We certainly support

law enforcement, but we do not like having "things" pointed at us. More and more, we see these "pigs" on the side of the road, many unsafely parked, pointing their radar "guns" at traffic. We do not like these folks. The ATA took away our "right" to have radar detectors. We do not speed. We believe in safety. We support reasonable speed limits, especially off the interstate. But we do not like, trust or support this type of tax collection. These "officers" should be tracking pedophiles, walking the beat or going to Wal-Mart and other employers and investigating if their employees are legal to work in the US. They might try driving into rest areas and chasing the 4-wheelers out of the truck parking spots. They could patrol the interstates for 4-wheelers tailgating and cutting off trucks. But whether in a car or on a "girly" motorcycle, this "pointing" at law abiding citizens rubs us the wrong way. Blackhawk/Chattanooga TN

Follow-up on...

the Vu Cube, being pushed by Bill Mack, the XM Cowboy. Bill could sell anybody just about anything, with that smooth voice of his. Why he doesn't do more national spots is a mystery. I sent e-mail to Vu-Cube and never got any response. That is not a good sign. It turns out the product costs from $699-$1259 with an additional $79-$119 for a mounting bracket. Christmas will soon be upon us. If you know of drivers who have a spare $1300 for a satellite tv system, let them know about this new toy. Freight is down - the summer was not what many drivers had anticipated. For me, unless it is offered on a QVC easy installment plan - I don't even bother. We bought our laptops this way. It is the high tech version of the Wal-Mart layaway program, which ended last year. And quickly, there is no word yet on the XM/Sirius merger. SaturnNate/Clearwater FL

It even made the Tonight Show...

Jay Leno: “And the Bush Administration has given the green light for Mexican trucks to cross the border whenever they want into the United States starting this weekend, just to celebrate the new holiday, Illegal Labor Day.”
Jay Leno: “You know about this? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Mexican trucks can now come into the United States whenever they want. I guess they figure since everyone is already here, now they’re going to start bringing their stuff in.”
Jay Leno: “In fact, you know what Wal-Mart calls a truck coming in from Mexico? Car pool.”
**The Tonight Show is on NBC. Check your local listings for air times. Ogre Achiever/San Diego CA

Keep the pressure on...

V. Grumpy here in Laredo. We've all taken the time to contact our representatives in the House and the Senate. The subject was, of course, trying to stop the DOT from allowing Mexican truckers from delivering freight into the US. I brought a load of aluminum coils down here on Saturday. The trailer is still sitting here in our yard for a Mexican trucker to take it across the border. Apparently our Mexican friends took the long weekend off. I could have delivered the material directly to the manufacturer and picked up another load (close by) for delivery into the US. But then we don't do that. There is no safe place for us to park down there. The roads are "ify." And there's the customs hassle. If you have not done so already, contact your representatives to stop Mexican truckers from delivering loads in the US. If you need help, contact OOIDA.

Some Labor Day...

The stock market is closed. Schools are closed. Government offices are closed. So what happened to everything else. The holiday, according to Wikipedia, "began in 1882 to create a day off for the working man. It is still celebrated mainly as a day of rest and marks the symbolic end of summer for many. It is a federal holiday." But look around. Everything seems to be open for business and there are a heck of a lot of people working. Only in the US do Americans celebrate a holiday by working. No wonder the rest of the world thinks we a bunch of idiots.