Re: PC: Internet Message

[orville ingram <orvillei@xxxxxxxxx>]

Christian:

Yeah, maybe I should join a Bankers internet page.  I do use various
investment e-mails, but profit isn't the only thing on my mind.  I do
have to say that without profit the railroads would not exist.  It is
the profit that keeps the railroad going for without it there would be
no furthur improvements to the line etc. and the railroad would cease
to exist.

Believe it or not, but I am a die-hard railfan.  I believe in
railroading nearly to a fault.  But I also respect their right to tell
me or anyone else to stay off of the property as most anyone else
would with their land, etc.  I have taken quite a few pictures and
have visited many railroads in the past to look them over, but only
from public property.  (Several times I have been invited on railroad
property by officials).  Railroads are not to be viewed as an
amusement park for anyone to use as they wish(even then you must pay
to go on their property or you will be invited to leave or else). 
Take all of the pictures that you want of trains but respect for
railroad rights to protect themselves from possible suits.  The
crackdown is on trespassers not just railfans.  Remember, this is a
lawsuit crazed society.




---Christian Axsiom <rcaxsiom -AT- maxwell.syr.edu> wrote:
>
> Sorry.  I hear you Jerry and Evil Mike (BTW, great joke about
list-members'
> pets!), but I just got back from vacation, and I'd like to make a
couple of
> comments:
> 
> 	Yes, there are some very annoying railfans out there, and yes,
trespassing
> is generally a bad idea, although there seem to be some very gray
areas out
> there.  I used to railfan at McNeil, Texas at the junction of the UP
and
> the old SP branch (now the Longhorn RR).  The "town" was a
100-year-old
> company town for a white lime company that now just consists of a
company
> general store containing a post office.  I always stayed out of the
way of
> trains and RR employees, but I was never hasseled by anyone.  The
local
> shortline's crews (at the time Austin & Northwestern, a RailTex
line) were
> unfailingly friendly, as was the local signal maintainer for UP.  As
for
> property lines and trespassing, it was very difficult to know
whether one
> was on UP, AUNW, public, or lime company property at any given time
(i.e.,
> the UP main was separated from the company store's front porch by
less than
> 15 ft. of alley/street.  So I'm curious as to what people are doing
exactly
> to get busted -- I hope it's not anything stupid.
> 	As far as Orville Ingram, I think you need to find the "Investment
Banking
> Fan's mailing list."  Yes, RRs are in business to make money, but if
PROFIT
> is all you care about in your life, it's going to be a very empty one,
> Orville.  The RRs -- and other corporations -- should be caring
about more
> than profit as well.  Unbridled greed and caring for nothing other
than the
> bottom line is exactly what has gotten our world into the fairly
deplorable
> state it's in today.  Corporations want to complain about petty
lawsuits,
> but this is just a result of the average Joe taking a lesson from the
> corporations that profit is more important than personal
responsibility.
> My Dad got downsized from AT&T, but he owns stock in the company, so
guess
> who's still loyal to AT&T even though they treated him like dirt to
make
> profit for over 30 years.  Stock is the company's way of getting
ordinary
> people to support the profit-making activities of a wealthy few. 
You quote
> us laws and regulations regarding trespassing, but how often have
corporate
> leaders bent the law for profit?  If a railfan catches a corporation
on
> film breaking a law, more power to the railfan.  That freedom of
expression
> makes this country "free" and not a corporate state.
> 	I know this discussion is not specifically PC-related, but it IS
railfan
> related.  I don't think we should just sweep it under the rug because
> railfanning is just supposed to be "fun."  That sort of "look at the
pretty
> steam engine" attitude makes it too easy to forget that RRs are
powerful
> corporations that affect our lives in one way or another.  It is
vital that
> we, as citizens, also discuss issues like property rights,
corporatism, and
> whether there is something more important more important in this
world than
> profit.  I'm glad Evil Mike is thinking!
> 
> Christian Axsiom 
> 
> 

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