Loud Pipes ~ from NC-Bikers email list

Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 9:25 AM

Subject: [NC-bikers] LOUD PIPES

ASHEVILLE – Max Kerlin says he moved from Florida to Fairview for
peace, quiet and anything but the roar of motorcycles easily heard
from his mountainside home.

Law enforcement has a duty, in Kerlin's view, to crack down on the
noise, which sets him in conflict with motorcyclists who increasingly
see themselves as being unfairly targeted.

"I don't think anybody wants to control reasonable behavior, but
these people are really functioning in the unreasonable territory,
and I think law enforcement has a responsibility," Kerlin said. "It's
an assault on the environment, and one that we could easily do
something about."

Acting on complaints from residents like Kerlin, cities nationwide
have taken steps to address motorcycle noise, with ordinances that
come in many forms.

Some are against certain types of products — like mufflers that would
rattle the apples off trees — while others are aimed more on the
intent of the rider, who may want to turn some heads or rile up the
neighbors on a Sunday afternoon.

Some rider groups and motorcyclists say such laws unfairly punish
many for the acts of a few.

"From our perspective, this creates enormous problems for us because
people notice the one motorcycle that makes a lot of noise," said
Bill Wood, spokesman for the American Motorcyclist Association. "They
don't notice the 50 that pass that don't. So there's a perception
that motorcycles are noisy."

Laws vary
Asheville, Buncombe County and the state all have noise laws. For
example, the state requires vehicles to have a muffler or exhaust
system "of the type installed at the time of manufacture" that
prevents "excessive or unusual noise."

Examples of laws targeting motorcycle noise include:

• As of July 1, riders in New York City are subject to a minimum $440
fine for having a muffler or exhaust system that can be heard within
200 feet.

• In Lancaster, Pa., starting last month, riders — and all motor
vehicle drivers — could be ticketed for drawing attention to
themselves, whether by creating too much noise by revving their
engines or doing hard accelerations. Tickets start at $150.

• As of July 1, motorcyclists in Denver could be ticketed $500 for
putting mufflers on their bikes made by someone other than the
original manufacturer, if the bike is 25 years old or less. These so-
called after-market products can be louder than their manufacturer-
made counterparts.

Denver's plan is unique because it targets the after-market
equipment. Wood said it limits riders' freedom to choose what
products to use. Many motorcyclists who need to replace parts use
these products, rather than go to a dealer, which can be more
expensive, Wood said.

Enforcement a challenge
But some say enforcement is difficult. In Asheville, for example,
only one citation has been issued this year for a noise ordinance
infraction, which involved a motor vehicle, not a motorcycle.

Part of the problem is staffing and catching people in the act, said
John Garrison, chief ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

A motorist violates the law if their vehicle exceeds 60 decibels at
50 feet, Garrison said. More citations are issued for noise law
violations on lakes under the National Park Service's control than
the parkway, Garrison said.

"It is a very common complaint that noise interferes with people's
enjoyment of the parkway," Garrison said. "We're going to have to
craft something that has wide exposure and gets acceptance from all
participants, whether we're talking about a motorcycle, motor home,
truck or car."

Chuck Zimmerman's outlook is simple: "Loud pipes save lives." The
Waynesville resident and his wife both have "straight pipe," or
nonbaffled exhaust systems on their bikes, he said.

"They let people know you're around," Zimmerman said. "The real quiet
motorcycles are hard to detect. A lot of times, if you don't hear
them, you can back into them."

It's more about safety than trying to impress people, Zimmerman said,
adding that riders with loud mufflers need to ride with respect to
their surroundings.

James Buckner recalled a time when his loud mufflers might have saved
his life. While riding, Bucker said he saw a deer coming across a
field toward the road in front of him.

"I didn't have a horn on the motorcycle, so I just pulled the clutch
in, revved the motor and the deer went off the pavement back into the
cornfield," Buckner said. "That's one time it saved a deer from
running into me."

Buckner, who also is the western district coordinator for the
Concerned Bikers Association/ABATE of N.C., said his group tries to
stress discipline to riders when it comes to noise.

"It's the simplest fix to a problem, but nobody wants to learn
discipline," Buckner said. "I just wish it would be looked at instead
of taking freedoms away from people."

Asheville plumber Duncan Grosboll says he gets an earful of
motorcycle noise in driving around between jobs and wants to see a
noise ordinance that is better enforced by police.

Grosboll said he doesn't buy the "loud pipes save lives," argument,
saying that loud mufflers are more about boosting egos than promoting
safety.

"Actually, I'm thinking about getting a bumper sticker for my car
that says, `Loud pipes are … Loud,'" he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Yo All Y'all:

Last year when we were discussing the North American Union, and the International Highway and Corridor between Mexico and Canada that will run through the USA, one of our members asked his/her representative in Washington, DC about the North American Union, and the trade agreements/treaties that will obliterate our national sovereignty. The representative responded that she/he had no idea what the constituent was talking about.

The NC DMV decision to issue a North Carolina Drivers' License with the North American Union Logo, appears to be associated with these activities. I'd be interested if that member would write to the representative and ask about it again.

Sure looks like the bureaucrats are running the government now... how do you unseat someone who you didn't vote for?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

