Image Copyright 2007- Sons of Liberty Riders
February 11, 2007 ©I.M.R.A., Inc 2007
********************
SONS OF LIBERTY RIDERS E-NEWS
Compiled and Edited by Miss Penny
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Contents:
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1. Motorcyclists: Red Light SURVEY Needs YOUR Help!
2. Washington State Legislative Alert
3. Vermont H.0064 Motorcycle Helmets
4. Wisconsin - Some good news for travelers with 2 wheels
5. WV Helmet Bill H. B. 2834
6. ABATE of Georgia asking for help
7. MASSACHUSETTS MC SAFETY
8. Helmet Law Sponsor Receiving Threats
9. Mandatory helmet law is wrongheaded
10. Invention Support Announces the "Removable Brake Light"
11. Harley to cut worker insurance
12. Calling all old, bold bikers
13. Motorcycle Helmets and Socialized Medicine
14. Motorcycle Safety Tips - Street Survival
15. States Try to Ban Driver Distractions
16. Gathering of Eagles
17. Attorney General denies U.S. citizens have right to habeas corpus
18. Several states oppose national driver's license
19. Helmets are not the heart of the issue
20. Coming Through! The NAFTA Super Highway
21. Laws of Persuasion during a Negotiation
22. Police Chief Gives Himself $235 Ticket
23. Political Power and the Rule of Law
24. Who Watches the Watchers?
25. From the Lighter Side of the Saddle Bag
26. Show your support for the fight.
http://www.solriders.com/products/
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1. Motorcyclists: Red Light SURVEY Needs YOUR Help!
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http://pub18.bravenet.com/vote/vote.php?usernum=1525364519&cpv=2
CLICK ABOVE to take the SURVEY
I had the Legislative Director for the prospective "Author" of our Red
Light Bill ask me, "Are there any statistics out there that deal with the
problems that motorcycles have in activating traffic signals?"
Well...YEAH....remember, I issued that little survey a couple weeks back?
That is now serving as the OFFICIAL data collection resource, and it's now
gonna be used to help make history for the riders of California.
So, folks, we need a good THOUSAND people to take that survey!!!
Please forward the survey to ALL your riding friends:
http://pub18.bravenet.com/vote/vote.php?usernum=1525364519&cpv=2
View the survey results:
http://pub18.bravenet.com/vote/stats.php?usernum=1525364519
What IS the Red Light Bill? An easy change of the vehicle code that helps
riders and costs the state NOTHING....If you've ever sat at a traffic light
for an eternity, you'll endorse this bill.
The Red Light Bill webpage will get an easy to remember domain name over
the
weekend, but here it is in the interim:
http://www.bikernation.net/stoplightbill.htm
Thanks for your enthusiasm on this project, and for all your help!
An "official" press release will be issued as soon as I get everything
finished, and you can expect a new "Online Petition" in the coming weeks.
~splatt
ABATE of California Board of Directors
ABATE of California Assistant State Director
ABATEPAC
www.bikernation.net
www.bikernation.tv NEW!! SEE Biker Nation TV Episodes ONLINE!
Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2006
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2. Washington State Legislative Alert
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Legislative Alert
Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 07:20:47 EST
From: Wrraleg@aol.com
Washington Road Riders Association
Legislative Update 2/9/2007
Hearings Scheduled for next week:
There are several hearings scheduled next week on bills related to
motorcycles.
SB 5797
motorcycle endorsement verification before registration renewal.
Scheduled to be heard in Senate Hearing room 1 at 3:30 on February 12th.
This bill would add the following language to the RCW:
"Before renewing registration for a motorcycle under this chapter, the
department shall verify that the registered owner of the motorcycle has
a special endorsement to operate the motorcycle under
2 RCW 46.20.500."
It is an ABATE of Washington request bill in response to the number of
non-endorsed riders in Washington state. It was proposed as an
alternative to SB 5134
SB 5152
Changing the minimum age for children being transported on motorcycles
or motor driven cycles.
HScheduled to be heard in Senate hearing room 1 at 3:30 on February
13rd.
is bill changes the minimum age of a motorcycle passenger from 5 to 10
years old. Modifying age restrictions is an issue that arises on a
fairly routine basis, almost always driven by a representative's
constituent. I have heard that this is the case for this measure. The
Washington Motorcycle Safety and Education Advisory Board studied this
issue over the summer and found no merit or pressing need to change the
regulations. They did recommend that advisory materials concerning the
safe carrying of children be developed and distributed. Those materials
are in the final review process and should be on the street by riding
season.
The Washington Road Riders Association is absolutely opposed to this
bill, and have already expressed their views to Senator Franklin. We
believe that it is the duty of the parent to responsibly decide when
their children should be allowed to ride as a passenger.
All riders are urged to contact their state senator and voice their
opposition to this unnecessary intrusion into parental responsibility.
HB 1625
Scheduled to be heard in House Hearing room B at 3:30 on February 12th.
This bill allows a motorcycle to proceed through a red signal light
after one full cycle of the signaling system without detecting the
motorcycle. This is a modified iteration of the left turn bill, which
nearly made it to the Governor's desk last session. The scope of the
legislation has been expanded to eliminate the limitation to left turn
signals only.
The Washington Road Riders Association has supported the original
version of this legislation in the past and offer our support for the
new expanded version.
"Texas" Larry Walker
Government Relations Specialist
Washington Road Riders Association
wrraleg@aol.com
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3. Vermont H.0064 Motorcycle Helmets
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Vermont H.0064 Motorcycle Helmets
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 12:52:15 -0500
From: Joe Wilkins
Hello all,
Our original helmet poll had some problems, like not letting anyone
from AOL vote, or anyone that was using a proxy server or behind a
firewall, etc. We have a new one up now so please go and vote. You
can leave comments too, but they are not automatically displayed.
I'll make a separate page for that as soon as I can.
If you have any problems voting please use the "Contact Us" link on
the left hand menu of our site to let me know.
The poll is at http://www.unitedmotorcyclists.org
It's on the front page, if you don't see it just scroll down a little.
Thanks,
Joe Wilkins
admin@unitedmotorcyclists.org
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4. Wisconsin - Some good news for travelers with 2 wheels
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http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=561397
Some good news for travelers with 2 wheels
Posted: Feb. 4, 2007
Larry Sandler
Sometimes you need to spend a little time going backward before you
can move forward.
That's why you back out of your driveway, instead of plowing through
your living room to drive out the front door.
And it's also why the Road Warrior occasionally circles back to a
route he has traveled before. Here are today's return trips:
Zien and the art of motorcycle legislation: They would get their
motors running, head out on the highway - and then get stuck at a
light that never changed. Not what motorcycling is all about.
One of the Road Warrior's most frequently asked questions has been
what to do when stoplights and ramp meters (the lights that regulate
how vehicles enter a freeway) don't turn green for motorcycles because
they are tied to malfunctioning sensors. State and city authorities
have said they would fix stoplights that bikers report are not
working. And at least one local police chief said it was OK to go
carefully through a red light if the biker was sure it wouldn't
change.
Now that advice is the law. On Oct. 1, a law took effect that lets
motorcyclists and bicyclists "proceed cautiously" through a red light
if they have stopped and waited at least 45 seconds and if they
"reasonably" believe the signal is tied to a vehicle sensor. John
Sobotik, a state Department of Transportation attorney, said the law
applies to ramp meters as well as regular stoplights.
The sponsor of that law was motorcycle-riding state Sen. Dave Zien
(R-Eau Claire) - now an ex-senator, because the biker vote apparently
wasn't enough to re-elect him.
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5. WV Helmet Bill H. B. 2834
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bikers] WV Helmet Bill H. B. 2834
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2007 12:48:33 -0500
From: Donald Smith
We have a bill, finally. Not only does it remove the requirement for a
helmet for those over 21 with two years experience, there is some very
advantageous language about the motorcycle Safety Board. It also
changes the word Shall to May throughout the code.
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Text_HTML/2007_SESSIONS/RS/BILLS/hb2834%20intr.htm
"DUCK"
The sun doesn't always shine in West Virginia,
But the people do.
JFK
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6. ABATE of Georgia asking for help
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bikers] A.B.A.T.E. HELP
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 11:52:54 EST
From: RPatte3713@aol.com
to all outside of ga, A.B.A.T.E. of ga is asking you to join in a letter
writing campaign, of why you will not attend our angel city rally in
unidilla ga
this year. ( the helmet law) we want to show how many tourism tax dollars
the state is losing. there were around 10,000 riders there last year.
any and
all letters will be appreciated. you can send them to robert patterson
849 ty ty omega rd tifton ga 31793 thank you all for your support,
gypsy
district #13 A.B.A.T.E. of ga.
------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bikers] HELMETS
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 19:57:19 EST
From: RPatte3713@AOL.COM
Thank you for your replys from many of you on my call for a letter writing
campaign, i was really trying for snail mail letters, (they look more
impressive) but if you just want to do e-mails that will work also. my
e-mail address
rpatte3713@aol.com thank you again for
your time and efforts,
gypsy
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7. MASSACHUSETTS MC SAFETY
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bikers] MASSACHUSETTS MC SAFETY
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 04:03:08 EST
From: Gypsypashn@aol.com
Ok folks, here's something I had a hand in, which I'm proud to say.... the
grant from Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation was accomplished partly
by my
interaction with the Company. They are my auto insurance carrier, and
over the
past 15 years, I've educated them about motorcyclists, and about motorcycle
safety. I'm told by my rep that was the reason they stepped up to the
plate and
donated $15,000!
