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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Dropped signals

The "cell phones banned at the courthouse" story has been in the news for weeks now, and some people were still caught unawares:

At the Bud Meeks Justice Center, where misdemeanor and traffic ticket cases generally are taken care of, it seemed to be a different story. The center was packed after a long weekend, and officials said “a whole lot” of people were turned away. Some said it could have been 50 to 100 people in the morning. When asked how many people had tried to come into the building with cell phones, despite a large sign notifying everyone they were not allowed, a security guard said, “A lot.”

People would walk up to the building, see the sign, dig in their pockets, notice they had their phone and either curse or shake their head before turning around and going back to wherever they came from. Others had to decide what to do with their phones if they didn't have cars to put them in.

Of course, many people who carry cell phones don't exactly pay attention to the world around them, so maybe that's the explanation.

Isn't it amazing how fast we've gone from not even having cell-phone technology to feeling like we just can't cope if we don't have them? Once in a while, I forget and leave mine on the charger when I head out to work in the morning. If I realize it before I'm halfway to work, I'll turn around to retrieve it, though chances are good I won't even use it during the day. Just feel naked and unprepared without it.

But I was one of the first in my circle of acquaintances to get one, out of desperation. I had a Jeep Cherokee at the time, which was nearing the end of its useful life and kept stranding me in the middle of nowhere. As soon as I got the phone, however, I also got rid of the Jeep, so I never had to call a cab or a tow truck with it. My best use of it is still to call Pizza King from the car when I leave work.

Posted in: Our town

Comments

Larry Morris
Thu, 01/04/2007 - 6:00am

What's the point of BANNING cell phones ? Use the same sign to warn people they must be turned off and fine them if they aren't - banning them is crazy, ... and I thought we were strange down here sometimes - may have to rethink that.

Laura
Thu, 01/04/2007 - 6:11am

Larry, you need to read the article about this. They don't want people with cell phones taking pictures with it. I think it is just something for people to get attention with most of the time unless they are using it because they truly need it. You don't need to talk on one in traffic, at the grocery store or in court! Get a life-what did these people do before we had cell phones?? Since many people nowadays feel no need to follow rules (aka running red lights, cutting people off in traffic and generally being rude), they either didn't pay attention to the sign or felt no one would enforce the rule. Most of the time people like this need a fine to get the message. Bet they won't try to take them in their now.

Larry Morris
Thu, 01/04/2007 - 6:44am

Laura: I did read the article - photo-capable cell phones or not, banning them is a stupid idea. You really think the sign will keep someone who really wants to from bringing it into the building - just fine them if they do. Just like so many other things, this is a pox on us all for the sake of those who won't follow the rules, ... by golly, here's what we'll do - if we can't stop people from smoking pot, we'll just ban pipes.

tim zank
Thu, 01/04/2007 - 7:26pm

Couldn't we just ban stupid people?

Leo Morris
Thu, 01/04/2007 - 8:44pm

Another one of my rules to live by: There is no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people asking questions.

brian stouder
Fri, 01/05/2007 - 5:08am

Laura - I agree with you, except for this sentence:

"You don't need to talk on one in traffic, at the grocery store or in court!"

And even then, I'm with you on 2 out of the three examples (and 2 out of 3 ain't bad!)

Using my cell phone at the supermarket has saved me much marital admonishment; or rather - it has moved the admonishment into 'real-time', where I can immediately act on it ("No no no - get the Betty Crocker double fudge brownies with walnuts; I NEVER get the Duncan Hines!", etc etc)

As Leo says, days go by when I don't use it at all; in fact I noticed that weeks go by! And if my phone ever rings, it is my lovely wife* - and if I make any call, it is to call home....so we switched it to a Trac phone, and I'm happy as a pig in mud

* whereas HER phone rings pretty much regularly, owing to an astonishing array of diifferent people; PTA people, extended family, weight watchers friends, scrap-booking friends, and so on. I think the thing actually has enabled her to get more out of (and into) her days, as she runs errands and shuttles the young folks here and there

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