North American Union Driver’s License Created

posted by Lee

Logo intended to standardize documentation across continent

New security logo on the reverse of North Carolina’s driver’s licenses
By Jerome R. Corsi
The first “North American Union” driver’s license, complete with a hologram of the North American continent on the reverse, has been created in the state of North Carolina.
“The North Carolina driver’s license is ‘North American Union’ ready,” charges William Gheen, who serves as president of Americans for Legal Immigration.
Gheen provided WND with a photo of an actual North Carolina license which clearly shows the hologram of the North American continent embedded on the reverse.
“The hologram looks exactly [like] the map of North America that is used as the background for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America logo on the SPP website,” Gheen told WND. “I object to the loss of sovereignty that is proceeding under the agreements being made by these unelected government bureaucrats who think we should be North American instead of the United States of America.”
“To protest, I don’t plan on applying for a North Carolina driver’s license,” Gheen told WND, “even though I am a resident of the state. I don’t see how a Division of Motor Vehicles authorized in a Department of Transportation of a state of the United States can force me to have a license place that is designed with a North American Union insignia printed on the backside.”
“My decision not to get a North Carolina driver’s license could have very difficult consequences for me,” Gheen told WND. “Without a valid driver’s license, I may not be able to drive a car, fly on an airplane, or enter a government building.”
In 2005, WND reported North Carolina was the state where illegal immigrants go to get a driver’s license, with busloads of aliens traveling south on I-95 to get an easy ID.
The Tar Heel State’s requirements to obtain a license are weaker than those of many surrounding states.
Marge Howell, spokeswoman for the North Carolina DMV, affirmed to WND the state was embedding a hologram of North America on the back of its new driver’s licenses.
“It’s a security element that eventually will be on the back of every driver’s license in North America,” Howell told WND.
Howell explained the hologram of the North American continent was the creation of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that, according to the group’s website, “develops model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement and highway safety.”
Founded in 1933, AAMVA represents state and provincial officials in the United States and Canada who administer and enforce motor vehicle laws. The government of Mexico is also a member, though the individual Mexican states have yet to join.
According to the group’s website, AAMVA’s programs are designed “to encourage uniformity and reciprocity among the states and provinces.”
“The goal of the North American hologram,” Howell explained, “is to get one common element that law enforcement throughout the continent can look at on all driver’s licenses and tell that the driver’s license is an official document.”
Jason King, spokesman for AAMVA, affirmed the North American hologram was created by AAMVA’s Uniform Identification Subcommittee, a working group of AAMVA members.
He explained the goal is to create a continental security device that could be used by state and provincial motor vehicles agencies throughout North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico.
King referenced a document on the AAMVA website that describes guidelines for using the North America continent hologram as an Optical Variable Device (OVD) that AAMVA has now licensed with private manufacturers to produce.
AAMVA supplies member motor vehicle agencies with a quantity of North American continent hologram OVD foils to use on their driver’s licenses and ID cards as needed.
As the guidelines document on the AAMVA explains, each North American continental hologram OVD foil is embedded with a unique set of control numbers that permit law enforcement electronic scanners to identify the exact jurisdiction and precise individual authorized to hold a driver’s license or ID card with that particular OVD foil embedded.
“AAMVA understands its unique positioning and the continuing role identification security will play in helping the general public realize a safer North America,” King explained to WND in an e-mail. “The association believes ID security will help increase national security, increase highway safety, reduce fraud and system abuse, increase efficiency and effectiveness, and achieve uniformity of processes and practices.”
Jim Palmer, press director for ALIPAC, told WND that ALIPAC first became aware of the hologram when Missouri State Rep. Jim Guest held a seminar in North Carolina to protest the Real ID law.
“The surprise came at a meeting on the Real ID that Palmer held in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday, July 28,” Palmer told WND.
“When Rep. Guest asked participants to take out their driver’s license and see what was on it,” Palmer explained, “one gentleman was a state employee and on his license there was this hologram with the North American continent on the back. We were all surprised to see that on a North Carolina driver’s license. Right there, that stopped the show.”
Guest has formed a coalition called Legislators Against Real ID Act, or LARI.
“I was astonished when I saw that North American hologram on the North Carolina driver’s license,” Guest told WND. “I thought to myself that the state DMV has already included this North American symbol on the back of the driver’s license without telling the people of North Carolina they were going to do this.”
“I thought right then that this was going to be the prototype for the driver’s license of the North American Union,” Guest told WND.
“When we called the North Carolina DMV, they hedged at first,” Guest said, “but finally they admitted that, yes, there was a North American continent hologram on the back of the license.”
“This is part of a plan by bureaucrats and trade groups that act like bureaucrats to little by little transform us into a North American Union without any vote being taken and without explaining to the U.S. public what they are doing,” Guest argued.
King explained AAMVA’s Uniform Identification Subcommittee created a number of task forces, including the Card Design Specification that developed the North America continent hologram OVD.
“The Task Group surveyed and met with many stakeholders during the development effort,” King wrote to WND. “The Task Force gathered information from government and non-government users of the driver’s License/ID card to determine their uses for the DL/ID card and how they believe the card should function. In addition, the Task Group surveyed and met with industry experts in the area of card production and security to gather their advice, especially about the physical security of the card.”
King told WND the Task Group work was repeatedly reviewed by the UID Subcommittee as a whole, with final approval coming from the AAMVA Board.

Doc Ski

Keep The Faith. Support our Troops in the war on terror...Wear Red every Friday.

docskivnv@earthlink.net

New MRF State Rep for NC

Please join me in welcoming Susan Huttman to the ranks of the MRF state
reps in North Carolina. We now have a state rep and three assistant
reps. Susan joins in with myself, Vinny Neumann, and Benita "Paradise"
McLean. Contact information for current reps can be found at
http://www.mrf.org/staterepresentatives.php?state=nc

We are very lucky here in our state in that all the assistant MRF reps
are extremely dedicated activists who, while very busy with their own
organizations and lives, are also dedicated to the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation, it's mission, and goals. For me, and I suspect for them
too, it is not so much about the organizations we belong to... it is
about doing the best and the most we can to ensure that we, our friends,
and the generations that come after us can continue to freely ride the
roads of this nation with the assurance of continued health care,
fairness in transportation issues, fairness in legislative issues, and a
more informed motoring population looking out for motorcycles.

Susan's information will be added to the MRF website as soon as the
Director of the Reps program can clear his priorities/desk and get to it
- - We are preparing for our last board meeting of the year and national
convention (http://www.mrf.org/events.php).

Susan's contact information is:

Susan Huttman
114 Cedar Road
Hickory NC 28601
Phone/Fax: 838-495-8439
cell (for now) 239-940-0966
inktyme@msn.com <mailto:inktyme@msn.com>

Susan and her husband, George, moved to North Carolina earlier this year
from Florida. While in Florida, Susan was active in her ABATE and also
served the MRF board of directors as an assistant to the Director of
Communications. She is very well versed in the MRF, its mission and
goals, and ongoing projects. She also serves on some of the MRF board
committees. Susan has become active in the oldest motorcycle rights
group in North Carolina, CBA/ABATE of NC, serving on committees and
assisting the state legislative director with projects, and the state
information director with projects. She is getting active in her new
home community and has shown herself to be interested in all avenues of
motorcycle rights and motorcycle safety both within and outside of
CBA/ABATE of NC and the MRF.

You may see Susan on her beloved Honda Shadow, with her close cropped
hair and beautiful ink work as she re-familiarizes herself with the
hills and curves of our North Carolina mountains. She will be with me
at the Charlotte CBA Bike Show and Swap Meet in November, meeting people
and helping folks learn about the MRF.

Best,

Cindy "Fre" Hodges
MRF State Rep, North Carolina

FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists' Association) Press Release, Sept 3rd.

PRESS RELEASE
from the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations

September 3rd, 2007

EU motorcyclists present their opinion on motorcycle safety to Members of the European Parliament
September 5th, Strasburg: FEMA will present its European Agenda for Motorcycle Safety at the 11th MEP Ride.

Motorcycling offers an inexpensive, environmentally friendly and effective means of transport. Hence, the number of motorcycles on European roads has more than doubled over the last two decades. However, while motorcycling presents a solution to many of todayÂ’s mobility challenges, motorcycle safety is becoming an issue of concern for an ever-increasing number of stakeholders, who overlook the positive aspects motorcycling can bring to the transport mix.