Now, with all the networking we do in each state, I'm wondering if this
couldn't be done somewhere else as well. Check it out!
I'm also happy to announce that the Chief of Police here wrote me back
yesterday and informed me that he's willing to post two of the 2' x 8'
CHECK TWICE -
SAVE A LIFE, MOTORCYCLES ARE EVERYWHERE !!! signs outside the Police
Station,
and the Police Academy here in town. I'm working on the Mayor to have one
posted outside City Hall as well!
Just another way to promote safety education and awareness in the
various com
munities and states...
Below is the official announcement sent out to riders all over the
state, and
posted in bikerbits.
Gypsy
Date: February 4, 2007
TO: MMA Board, Officers, and Safety Sign Soldiers
BCC PRAC
Motorcycle Safety Sign project - Update - GREAT first week results !
GOAL: To get each of the 351 cities and towns to join in the
Commonwealth's 'motorcycle safety awareness period,' March 24 through
April 30, and allow
us to put up a big 2' x 8' CHECK TWICE - SAVE A LIFE, MOTORCYCLES ARE
EVERYWHERE !!! sign in their city/town on public property.
BACKGROUND: As a result of a $15,000 grant from Plymouth Rock Assurance
Company, on January 16 and 19, the MMA mailed packages to all City and Town
Clerks, requesting that City/Town participate in the Motorcycle Safety
Awareness
Period, allow us to put up a sign on public property, and appoint a
City/Town
official to coordinate this project with us.
STATUS: On January 26, the MMA began assigning members to call city and
town Clerks, for status information of our requests. Since that time, the
following cities and towns have signed on as partners in this statewide
motorcycle
safety project:
Braintree, Amesbury, Salisbury, Brockton, Ashfield, Middleborough, Hudson,
Salem, Stow, Rochester, Gloucester, Fairhaven, Quincy, Mattapoisett,
Hamilton,
Dracut, Oakham, Northborough, Colrain, Concord, West Brookfield, Acton,
Ayer,
Peru and Medford.
Numerous other cities and towns have our request on their Agenda for their
next town selectmen's or city council meeting. And we have requested State
agencies such as the MBTA, MassHighway, Mass Turnpike Authority, the Port
Authority and the State Police to participate in this safety awareness
program.
Great first week results!
Members are asked to continue to follow up with the city and town clerks
assigned, and let us know their responses. Feel free to let Clerks know
the above
towns and cities have joined supporting this effort to reduce accidents.
If you have not yet been assigned 5-7 cities/towns to contact, please
contact
me for an assignment.
PC
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8. Helmet Law Sponsor Receiving Threats
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http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=41280
Helmet Law Sponsor Receiving Threats
The debate about wearing motorcycle helmets in Arkansas is getting
heated.
Sponsor Senator Kim Hendren or Gravette says, „If we're ever going to
provide health care for all of our citizens which we'd like to do, and
make it affordable, we have to contain those costs and that's one of
the things that happens when you see universal helmet use."
Bike shop owner Rodney Roberts says, „Right now we have a choice and
people make reasonable decisions. What almost always happens to us is
someone comes down here and tries to portray the motorcyclist as a
burden to society. It's simply not true."
The debate's also getting very personal. Senator Hendren is getting
threats. In an online blog, one person wrote, "This guy needs to die
and take his antiquated laws with him."
Hendren says, „I think that's unfortunate and that's not a way to
solve the problem."
But the threats aren't stopping the senator. Wednesday afternoon he
continued fighting for helmets in a hearing. This time there were
capitol police just outside the room. It‚s a standard procedure during
heated debate.
As those against the proposal spoke, one opponent said he's not sure
where the threat came from.
Rodney says, „I know thousands and thousands of motorcyclists and I
don't know a motorcyclist that would send an e-mail like this. Is
there some lame survivalist out there that would do that? Probably."
Both sides say now is the time for positive debate and discussion,
because Senator Hendren hopes to have a vote on the issue in two
weeks.
Capitol Police say they've talked to the man who wrote the comments
and he said he never intended to harm the senator. But police say
they'll continue to monitor any hearing where the helmet issue is
discussed.
Jerod Clark, Reporter
Created: 2/7/2007 7:39:50 PM
Updated: 2/7/2007 10:54:42 PM
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9. Mandatory helmet law is wrongheaded
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http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_5152060_
Mandatory helmet law is wrongheaded
By Homer Conder
Article Last Updated: 02/03/2007 12:59:38 PM MST
It's not a crime.
Bicycling without a helmet isn't a crime, and the Salt Lake City
Council shouldn't pass an ordinance making it one. A Salt Lake Tribune
article of Jan. 21, titled "Rocky tells bikers: Get your helmet on,"
implies the intent is to protect bicyclists, but the proposed
ordinance also extends to motorcycles, scooters and Segways.
Could this be an attempt by Rocky to rule supreme over his
subjects and guests by creating a revenue-enhancing tool? Is it
something to whip his subjects with, something to make them toe the
line? I doubt it myself, but the fact that they already have a
flexible cap on the proposed fine leads me to believe it could turn
into one.
The article states, "The proposed fine probably wouldn't exceed
$40." I believe it probably will exceed $40, as long as the word is
"probably."
Two things I want to get straight: I am not against helmets and I
don't pretend to speak for all bicyclists and motorcyclists. But, I am
against a law making it mandatory to wear a helmet. Even Mayor Rocky's
Bicycle Advisory Board is against it.
But it seems Rocky won't pay attention to anyone who doesn't agree
with him. He even says the opponents "are, more or less, road
warriors. They like to get out and mix it up with traffic. Some brag
they never wear helmets. Those aren't the people I really look to for
advice."
I guess not. It appears Rocky has already formed an opinion about
people who don't wear helmets and he doesn't need their advice. But
for some reason he's willing to take it on himself (against all
advice) to forge ahead with an ordinance to protect them from hurting
themselves, or thinking for themselves.
All that being said, I won't give Rocky advice he won't take. But
I will give him a little food for thought. We already have a state
helmet law on the books for motorcycles. Passing individual city
ordinances will only create confusion when traveling in Utah, and the
message sent to motorcyclists and bicyclists is a bad one. It's like
telling them to stay out of the city unless you conform to Rocky's
rules. Motorcyclists and bicyclists crossing into Salt Lake City
unaware of its funny quirks will soon learn how to avoid the place.
Laws like this are bad for business. The people he is chasing away
have money to spend, and they will spend it elsewhere.
One more thing. I always wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle or
bicycle. It's a personal choice because there isn't a law compelling
me to do so. I can think for myself, so I don't need Rocky to protect
me when I'm in his city.
If you're reading this, Rocky, the only advice I'll give you is to
take advice from your own council. But, then again, you've ignored
their advice already. Stay the course, Rocky. Stay the course.
---
* HOMER CONDER is retired and co-authors a monthly newsletter for
the Beehive Beemers motorcycle club. He has enjoyed motorcycling and
bicycling for more than 40 years.
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10. Invention Support Announces the "Removable Brake Light"
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http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/2/prweb503481.htm
Invention Support Announces a Great New Invention for Motorcycle
Enthusiasts Known as the "Removable Brake Light"
Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.
Invention Support has signed a strategic alliance with Mr. West, the
inventor of the new device known as the "Removable Brake Light", to
offer support for this great new invention and to proudly introduce it
into the general market.
(PRWEB) February 9, 2007 -- Invention Support has signed a strategic
alliance with Mr. West, the inventor of the new device known as the
"Removable Brake Light", to offer support for this great new invention
and to proudly introduce it into the general market.
The basic idea behind the Removable Brake Light is to help motorcycle
drivers achieve better safety. The device attaches to the back of
their helmet or jacket while they are riding. The invention
incorporates LCD lights and a signal transmitter which is hard wired
to the motorcycle's brake light circuit. A two piece system consisting
of a light strip and a remote control that is hard wired to the
vehicle. The rider only needs to press the brake to activate light.
When a rider operates his brakes a wireless signal from transmitter
signals brake light to come on remotely and wireless. It comes with an
adhesive mechanism that can be attached to the back of a person's
jacket or motorcycle helmet. The device would provide added warning to
drivers that the motorcycle is coming to a stop because it would be
placed in a location higher up in their visual field.
The idea for increasing safety for motorcycle drivers is an extremely
positive development for this demographic who suffer from an extensive
number of accidents and injuries each year. Single vehicle motorcycle
crashes account for about 45 percent of all motorcyclist fatalities.
More than 38,000 motorcyclists died in single vehicle motorcycle
crashes between 1975 and 1999.
Even the recent introduction of LEDs as standard equipment for rear
lighting on a few bikes has been driven by styling concerns rather
than function or safety, so it's debatable whether or not there's any
real difference in apparent light power from these original equipment
LED tail lights. This market failure has resulted in the evolution of
a fairly healthy choice in replacement lighting types via the
aftermarket over the last few years. This includes everything from
higher powered headlight bulbs to high intensity discharge (HID)
lighting kits, xenon bulbs, various marker lights, LED brake and tail
lights, flexible LED light bars and more.
