Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader was, a few days ago, very amused by the following piece on the news wires: Hybrid cars dangerously quiet for pedestrians: US blind group.

It seems that the blind prefer to hear the cars careening towards them, rather than being taken by surprise and just struck. The article begins: An

association of blind Americans has warned that cars with hybrid engines using electricy and fuel are dangerously too quiet for pedestrians.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) said hybrid cars pose a risk to the blind, children, the elderly, cyclists and distracted pedestrians.

The group said it conducted tests with blind people.

“We had the car drive by in different situations, to see wether or not people could hear it and use the sound of the car to safely cross the street, and they could not. The car was just silent,” NFB spokesman John Pare told AFP.

Pare said NFB does not want to add to noise pollution, but hybrid cars should not be less noisy than other cars.

Damnation! People want hybrid car to be more efficent than normal cars. They want them to be built to the same safety specifications as normal cars. They want them to have the same “giddiyap” as normal cars. Now they want them to be just as noisy as normal cars.

Here’s a thought… Buy a normal car. Your Maximum Leader doubts that a blind person would fail to hear the approach of the Villainmobile’s 400 horsepower V-8 engine. Indeed, the blind are frozen as the Villainmobile grows near to them.

The article ends with a statement that Toyota, among other makers of hybrid cars, are looking for ways to make them safer. Here’s an idea… You’ve heard of deer whistles? How about whistles for the blind? Mount them to the hood/front bumper and go 35…

BTW, kudos to the reader who id’s the post title…

Carry on.