Road safety is an important issue for all motorcyclists. FEMA - representing European MotorcyclistsÂ’ Associations in Europe - wants to contribute to the motorcycle safety debate, and will be presenting the views of European motorcyclists with regards to acknowledged - and potential - motorcycle safety problems. The European Agenda for Motorcycle Safety (EAMS) offers a compilation of motorcyclistsÂ’ expertise, which takes into consideration the concerns and requirements of the end-users.

The United States and the United Kingdom have recently set up motorcycle strategies with the aim of finding the most appropriate solutions to improve motorcycle safety. These recent examples show that the best way forward is to involve all motorcycle safety stakeholders from Industry to End-users and from National Transport authorities to local road safety experts. FEMA believes that this approach should be encouraged in Europe.

FEMAÂ’s contribution to the road safety debate is a document of over 80-pages. The European Agenda for Motorcycle Safety will be presented at the MEP Ride, FEMAÂ’s annual motorcycle ride with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) which will start next Wednesday September 5th in front of the European Parliament in Strasburg.

The EAMS underlines that motorcycles and motorcyclists have different characteristics from other vehicles and their drivers, and identifies the specific needs of motorcyclists that must be addressed along with those of other road users. It is aimed at providing legislators, decision makers and all stakeholders dealing with motorcycle safety, a summary of why motorcycle accidents happen from a riderÂ’s perspective, as well as recommendations on how to improve motorcycle safety in some specific areas of concern.

More info on http://www.mep-ride.eu/
Press Pack http://www.mep-ride.eu/index.php?p=press
This Press Release in PDF format: http://www.mep-ride.eu/invite/PR-20070831-MEPRide_final.pdf

END

Notes to editor:
- Contact, registration, information: Virginie Peters Tel +32 (0)2 736 9047 - Mobile + 32 (0)484 976 170 - Email virginie.fema@chello.be <virginie.fema@chello.be> - The Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) is the European federation of national road rider organisations. FEMA represents, defends and promotes motorcycling and the interests of million powered two-wheeler users across Europe. Through its 23 national organisations from 17 countries, FEMA reaches over 300,000 dedicated motorcyclists representing all social groups. http://www.fema.ridersrights.org

-----------
FEMA - Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations
Rue des Champs 62, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0)2 736 9047 / Fax: +32 (0)2 736 9401
http://www.fema.ridersrights.org

MRF News, Aug. 22nd '07

Subject: [Mrfnews] 07LR11 - Leaders Report- August
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:04:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: mrfnews@mrf.org
Reply-To: mrfnews@mrf.org
To: mrfnews@mrf.org, mrfnews2@mrf.org

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

MEETING OF THE MINDS IS ONE MONTH AWAY

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) annual Meeting of the Minds
(MOTM) is less than one month away. Now is the time to start thinking
about tuning the bike and your mind for the trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa
from September 20-23. MOTM will cover a host of new and current
information from around the globe as it pertains to all things
motorcyclists' rights. And in addition to the MRF's overview of issues
affecting us here in the U.S., there will be representation from the
European Union (EU) and our friendly neighbors to the north in Canada.
The Canadians and Europeans will cover a wide variety of topics, some so
seemingly restrictive that you will once again be shaking your head and
thinking, "I will never let that happen in my country or state!"

This year's MOTM conference begins on Thursday evening with a "Meet the
Board" mixer and networking session where all State Motorcyclists' Rights
Organization (SMRO) spokespeople present are asked to give a quick rundown
on the states of their States. Friday and Saturday are packed with
general sessions and smaller breakout groups where the topics run the
gamut of motorcyclists' rights. Saturday evening closes the bulk of the
MOTM's motorcyclists' rights symposium with an always lively banquet and
fundraiser auction.

MOTM also offers a few lighter-hearted events and PAC fundraisers, and one
that is surely not to be missed is the tug-o-war between the bikers in bib
overalls versus the classier and arguably leaner and meaner group – bikers
in kilts. Sorry my bibbed brethren, but I've got to go with the kilted on
this one.

Interested parties should register soon for the MRF's Meeting of the
Minds, the world's premier motorcyclists' rights conference. You can get
more information, print out a preliminary agenda, and register on-line
through the MRF's website at www.mrf.org. Hotel rooms are filling up
quickly so don't delay reserving your room. Be sure to mention that you
are attending the MRF's Meeting of the Minds and ask for the conference
rate when you reserve your hotel room.

MOTORCYCLIST PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE EXITS RACE

Tommy Thompson recently announced his plans to drop out of the race for
the Republican endorsement for President of the United States of America.
Thompson seemed well suited to advance further with his conservative
Midwestern roots and family values approach to politics, but timing and
funding were not on his side. Thompson has served at a Presidential
cabinet-level position as Secretary for Health and Human Services. Before
that he was Governor of Wisconsin, where his trademark phrase about the
dairy state was, "Where Eagles soar, Packers score and Harleys roar."

Thompson finished sixth at the Iowa straw poll a few weeks back, and he
made it very clear from early on that if he did not secure a first or
second place finish in the Republican popularity contest, he would end his
race then and there. Thompson held a ride into Ames, Iowa as part of his
organized campaign events. A very serious rider himself, Thompson
routinely takes a couple-thousand-mile trip during the summers.

MRF Vice President of Government Relations Jeff Hennie said, "Thompson,
who has a firm grasp of the challenges and joys that every motorcycle
rider experiences, is a seasoned political veteran with a positive legacy
going strong. I don't think we have seen the last of Tommy Thompson." We
at the MRF wish Tommy good luck in his future endeavors and his return to
the private sector. We suspect he will have a little more time for riding
these days and we hope he enjoys it.

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Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php
or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.

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Sturgis Discrimination Against Patch-Holders

Patch ban at One-Eyed Jack's spurs boycott, possibly legislation

Columnist takes a new twist to a long-running Sturgis issue

By Bill Harlan, Journal staff

A beef with Hells Angels could inspire legislation to protect wearing motorcycle-club ?colors,? a state legislator told me Friday.

One Eyed Jacks saloon on Main Street in Sturgis was hopping this week, despite a call for a boycott because of a ban on motorcycle-club "colors." (Photo by Bill Harlan, Journal staff)

"If this persists, I'll consider it," said Rep. Jim Putnam, R-Armour, who sometimes wears a Sturgis motorcycle rally necktie during the legislative session.

Putnam was barred from entering the giant One-Eyed Jack's saloon on Main Street in Sturgis last week while wearing the colors of his own dangerous motorcycle club, the Lawmakers.

Now, Putnam supports a boycott of the saloon. "I'm not going in there," he said. (Putnam is taking it easy this week, anyway, after breaking his arm in a slow-speed spill during the Governor's Ride.)

One-Eyed Jack's owner Ray Gold is just as adamant about keeping his new ban on "back patches." Hells Angels, who have a Sturgis headquarters near the bar, often drink there. Gold said other customers and staff sometimes felt intimidated. "People don't like it when Hells Angels muscle in and tell you you're sitting in their seat," he said. "Besides," he said, "A lot of feuding goes on, and that's when they start shooting and killing each other."