Auxiliary lighting product sales have really been booming, and the
recent hot item is the introduction of "next generation" high
intensity LED products for motorcycles and trucks. Many potential
customers are already noticing how many tractor-trailers, trucks and
other commercial equipment are now using LED rear lighting. LEDs are
perfectly suited for motorcycles because they are more resistant to
vibration failure, they generate almost no heat, and they take very
little power. The idea for the Removable Brake Light to be fastened to
helmets or jackets, however, still remains fertile for development in
an otherwise open market.
It is obvious that increased safety is a concern in this market and
yet ideas being presented have not successfully met the needs of the
public. The Removable Brake Light is just the innovation to met these
demands by the general public and it is obvious that this product
could enjoy extensive success if it were marketed properly to its
appropriate demographic.
In order that the needs of motorcyclists all over the United States
can be better served, marketing professionals are now reaching out to
these enthusiasts. With these new considerations in mind, it is likely
that the "Removable Brake Light" will soon become a more popular
around the world. For further information on this great new invention,
contact "Jake Way" at e-mail protected from spam bots. And ask about
the great new invention known as the "Removable Brake Light".
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11. Harley to cut worker insurance
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http://www.ydr.com/harley/ci_5183246_
Harley to cut worker insurance
After the second day of a federally mediated meeting, no plans to meet
again.
By ANDRÉA MARIA CECIL
Daily Record/Sunday News
Article Launched: 02/08/2007 06:19:08 AM EST
Feb 8, 2007 ˜ At the end of a federally mediated meeting Wednesday,
Harley-Davidson officials said the company will cancel on Monday the
health and life insurance of unionized workers at the company's
Springettsbury Township plant.
Harley officials gave a cancellation letter to negotiators of the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local
175, which represents nearly 2,800 workers at the plant, as the two
parties met for a second consecutive day at the request of federal
mediators.
Unionized Harley workers at the York County facility have been on
strike since Friday, standing on the picket lines in below-freezing
temperatures.
"It's like sticking a needle in your eye," said Tom Boger, a local
union business representative. "It's not a positive step in the right
direction."
Harley's action contradicts its often-touted statement that it has
good relationships with its workers, added Boger, donning a white
button that proclaimed "NO CONCESSIONS."
"The people will understand and know there's not positive things about
this company," he said.
But Bob Klein, Harley spokesman at the company's Milwaukee
headquarters, said that in strike situations most companies
immediately cut off benefits along with wages.
"However, the company continued the health-care coverage for 10 days
after the strike began," he said.
Affected employees have 60 days to sign up for continuation of
health-care coverage under COBRA, Klein said, and also may continue
their life-insurance coverage. COBRA is a federal program that
provides certain former employees and others the right to temporary
continuation of health coverage at group rates.
Klein added that the company felt its health-care package proposal was
"extremely generous and fair."
Under the proposal, the plant's hourly employees would be placed under
the same health-care plans as salaried employees, he said.
Under their now-expired contract, the hourly employees paid no premium
and had yearly maximum out-of-pocket expenses of $500 for a single
person and $1,000 for family coverage, he said.
Last year, Harley paid $10,800 for each hourly employee's health care,
Klein said, amounting to tens of million of dollars. The same year,
the iconic motorcycle maker reported earnings of more than $1 billion.
No further meetings between the three parties are scheduled; however,
the two mediators with the Washington-based Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service will be in contact with Harley officials and
union negotiators, service spokesman John Arnold said.
"The mediators suggested to the parties that they continue to identify
options to the open issues," he said. "The meeting was adjourned by
the mediators, subject to recall by the FMCS or at the request of
either party."
The service is an independent agency that tries to preserve and
promote labor-management peace and cooperation.
Despite the fact that Wednesday's meeting ended on a bad note, Boger
remained optimistic, saying he did not believe the strike would be
months long.
"I still don't believe it's going to be a long distance," he said. He
added that both Harley and the union "have options."
Tom Buffenbarger, president of the Maryland-based International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said companies
sometimes cut off health-insurance coverage to striking workers as a
method of intimidation.
"Whenever they've needed help from the union they began by sitting
down and having discussions," he said of Harley officials. "This time
they came (to) a concessionary agreement on us without any
forewarning. So it appears that the idea of partnership is a one-way
street with them."
Harley officials have partly credited the company's partnership with
its union for saving it from extinction in the early 1980s.
"It's a betrayal of the principles of when we sat down and said,
'Let's make this a great American company again,'" Buffenbarger said.
"The folks in York, Pennsylvania, make a product that's envied
throughout the world, and it speaks to their work ethic, their open
mindedness and their vision."
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12. Calling all old, bold bikers
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.mlive.com/business/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/business-1/1170588720170940.xml&coll=5
Calling all old, bold bikers
Sloan seeks items for exhibit on motorcycling
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, February 04, 2007
By James M. Miller
jmiller@flintjournal.com 810.766.6318
FLINT - The Sloan Museum would like to borrow some motorcycles,
leather jackets, photos, riding and racing gear, artwork and
advertising for a motorcycle exhibit the Flint museum is planning.
The exhibit, which would open in May, primarily will cover the postwar
years, though the museum would like to find a World War II era
Harley-Davidson military bike.
Jeff Taylor, curator of collections at the Sloan, said the exhibit
will have a lot of bikes, but won't be the traditional motorcycle
exhibit.
"It's more about the image of motorcycles," he said. "Its not about
the art of the motorcycle - it isn't about design - it's about all the
things that go along with the motorcycle."
Jane McIntosh, Sloan's registrar, said the exhibit primarily will be
about the lifestyle.
"The flyboys who came back from World War II weren't ready to settle
down," she said. "They started riding motorcycles and forming clubs."
McIntosh said the impact of motorcycling can be seen in the fact that
a simple piece of protective clothing - a leather jacket - has become
the ultimate icon of "cool."
Staff members working on the exhibit have put together a wish list of
bikes and other things they'd like to borrow.
"We've been offered a few leather jackets, but I want more - I want a
whole wall of black leather," she said.
"We want things like Vespas ... I want a Honda 90. We've been told
that can be hard to find."
The motorcycle world has many sub-groups, including choppers, cruisers
and racers of many kinds.
"We're going to bring some of those sub-sets together,"
Taylor said.
If you've got a bike or other material to loan, Taylor is at (810)
237-3435; McIntosh at (810)237-3434.
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13. Motorcycle Helmets and Socialized Medicine
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/22595.html
by Brooks Mick
Motorcycle Helmets and Socialized Medicine
February 06, 2007 01:00 PM EST
Ronald Reagan was partly right when he said that government operates by
three rules: 1) If it moves, tax it. 2) If it keeps moving, regulate it.
3) If it stops moving, subsidize it. But there is a fourth rule he
missed. 4) If government pays for it, then go directly to regulation and
subsidization and tax something else to pay for it.
We used to have some things called freedom and personal responsibility
in the USA, the former Land of the Free. But people have abdicated their
responsibilities and expect government to handle more and more aspects
of their lives.
The local Virginia flap of the day is a bill that would allow motorcycle
riders to opt out of helmet-wearing. The argument for mandatory helmets
is that head injuries incurred by motorcycle riders cause government
agencies and insurance companies to incur costs. Which is true, of
course. Citizens have given up their right to self-responsibility, to
take care of themselves and pay their own bills, to other agencies such
as their employers and mis-named insurance companies. And the old saw
about "he who pays the piper calls the tunes" applies. The solution
would be to put people back in charge of their own health care--in
charge of paying for it--and then allow them to make up their own minds
about helmets. You want to wipe out your life savings because you like
bugs in your teeth and wind in your hair, then that's your right. Trash
the helmet and take a chance on trashing your cranium. You pay the
piper, you call the tune. But if you ask the government to pay the
piper, then you are granting the bureaucrats the power to regulate your
activities. You'll be dancing to the bureaucratic waltz.
Which is exactly the problem with socialized medicine, or universal
health care, or single-payer, or whatever the euphemism du jour is. Once
you pretend that somebody else is paying for medical care, you cede to
that somebody, a faceless government bureaucrat, the power to tell you
how to live your life to minimize the government's expense. The
politicians will promise not to meddle, but they can't help it.
First it's mandatory motorcycle helmets. Then they'll outlaw smoking.
(Well, maybe not, since they get so much tax revenue from cigarettes,
but they'll make it very annoying to be able to smoke.) Then it's
forbidding trans-fats in your food. Then soft drinks. Then they'll
outlaw hamburgers and french fries altogether. Then they'll make
exercise mandatory. If you don't get out and walk 20 minutes a day,
you'll have to pay extra taxes or a fine or maybe even go to jail for a
few days where they will have treadmills in the cells and you'll be
forced to exercise. Then they will fine parents whose children are fat.
