When i-Pods are outlawed only Outlaws will have i-Pods

This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.
I know the term "nanny state" is supposed to be derogatory but I don't have a problem with it. Especially if the nanny is British, old-fashioned, strict and spiny, like Margaret Thatcher.

So Carl Kruger doesn't really fit my image of the archetypal nanny statesman. Kruger is a Democratic state representative from Brooklyn and he has the accent and schlumpy bearing to prove it.

Wednesday, he became my current hero as he introduced legislation to ban iPods from pedestrian use in the intersections of big city streets in New York state. If Rep. Kruger's wisdom prevails, anyone nabbed crossing a street with iPod pods crammed in their ears will get tagged with a $100 ticket. If only Barney Fife could have lived to see this day.

Kindly Kruger is doing this for our own good. He's concerned about the safety of pedestrians. Apparently, a 21-year-old man in his district was, um, permanently unplugged when he stepped into traffic while listening to his music-spewing device. Personally, I am inclined to think that such incidents, however tragic, show Darwinism at work. Perhaps I am being uncharitable. Whatever: my interest in Kruger's legislation lies elsewhere.

~to read more...

This should be interesting!