't think it's morally wrong to bicycle, nor (obviously) do I think environmentalists are pussies. Anyone who commutes by bike is no doubt in much better shape than I am ...

But yeah, I do get pretty annoyed at bicyclists on the road quite a bit, and here's why: not obeying traffic laws. If you ride your bike on the street, you are operating as a vehicle. That means not running red lights, using your hands to give turn signals, not running red lights, picking a lane and staying in it, not running red lights, giving due consideration to pedestrians, and oh yeah, did I mention not running red lights? The casual disregard many bicyclists show for proper behavior on the road is terribly unsafe, leads to a lot of frustration and occasional rage on the part drivers, and reeks of holier-than-thou arrogance.

Truth is, in my experience, there's only one other group on the road that displays as much of a laissez-faire attitude toward proper road behavior as bicyclists do, and that's SUV drivers. Yeah, that's right, the folks in their lumbering 10-mpg deathtanks with the "Support The Troops" magnetic ribbons have a lot in common with the self-righteous Greens in form-fitting biking suits on their high-tech mountain bikes. Two sides of the same coin, and neither group shows the slightest bit of respect for the rest of us on the road.

Drivers angry at bicyclists? Well okay I dont'stop at stop signs, because I don't want to take my feet out of the clips. Its easier to flow with traffic when you don't come to a complete stop.

Try this one on for size: "Well okay I dont'stop [sic] at stop signs, because I don't want to shift all the way down to first gear ..." Would you accept that as an excuse if I ran a stop sign and smacked into your bike? I don't think so.

Yes I use hand signals, although most drivers don't understand them.

Personally, I understand them just fine. I just hardly ever see them used. When I do, I take note, because it's such a rare courtesy.

Also when I am approaching an obstacle (like someone parked in the bicycle lane), I move over early, because I want traffic behind me to notice. (Also if I want to make a left turn I don't wait until I come to intersection before I move over. Bicycles are supposed to move with traffic.)

Normal lane-changing isn't what I'm talking about when I say, "pick a lane and stay in it." I'm talking about casually weaving between lanes as though the white stripes on the road were mere suggestions. You may not do this, and if you don't then good for you, but believe me when I say I see a lot of this behavior.

On this as well as the red light / stop sign issue, you have to understand: you're not going to move with traffic. Bikes, on average, move slower than cars. That's a simple fact. On the road, you are a slow-moving vehicle. It is your obligation to act accordingly. Hopping red lights (the stop sign issue is a bit of a red herring, actually) to get ahead of the car that passed you a block back is not "moving with traffic." It's illegal and hazardous behavior.

The rider then has to swerve out into the lane, when either someone opens a car door without looking, or a pedestrian steps in front of the bicycle, or a skateboarder challenges their line of travel.

All of which are hazards car drivers have to deal with too. And somehow, we usually manage to handle it without treating everyone else on the road as though they were no more than inconvenient obstacles.

( I really don't like skateboarders).

Right. Bicyclists are noble and pure and free, but those darn skateboarders! Who the hell do they think they are, anyway? You kids, get off my lawn!

I realize that occasionally you might have to slow down, but most of the time you were speeding anyway.

So, you carry a radar gun on that bike of yours?

What is the other guy thinking? It helps.

Oh, I know what you're thinking, all right. You're thinking, "I'm on a bicycle, I can't possibly be doing anything wrong." Sorry. Your very first paragraph invalidates any claim you make to being a courteous user of the road.