You think I'm exaggerating? It's already starting. Just look around and
read the newspapers (somewhere buried in the back pages) or read the
internet news web sites.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Motorcycle Safety Tips - Street Survival
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/0612_crup_motorcycle_safety/
Motorcycle Safety Tips - Street Survival
Hard-Headed
By Art Friedman
Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine, December 2006
This spring, when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
collided
with a car that turned left in front of him, breaking his face and causing a
concussion, it triggered a media uproar about the need for helmet laws. Few
remarked on the irony or hypocrisy of the situation, the fact that the
soapboxes came out when a sports star merely sustained recoverable injuries,
but not when dozens of other riders in the same state died because they
weren't wearing helmets. The life and death of Joe Rider apparently doesn't
much interest editors and readers of general-interest publications, but the
chance that a star quarterback might not be fit for football season is a big
deal, one that should be prevented with helmet laws or even banning all
players from riding motorcycles, as some teams do.
The press devoted much less attention to the revelation that Roethlisberger,
who had previously said he didn't believe he needed a helmet because he rode
carefully, didn't even have a license. Riding without a license isn't smart.
In fact, unlicensed riders are more likely to crash than those who get
properly licensed. In Pennsylvania, you have to be licensed before you can
ride without a helmet. So not only is riding without a license not
smart, it's
also breaking the law. One witness to the accident reportedly said the
quarterback seemed to be looking somewhere other than at the car that was
preparing to turn left, which also doesn't sound very wise.
No one paid much attention to the guy who said that even if there had been a
helmet law and Roethlisberger had been wearing a helmet as a result, it
might
not have made a lot of difference. You should note it, however, because the
guy who said that was Harry Hurt, the lead author of Motorcycle Accident
Cause
Factors and Identification of Countermeasures (a.k.a. the Hurt Report),
which
25 years later is still the most comprehensive study of motorcycle
crashes in
America. Hurt also runs the Head Protection Research Laboratory
(www.hprl.org), which tests and studies helmet performance and motorcycle
accidents.
In a letter to a Pasadena, California, newspaper, Hurt commented that the
Roethlisberger crash was not an unusual one in terms of the events that
caused
it, the way the rider went facefirst into the car's relatively soft
windshield
(colliding with the front of the roof or one of its pillars could have
resulted in much more severe brain injuries), and the injuries sustained by
the rider. Hurt went on to say that merely complying with a law that
required
motorcyclists to wear a helmet wouldn't necessarily have made a difference.
Unless Roethlisberger had worn a full-coverage helmet with an EPS chin bar,
his uncovered face would still have been susceptible to the same sort of
injuries. In such face-first impacts, wearing a helmet with a chin bar can
also save your life by keeping facial bones from being pushed into your
brain.
Nonetheless, open-face helmets offer some real comfort advantages over the
full-face helmets I and the rest of this magazine's editors favor. They tend
to be slightly lighter than full-face-coverage hats. Oddly, they are
sometimes
quieter than full-coverage models. Because it's exposed to the world, your
face cools off better on a hot day. Of course, that also exposes it to bugs,
gravel, and rain. I don't even like to think about being caught in a
hailstorm
with an open-face lid or what an errant bird could do.
I bought my first full-face helmet back in1968, when Bell put the first one,
the Star, into production. (Yeah, it was orange too.) It took me a few
days to
adjust, but then I used it for a three-month ride through Mexico. That first
Star was a work in progress back then, mostly because of the eyeport. It was
substantially smaller than the eyeports on today's full-coverage shells, and
the faceshield was fixed inside the molding of the eyeport. You couldn't
flip
it up for cooling or to put on sunglasses. If you wanted to use a dark
shield,
you had to pry out the clear shield and coax the tinted one into the
eyeport's
molding. But there was EPS foam (the material that actually absorbs the
energy
of an impact) all the way around your head and on the chin bar. I was very
pleased to have it when a bird smashed into the top of my chin bar at
about 60
mph.
By the time we returned from the ride through Mexico, wearing an open-face
helmet made me feel unprotected. I wore one around the block once after that
and never went back. (Actually, that's not true. I sometimes wear an
open-face
motorcycle helmet while riding my bicycle.) However, the flip-up-shield kit
that was soon available was a real advance, and the second Star I owned
had a
larger eyeport, so my peripheral vision was no longer limited.
Folks who have never really spent time in one imagine that full-face helmets
create all sorts of problems, like muting the world around you so you can't
hear other traffic or limiting your view. There is some truth to the concern
about limiting vision, but just vertically. On a cruiser with tank-top
instruments, the chin bar sometimes blocks your view, so you have to
tilt your
head forward slightly to read them. It's not enough to block your view
of the
road ahead, though. In some helmets, I can't even see both sides of the
eyeport with my eyeballs at full-lock, so peripheral vision is not
compromised. While a helmet does muffle external sounds some, that's
generally
a good thing, since most of the ambient noise is just that, noise. It's the
sound of your engine, drivetrain, exhaust and most of all the wind passing
your head. The sounds that you need to hear-the tire or engine sounds of
approaching vehicles, emergency sirens, the voices of pedestrians, a
change in
your bike's drivetrain, something falling off the bike-have to be picked out
from the general din, and that's easier when the ambient noise is
knocked back
a bit. In particular, a properly designed helmet shell can make your passage
through the wind smoother and therefore reduce the wind's roar compared with
your bare head, which is not as streamlined. Riding without a helmet or
other
ear protection will quickly cost you hearing capacity from the effects
of wind
noise. If you have a loud exhaust, the loss will happen even faster.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
15. States Try to Ban Driver Distractions
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Feb09/0,4670,DriventoDistraction,00.html
States Try to Ban Driver Distractions
Friday, February 09, 2007
By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer
E-MAIL STORY PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
BARRE, Vt. ˜ Put down the flute and keep your eyes on the road. And
forget about sipping that cup of coffee on the way to work, or smoking
a cigarette on the way home. In some states, it could soon be illegal
_ if it isn't already.
Emboldened by the passage of cell phone bans for drivers in some
communities, states are turning their attention to other things that
drive motorists to distraction.
Vermont lawmakers are considering a measure that would ban eating,
drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an
instrument, "interacting with pets or cargo," talking on a cell phone
or using any other personal communication device while driving. The
punishment: a fine of up to $600.
Similar bills are under consideration in Maryland and Texas, and
Connecticut has passed one that generically bans any activity that
could interfere with the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
"Cell phones attracted people to this issue," said Matt Sundeen, a
transportation analyst with the National Conference of State
Legislatures. "Now that people are more focused on distracted driving
issues, they're beginning to talk about the broader range of
distractions."
For the sponsor of the Vermont bill, the motivation came from his own
observations.
"What finally pushed me over the edge was when I was at a stop sign
and somebody opposite me was trying to navigate around the corner with
a cell phone to the ear in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and
she wasn't doing very well," said Republican state Rep. Thomas F.
Koch.
He said his wife recently saw a driver playing the flute, which led
him to include the instrument ban in his bill.
"There are a lot of bad habits out on the road. This isn't just for
drivers' own good. This is to protect the other people on the road,"
he said.
Often, they need protection:
_In Illinois, a bicyclist was killed by a driver who had been
downloading cell phone ring tones while behind the wheel last
September.
_In Westminster, Calif., a 7-year-old boy was struck and killed by an
SUV whose driver lost control as he was trying to reach a cell phone
and plowed into a family at a bus stop Nov. 29, authorities said.
_In Spokane, Wash., a man driving a pickup who was allegedly using a
cell phone crossed a highway median and struck another truck head-on,
killing five children, in 2005.
_In Athens, Ala., a woman lost control of her car while reaching for a
ringing cell phone and crashed into a church last month.
Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions
or near-crashes in a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation
Institute that was released last year by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration.
Young drivers are some of the worst offenders. A study of more than
5,600 students released last month by the Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Co. reported that nearly 90
percent had seen friends drive while talking on cell phones and that
half saw drivers playing hand-held games, using listening devices or
sending text messages.
Jeff Rogers, 44, of Barre, filling up his pickup at a gas station
Thursday, said the Vermont bill is "going a little too far."
"I can understand the cell phone thing," he said. "But the rest of it,
how are they going to enforce that?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Gathering of Eagles
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1779585/posts
Gathering of Eagles (Freeper mentioned)
Independent Patriots for America | 5 FEB 2007 | Viper
Posted on 02/05/2007 11:41:15 AM PST by radar101
Viet Nam Memorial Wall
Washington, D.C.
The anti-war/anti-America groups are planning a "march to the
Pentagon" on March 17, 2007... this group has intentions that
defenders of freedom cannot overlook or allow to occur... there must
be a challenge.
Here's a portion from the "anti-war" web site March 17 -- March on
Pentagon!: Time to Turn Up the Heat! that causes considerable concern:
"The biggest single group of new volunteers and activists are soldiers
and marines who have returned from Iraq. Their family members and
other veterans are also organizing to March on the Pentagon. The
opening rally will assemble at the Vietnam Memorial (Constitution
Gardens) at noon."
The anti-war/anti-America group cannot be allowed to use the Viet Nam
Memorial Wall as a back-drop to their anti-America venom and stain the
hallowed ground that virtually cries out with blood at the thought of
this proposed desecration ... it must not happen.