But the ban on patches also angered Louis Nobs of Hibbing, Minn., who was barred entry wearing his Soldiers for Jesus colors. "You can't ban patches for just one group," he said. "If you ban them for motorcyclists you have to ban them for bowling teams, the Knights of Columbus -- everyone."

Nobs is on the board of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, and he's helping distribute 60,000 fliers calling for a boycott.

Gold countered that he has a right to have a dress code. "Why should I allow them run my business?" He asked. "That's just not going to happen."

One-Eyed Jack's is the only bar in Sturgis banning colors, but Gold points out other establishments do ban colors.

In fact, last week, a sign on the bar at the new Boneyard concert venue in Whitewood warned against wearing colors "Due to state regulation."

Putnam laughed. "We know there's no such regulation," he said. In fact, he wore his colors to the Boneyard.

Gold met with Nobs, Putnam and a Hells Angels representative, but as of Friday, colors were banned and the boycott was on.

That's fine with Gold. "It's helping business," he said.

"They;ve won the first round," Putnam admitted, but he added that legislation protecting motorcycle attire passed the state House in the early 1990s. It failed in the Senate, he said, but a similar Minnesota law has survived court challenges.

Beware a legislator with a Sturgis necktie.

Contact reporter at 394-8424 or at wrh2@rushmore.com. Go to http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/ and click on the Sturgis street blog for online reports.

Doc Ski

Keep The Faith. Support our Troops in the war on terror...Wear Red every Friday.

docskivnv@earthlink.net

Funding Secured for Nationwide Crash Study

Subject: [NC-bikers] Research Funding Secured for Nationwide Crash Study

This information provided by the American Motorcycle Association:
Posted July 26, 2007
Motorcyclist fatalities up 5 percent in 2006
The increase in fatalities among motorcyclists reported this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration underscores the critical need for new research into the causes of motorcycle crashes, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.
According to NHTSA data released this week, 4,810 motorcyclists were killed on the nation's highways during 2006, an increase of 5 percent over 2005. That marks the ninth year of increasing deaths after more than a decade of declining fatalities.
For several years, the AMA and the motorcycling community have been campaigning to get federal funding for a comprehensive study into the causes of traffic crashes involving motorcycles. The last such study was completed in 1980, and its conclusions have become less useful as the traffic environment has changed over the past quarter-century.
Recently, Congress appropriated funding for a motorcycle-crash study that required the motorcycling community to come up with matching funds before the research can begin. Thanks to a major contribution from the motorcycle industry, through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, along with pledges from the American Motorcyclist Association and individual riders, that funding is now assured, and the study should begin this fall at the Oklahoma Transportation Center, which is an independent and respected research center at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
"The increasing number of fatalities among motorcyclists over the past nine years have concerned us," said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. "And that's why we've worked so hard to get an updated study of the causes of motorcycle crashes.
"We look forward to getting this valuable research that will help save lives on the nation's highways."
Read the Original article at: http://www.amadirectlink.com/news/2007/06fatalities.asp

Doc Ski
Keep The Faith. Support our Troops in the war on terror...Wear Red every Friday.
docskivnv@earthlink.net

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

NCOM News Bytes, Aug '07

NCOM NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

BIKERS RALLY TO SAVE SAFETY FUNDING When word got out that the US House of
Representatives was considering a transportation appropriations bill in late
July, and an amendment to eliminate funding for motorcycle safety funds was
being proposed, the biker community rallied to the call and succeeded in
saving $6 million in grant money provided to 44 states for motorcycle safety
programs.

After being reminded by scores of concerned riders across the country that
saving lives is more important than saving a few dollars, the amendment by
Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling was never introduced and the Section 2010
motorcycle safety funds remained intact as the $104.4 billion dollar FY2008
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill (HR 3074)
went on to pass by a vote of 268-153.

TRAFFIC DEATHS REACH HISTORIC LOWS, WHILE MOTORCYCLE FATALITIES CLIMB
Declining traffic deaths has lead to the lowest highway fatality rate ever
recorded, announced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The
number of people who died on the nation's roads fell by 868 deaths last
year, the largest drop in total fatalities in 15 years; representing a 2%
decline that contributed to the historic low fatality rate of 1.42 per 100
million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reported U.S. Transportation Secretary
Mary E. Peters.

But while total highway deaths fell from 43,510 in 2005 to 42,642 in 2006,
the lowest level in five years, motorcycle fatalities continued to escalate
for the ninth consecutive year following a decade of steadily declining
fatality rates. Data from NHTSA's 2006 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle
Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries shows that 4,810 motorcyclists were
killed on America's roadways last year, an increase of 5.1 percent over
2005. Motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total
fatalities, exceeding the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time
since NHTSA began collecting fatal motor vehicle crash data in 1975.

Many blame the increase on the rise in popularity of motorcycles, with
states experiencing record numbers of registrations and dealers selling
record numbers of new bikes year after year for over a decade. Other experts
cite the aging ridership, bigger bikes, changing traffic mix, miles traveled
and other factors.

A comprehensive study into the causation of traffic accidents involving
motorcycles is expected to begin later this year at the Oklahoma
Transportation Center at Oklahoma State University, the first such
motorcycle-crash study since the Hurt Report in 1980.

The National Transportation Safety Board conducted a motorcycle safety forum
late last year to explore safety concerns in that sector of transportation.

While driving has never been safer in the U.S., internationally the United
States ranks 42nd of 48 countries measured in the number of highway
fatalities per capita. And although the fatality rate has plummeted since
1970, when the U.S. led the world in road safety with the lowest death rate
among industrialized countries reporting data, it now ranks 11th in
fatalities per distance driven.

Safety experts say the reasons are many. Bella Dinh-Zarr, the North American
director of Make Roads Safe, a nonprofit organization based in London, said
other countries have stricter laws, better enforcement, more accessible
public transportation, greater awareness, public support and more rigorous
training and licensing standards.

But expert after expert said the real problem was one of culture. With
personal freedom being a cornerstone of the United States, many states are
loath to pass legislation that curtails them, even when it comes to road
safety. So while the governments of other countries can easily pass laws to
make driving safer, like a national ban on hand-held cellphone use, those
laws here are left up to the states to impose, and that is often not so
easy. Fred Wegman, managing director of the National Institute for Road
Safety Research in the Netherlands, said attitudes were different in Europe.
There, he said, safety is not just about the individual, but is the
responsibility of society as a whole. "European countries fundamentally pay
more political attention to road safety," he said.

HELMETS DON'T SAVE LOUISIANA MOTORCYCLISTS Despite passing a mandatory
helmet law in 2004, motorcycle fatalities in Louisiana are on a record pace
and on course for one of the worst totals in the country, Highway Safety
Commission executive director James Champagne told attendees at a safety
summit in Baton Rouge.

