I recently read a couple articles about how “Online hitchhiking” is a dangerous trend. These articles seemed to be a copy of each other from local news sources in Phoenix Arizona. In the article they speak of “Digital Hitchhiking” as being “Very dangerous”. Whats funny about the articles, is that they give up an example of a craigslist killing that occurred when a woman responded to a nanny job. What does job hunting and hitchhiking have to do with each other. I fail to see the connection. I know that many people feel that any type of hitchhiking is dangerous but I beg to differ. With the hundreds if not thousands of people I’ve met over the past couple years, nobody has said anything to me about feeling like their life was threatened. There is common sense in this type of travel just like anything you do in life. Its just seems another way to point fingers at some class or group of people that isn’t the norm in society. It really does pain me, because most of the people I have met in this lifestyle are much better people than the lawyers, doctors, or corrupt law enforcement agencies. I could compile a list of professions or lifestyles where morals of the individuals should be questioned more than a hitchhiker or someone desiring to hitchhike. I believe its in our desire to explore and discover that leads a majority of us to this. If this desire was never acted on we may still be living in times of very poor quality of life. We can go on with telling people what to do or what not to do, as it seems is more and more these days. Taking away our freedom to travel and try to enjoy life may be one of the last real great freedoms we’ll have. Telling people that it is very dangerous is ridiculous. Its dangerous to drive your car, to walk down the street, and many more things more dangerous than trying to help people out by offering free rides on the internet. Free is word that has a lot less value these days. Everything coast something I guess. peace

Eric.