>On a childs Superman costume:
>This costume does not allow the wearer to fly.
Reminds me of a case I came across when doing research for a product
liability claim; Somebody v. Ryobi US Corp. The plaintiff had removed
the handle from his lawn mower, and while it was running, picked it by
curling his fingers around the edges so that he could use it to trim
level the top of his hedges. Oddly, the spinning blade removed several
of his fingers. He sued because the company had failed to warn against
this. He won (several hundred thousand) because it wasn't forseeable, as
he had done this same very foolish thing before.
Or another favorite: An illiterate man sued GM was injured when he had
the rear of his truck lifted up with a bumper jack and no wheel chocks.
He poked his head over the top of the tire to look behind it. The jack
slipped, the truck dropped, and the man's head was caught between the
wheelwell and the tire. He sued because the company had failed to put a
large warning sticker that showed (using a graphic with the international
'banned' symbol) that doing what he did was not very smart, and could
result in injury. He also won.
>That's American litigation for you. Or as Jeremy Clarkson (UK
>motoring correspondent) was told by an American cop "when you
>have laws you don't need common sense".
IMHO, the litigation occurs because people refuse to take responsibility
for their own actions, and when the case goes before a jury, the jury
figures that the company can afford to lose a large chunk of change to
help out this poor, dumb consumer (kinda like the McDonalds' coffee
lady). Each case like that encourages the next one.
See Article III below <G>.
Rich
*****
Bill of No Rights We, the sensible of the United States, in an attempt to
help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any
more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure
the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great
grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some
common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden
delusionists, and other liberal, commie, pinko bedwetters. We hold these
truths to be self evident, that a whole lot of people were confused by
the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a Bill of No Rights.
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen color TV,
or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally
acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.ARTICLE II: You do not
have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom,
and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you. You may leave the
room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world
is full of idiots, and probably always will be.ARTICLE III: You do not
have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your
eye, learn to be more careful. Do not expect the tool manufacturer to
make you and all of your relatives independently wealthy.ARTICLE IV: You
do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most
charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but
we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation
of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation
of another generation of professional couch potatoes.ARTICLE V: You do
not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the
looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health
care.ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other
people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't
be surprised if the rest of us get together and kill you.ARTICLE VII:
You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob,
cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be
surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place
where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life
of leisure.ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to demand that our
children risk their lives in senseless foreign wars to soothe your aching
conscience. We hate repressive governments and won't lift a finger to
stop you from going to fight if you'd like. We do not, however, enjoy
parenting the entire world and do not want to spend so much of our time
battling each and every little tyrant with a military uniform and a funny
hat. We believe we should protect our interests first by taking care of
what's at home, and pushing back when necessary, fast and hard.ARTICLE
IX: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have
one, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to
take advantage of the opportunities in education and vocational training
laid before you to make yourself useful.ARTICLE X: You do not have the
right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to
pursue happiness, which, by the way, is a lot easier if you are
unencumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those around
you who were confused by the Bill of Rights...
|