NCOM News Bytes

ncom

October 23 2007

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THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at http://www.ON-A-BIKE.com

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From The
GUNNY'S SACK

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This is a sad month for the motorcycle world. On his way to the regional meeting of NCOM in Spokane, Washington, the Chair of the Oregon Confederation of Clubs, Longview Tom, was involved in a serious motorcycle accident and did not survive his injuries. He passed on Oct 3, 2007 at 6:49PM.

Longview Tom, aka Thomas Joseph, was a lifelong biker and a strong advocate for the Confederations of Clubs (COC) in Oregon and elsewhere, and a tireless, innovative and courageous fighter for bikers rights. He was also a past President of the Portland chapter of the Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club. Tom started the practice of holding summer COC meetings all over the state.

Tom was my mentor and my brother, and he worked very closely with our AIM lawyer Sam Hochberg, on COC matters. We’re both going to miss him terribly. Tom was 60 years old. A prayer or two from those of us who loved him won’t hurt.

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NCOM REGIONAL MEETING REPORT The one-day conference in Spokane went off very well, although a pall was cast over us all, because of Longview Tom’s accident. At the time, we didn’t know if Tom was going to live or not. Although the pack Tom was leading that was coming from Portland didn’t make it to Spokane, the meeting was attended by about a hundred bikers from around the West Coast.

We filled the NCOM conference room to capacity and the reports from our neck of the woods were very informative. We are still targets of big brother, and need to be more active politically. This being a primary election year, we especially need to keep our eyes open wide. There will be people attempting to pass bills that are detrimental to our welfare, however well-meaning they may think they are. Wherever you live, PAY ATTENTION, now more than ever. Check for NCOM Regional meetings in your area with your motorcycle rights organization, or online at www.AIMNCOM.com.

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TV FUNHOUSE: The NCOM conference in Spokane included a short presentation from our ABATE of Oregon brother, NIC OLIVER. He saw a TV promo for a new show called “Carpooling.” You might have seen the ad. Nic showed us a tape of it. It starts off with a big yellow sign that says “Motorcycles are Dangerous,” and another version of the ad has the actors stating that they’re “TOO dangerous,” therefore they should carpool. When Nic saw the ad on TV, he didn’t just get angry, he took ACTION. He wrote to his local TV station in Eugene, Oregon, and they PULLED THE PROMO as a result! The folks at KEZI-TV also said they were passing Nic’s complaint along to the network, so they’d DO something about it nationally.

See, Nic taught us an important lesson: ONE PERSON can make a heckuva difference, and it doesn’t always take a huge effort. Just a little thought and gumption. Nic is also the state Secretary for ABATE of Oregon.

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THE ACLU BACKS BIKERS: We also had an important talk at the NCOM regional from Washington’s AIM Attorney Marty Fox, about several matters, including the news about some small cities in Central Washington that passed ordinances banning “gang colors,” and that could theoretically punish you just for ASSOCIATING with members of a motorcycle club! Marty thinks they’re unconstitutional, and the ACLU came out in support of Washington bikers. If a biker is convicted under one of these ordinances, the ACLU will probably file an “Amicus” brief for any appeal. The ACLU has ALSO agreed to work with AIM and NCOM Founder Richard M. Lester, in the appeal of their case for the Tophatters MC, in California, in their claim for discrimination against the Gilroy Garlic Festival. A three-judge panel had said that since the individual bikers had differing thoughts on what their patch meant, that therefore they had no free speech issue, even though they were ejected from the festival due ONLY to their patch. The full group of judges in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to re-hear the case. We’ll keep you posted here in the SACK.

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JERK INSURANCE: Marty Fox and Sam Hochberg both talked about how to protect ourselves on our scoots and in our cars and trucks, with the RIGHT TYPE of insurance. The short message I got out of it was to buy VERY HIGH LIMITS of that Uninsured Motorist (“UM”) coverage, because it ALSO acts as UNDER-insured coverage in lots of situations. Yeah, you’ll still probably need a lawyer to wring the money out of ‘em if you go down hard, even against your OWN company, since they stand in the shoes of the jerk who SHOULD have had coverage for the wreck. But, with UM, at least there’s a pool of money to go after, for fair compensation.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from my nearly 15 years as the Oregon AIM Chief of Staff, it’s that you GOTTA have high UM coverage, and you GOTTA hire a good personal injury lawyer if you go down, car or motorcycle. The insurance companies will just run roughshod over ya, and you won’t even know it until it’s too late. AIM lawyers are always available to you nationwide 24-7, even if you’re not an AIM member, at 1-800-ON-A-BIKE, 1-800-531-2424, or we’re online at www.AIMNCOM.com.

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ELECTRIC YELLOW: A Croatian biker got zapped by lightning right where I sure don’t wanna be zapped, as he stopped beside the road to relieve himself, it was reported recently. Ante Djindjic, 29, from Zagreb, said: "I don't remember what happened. One minute I was taking a leak and the next thing I knew I was in hospital.” Doctors said the lightning went through his body and because he was wearing rubber boots, it grounded through his penis.

The biker suffered light burns to his chest and arms. "Thankfully, the doctors said that there would be no lasting effects, and my penis will function normally eventually." There are probably four or five jokes you could make from that story, but I think I’ll leave it alone.

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RIDING THE WAVE: An article from America Online tells us you can take your scoot shipboard for a cruise! For the past five years, Entertainment & Travel Alternatives has been hosting cruises for bikers, says AOL. You bring your bike on board and then ride them at the ports of call. There are about a half-dozen organized cruises in 2007 with destinations in the Caribbean and Bermuda.

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HONORING OUR OWN: At the annual Meeting Of the Minds conference this year, the John “Farmer” Eggers Award was given to John Bolin, a long time biker and husband of our beloved Karen Bolin, whom we lost recently to cancer. Karen of course was President of the MRF at the time. John and Karen were both heroes for their tireless work for motorcycle rights in this country. John’s response was “I don’t deserve this.” Yes, you do, John. Congratulations from us all. And Semper Fi, from the old Gunny.

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CELLULAR HELMETS: I guess it’s not enough that the cell phone is a nuisance in cars, but Benchmark Helmets has waterproof devices to make ‘em work inside your existing helmet. They have noise-canceling mikes, stereo speakers and 10-hrs of talk time for about $150. Might be just the dandy thing for you, but not for me. I’ll keep my distractions when I’m OFF 2 wheels

Keep the Round Side on the Bottom!
Gunny,
Oregon AIM Chief of Staff

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