# Letters From Little Girls (lame, helmet laws) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 31, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754 "2006-07-31T18:51:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kyyrewyyoae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Kyyrewyyoae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyyrewyyoae)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/1 "2006-07-31T18:51:06Z")
Today the Kansas City Star printed the following letters (names omitted here but you can read the whole thing [here.](http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15160199.htm) > [@](#): > > I think it should be a law that you have to wear a helmet on your motorcycle, because my daddy got hurt on his motorcycle, because he was not wearing a helmet. If it was a law that you have to wear a helmet, my daddy would follow it. I really miss my daddy. > > (age 8) > > I would appreciate it if you made a law that you had to wear helmets. My dad got in an accident, because he was not wearing a helmet. If this was a law, I know my dad would follow it, because he is a Marine. If this were a law my dad would not get in another accident. Please make this a law. Thank you very much. > > (age 11) Now I’m not here to debate the merits of helmet laws, and the accident these girls’ father suffered is certainly tragic. But blatant emotional appeals like this piss me off. If you want to make a reasonable argument for a law, go ahead. Don’t try to play on my pity by having your daughters write sad notes to the paper. Eight- and eleven-year old girls can’t grasp any part of the issue except “daddy’s gone,” and using them as tools to try to influence public policy is horrible. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/2 "2006-07-31T18:53:59Z")
Why are non-voters petitioning Congresspeople? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Windchill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Walter\_Windchill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walter_Windchill)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/3 "2006-07-31T19:15:10Z")
I wonder why “showing how policy decisions affect actual people” is considered by some to be a dirty trick. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/4 "2006-07-31T19:48:31Z")
Dear little girls: Your Daddy was obviously drunk off his ass, probably after having a celebratory few hours at the strip club after work, and was on his way home to be sexually rejected by your Mommy for stinking of beer and lapdances, and definitely would have found his way down the hall to your rooms sooner or later. It is with this very outcome in mind that this office will fight against nasty helmet laws. Thank you for your letter. The Honorable Dennis Moore 3rd District, Kansas ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/5 "2006-07-31T20:00:20Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Why are non-voters petitioning Congresspeople? 😉 Why shouldn’t they? Congresspeople have the right to give less weight to the views of non-voters, but that’s it. By that argument, women should not have been able to petition before 1920. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/6 "2006-07-31T20:50:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Why are non-voters petitioning Congresspeople? 😉 Because third-grade teachers have to be able to have something for the class to do on a day when the teacher is hungover. “Class, write a letter to all 100 state legislators urging that Hunter S. Thompson be named the official corpse of Colorado. _There, that should keep the little bastards busy. Naptime!_” ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/7 "2006-07-31T21:10:06Z")
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using letters from kids to influence policy: I have no problem with a 10-year-old kid writing a letter to his congressmen asking for stricter DUI laws because some drunk ran over his dad. **Kyyrewyyoae** , ignoring the particular issue at hand, I agree with **Walter** - I see nothing wrong with letting kids write these letters, or the newspaper publishing them. It injects a little reality into what is usually an abstract debate. However, this is just mind-blowingly _stupid_ when applied to helmet laws. Why didn’t the little twerps just ask their DADs to wear the damn helmet, instead of begging a congressman to force them to do it? The next time I see some little brat screaming in the supermarket, instead of asking him to shut up, I’ll write my representative and ask him to pass a law forcing all kids under 12 to be gagged and muzzled when out in public. ---
**Author:** ![934spe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/9/90db22/32.png) [@934spe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/934spe)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/8 "2006-07-31T21:16:20Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Dear little girls: > > Your Daddy was obviously drunk off his ass, probably after having a celebratory few hours at the strip club after work, and was on his way home to be sexually rejected by your Mommy for stinking of beer and lapdances, and definitely would have found his way down the hall to your rooms sooner or later. It is with this very outcome in mind that this office will fight against nasty helmet laws. > > Thank you for your letter. > > The Honorable Dennis Moore > 3rd District, Kansas I vote for this repsonse. I mean, really folks, are we not mature enough to make decisions about whether we sould wear a helmet or not? It should be a personal choice. If said moron got hurt in the forementioned accident, I guess Darwin wins… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/9 "2006-07-31T21:19:07Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Because third-grade teachers have to be able to have something for the class to do on a day when the teacher is hungover. “Class, write a letter to all 100 state legislators urging that Hunter S. Thompson be named the official corpse of Colorado. _There, that should keep the little bastards busy. Naptime!