Reader Question: Loving the Bomb?

Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!

BJ writes: We are witnessing a controlled demolition of the current system leveraging contagious social hysteria to manipulate The People into literally demanding their own captivity. I now have no doubt that we live at the end of a golden age of personal freedom.

The dark forces control the world and if you fight back you will be crushed. If the bomb has already been dropped, you can either fret about it or heroically jump on its back and scream yeehaw as you experience the ride of your life.

Roads are deserted out here in the West. Friday  I drove from Santa Cruz to San Diego and I assure you the traffic has not been lighter since WW2. This time of year through October Hwy 1 is a circus of RVs, minivans, sports cars, cyclists and crotch rockets. Ridiculously annoying traffic that utterly ruins the experience of an otherwise spectacular road. Near Big Sur at 8 in the morning I drove for 21 minutes without seeing a car in either direction. I actually timed it. It was like this everywhere. I imagine north of SF would be even more deserted. It is truly creepy.

But fun!

Driving is the last great individual freedom. Driving in The West especially. The ability to transport yourself 500 miles in 6 hours while sitting in a climate controlled pod listening to Bach’s Tocata and Fugue at colon quivering volume is vastly underrated. You could always be the only person for 20 miles in in the vast NV/OR/ID/MT area. Now it’s like that on motherfucking Highway 1. You appreciate the freedom of driving. I strongly encourage you to love the bomb and scream yeehaw while driving south on hwy 1. Find a way out here and go driving on a legendary road as if it were closed to shoot a movie.  On the way out here drive the best roads in the country like 89 or any of the Sierra passes. They are all empty.

Oh yeah, wildflowers starting now. First few golden poppies coming out now. In two weeks it will be going off. I just drove down with a load of shit in a 2010 GLK. It drives well in curves for what it is. But I’m doing another lap of The West this week as soon as I get my 1989 Porsche 951 back from the shop where, inspired by you, the sound system is getting sorted. Driving a no bullshit car on highway 1 alone is priceless. All analog and mechanical, no distractions, nothing to hit but cows. Can’t wait. I realize we are unique in human history in our ability to drive without any restrictions. I realize we are going to lose this ability. I am screaming yeehaw and waving my hat in my 951. Hope to see you on Hwy 1. Or 85. Or in Canyonlands national Park. Or…

My reply: Indeed. I am a believer in making the most of every situation – bad and good. And going out for a drive is one such way. But I wish more of us would make the same move and refuse to accept the dying of the light.

I am not yet ready to give up hope. In my part of the country – SW Virginia – there are fewer people out but there are still plenty of people out. Including drivers. I even saw a fairly large number of people defying the Coonman’s orders – which I’ll write about separately under the politics tab.

If the weather’s nice today – it’s still dark/very early morning here – I may take the Orange Barchetta out to the coffee shop to sit, in lumpy-cammed insolence, outside the coffee shop where I used to like to peck at my laptop.

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Got a question about cars, Libertarian politics – or anything else? Click on the “ask Eric” link and send ’em in!