The summit, produced by the Louisiana Motorcyclist Safety and Awareness
Committee and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission was convened to
decrease the number of motorcycle fatalities and injuries in Louisiana.
Achieving that goal is urgent.

Champagne told summit attendees that more motorcycle fatalities are
projected for this year in Louisiana than in any other year in the state's
history. If the trend continues, we will have not only the state's worst
year, but also one of the worst totals in the country.

At the Louisiana summit, safety officials pinpointed reasons for the
alarming increase in motorcycle fatalities. One is lack of professional
training. Champagne says training should be required before a cycle owner or
rider can apply for a license.

Ultimately, according to Champagne, almost all the factors that contribute
to the problem can be reduced by new legislation, enforcement of existing
laws - and mandated education.

LOUD PIPES TICKET DISMISSED The first and only ticket that police have
issued to a motorcyclist under Denver's controversial new noise ordinance
has been dismissed. Attorney Wade Eldridge, himself a biker, challenged the
law on behalf of his client, Stuart Sacks, who was pulled over in LoDo and
ticketed for having an "unlawful modified muffler," records show.

"The officer neither inspected his bike to see if it had the stamp nor did
he use a sound meter," Eldridge said. "So the most they would have had was
the officer's gut feeling that it was too loud, which is not enough."

Designed to curb motorcycle noise, the controversial new ordinance took
effect July 1st and limits noise levels to 82 decibels from a distance of 25
feet, and requires motorcyclists with bikes made after 1982 to have a
muffler with an EPA noise-certification stamp.

Eldridge, who is the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) Attorney for
Colorado and legal counsel for the Confederation of Clubs of Colorado, also
claims the noise ordinance is unconstitutionally vague. The law "lends
itself to arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement," he told the Rocky
Mountain News. "The police can stop you for whatever reason."

Eldridge said the law leaves enforcement up to the "unfettered discretion of
the individual officer," adding that his client was told he was stopped
because his pipes were too loud.

Police Capt. Eric Rubin, who used to head the Traffic Operations Bureau,
didn't know the details of that stop but said officers are using their
training and experience in the field "as reasonable suspicion to briefly
stop the rider" and check for the EPA stamp.

But the city's decision to drop the case highlighted a fundamental flaw in
the law - Denver police aren't equipped with the $1,000 noise monitors
needed to make the charge stick, said Eldridge, adding that, "In any case in
which it's properly challenged, the city has an impossible burden." The
reason Assistant City Attorney April Snook cited in her motion to dismiss
the case was the city was "unable to prove charge beyond a reasonable
doubt."

Ellen Dumm, spokeswoman for the city's Environmental Health Department, said
an "oversight" caused the case to be dismissed. "The police officer did not
inspect the pipes for the required (Environmental Protection Agency)
sticker," she said, adding that the dismissal was a "one-time" thing and
that the ordinance's enforcement will result in quieter streets.

Eldridge points out that even police bikes may be louder than Denver's
allowable limits. According to court documents, tests conducted by the city
on police motorcycles found sound levels at redline of 81.3 decibels and
81.7 decibels, and since the accuracy of the sound meters the city used is
within plus or minus .5 decibels, police motorcycles may be in violation of
the new noise law, Eldridge said.

PATCH BAN AT STURGIS BAR SPURS BOYCOTT, POSSIBLE LEGISLATION A beef with
Hells Angels could inspire legislation to protect wearing motorcycle-club
"colors," a state legislator told Rapid City Journal columnist Bill Harlan
during Sturgis Bike Week. One-Eyed Jacks saloon on Main Street was boycotted
during the rally because it is the only bar in town that bans motorcycle
club insignia, and they even barred South Dakota State Representative Jim
Putnam from entering while wearing the colors of his own dangerous
motorcycle club, the Lawmakers.

"If this persists, I'll consider it," said Rep. Putnam, R-Armour, who
sometimes wears a Sturgis motorcycle rally necktie during the legislative
session. "Putt" is not only a long-time motorcyclist himself, but is also a
long-serving member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Legislative
Task Force (NCOM-LTF), and anti-biker discrimination legislation is on their
agenda.

Putnam added that legislation protecting motorcycle attire passed the state
House in the early 1990s. It failed in the Senate, he said, but a similar
Minnesota law has survived court challenges.

Now, Putnam supports a boycott of the saloon. "I'm not going in there," he
told the Journal. But One-Eyed Jack's owner Ray Gold is just as adamant
about keeping his new ban on "back patches," which he told the newspaper is
to keep out the Hells Angels, whose Sturgis headquarters is near the bar.

But the ban on patches also angered Louis Nobs of Hibbing, Minn., who was
barred entry wearing his Soldiers for Jesus colors. "You can't ban patches
for just one group," he said. "If you ban them for motorcyclists you have to
ban them for bowling teams, the Knights of Columbus -- everyone."

Nobs is on the board of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, and he
helped distribute 60,000 fliers calling for the boycott.

ChiPS STAR NEVER GOT MOTORCYCLE LICENSE TV biker cop Erik Estrada has
revealed he never passed his motorcycle test. Estrada played California
Highway Patrol motorcycle cop Ponch in 1970s hit CHiPs, reports The Sun.

But he never actually had a motorcycle license for real. Estrada, now 58,
had to hurriedly arrange a bike test when he was assigned to the California
Highway Patrol for a new reality TV show.

And it took him three attempts to pass before he could appear on "Back To
The Grind", a show that gets actors to try their TV jobs.

WEIRD NEWS: A motorcycle was once plucked out of the Los Angeles sewer
system. It's the largest object ever found in there!

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "Knowledge is power (Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est)."
Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) English statesman and philosopher
Doc Ski
Keep The Faith. Support our Troops in the war on terror...Wear Red every
Friday.
docskivnv@earthlink.net

AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS 6-05-07

AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS

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

NCOM NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY "Speeding Into The Future" was the theme for this year's NCOM Convention, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, over Mother's Day weekend, May 10-13, 2007 at the University Hilton. Another near-record crowd attended the National Coalition of Motorcyclists' 22nd Annual Convention, converging from virtually every state and representing most Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations and Confederations of Clubs across the country.

Hosted by the Concerned Bikers Association/ABATE of North Carolina and the Confederation of Clubs of North Carolina, this annual conference draws prominent leaders in the bikers' rights movement to a different location each year to discuss topics of concern to all riders. Meetings, seminars and group discussions focus on safety issues, legal rights, legislative efforts and litigation techniques to benefit our right to ride.

This year's agenda was packed with informative and thought provoking meetings such as the NCOM Board of Directors Meeting, NCOM Legislative Task Force Meeting, A.I.M. Attorney Conference, A.I.M. Chiefs of Staff Meeting, Christian Unity Conference, Clean and Sober Roundtable, Women In Motorcycling, SMRO President's Meeting, Minority Outreach, and the ever popular and always inspiring Confederations of Clubs General Patch Holder Meeting.