Many are encouraging a "Gathering of Eagles" (symbolic of our freedom)
at the Viet Nam Memorial Wall on March 17, 2007, as a signal that a
segment of America does not agree with the "anti-war/anti-America"
rally on the same day. As noted above, the anti-war/anti-America crowd
is publishing intention to use the Viet Nam Memorial as a backdrop to
their rally................this cannot happen...............it cannot
go unchallenged.
Based on the input received, here is what is suggested as a means to
identify those of us attending/visiting the Viet Nam Memorial wall and
other Memorials on March 17, 2007 opposing the anti-war distortions.
We want to send a different message than the "anti-war/anti-America"
surrender crowd, so we should be clearly set apart from them.
Wear a Red Armband on the right arm (Red often symbolizes/represents
courage, revolution, hardiness, blood, and/or valor) . On the armband
each person should print something, e.g. WWII, Korea, Nam, Iraq,
spouse, widow, POW, Vet, Legion, patriot, citizen, etc., or other
respectful phrase one wants to help us identify one another. We need
to remember all American's are invited to support our effort which is
intended as a defender of hallowed ground and intended as a
non-violent competition between those that would sell out America and
those of us who support freedom and keeping the fight with the enemy
on distant shores.
Many of us will be wearing favorite caps, shirts, jackets, jungle
fatigues, desert dress, medals, etc. to include the Red
Armband............it will be a grand reunion, a time of new
friendships, which will also, God willing, rekindle a new light of
American patriotism which would filter down the mall toward the
Capitol of the United States.......maybe even the main stream media
(MSM)
........obviously more detail is needed which will come as we draw
nearer.
We know some of the, who, what, when, why, where, ╜╜.it's up to
each of us to supply the "how".
More details to follow....................
Harry Riley, COL, USA, Ret , hmriley@cox.net
Visit www.independent-patriots-for-america.com
Free Republic to get Permit for counter Demonstration
ViperAsh50 Feb. 05, 07
Kristinn Taylor the President of the DC Chapter of Free Republic
kristinn@bellatlantic.net will be getting a permit for a counter
protest on March 17th, 07 in Washington DC...They will set up along
the route of the Anti-War Protestors, and we from the "Gathering of
Eagles" will be under their permit umbrella. When we are satisfied the
Wall is secure and the Park Police have everything under control we
can march to where the counter protest will take place to show our
support of our troops in the field.
I have also talked to Jeff White, PA, State Council, Vietnam Veterans
of America, who has sent out 1500 e-mails. And he has also notified
the Gold Star Mothers, and Modern Day Veterans those who have served
after 1990.
This morning I also talked to Artie Muller - National Executive
Director - of Rolling Thunder, he wants all the information on the
"Gathering of Eagles". He has not committed yet, but we can hope.
America must know that there are those of us who know what Anti war
protests do to the moral of the troops and who better to let them know
than the Vietnam Veterans? We must let our Troops know America is not
abandoning another generation of soldiers. These Protesters say they
"Support the Troops" how can they possibly believe what they are doing
is any way support....What they are doing in reality is what they did
to us almost 40 years ago...they are giving our enemies aid and
comfort and hope that all they have to do is wait us out...great
Americans, Like Jane Fonda. These people are not anti-war they are
anti AMERICA!
Anyone who is setting up a convoy or trying to get a bus send me your
e-mail and I can put the word out in my "Desk of Viper"
Please forward this mail to all Veterans of all wars to all Veteran
organizations to all right thinking Americans forward it on and on and
on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
17.Attorney General denies U.S. citizens have right to habeas corpus
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/16612725.htm
Attorney General denies U.S. citizens have right to habeas corpus
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has publicly stated that the right
to habeas corpus, one of the foundations America was built on, is no
longer a constitutional right:
„Responding to questions from Sen. Arlen Specter at a Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing on Jan. 18, Gonzales argued that the Constitution
doesn‚t explicitly bestow habeas corpus rights; it merely says when
the so-called Great Writ can be suspended.‰
„Gonzales continued, ŒThe Constitution doesn‚t say every individual in
the United States or citizen is hereby granted or assured the right of
habeas corpus. It doesn‚t say that. It simply says the right shall not
be suspended‚ except in cases of rebellion or invasion.‰
This declaration should put fear into every American citizen. When the
blank-check, Republican-led Congress passed the 2006 Military
Commissions Act, the public was assured that it could only be used on
„alien enemy combatants‰ because, among other un-American items, it
removed the right of habeas corpus ˜ a right the Constitution gives to
every American citizen.
Opponents warned us that the provisions of the draconian law could
very well be extended to every citizen in the United States in the
future. They were derided, called „terrorist sympathizers‰ and
dismissed by a compliant media that trumpeted that all Americans had
the right to habeas corpus.
With the attorney general‚s proclamation, the Bush administration has
opened the door for anyone, American citizen or not, to be held with
no recourse, just as two other American citizens, Jose Padilla and
Yaser Hamdi, were held.
Mr. Padilla has been tortured over the years to the point that his
lawyers have sought to dismiss his case, stating he is now mentally
unfit to stand trial.
Mr. Hamdi, whom we were initially told was so dangerous that he
couldn‚t be allowed the protections of the Constitution, was
ultimately released and deported from the country without being
charged with a single crime.
The attorney general has now stated that not even the average
law-abiding American citizen is granted habeas corpus. This is an
outrage, and Americans need to take both the media and the Bush
administration to task before America loses any more of its most
precious freedoms.
MICHAEL GASS
West Columbia
*********************
Below is a response from Kelly of www.chiefsez.com:
Do the Federalist Papers have anything to say on the subject? Why yes,
yes they do. Quoting Paper No.: 84 [Hamilton]:
"It may well be a question whether these are not, upon the whole, of
equal importance with any which are to be found in the constitution of
this State. The establishment of the writ of habeas corpus, the
prohibition of ex post facto laws, and of TITLES OF NOBILITY, to which
we have no corresponding provision in our Constitution, are perhaps
greater securities to liberty and republicanism than any it contains.
The creation of crimes after the commission of the fact, or in other
words, the subjecting of men to punishment for things which, when they
were done, were breaches of no law, and the practice of arbitrary
imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable
instruments of tyranny. The observations of the judicious Blackstone, in
reference to the latter, are well worthy of recital:
"To bereave a man of life [says he] or by violence to confiscate his
estate, without accusation or trial, would be so gross and notorious an
act of despotism as must at once convey the alarm of tyranny throughout
the whole nation; but confinement of the person, by secretly hurrying
him to jail, where his sufferings are unknown or forgotten, is a less
public, a less striking, and therefore a more dangerous engine of
arbitrary government." And as a remedy for this fatal Evil he is
everywhere peculiarly emphatical in his encomiums on the habeas corpus
act, which in one place he calls "the BULWARK of the British Constitution."
Additionally is the Ninth Amendment. And that is just a beginning.
krp
----------------------------------------------------------------------
18. Several states oppose national driver's license
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/kmsb-20070205-nwjc-nationaldl.54d88fc2.html
Several states oppose national driver's license
05:20 PM MST on Monday, February 5, 2007
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in
Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states, including
Washington.
The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution
objecting to the Real ID Act of 2005. The federal law sets a national
standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their
record-keeping systems to national databases.
Within a week of Maine's action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming,
Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state also balked at Real
ID. They are expected soon to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining
to participate in the federal identification network.
"It's the whole privacy thing," said Matt Sundeen, a transportation
analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "A lot of
legislators are concerned about privacy issues and the cost. It's an
estimated $11 billion implementation cost."
The law's supporters say it is needed to prevent terrorists and
illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.
States will have to comply by May 2008. If they do not, driver's
licenses that fall short of Real ID's standards cannot be used to
board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank
accounts.
About a dozen states have active legislation against Real ID,
including Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New
Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.
Missouri state Rep. James Guest, a Republican, formed a coalition of
lawmakers from 34 states to file bills that oppose or protest Real ID.
"This is almost a frontal assault on the freedoms of America when they
require us to carry a national ID to monitor where we are," Guest said
in an interview Saturday. "That's going too far."
Guest proposed a resolution last week opposing Real ID and said he
expects it quickly to pass the Legislature. "This does nothing to stop
terrorism," he said. "Don't burden the American people with this
requirement to carry this ID."
Though most states oppose the law, some such as Indiana and Maryland
are looking to comply with Real ID, Sundeen said.
The issue may be moot for states if Congress takes action.
Republican Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire, along with Democratic
Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, filed a bill last year to repeal the law.
Sununu expects similar legislation will be introduced soon.
"The federal government should not be in charge of defining and
issuing drivers' licenses," Sununu said in a statement.
Privacy advocates say a national driver's license will promote
identity theft.
Barry Steinhardt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union,
said the Real ID ordered by Congress would require a digital photo and
probably a fingerprint on each driver's license or state-issued ID
card. That, he said, will make it more valuable to identity thieves
because the ID card will be accepted as much more than a driving
credential.
"It's going to be a honey pot out there that's going to be
irresistible to identity thieves," Steinhardt said.
An identity thief, he said, could buy a Real ID from a rogue motor
vehicle department employee with is own photo and fingerprint on it.
"The victim is never going to be able to undo this," Steinhardt said.
Other criticisms include:
- Some states will have to invest millions in new computer systems
that can communicate with federal databases. That is something they
probably will not accomplish by the deadline.
