Auto Crimes

"What gives a torque wrench its power?"
I'm still on the plane. Two San Gabriel Valley guys in their twenties sit next to me talking cars.
"What?"
"You know, how does it get its power?"
"It doesn't have any more power than a regular wrench," he says with condescension.
There's a clear hierarchy in this relationship--the master of auto and his wide-eyed apprentice.
"Oh, I mean how does it work."
"It's just like a regular socket wrench except you can set how tight you want it to tighten, and it slips when it gets to the desired tightness."
"Oh"

I tune out as they continue talking about the merits of different tire treads, mufflers and cooling systems, and then my ears perk up again.

"Do you think I'd lose my license if I got caught doing 140 in a 70
zone?" asks the apprentice.
"Hell no," says the master.
"Oh."
"I was once caught going 127 in a 50, and I didn't lose my license." He chuckles.
The apprentice laughs lightly, "yeah?"
"So, I mean that's, lets see, that's more than twice the speed limit, that's like, that's like two and a half times the speed limit. And if I didn't lose my license for that then, you know, 140 in a 70, no way, because, you know, that's only twice the speed limit, you wouldn't lose it for that."
The apprentice nods at the wisdom.
"Yeah that's my highest 127 in a 50. Damn that cost me a bundle. Shit, I'm gonna lose my license for sure next time."

Siphoning the rebel rage expressed here is the top selling Playstation 2 game, Grand Theft Auto, a triumphal combination of high velocity and pillage.

And since the February 2 release of the IPCC report, who can describe this rage as anything but a rage to pillage?

And who now can doubt the need to make private automobility exponentially more expensive?

This week the EU proposed legislation requiring new cars to reduce emissions by 18%, likely increasing vehicle price and adding to the already high cost of driving in Europe, where gas taxes are typically 3 times what they are in the U.S.

Once again Europe is way ahead of us.
On the other hand, while they have Paris, we have Paris, Las Vegas.