Seminars and workshops included "Government Grants - How To Write & Obtain", "EPA Effects On Shops & Riders", "Freedom of the Road & Use of the Courts", "Loud Pipes", "Fourth Amendment - And Other Rights Under The Constitution", "National Transportation Safety Board", "5 Steps To Freedom", and "NAFTA Superhighway".

Keith Ball, former editor of Easyriders magazine and founder of Bikernet.com, was entertaining and informative with his historical perspective on the roots of the bikers rights movement as the featured dinner speaker during the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet on Saturday evening.

Silver Spoke Award recipients honored during the banquet were: MEDIA: Brian & Toni Shearon of Thunder Roads Magazine; GOVERNMENT: Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of Health & Human Services/former Governor of Wisconsin and Presidential hopeful; LEGAL: Mitch Proner, A.I.M. Attorney for New York & Connecticut; MERITORIOUS: Bill "Snap" Lines of the Patriot Guard Riders; and SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Barbara Alvar of ABATE of New Mexico; Carmaletta Lara of ABATE of Oklahoma; and Patti Nasrallah of ABATE of Florida.

Receiving the Ron Roloff Lifetime Achievement Award was Rick Nail, past President of CBA/ABATE of NC and former member of the NCOM Board of Directors.

The National Coalition of Motorcyclists was happy to welcome the following as new NCOM Member Groups:

The Patriot Guard Riders,
ABATE of the Garden State (NJ),
BikePAC of Idaho,
Freemasons Riding Club - National,
Sovereign Riders MC,
American Cruisers MC Chapters #56, #150, and #55, and
The Southern California Biker Alliance.

The 2007 Convention was dedicated to the memory of Karen Bolin of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, KC Mallady of ABATE of Florida, Marty Shultz of ABATE of Maryland and "Tank" of His Laboring Few Motorcycle Ministry.

Next year's NCOM Convention will be held May 8-11, 2008 in Houston, Texas at the Sheraton North at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Call NCOM for further details at (800) 525-5355 or visit www.On-A-Bike.com.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LABELS MOTORCYCLE DEATHS "EPIDEMIC" The World Health Organization (WHO) recently expressed alarm over the growing number of accidents involving young people on motorcycles in Asia, warning that the situation has become a public health epidemic.

The WHO noted that young motorcyclists make up a significant percentage of injuries and fatalities among road users in many Asian countries, such as Cambodia and Malaysia. "Factors such as speed, no helmets, risk-taking behavior and drunk-driving contribute to the rising trend," according to the WHO regional office, which is based in Manila, Philippines.

It suggested "simple measures" that could be taken to help make roads safer as the WHO marked observance of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week, April 23-29. These measures include setting and enforcing appropriate speed and blood alcohol limits, as well as introducing and enforcing mandatory seat belt, helmet and child restraint laws.

SAFETY CHIEF SAYS HELMETS & RIDER TRAINING SHOULD BE PROVIDED It's time to make helmets and training standard equipment for motorcyclists, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said during remarks to the Motorcycle Industry Council in Indianapolis on February 19th. Peters called on motorcycle manufacturers to provide free or heavily discounted DOT-certified helmets or rider safety training with the purchase of every new motorcycle sold in the United States.

"Helmets and proper training are just as important as brakes or headlights when it comes to the well-being of motorcyclists," Secretary Peters said. "We shouldn't be letting any customer take a bike out of the store without a helmet as part of the package. Safety shouldn't have to be an option when purchasing a motorcycle."

Secretary Peters also said the Department of Transportation was "attacking" the challenge of motorcycle safety on several fronts. Last September, the Department awarded over $6 million in safety grants to states to support motorcycle safety. In addition, the Federal Highway Administration has established a Motorcycle Advisory Council to focus on making roads safer for motorcyclists and will continue work begun by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on a Motorcycle Crash Causation Study to identify why motorcycle crashes occur and find ways to reduce the fatality and injury rates.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY STUDY BEING CONDUCTED The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has launched a milestone 3-year study to determine the effectiveness of periodic involvement in a series of motorcycle rider education and training courses.

"The Longitudinal Study to Improve Crash Avoidance Skills" will study the crash-avoidance skills of motorcyclists who have taken a series of rider training courses, beginning with the MSF Basic RiderCourse, which is the learn-to-ride course, and graduates will be offered, via random sampling, three additional training opportunities at periodic intervals throughout the study.

"The MSF's rider education and training system used in this study is built upon the principle of safety training renewal," said Dean Thompson, MSF director of communications. "We believe a rider's decision-making and crash-avoidance skills can benefit from being refreshed over time. It is important for riders to regularly refresh their knowledge, skills and risk management strategies. We're strong advocates of lifelong learning."

Rider knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences will be evaluated and measured over time. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center will provide an independent evaluation of research that will for the first time take a comprehensive, field-based look at the benefits of ongoing participation in a rider education and training system, and its subsequent effect on crash avoidance skills and real-world outcomes.

MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS -- COMING TO A STREET NEAR YOU Several cities in Massachusetts are working to keep motorcycle drivers safe on the roads in their communities. Last year, the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) requested a grant from the Auto Insurer's Bureau to help fund the erection of motorcycle awareness signs, and Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation awarded a $15,000 grant to the MMA to purchase and install 500 2-by-8-foot signs, which read "Check twice - Save a life, MOTORCYCLES ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!!"

Representatives of MMA are seeking permission to install at least one sign per community. Over a hundred communities are participating.

According to Wendell Davis, MMA District II Coordinator, Massachusetts is on the cutting edge of motorcycle safety programs. "This sign will help not just motorcyclists, but pedestrians, bicyclists, etc., by making people more aware overall," he said.

Davis added that Massachusetts is unique in promoting such an active awareness program and that "Massachusetts is one of the few states where (motorcycle) registrations have gone up and deaths have gone down."

SAUDIS BAN BIKES Earlier this year, Saudi Arabian officials increased security in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah for the annual Hajj by banning motorcycles. In an article titled "Reckless Bikers Risk Losing Rides", the Orlando Sentinel reported that Saudi officials impounded 350 motorbikes during heightened security operations, telling Arabnews.com that the motorcycle ban was a response to problems related to hit-and-run accidents as well as thefts where criminals used motorcycles to navigate crowds and escape quickly.

Motorcycles have also been banned because riders in past years have used them as unsafe, unlicensed, one-passenger taxis. Transportation services are in high demand during the Hajj, causing a problem with taxis and buses. Noise and pollution caused by motorcycles and scooters was also cited as a concern.

AFRICAN COUNTRY BANS WOMEN FROM BIKES The Nigerian state of Kano has banned women from riding commercial motorcycles, according to the official News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), which warned that women who ride risk being arrested.