- It will be difficult to comply with the requirement that license
applicants prove they are in the country legally. There are more than
100 different immigration statutes, Steinhardt said, which will pose
problems for motor vehicle clerks unfamiliar with immigration law.
- It does not solve the problem of terrorism. Oklahoma City bomber
Timothy McVeigh and some of the hijackers from the attacks of Sept.
11, 2001, had legitimate driver's licenses.
- Even the requirement that applicants' full legal names appear on
licenses will pose problems because some states limit the number of
characters on the face of the card.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
19. Helmets are not the heart of the issue
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.yorknewstimes.com/stories/020507/localnews_helmet.shtml
Helmets are not the heart of the issue
It's about freedom of choice," says motorcycle enthusiast Bob Ailor.
That very sentiment is echoed by fellow rider Steve Neujahr. Both men
are members of ABATE of Nebraska.
ABATE stands for "American Bikers Aiming Towards Education". ABATE is
a motorcycle rights organization consisting of motorcycle enthusiasts
throughout the state of Nebraska. Goals and purposes of the
organization as stated on their website are: "To encourage favorable
legislation for motorcyclists. These are accomplished through a
monthly newsletter, a Web site, promotion of safety education programs
(designed to help prevent fatal and personal injury accidents),
lobbying at the state legislature and voter registration programs."
ABATE of Nebraska works to keep the state legislature informed of the
feelings of motorcyclists regarding proposed legislation. ABATE
partners with motorcycle rights organizations across the county to
stop unfair legislation aimed at motorcyclists. The group also
monitors road construction and conditions which may affect riders.
According to Ailor and Neujahr ABATE is working toward educating both
the public and state legislators. One example of the group's call to
action was its recent lobby day. Monday, Jan. 22, was designated by
ABATE as the day for members to visit with legislators of the Nebraska
Unicameral. Both men attended the event, meeting with State Senator
Greg Adams and others on behalf of proposed changes in the state's
motorcycle helmet law.
The men found Sen. Adams to be a willing listener and interested in
talking with them.
Nebraska's current helmet law has been on the books since 1989. Prior
to that there was no enforceable helmet law in the state. At the
inception of the 1989 law, it was believed the legislation would have
a positive effect on insurance rates within Nebraska, driving overall
costs down. Ailor says that, however, hasn't happened. Statistics show
Nebraska's rates are no lower than those in Iowa which has no helmet
law at all.
"The 1989 legislation has failed to live up to what it was billed to
do," says Ailor. "Iowa has no law and insurance rates are the same. We
are not reaping any" financial "benefit from the use of helmets. Iowa
does have stronger education requirements for new riders," and that
may be the difference.
"Requiring education means a safer motorcycle riding population,"
Ailor adds.
Every session of the legislature since the 1989 helmet law went into
effect has seen some form of legislation introduced in favor of
repealing the measure.
"They say on average it takes a bill eight years to make it through
the legislature. And we are way past that," Ailor states.
This session a bill has been introduced by Sen. Kent Rogert of the
16th Legislative District. Ailor and Neujahr are hopeful LB 253 will
pass once sent to the floor. LB 253 addresses two issues at the heart
of the helmet law controversy; education and choice.
Ailor and Neujahr point out that ABATE does not advocate a
motorcyclist ride without a helmet. "But we feel that as responsible
adults, motorcycle riders should have the right to decide whether or
not to wear a helmet," Neujahr says.
Both Ailor and Neujahr agree it's education that's most important. In
order to prevent accidents education must reach both motorcyclists and
motor vehicle operators.
As it's written in LB 253 a person would be exempted from wearing a
helmet if they are at least 21 years of age, equipped with eye
protection (which includes glasses, goggles, a face shield on a helmet
or a windshield), and carry proof of successful completion of a
motorcycle safety course prior to Jan. 1, 2008 under the Motorcycle
Safety Education Act. Proof of completion of the safety course must be
provided by a nationally recognized motorcycle safety foundation.
Proof of such a course must be available for inspection on demand of
law enforcement officers.
A person would also be exempt from wearing a helmet except for eye
protection requirements if they were born prior to Jan. 1, 1987 and
had a Class M license prior to Jan. 1, 2008.
Language of the bill establishes a Motorcycle Safety and Training Fund
to reimburse trainers for materials used in required courses up to $75
per student. LB 253 is currently in the transportation committee. The
bill also calls for a doubling of the number of training course sites
from 10 to 20.
Neujahr says, "ABATE is not anti-helmet. It's about the choice to wear
or not to wear."
ABATE also points to the lost tourist revenue as another reason to
modify the helmet law. Many riders by-pass Nebraska on their way to
rallies in places like Sturgis, S.D., each year, choosing instead a
route which takes them through bordering states like Iowa, South
Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas and Colorado, which do not have mandatory
helmet laws.
The two men agree riding a motorcycle is a way of life. They enjoy the
openess of being out on the road. That's the reason Ailor and Neujahr
have been climbing into the saddle for 27 and 37 years respectively.
"It's obvious I won't quit because there's a helmet law," says Ailor
with a smile. Both say they may choose to wear a helmet in inclement
weather, or when riding after dark.
"Or when it's cold," Neujahr adds with a chuckle.
On the flip side, the men site restricted vision and hearing as
draw-backs to helmets.
When all is said and done, Ailor and Neujahr say motorcycles are about
freedom, and freedom is about making up your own mind about things.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
20. Coming Through! The NAFTA Super Highway
----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://evansmediausa.blog.com/What+was+Congress+thinking+about+NAFTA/
Coming Through! The NAFTA Super Highway
By Kelly Taylor
The planned NAFTA Super Highway would radically reconfigure not only
the physical landscape of these United States, but our political and
economic landscapes as well.
All across America, mammoth construction projects are preparing to
launch. The NAFTA Super Highway is on a fast track and it's headed
your way. If you don't help derail it, you may soon be run over by it
- both figuratively and literally.
The NAFTA Super Highway is a venture unlike any previous highway
construction project. It is actually a daisy chain of dozens of
corridors and coordinated projects that are expected to stretch out
for several decades, cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and end up
radically reconfiguring not only the physical landscape of these
United States, but our political and economic landscapes as well.
In Texas, the NAFTA Super Highway is being sold as the Trans Texas
Corridor. In simplest terms, the TTC is a superhighway system
including tollways for passenger vehicles and trucks; lanes for
commercial and freight trucks; tracks for commuter rail and high-speed
freight rail; depots for all rail lines; pipelines for oil, water, and
natural gas; and electrical towers and cabling for communication and
telephone lines. One of the proposed corridor routes, TTC-35, is
parallel to the present Interstate Highway 35 (I-35), slightly to the
east, running north from Mexico to Canada. Its present scope is 4,000
miles long, 1,200 feet wide, with an estimated cost of $183 billion of
taxpayer funds. It runs through Kansas City.
Integration vs. Independence
How would all of this affect you, your family, and your community? Let
us count the ways. One of the most striking features of the proposed
Super Highway is the plan to do away with our borders, as evidenced by
the joint U.S.-Mexico Customs facility already under construction in
Kansas City, Missouri. A U.S. Customs checkpoint in Kansas City? But
that's a thousand miles inside America's heartland; isn't the purpose
of U.S. Customs to check people and cargo at our borders?
Ah, but the mere asking of that question shows that you're still
operating under the old paradigm that sees the United States as an
independent, sovereign nation. However, that paradigm began to change
following passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
in 1994. NAFTA, which was sold to the American public as a simple
trade agreement, was actually far more than that, setting in motion a
process for the gradual social, economic, and political "integration,"
or merger, of the three NAFTA countries - Canada, the United States,
and Mexico - into a North American Union.
In 2005, this merger process became more explicit and aggressive when
President Bush, Mexico's President Vicente Fox, and Canada's Prime
Minister Martin launched what they call the Security and Prosperity
Partnership of North America (SPP). Any serious study of the SPP will
clearly reveal that its ultimate aim is the dissolution of the United
States into a North American Union patterned after the increasingly
dictatorial regional government now running the European Union.
Henceforth, under this plan, the borders between our nations will be
incrementally erased in favor of a joint "perimeter" around all three
countries.
One part of this plan calls for streamlining the flow of traffic from
Mexico, including a massive increase in containers from China and the
Far East offloading at Mexican seaports and then being transported by
truck and rail into the United States via the new NAFTA Super Highway.
These new cargo streams would cross the border in supposedly secure
FAST lanes, checked only electronically until the first Customs stop
in Kansas City!
What about all the repeated promises by the White House and Congress
to make border security America's "top priority"? Moving Customs
inspections hundreds of miles inland obviously contradicts those
promises and incalculably increases the opportunities for smugglers
(of drugs, illegal aliens, terrorists, weapons of mass destruction,
and other contraband) to enter the country. Our borders are already
incredibly porous and undermanned; securing the entire route from the
Mexico-Texas border to Kansas City would require thousands more Border
Patrol and Customs officers. Would these agents be provided? Could
this route be made any more secure than our southern border? Does it
make sense to effectively extend the border via this route when we are
now doing such a poor job securing our existing border?
