Cape Karen
Have you noticed the noise in your neighborhood yet? It's not new, but it's proliferating at an alarming rate in many communities around the country. It's the noise of boom cars. Boom cars are usually driven by young males who want to impress their friends. You can hear them coming from as far as two blocks away and, when they pass your home, the walls and floors actually vibrate from the percussion of their deep bass beats repeating over and over and over again: "Ka-thump, Ka-thump, Ka-thump-thump-thump-thump." Sometimes these vibrations will go right through your body, like a electric shock.
As if that weren't bad enough, these same drivers are installing glass packs in their mufflers, ramping-up their boom box music and amplifying their engines to sound like freight trains coming down the track. Combined, the noise these vehicles are able to generate is simply unreal! Some communties are doing something about it, by increasing their local noise ordinances and enforcing the law, but many haven't caught-up with this peace-disturbing menace, so nothing is being done to discourage or stop it. And, that's the case here.
Everyday, hundreds and hundreds of these irritating boom cars are going past our house, at all hours of the day and night, leaving nerves shattered in their wake. "Aggravating" isn't the word for it... it's enough to make you want to kill someone. And that's what happened recently in Georgia - a neighbor, fed-up and frustrated by the incessant noise from a boom car, went outside one night and shot the driver dead. (No... I'm not ready to do that YET, but I sure can understand his frustration!)
If you had a neighbor who was having loud parties every night, the local police could come and shut them down for disturbing the peace. But when it's boom cars going by, they do nothing. Even if you called them, the vehicle(s) would be long gone by the time they got there. And, because it's just a misdemeanor, a "nuisance," they probably wouldn't even bother to come out. Actually, this boom car noise isn't 'just a nuisance,' it's a very real health threat to those exposed to it. Also, the noise generated inside these boom cars prevents the drivers from hearing the sirens of approaching emergency vehicles - so they are also a danger to medical personnel and law enforcement when responding to an accident or other emergency. (It has also been found that these drivers are often the same drivers frequently picked-up for causing accidents, having multiple DUI's and drug offenses and driving on revoked licenses.)
So, what is one to do? Move, you say? Well, why should innocent people, doing no harm to anyone, be forced to move out of their homes, with all the expense and disruption entailed, just because a bunch of juveniles (many of whom are illegal aliens) are being allowed to pollute the neighborhood with their loud boom cars full of expensive equipment? That makes absolutely no sense at all. Just as a matter of principle, it's the wrong solution. The right solution would be for the police to enforce local noise ordinances.
So, I'm going on a crusade! I'm going to "bug" my local law enforcement... the "Keystone Cops" in Pigeon Poop, TN. I think I'll start by picking up the phone and calling them each and every time a loud, annoying boom car goes by my house. I'll just say, "Hello - Karen here - another boom car just went by and shattered my nerves...." and then I'll hang up. I'll have to do that hundreds of times a day, seven days a week, and even into the wee hours of the mornings. Every time one of these annoying cars disturbs me, I'll disturb them; maybe then they'll start stopping them!
It's a better idea than grabbing one of Frank's rifles and shooting them dead... don'cha think?
This from: www.lowertheboom.org
"Boom cars, with their high-intensity/low-frequency sounds and infrasound, are a known stressor that can lead to specific, negative events in the body. Within a few seconds of being in contact with their offensive noise the body sets off it's fight-or-flight adrenaline response. Impulses from the brain trigger the autonomic nervous system, which sets off the general stress response. As a result, glandular, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems are then affected.
When the body encounters loud noise, the brain instantly sends a message to the adrenal glands, which quickly release epinephrine (adrenaline). Within moments, this chemical has the entire body on alert. The heart beats more rapidly and with more force. The pupils dilate to allow more light to come into the eyes. Breathing increases. The digestive system slows, allowing more blood to go into the muscles.
The muscles tense. Blood pressure increases. Increased sugar, cholesterol, and adrenaline are then released into the bloodstream. Peripheral blood vessels constrict. Increased activity related to gastric ulcer formation occurs. Subjective responses to such noise, such as irritability and mood changes, can alter one's immune system and lead to chronic illness."
Posted by Karen at April 10, 2008 11:59 AM