"The Sharia police, otherwise known as Hisbah committee, have concluded arrangements to commence enforcement of some aspects of the state's sharia law as passed by the state House of Assembly," the NAN said. The law bans women from riding commercial motorcycles, commonly known as Okada in Nigeria, and also bars Muslim Okada operators from carrying women on their motorcycles.

Other aspects of the Sharia law that would be implemented include the ban on alcohol consumption, hard drugs and prostitution, the commander said. Kano, one of 12 states in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north that adopted the strict Islamic law in 2000, is the first to introduce segregated public transport.

INDIA MAKES HELMETS COMPULSORY IN CITIES Wearing helmets is now mandatory within the city limits of six city corporation areas in the state of Bangalore, India, though one large city was exempted from the rule in view of the high daytime temperatures there.

Passengers, or so-called pillion riders, are also exempted from the helmet requirement.

The Karnataka High Court issued a directive to the Government in 2003 to make the wearing of helmets mandatory for two-wheeler riders, and wearing of helmets by two-wheeler riders is now mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act of the Centre.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD: WOMAN CRASHES WHILE TEACHING DOG TO DRIVE A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency announced.

The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua. "She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."

No injuries were reported although both vehicles were slightly damaged.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but the following explanation may help put that figure in perspective:

A billion seconds ago it was 1975, and the Vietnam War was grinding down.
A billion minutes ago was nearly 2,000 years, during the time of Christ.
A billion hours ago was over 112 thousand years, and our ancestors were still living in the Stone Age.
A billion days ago it was 2.7 million BC, and hominids were learning to walk upright.
A billion years ago earth's ecosystem became fully formed, and the first multi-cellular organisms appeared.
A billion dollars ago was only 3 hours and 53 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "There is no slavery but ignorance. Liberty is the child of intelligence."

Robert G. Ingersoll, US Lawyer & Orator (1833 - 1899)

MRF Leaders Report 5-14-07

MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

MRF LEADERS' REPORT

Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

NHTSA Quarterly Motorcycle Safety Network Meeting

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently held
its quarterly motorcycle safety network meeting. These meetings are an
update session held by the Feds to brief the motorcycle community at large
on what they are doing with regard to motorcycle safety. Of particular
note is the NHTSA "Share the Road with Motorcycles" planner and guide
located on their website (go to www.nhtsa.gov, then click on the "Traffic
Safety" tab at the top, then click on "Motorcycles" along the left side).
The planner provides a sample letter to the editor, posters and
promotional materials. Also noteworthy was the update from Honda on the
airbag-equipped Goldwing. Honda reported selling 700 units in the states
and recently had the first deployment in action. Turns out some guy in
sunny Florida t-boned a minivan and the bag inflated and kept him from
going over the bars. He walked away from the event unharmed. According to
the representative from Honda, this gentleman was exercising his right to
choose when the wreck occurred.

SAE Government and Industry Conference

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) held a multi-day conference in
DC this week that included two technical presentations with motorcycling
interests. The first was a presentation by NHTSA of the FARS data from
last year. I have seen this presentation by NHTSA dozens of times, but
what interested me about this presentation is that it seems NHTSA may now
actually trying to collect some of the data that has eluded them in the
past, while not entirely preventing the collection of half-baked numbers.
You see, right now although it's mandatory for states to report crash data
for automobiles, it's optional for states to report motorcycle crash data.
That hasn't changed, but NHTSA is now urging the states to collect and
present real world numbers instead of using mathematical equations as they
can (and many of them do) right now. To oversimplify, some states
currently use a formula to determine vehicle miles traveled for
motorcycles such as taking the number of registered bikes, and suggesting
that since bikes are "X" percent of all vehicles and cars traveled this
many miles then we can assume motorcycles traveled "X" amount of miles as
well. Of course, we know that's not how it works. I am sure very little
will change when it comes to motorcycle VMT and it's likely that once
again, as it has for many years now according to NHTSA numbers, no
motorcycles will travel in the state of South Dakota this year. Yeah
right!

The second SAE session relevant to motorcyclists dealt with novelty
helmets. Call them what you want - skid lid, half helmet, beanie - but you
know what I am talking about and you probably also know that should you
need head protection, you probably won't find it in a novelty helmet. Well
the good folks at NHTSA couldn't just accept that assumption, so they
apparently did a study on novelty helmets. This study has not yet been
released to the public, but NHTSA did hint at it in the session. NHTSA
spent who knows how many millions of taxpayer dollars to determine that
non-DOT-compliant helmets don't perform as well as DOT-compliant helmets.
Seems like a waste of money to me, especially when we can fully fund a
crash causation study that is nearly 20 years overdue. Stay tuned for the
results of this groundbreaking study.

Other News

The House Judiciary Committee soundly defeated an amendment to a sweeping
ethics reform bill that would have forced more reporting on grassroots
groups like the MRF. The amendment was the same language in HR 2093 a bill
the MRF has issued its opposition to. The Committee also voted down, by
5-27, a measure that would prohibit lobbyists from sponsoring lavish
parties at presidential nominating conventions. At the same time, the
panel exempted nonprofit organizations from having to disclose funding and
membership in political coalitions that lobby Congress.

A solid defeat in committee usually rules out any floor action on the
amendment in question. However, in Washington nothing is done until it's
done. The MRF will keep you informed of this legislative matter.

MRF Open House

The MRF DC headquarters will be open this Saturday, May 26 from 11am-2pm.
Coming to Rolling Thunder this year? Stop by Saturday for some light
refreshments and see the world-famous MRF office, located at 236
Massachusetts Ave NE, Suite 510, Washington DC 20002. Use the Union
Station Metro stop if you leave the bike in the 'burbs. You can contact me
with any questions at 202-725-5471 or jeff@mrf.org

Young Activists Needed

Once again the MRF is holding a competition for all of our younger
activists out there. The Meeting of the Minds, the MRF's annual multi-day,
multi-national motorcyclists' rights conference will be held this year
will be hosted by ABATE of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from September
20-23. Are you or do you know someone between 18 and 30ish who is involved
with your SMRO? Get them to apply! The winners get a free trip to Meeting
of the Minds! What are you waiting for?

Ride Free and Ride Often

Jeff Hennie

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Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.