Under the Radar
Moreover, we can expect that similar inland joint Customs facilities,
like the one in Kansas City, will be included in the other
Mexico-to-Canada superhighway corridors. Of course, these corridors
will not be secured, and the result - as intended - would be the de
facto merger of immigration and Customs enforcement and the
obliteration of the current national borders within the planned North
American Union. That is precisely what one of the main architects of
the SPP plan, Professor Robert Pastor of American University and the
Council on Foreign Relations, has repeatedly advocated in his
writings, speeches, and congressional testimony. (See sidebar on page
14)
How is it possible that something this radical has gone so far
virtually unnoticed when illegal immigration and border security are
among the hottest political topics of the day? The politicians and the
private contractors who have been pushing this merger scheme intended
it that way, knowing full well that adoption and successful
implementation of the plan would depend on keeping it under the public
radar.
Thanks largely to the investigative work of Joyce Mucci, who heads the
Kansas City-based Mid-America Immigration Reform Coalition, and
author/economist Jerome Corsi, the NAFTA Super Highway has begun to be
a very hot topic. Using Missouri's Sunshine Law, Mrs. Mucci's group
has pried loose a number of documents that are causing the public and
private champions of the NAFTA Super Highway to squirm and stonewall.
"They were going along great guns with this whole plan, with all of
their high-powered politicians, law firms, PR firms, and corporate
contractors - and virtually no opposition, until now," Mrs. Mucci told
The New American. "We're just volunteers, so we don't have the money
and influence they have, but we are digging out the truth." And she is
hopeful that if enough taxpayers, voters, and property owners learn
about all the horrendous ramifications of the Super Highway plan, they
will shut it down before it can do the damage envisioned.
Super Highway Robbery
Aside from erasing our borders - which is no small matter in and of
itself - the NAFTA Super Highway would profoundly impact Americans in
many other ways. The ones who will be most immediately affected are
those whose homes, farms, ranches, businesses, and communities lay in
the paths of any of the planned routes. Millions of acres are
scheduled to be paved over and that means using eminent domain to
condemn lots of private property for the Super Highway corridors and
rights-of-way.
But every American, ultimately, would be dramatically impacted by this
onrushing scheme. How? First of all, in the pocketbook - with
increased taxes and tolls. With an aggregate price tag of hundreds of
billions of dollars - for projects in the U.S. and Mexico - enormous
increases in federal, state, and local taxes are a certainty. To
assist in financing the mammoth Super Highway, plans call for
converting many current roads, which taxpayers have already paid for,
to tollways for all motor vehicles.
If the NAFTA Super Highway goes through as planned, millions of
Americans can expect to pay with their jobs as well. Just as the NAFTA
trade policies have driven millions of jobs out of the United States,
the NAFTA Super Highway will accelerate the job exodus. Although the
Super Highway corridors are being sold locally as projects to ease
congestion and facilitate U.S. economic competitiveness, their main
purpose, very clearly, is to create an arterial network for speeding
the delivery of manufactured products into the United States through
Canada and Mexico.
Thus, U.S. taxpayers would have to pay for reduced transportation
costs for foreign producers. In addition, the "continental" plan calls
for U.S. taxpayers to pay hundreds of billions of dollars to extend
this "infrastructure development" (highways, railways, bridges, power
plants, telecommunications, seaports) through Mexico and Central
America.
How will it do that? Under the Coordinated Border Infrastructure
Program of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation
Equity Act of 2005 - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (whew!), U.S.
funds apportioned to a border state may be used to construct a highway
project in Canada or Mexico, if that project directly facilitates
cross-border vehicle and cargo movement! Just think - your tax dollars
may now be sent to Canada or Mexico to aid the entry of illegal aliens
into the United States, like it or not.
Additionally, SAFETEA-LU allows U.S. states to use tolling on a pilot
basis to finance Interstate construction and reconstruction, and to
establish tolls for existing Interstate highways to fund the new Super
Highway corridors. Austin, Texas, is already experiencing fierce
struggles over converting its already-paid-for Interstate and state
highways to toll roads, but few Texans understand that this new
tolling is to be the mechanism for funding the leviathan Trans Texas
Corridor. Since Austin has been identified as the pilot city in the
nation for testing the new toll policies, you can assume that what
passes here is coming your way.
This planned wedding of Mexico's cheap labor force with brand new
infrastructure would make Mexico an irresistible magnet for all
manufacturers now remaining in the United States. Even those companies
who wanted to keep their operations here would likely be forced by
cheaper competitors to join the exodus. The United States, until very
recently the manufacturing capital of the world, will continue its
downward spiral into increasingly dangerous dependence on foreign
manufacturers for almost everything, even as burgeoning inflation
makes everything more expensive, devastating much of our middle class.
Scores of Corridors
An additional Super Highway route known as the Interstate 69 corridor
(TTC-69) would enter Texas from Mexico as three spur lines at Laredo,
McAllen, and Brownsville, which then will join together to head north
through Houston, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Port Huron, Michigan, to
Toronto, Canada.
Wait, there's more. To the west of the proposed TTC lies the proposed
route of the Ports-to-Plains Corridor, running north from Laredo
through West Texas, the Oklahoma Panhandle, to Denver and ultimately
Canada. What? Another one? Yes, and plans are very advanced. Its
website identifies this corridor as a NAFTA corridor alternative to
TTC-35, the one paralleling I-35.
What does the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have to say
about this? Once again, stonewalling rules. In telephone interviews
with congenial TxDOT employees, the expected mantra repeated to this
writer is how necessary the corridor is to accommodate projected
population and trade growth, and how beneficial it would be to the
economies of Texas, the U.S., and Mexico. TxDOT's Public Information
officer denied that the TTC was part of any bigger scheme of
nationwide corridor building, and claimed that notion was simply
misinformation. Yet in a June 30, 2001 article in the Austin American
Statesman, the same spokesperson claimed the aforementioned
Ports-to-Plains Corridor would be linked to existing Interstate
highways in Denver as part of a NAFTA super corridor.
And that's not all. There's also CANAMEX, another super corridor like
the TTC, which spans the West from Mexico to Canada going through
Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. And we learn from the
CANAMEX Corridor Coalition website that the number of congressionally
designated high priority corridors in the United States has been
expanded from 43 to 80! Yes, 80 corridor routes have been designated
across the United States in an effort to speed the construction of
infrastructure necessary for what the SPP calls "the streamlined
movement of legitimate travelers and cargo across our shared borders."
Research on any High Priority Corridor will lead the reader into a
hairball of studies, alliances, pricing programs, transportation acts,
administration agencies, reports, committees, partnerships, and on and
on, all designed, we believe, to obscure the real agenda. The idea for
these 80 super corridors was not conceived to promote trade and better
the economic development of all participating communities. When viewed
in the aggregate, they can only be seen as a means to so thoroughly
restructure and integrate the three countries so as to permanently
blur the distinctions, and to make their merger into a regional
government seamless and even appealing.
The NAFTA Super Highway is such an integral part of the continental
merger plan that the entire scheme could be at least temporarily
road-blocked if it does not proceed. If it does proceed, American
government will no longer provide its time-tested protections against
tyranny and socialism, as huge chunks of American law will be rendered
void, and replaced by an incomprehensible mess of "trade" law. All
rowers are needed at the oars, and immediately. If you've asked
yourself why you did not know about a project of this magnitude, or
where Congress got the authority to designate High Priority Corridors
in the first place, your first job is to contact your representative
and howl. Wake the town and tell the people, or the town will be paved
over.
Tell your representative and senators to "Stop the NAFTA Super Highway
Steppingstone to a North American Union" by phone, fax, or e-mail. Go
to www.capwiz.com/jbs/home/ for contact information and a sample
letter.
Kelly Taylor is an Austin-based writer and filmmaker, and the producer
of a politically based TV talk show.
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21. Laws of Persuasion during a Negotiation
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Bikers] Laws of Persuasion during a Negotiation
Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 00:01:53 -0500
From: Hawk
An old read worth reading again
http://www.solriders.com/pdf/persuasion_negotiation.pdf
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22. Police Chief Gives Himself $235 Ticket
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http://news.aol.com/strange/story/_a/police-chief-gives-himself-235-ticket/n20070205094809990001?cid=936
Police Chief Gives Himself $235 Ticket
KEWASKUM, Wis. (Feb. 3) - Police Chief Richard Knoebel says he wasn't
about to take the easy way out when he accidentally drove past a
stopped school bus with its emergency lights flashing.
For violating traffic laws, Knoebel wrote himself a ticket for $235,
docked himself four points on his driving record and paid the fine the
next day.
It happened in September but didn't make news until after the fine
appeared in court records and was reported by a West Bend newspaper.
Knoebel says he doesn't mind getting the belated attention, if it
serves to raise awareness.
"If it brings notice to people that they should be stopping for school
buses, I don't mind the notoriety," he said.
He said he was on patrol on four-lane U.S. 45 when he was distracted
by a stopped dump truck. He saw a car coming from behind and thought
it might hit the truck, so he moved to pass the truck before he saw
the stopped school bus in the far lane.
He said he didn't realize he had passed the bus until it was too late.
