Date:         Thu, 19 Oct 1995 12:47:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@PO2.GI.COM>
Subject:      Re: A little [W]ednesday humor to brighten your week!


>This whole thread reminds me of a Science Fiction story I read a while
>back.  Called "Why Johnny Can't Speed", I do not remember the author but
>I'd like to find it again.  The premise was that the freeways around Los
>Angeles (most major cities I assume) had become a battle field.  All
>vehicles were equipped with armour and heavy weaponry including drop
>mines and recoilless rifles of all types as well as full auto 50 cal. and
>larger automatic weapons.  Volkswagens being the lightest armoured and
>armed the drivers of these were sworn to protect each other.  Johnny takes
>off in his beetle with twin 50's and a small rocket launcher (drop mines
>too I think) to go to a friends house in Orange County and get's aced by
>a black Caddy with a 105mm Howitzer.  Daddy has to break out the Assault
>Lincoln and go avenge Johnny's death.  A cute story and somewhat
>prophetic given the freeway shootings we had here a while back.  I can
>just see a pack of beetles assaulting a convoy of Oldsmobiles in Azusa.


It was the Caddy that had a rocket launcher, as I recall, and scared the
pants off Dad shortly after Dad began his assault. Dad finally dropped
those little mines you mentioned as the Caddy was closing in on his tail,
and limped over to the curb "fighting a broken something" as the Caddy
hit the mines.

There was also a mention of "heavily neutral-marked cars" on the same roads.
No explanation was given-- it was a short story, as I recall. But one
wonders how much effect such markings would have had-- brings to mind
the saying, "It is useless for lambs to pass resolutions in favor of
vegetarianism, as long as wolves remain of a different opinion".

I wondered if I was the only one who had ever read that story.

Must be Friday soon...

 -Steve Maher   smaher@gi.com   '71 VW Transporter, slated for
                                weapons upgrades