_” See **Giles**? It was a joke. Thank God the mods around here have a sense of humor! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walter\_Windchill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Walter\_Windchill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walter_Windchill)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/10 "2006-07-31T21:23:17Z")
I do agree with Absolute that the kids should talk to their dads instead of writing the government. My previous post was in response to this from the OP: > [@](#): > > \*\*latant emotional appeals like this piss me off. If you want to make a reasonable argument for a law, go ahead. Don’t try to play on my pity by having your daughters write sad notes to the paper. Eight- and eleven-year old girls can’t grasp any part of the issue except “daddy’s gone,” and using them as tools to try to influence public policy is horrible. This suggests that reasonable arguments can’t include the feelings of children, because they can’t “grasp” the issue. I think that policies can directly affect children, and that keeping people mindful of that through the words of children is perfectly legitimate. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/11 "2006-07-31T21:31:17Z")
Hmmmm… Dear President Bush, ``` My Daddy got his fucking head blown off in Iraq, the country you invaded for no fucking reason. Please don't invade anywhere else. ``` A Cute Orphan with Sad Eyes ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/12 "2006-07-31T21:41:00Z")
> [@Kyyrewyyoae](#): > > Today the Kansas City Star printed the following letters (names omitted here but you can read the whole thing [here.](http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15160199.htm) It’s the responsibility of DA daddys to wear the proper safety equipment, not mine, yours, or the gov’t’s. They can’t stand wearing a helmet lest they be percieved as something less than macho! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/13 "2006-07-31T21:43:29Z")
Might it be more effective if you had Steelers fans write in? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/14 "2006-07-31T21:59:14Z")
While I would sooner emasculate myself with a spork than ride sans helmet, this: > [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Dear little girls: > > Your Daddy was obviously drunk off his ass, probably after having a celebratory few hours at the strip club after work, and was on his way home to be sexually rejected by your Mommy for stinking of beer and lapdances, and definitely would have found his way down the hall to your rooms sooner or later. It is with this very outcome in mind that this office will fight against nasty helmet laws. > > Thank you for your letter. > > The Honorable Dennis Moore > 3rd District, Kansas Is freaking hilarious. Honestly, if you want to ride without a helmet, then you increase the odds that you won’t be able to reproduce. Not always a bad thing, to my way of thinking. -Waste ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/15 "2006-07-31T22:02:28Z")
Never mind the little girls, I’d like to hear what a few stem cells have to say about the proposed helmet law. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/16 "2006-08-01T01:37:14Z")
Couldn’t it be, that the little girls heard about the potential law and decided to write on their own? It is possible that a child that age might decide to write a letter to the paper about something that they “know”. I don’t know that any adult put them up to it at all. I wrote a letter to the local paper as an 8 year old child myself, about endangered species (After seeing a National Geographic special on elephants) in fact. It got printed. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/17 "2006-08-01T03:19:32Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > It’s the responsibility of DA daddys to wear the proper safety equipment, not mine, yours, or the gov’t’s. > They can’t stand wearing a helmet lest they be percieved as something less than macho! Ah, yes, in an ideal world where people (especially men) take responsibility for their actions. I live in a country where everyone wears a helmet because if you don’t and you get caught, you get a big fine. I think this is a fab idea and I wouldn’t have it any other way - I do not want to pay to keep anyone on life support because they were stupid enough to not wear a helmet. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/18 "2006-08-01T04:15:29Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Hmmmm… > > Dear President Bush, > > ``` > My Daddy got his fucking head blown off in Iraq, the country you invaded for no fucking reason. Please don't invade anywhere else. > > ``` > > A Cute Orphan with Sad Eyes [It’s been done](http://newshound.de.siu.edu/voices/stories/storyReader$2342). ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/19 "2006-08-01T04:59:54Z")
It would make sense to have a helmet law for children up to, say, age 15 or so, because a kid doesn’t fully understand what can happen when a skull connects with pavement at high speeds. An adult does, and if they want to take a chance at getting a head injury or worse, let them. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754/20 "2006-08-01T05:23:30Z")
I clearly remember when Jimmy Carter spoke of talking to his daughter Amy about an issue to see what she thought on the subject and he cricified for doing so. We, the adults, are smarted than the kids. Yes we really are. This "and a child shall lead them’ is total bullshit. The only place a kid is going to lead you to is a candy store inside Disneyland. These little girls have no idea what caused their father’s ‘accidents’. They porbably don’t know what ‘operator error’ means. If we let little girls write our laws well all be riding ponys to work with pink ribbons in their manes and on their tails. That’s not a world I want to live in. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-from-little-girls-lame-helmet-laws/366754.md?page=2)