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23. Political Power and the Rule of Law
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http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst020507.htm
Political Power and the Rule of Law
February 5, 2007
With the elections over and the 110th Congress settling in, the media
have been reporting ad nauseam about who has assumed new political
power in Washington. We're subjected to breathless reports about
emerging power brokers in Congress; how so-and-so is now the powerful
chair of an important committee; how certain candidates are amassing
power for the 2008 elections, and so on. Nobody questions this use
of the word "power," or considers its connotations. It's simply
assumed, in Washington and the mainstream media, that political power
is proper and inevitable.
The problem is that politicians are not supposed to have power over
us-- we're supposed to be free. We seem to have forgotten that
freedom means the absence of government coercion. So when politicians
and the media celebrate political power, they really are celebrating
the power of certain individuals to use coercive state force.
Remember that one's relationship with the state is never voluntary.
Every government edict, policy, regulation, court decision, and law
ultimately is backed up by force, in the form of police, guns, and
jails. That is why political power must be fiercely constrained by
the American people.
The desire for power over other human beings is not something to
celebrate, but something to condemn! The 20th century's worst
tyrants were political figures, men who fanatically sought power over
others through the apparatus of the state. They wielded that power
absolutely, without regard for the rule of law.
Our constitutional system, by contrast, was designed to restrain
political power and place limits on the size and scope of government.
It is this system, the rule of law, which we should celebrate--not
political victories.
Political power is not like the power possessed by those who otherwise
obtain fame and fortune. After all, even the wealthiest individual
cannot force anyone to buy a particular good or service; even the most
famous celebrities cannot force anyone to pay attention to them. It
is only when elites become politically connected that they begin to
impose their views on all of us.
In a free society, government is restrained--and therefore political
power is less important. I believe the proper role for government in
America is to provide national defense, a court system for civil
disputes, a criminal justice system for acts of force and fraud, and
little else. In other words, the state as referee rather than an
active participant in our society.
Those who hold political power, however, would lose their status in a
society with truly limited government. It simply would not matter
much who occupied various political posts, since their ability to tax,
spend, and regulate would be severely curtailed. This is why
champions of political power promote an activist government that
involves itself in every area of our lives from cradle to grave. They
gain popular support by promising voters that government will take
care of everyone, while the media shower them with praise for their
bold vision.
Political power is inherently dangerous in a free society: it
threatens the rule of law, and thus threatens our fundamental
freedoms. Those who understand this should object whenever political
power is glorified.
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24. Who Watches the Watchers?
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http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/02/06/cameras.surveillance.reut/index.html
CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- In some cities in Europe and the United
States, a person can be videotaped by surveillance cameras hundreds of
times a day, and it's safe to say that most of the time no one is
actually watching.
But the advent of "intelligent video" -- software that raises the
alarm if something on camera appears amiss -- means Big Brother will
soon be able to keep a more constant watch, a prospect that is sure to
heighten privacy concerns.
Combining motion detection technology with the learning capabilities
of video game software, these new systems can detect people loitering,
walking in circles or leaving a package. New microphone technology can
isolate the sound of a gunshot and direct the attached camera to
swivel and zoom in on the source. Sensitivity may reach the point
where microphones could pick out the word "explosives" spoken in a
crowd.
"There's just not enough personnel to watch every single camera," said
Chicago emergency operations chief Andrew Velasquez. "We are piloting
analytic software right now ... where you can set that particular
camera to watch for erratic behavior, or someone leaving a suitcase on
the sidewalk."
Since the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, sections
of New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and even a few smaller
U.S. towns have been blanketed with closed-circuit cameras. Privately
owned cameras are also proliferating.
The encroachment on privacy in what civil libertarians call a
"surveillance society" may be a price willingly paid by citizens who
fear terrorism and crime.
But ever-alert software capable of maintaining a continuous "watch" on
security cameras multiplies the risks of harassing innocent people,
privacy experts say.
"I don't buy it. The number of false positives are going to be
astronomical," said David Holtzman, author of "Privacy Lost." "It's
extremely dangerous to abrogate legitimate law enforcement authority
... to a camera."
In Chicago's darkened, windowless surveillance center, Velasquez looks
forward to using new technology, which has had some success elsewhere.
The port of Jacksonville, Florida, has dispensed with human monitoring
of cameras altogether by sending alerts and live video to the personal
digital assistant of the nearest officer on patrol, according to a
spokesman for ObjectVideo Inc.
ObjectVideo is one of two dozen companies seeking to perfect so-called
intelligent video -- an industry whose sales will grow from $60
million to $400 million within five years, according to global
consulting group Frost & Sullivan.
Meanwhile, Texas is evaluating a pilot program in which it allowed
Internet access to video of unmanned sections of its border with
Mexico and urged viewers to send an e-mail if they spotted something.
"The cameras don't replace police officers. They are in essence a
force multiplier. They serve as an extra set of eyes," Velasquez said.
The Chicago center is manned 24 hours a day by veteran police
officers. A dozen screens depict a few street corners and a stadium,
while others are tuned to cable news or Web sites. They can retrieve
video from thousands of cameras and their universe is expanded by
private cameras owned by cooperating buildings and stores, but they
can monitor only a few at a time.
Velasquez said his officers receive training on privacy and
constitutional rights -- for example it is illegal to look into
private homes and offices -- and digital recordings hold his officers
accountable and prevent abuses that have occurred elsewhere.
In Britain, which has 4.2 million government security cameras, 2
million in London alone, a study showed that male surveillance workers
sometimes ogled women on their screens, while others focused on
minorities excessively.
But privacy experts also note another British study, from 2002, which
said surveillance cameras did not lower overall crime rates, and
merely pushes crime elsewhere.
"Cameras are great tools for solving crime. They're not really that
helpful in preventing crime," said Ed Yohnka of the American Civil
Liberties Union.
Velasquez disputed the conclusion that cameras don't prevent crime,
saying he constantly fields requests from residents asking for a
camera to make their neighborhood safer. He said cameras contributed
to a drop in violent crime in the city of Chicago in recent years, a
drop that is widely attributed to improved police work in countering
gangs and street-corner drug dealing. At the same time, gang activity
has surged in some Chicago suburbs.
The city's prosecutors said they rarely use video evidence in court
from the cameras, which are encased in bulletproof boxes topped by
blue flashing lights and are a common sight in crime-ridden
neighborhoods.
Downtown, the cameras are less obtrusive, though a pair mounted on a
park fountain was removed after an outcry that they defiled the art.
Holtzman, the privacy expert, wondered where the line will be drawn if
authorities opt to use the cameras to spy on suspects or to sniff out
low-level crimes.
There are no legal barriers to video being subpoenaed by, for
instance, a divorce lawyer seeking evidence of infidelity, he said.
"I think there's a certain amount of freedom you want to give people
that live in the city to kind of screw up a little bit," he said.
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25. From the Lighter Side of the Saddle Bag
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Thanks to Tiger Mike for providing this:
Since a number of you reguarly interact with the business community,
here are some Corporate Lessons which might prove useful.
Have a good weekend,
Tiger Mike
Okie-Land
Corporate Lesson #1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower. The doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel
and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the
next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you
$800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman
drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few
seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in
the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her
husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob, the next door neighbor,"
she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about
the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to
credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a
position to prevent avoidable exposure.
Corporate Lesson #2:
A priest offered a lift to a nun. She got in and crossed her legs,
forcing her habit apart to reveal a shapely leg. The priest nearly
had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his
hand onto her thigh. The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The
priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up
her thigh again. The nun once again said, "Father, please remember
Psalm 129!" The priest apologized. "Sorry sister, but the flesh is
weak." Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his
arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It
said, "Go forth and seek further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you
might miss a great opportunity.
Corporate Lesson #3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and their manager are walking to
lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie
comes out. The Genie says, "I normally grant three wishes, but as
there are three of you, I'll give each of you just one wish." "Me
first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas,
driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Poof! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii,
relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of
Pina Coladas and the love of my life by my side." Poof! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I
want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.
Corporate Lesson #4:
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked
him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow
answered: "Sure, why not?" So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the
crow, and rested. A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing all day, you must
be sitting very high up.
Corporate Lesson #5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, but I haven't got the
energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on my droppings?" replied the
bull. "They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of
dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest
branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he
reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was
proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a
farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.
Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't
keep you there.
*****************
Thanks to Gypsypashn for providing the following:
On April 29, 2006 at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner,
President Bush invited an impersonator of himself, named Steve Bridges,
to share the dais with him. The premise was that the impersonator was
Bush's conscience, interpreting Bush's words with what he really meant.
A 20-second sound and video bite hit the newscasts, but this is the full
performance. It is about 11 minutes long and funny. If you can't laugh at
your self then you should not laugh at others! Our President has a good
sense of humor.
http://tinyurl.com/39puzr
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1921276117304287501&%20q=genre:comedy
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26. Show your support for the fight.
http://www.solriders.com/products/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you need more info on this or any other subject just go to the Sons of
Liberty Riders Info Zone
http://solriders.com/ or http://bikers4row.org
-- Later Hawk
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Success is determined by EFFORT!!
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Anything can be accomplished, if it's planned right and you have the desire and creativity to execute it. Jesse "The Governor" Ventura
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Sons of Liberty Riders http://www.solriders.com/ or http://www.bikers4row.org
***********************************
Copyright 2007, Sons of Liberty Riders