On Wed, 7 Sep 2005, jmcquown wrote:

> Lena B Katz wrote:
>> Don't raise the strawman of needing to do a "search and rescue
>> operation"... most of the people who left did so well before the
>> hurricane
>> hit. They could have easily contacted strangers who needed a ride.
>>
>> Lena
>
> How do you contact a "stranger"?

In my case, it's fairly easy. I've done community service around, helping
folks in need. So, I go to someone I know and say, "know someone who
needs a ride out". But, you're asking about me. which is not really
relevant, as I don't have a car to get anyone out of anywhere. I'd
imagine dropping by a soup kitchen would do the trick, or a homeless
shelter. Or hell, just drop by a hospital and pick up someone old.

> Here's a personal horror story about my brothers and a friend of theirs
> hitching a ride to SC once back in the 1970's - the guys they caught a ride
> with were great fun! Good tunes on the radio, beer, a little pot.

When you're miles out on a deserted country road, that man in a car can do
whatever he wants with you. Ain't nobody gonna do nothin' about it,
aint' nobody gonna see it. So,
yeah, go ahead and ask for a ride. Ain't gonna spoil your chances.

> Also
> turned out they'd murdered the owners of the car and stole it. Their friend
> D. lost his wallet in the back seat so when these guys were apprehended,
> everyone thought they'd killed D. and my brothers, too. That was a lovely,
> frantic 72 hours.

Nice to see that even murderers can be good folk too. I've read books
about rapists. Anthropology books, the kind that get inside someone's
head without judging them (didn't help that the guy didn't know they were
rapists till he knew them a year or two). I've read books about drug
dealers, and people who perpetually steal clothing from stores (funny
thing about those last ones, they were _proud_ whenever they could afford
to buy something. proud to have a receipt.)

> It's a nice thought to suggest folks could or should have gone around
> picking up strangers but it's simply not a safe or sane idea.

It is as safe and sane as you want it to be. You're in control of the
car, you're in control of who you let into the car. And, if you're trying
to tell me that fifteen crying two-year-olds can overpower you, you're
full of shit. Here's the numbers, such as they are. you could probably
fit double the amount of kids in a car than you could their parents (more
if you put some in the trunk).

> And despite
> what you maintain, there is no legal precedent for doing so.

as someone else was stating, the legal precedent pertains more to how
people behave during disasters than how they behave before them. but
legal precedent is all in how a judge decides which laws are relevant to
your case. Less you're the judge, don't claim to know what's going on,
legally speaking.

Lena