Apr18
How About Horseless Carriages?
Posted at 10:42 AM | Permalink
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Comments (14)
Some traditions, regardless of how much fun they may have seemed a hundred years ago, need to just go ahead and die. And any “tradition” that involves beating and abusing living beings needs to do so sooner rather than later. Of course that doesn’t always mean you have to stop doing something you were way into—it just means you have to stop doing the part of it that was stupid and ill-thought-out in the first place. People who can’t live without old-timey rides in New York City, for instance, can still have them after we win our campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city. As this recent article in The New York Post explains in more detail, we want the city’s politicians to replace the carriages with "green" replicas of antique cars like the Ford Model T. I’m way into the idea. What do you think?
EverettCurrierFarm / CC
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Comments
Brilliant idea Jack, will go down a treat with tourists., who crave some of the landmark inventions of the USA.
Posted by: keith | April 18, 2008 12:41 PM
If the argument to defend the tradition was valid, slavery would never have been abolished.
Posted by: Alexandra from Brazil | April 18, 2008 12:56 PM
This is a really good idea
the "horse and carriage" thing is so old anyway. It's like NYC can't move out of the Eighties with that crap
This is a great way
Posted by: kelly | April 18, 2008 01:17 PM
I think that would be fun. I've always wanted to ride in one of those old cars. (I always wanted to ride in a horse and carriage, too, until I realized how cruel it was.)
Posted by: Canaduck | April 18, 2008 01:23 PM
My idea, if they want to stick with tradition, Robotic Horses... What? They already have robot bears and dinosaurs being sold in toy stores... why not? They could program in the "clip-clop, clip-clop" sound...
Posted by: Laura Michot | April 18, 2008 01:33 PM
Those are great. My wife and I rode on one like that in San Diego. They are a lot of fun.
The Strasburg Railroad, a steam tourist railroad in Pennsylvania, uses old Ford Model T pickups for their staff to drive around in picking up mtrash or delivering supplies from one side of the complex to the other. They NEVER used horses there themselves. Amish teens used to offer Buggy rides from the railroad property back in the 1960's, but that was banned by the railroad in 1970. If only the REST of Lancaster County could follow the Strasburg Railroad's lead.......where the only hose...is an IRON HORSE!!!!!!!!
Paul
Posted by: Paul Calpin | April 18, 2008 01:55 PM
can't they just walk around on foot? good exercise too.. and no exhaust fumes too to boot!
it must be very alarming for the poor horses to share the same road side as automobiles.. not to mention dangerous too.. I agree horse drawn carriages are a 'thing of the past'.. we are not still in the 'Victorian' ERA !!
Posted by: ellac | April 18, 2008 02:35 PM
How about a rikshaw?
Posted by: MeL | April 18, 2008 03:32 PM
I think that's a really good idea. What about the horses, though? Are there any plans in the works for retirement homes for them once they are no longer working?
Posted by: Antigone1000 | April 19, 2008 10:13 AM
Excellent suggestion PETA, especially if the cars are "green".
Can they make convertable ones for summer? This would replicate the horse drawn carriage experience beautifully, sans the animal abuse.
What could be better?
Posted by: Maya, C.V.T. | April 19, 2008 04:41 PM
What about the Amish? Do we ban them too... destroy a culture to save a horse?
Posted by: J | April 21, 2008 08:38 PM
The amish are notorious for animal abuse, i dont think it is "destroying a culture" as much as it would be educating a people who could really use it to save animals from being abused, overworked, and an untimely death at the hands of ignorant people...
Posted by: Tairyn | April 22, 2008 09:24 AM
Not a bad idea J.
Posted by: lynda downie | April 22, 2008 11:31 PM
Yes I agree that horse drawn carriages should be completely banned from NYC, the amish, etc. My grandmother drove amish and some really are sweet people, however it makes me sick that they force their horses to take them everywhere and then when they die while going somewhere that they just pull them to the side of the road and leave them there. I was coming home from breakfast this morning and saw one lying on the side of the road and it made me want to cry, because the horse was not old enough to have just died from old age, its obvious it was just too much for it. I think with all the animal abuse laws and things like this that it should have been banned a long time ago. I think the majority of amish are hypocrites. They don't believe in driving, however they'll pay people to drive them around. I've seen amish with cell phones, tvs, etc. So how does this justify their actions. I think an animals that carries you around to everywhere you need to go deserves at least an appropriate barriel or something, rather than rotting along side the road.
I can only hope one day someone realizes the cruelty and injustice going on and does something about it.
Posted by: Kristen | May 1, 2008 07:54 AM