Part of the problem with the Left’s TDS is that everything this administration does is a catastrophe. There is no gauging of relative importance. There is nothing so benign that the Left says “we’ll ignore this, we have bigger fish to fry.” This makes people exhausted and diminishes the severity of the big stuff.
Enter Mike Pence over the weekend.
He visited Mackinac Island, which I have never heard of, to give a speech. He was chauffeured in a typical VP motorcade.
Cue TDS insanity.
Disgusting. I am in such disbelief that this was allowed to happen. This Administration doesn't care about the law (you know, the U.S. Constitution), so it shouldn't surprise me so much that they don't care about our history or traditions. #MackinacIsland https://t.co/jvyMBCakrG
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) September 22, 2019
What the fuck is she talking about?
As it turns out, Mackinac Island banned cars in 1898 because they scare the horses. Since then it has been both law and tradition that the island be motor vehicle free.
Except that is not entirely true. The police and fire department have emergency vehicles, snowmobiles are allowed in the winter, and construction/service vehicles are allowed during the offseason.
So you can believe that driving is forbidden on the island if you believe that when a hotel or building is constructed, it’s all dug by hand, lifted by people pulling on a rope with a block and tackle, and horse-drawn carriages move the construction materials.
As the Detroit Free Press explains, the motorcade was mandated by the Secret Service for security reasons.
So according to Tlaib and all the other Lefties wringing their hands about this non-event, the Vice President being driven in a law enforcement motorcade (the Secret Service is a law enforcement agency) in a city that allows emergency service vehicles to drive on the road is tantamount to a violation of the Constitution is grade-A stupid bullshit.
What I will say about all of this is that in a matter of a few minutes reading about this non-event, I have gone from not knowing anything about Mackinac Island to saying “fuck that place and the people who live there, I am never visiting.”
It is a matter of principle, twice, and personal comfort, once.
Cars were banned in 1898 because the scared the horses and the law has not been changed to reflect changes in technology. This is pure Luddism that has taken on a deep almost spiritual significance.
Sacrilege https://t.co/RD40PkKjP9
— Ron Fournier (@ron_fournier) September 21, 2019
It’s not sacrilege, it’s a fucking car on an island under the jurisdiction of the United States.
What makes this worse is that the car ban doesn’t apply to law enforcement or emergency services. So Mackinac Island is to cars the way the New York City tries to be with guns. Police only, you filthy civilian.
If the people of Mackinac want to preserve their 19th century, bucolic purity, they can be evacuated off the island on a horse-drawn wagon and a rowboat when they are having a heart attack.
I don’t feel like giving my money to a bunch of Luddites who exempt their police from the target of their ban.
As a matter of practicality, I have arthritis in my spine and a bad knee. Walking or biking across the island is more than I would be capable of doing.
Not just does the city ban cars, it bans all motor vehicles, including electric bicycles, and scooters. If you are disabled, you can use a mobility scooter, but you better have your handicap paperwork with you.
I’m not going hurt myself biking around the 8 mile island and I’m not going to go through the indignity of proving that I’m crippled enough to get special permission to use a mobility scooter.
Fuck you, I’m going to take my money to Key West or Block Island where I can rent a scooter or a golf car or some other small, convenient transportation.
I know Trump needs Michigan to win reelection, but after learning about the Mackinac Island car ban, my natural inclination is to want the President to take a 100 car motorcade to do laps around M-185 (yes, it is a car-free state highway) like warmup at Talladega.
You take your money to Mackinaw island on a diesel powered high speed ferry boat. These run many times a day. You can rent bicycles or walk. The Grand hotel charges you to sit on their front porch. The roads on the island are paved with asphalt that was done with machines and trucks. It’s still a nice place, especially after all the tourists leave in early evening.
Pretty much convinced that “The Squad” is just one set of the collection of sock-puppets the leftards own.
Not one original thought in what passes for their brain matter. They just squawk the same idiotic points that their handlers give them, over and over again.
Cars are still a no-no there because there’s no room for them with the zillions of tourist all over the island on rented bicycles. Running over tourists would be bad for business. LOL
I visited Key West all the time. You drive down, park you car and use a little 49cc scooter. The locals rarely drive, they usually have larger scooters with saddle bags, and there is scooter parking everywhere. More and more Key West has made room for the non-highway legal Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) and golf carts. Those take up much less space and pollute less. Most of the tourist roads in Key West are 25 MPH max.
It would be one thing if they allowed scooters, electric bikes, and other non-car powered transport. But this “no motor vehicles” thing is some bullshit.
If you’ve never been to Mackinac Island, you should make the trip. Part of its considerable charm comes from the fact that it has no motor vehicles. As a friend of mine said, “Walking around Mackinac is incredibly relaxing. You feel like someone lifted a hundred-pound weight off your back. You don’t realize how much stress you’re under just being around internal-combustion engines till you’re not around them anymore.” And State Road 124, which encircles the island, is the only state highway in the United States that’s never had a motor-vehicle accident on it (though a lot of people fall off their bikes). Plus, the island has a lot of history connected with the wars with the French and the British. If you’re a history buff, it’s worth the trip just for that.
This Pence business is just typical political bullshit, and it will disappear the next time Colin Kaepernick opens his mouth or a Kardashian gets a speeding ticket. But you do owe yourself a trip to Mackinac. (In the summer!)
In my view, since I hate people (which The Darling Wife as well as my children have pronounced as odd, given my professional bent…), I find Mackinac Island in the autumn preferable.
If you have a mind to, there is out there in YouTubeLand a video of Mackinac Island in the winter. TDW and i find it fascinating. Yuo might enjoy it, as well.
having said that, yeah, the Pence imbroglio is bullshit. Even if Emperor Barack I was still ruler, I, myself, would support him employing a motorcade. I want Mr. Obama to die in deserved obscurity on God’s timetable, not from an assassin.