From The Gunny's Sack 5/19/07

From The
GUNNY'S SACK

Every month I run through my brain and my sources to bring you news about the biker community we live in, whether it's good or bad. I talk about the Aid To Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) program all the time and do the best I can to convince all my brothers and sisters to join and carry their own AIM cards in their wallets. Here's just one story that tells you why.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES:
Unfortunately, here in Portland, Oregon, there was an incident in which we lost a brother in a bike wreck.
For whatever reason, the biker had no identification on him except his AIM key tag on his keys, which comes along with your AIM card. It's possible his wallet was lost in the wreck. The coroner called AIM's 800 number on the key tag and talked to our people at the AIM office in Canoga Park, California. The Portland coroner was given information from the file under the card number, and was able to learn the deceased mans' identity.
Carrying his AIM card didn't save his life, but it DID give authorities the means to notify his people of this tragedy. Things like this happen all the time in our world, and we need to look at making things a little easier for the folks we may leave behind. It's tough enough to lose your life but it's a real sin if your people can't be notified because there are no means at the scene to figure out who you are. That AIM card makes things a little easier and doesn't cost you a dime. I know I'm preaching to the choir but if I don't keep rubbing your noses in it ya won't pay any attention to me.
You will find an AIM booth at most motorcycle events, no matter where you live. Take the few minutes and walk over and sign up. You'll get your AIM card and key tag on the spot, and the person manning the AIM booth can usually answer questions, or at least send you to the right place. Note that your info NEVER leaves the AIM office, unless you're in a wreck, and then only to your family and medical people. If you have an accident, get in touch with your nearest AIM attorney as soon as you are able and he will at least listen to your tale and give you sound advice. You can also get an AIM card by calling 24-7, at 1-800-531-2424, or at 1-800-On-A-Bike. The AIM attorneys make their living helping us, and giving BACK to the biker community, because they're long-time riders themselves. The bikers rights cases they handle are for the love of it, not for the big bucks.

NEWSBITS 'N' PIECES

THE NCOM CONVENTION: Having just returned from the 22nd Annual Convention of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) in Charlotte, North Carolina, this edition of the Sack will run a little long. There were SO MANY informative seminars that I can't recap all of them, but I'll give you a little flavor of some of it. If your organization is planning on sending someone to NCOM next year in Houston, send TWO people, so you can cover all the information coming out.
There were about fifteen-hundred attending bikers registered, and a whole lot more locally who came by for one seminar or another. About THIRTY of our motorcycling lawyers from AIM - Aid to Injured Motorcyclists - were there and participating in many of the seminars.

POLICE ABUSES: Our own Sam Hochberg from Oregon was on the panel on Friday morning's NCOM schedule, on Freedom of the Road and the Use of the Courts, part of the AIM Attorney Conference there. Sam spoke about fighting back on several fronts in discrimination, and in particular about a current lawsuit over police abuses in a recent club raid. The raid netted NOTHING illegal, but tore apart the clubhouse. No surprise, since the police attacked with National Guard tanks, tear gas rockets, and the alphabet of Fed agencies, like the FBI, ATF, and the DEA.
Even scarier, Sam said that in a very recent police action against some other club members here in Oregon, a member of HOMELAND SECURITY was part of the "strike force."As events develop, we hope Sam will be able to give us more on this little outrage for the Sack.

SUPER-POOPER: Another talk at NCOM got me riled up pretty good, about the proposed NAFTA super-highway. SPUTNIK, the incredible biker-leader and NCOM Board member from Texas, led the discussion. There's a whole lot more to it than supposed "free trade," and they mean an ACTUAL super-highway running right up and down this country, administered by people OTHER than just Americans. It's probably the scariest thing I have heard of in American politics in my lifetime. Please everybody, write your congressperson and let them know about how you feel. This whole thing could end our way of life. Look for an article about it by Ron Paul, to learn more.

BIKER DIVERSITY: Saturday afternoon's NCOM schedule included meetings for state motorcycle rights leaders and reps, a Christian Unity session for Christian bikers, and break-out sessions for Women in Motorcycling, a Clean and Sober roundtable, and Black Clubs and Minority Outreach. We heard a great presentation from Brothers Behind Bars, a group dedicated to keeping our bikers at the grey-bar hotel in touch with the rest of us. That one was part of the really amazing meeting of all the COC's - the Confederations of Clubs from all over the USA. Each COC reported on their activities.

TENNESSEE MEDICINE: Now this is something we all oughta be thinking about, and I hafta hand it to our brothers in Tennessee for this one: At the NCOM COC meeting, we learned about a new Free Biker Medical Clinic! This has gotta be a first in the nation, and long overdue. The folks there got the medicine donated by the big pharm companies, and docs come to treat bikers who can't afford a doctor. I'd sure like to see that one go nationwide. Charity runs are nice and all, but how about taking care of our OWN?!

MORE NCOM: There were SO many great meetings and seminars that I can't talk about 'em all in any one or even two or three Sacks. You just gotta get your butt to the next NCOM, next May in Houston.

THE BIKER REPUBLIC: It almost feels like bikers are a nation within a nation sometimes, but this is something else: The Sons of Liberty Riders were a news service on the Internet, just for bikers. Well, those folks folded up their shop due to some politics, but MOST of them are back, and ACTIVE again. LEARN more and subscribe to their e-news service. Just point your browser and yourself to their new website,www.BikerRepublic.org

BIG BROTHER IN OUR FACE AGAIN: Because of an increase in motorcycle deaths, state law enforcement, motorcycle safety and motorcycle industry folks have joined together to form a "task force"to address the issue.
This new hoo-hah was sparked by the death of a ten year- old who died when he got on a motorcycle with a cape tied around his neck. It got tangled in the spokes of the rear wheel. The MSF has a booklet with safety instructions, but it cannot cover everything! When are folks gonna use some COMMON SENSE in their daily lives? This was an absolutely preventable tragedy, and more laws won't prevent this sort of stupidity.

BUSH, H-D and INDIA:
Remember when President Bush visited India recently? It was in the news -- he'd said he was "looking forward to eating Indian mangoes," or words close to it. Apparently, it was a tit-for-tat trade deal: Bush agreed to lift a ban on importing mangoes from India (fear of bugs I reckon, but now they'll irradiate the mangoes first to kill the bugs), reportedly in return for India allowing Harley-Davidson motorcycles onto Indian roads. Thing is, recent reports from Indian media claim that H-D sez they won't be selling bikes there yet anyway, because the tariffs are too high! Sheesh! Could be because they manufacture more bikes in India than we do here in the USA, by far.

Keep the round side on the bottom.
Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff
www.AIMNCOM.com

Long Day at the NC Legislature ~ Docski 5-08-07

Tuesday, May 8th 2007

5:36 PM

A Long Day at the NC Legislature

The long day began “last night” when nearly 50 motorcyclists from across the state gathered to show a presence in the House Gallery for the third reading of HB 563, Traffic and Personal Safety Changes. This bill was sponsored by Representative Sutton and Stiller. HB 563 if enacted will require all motorcyclists in North Carolina to wear DOT helmets (FMVSS 21 .

I had some materials for those members of the house who had voted in opposition to the bill during the second reading, so as soon as I arrived I was running around to their offices dropping off information portfolios in time for them to read the materials prior to the session starting. While I was busy delivering info, Randy Norris (State president CBA/ABATE) organized the group for action, and maintained an obvious presence on the plaza while awaiting the time to move to the Gallery. Members of the “Press” (Mark and Molly Infield) were there to take photos of the “lobby-rally” participants and gather information for an upcoming article in Full Throttle.

We were recognized as “Motorcyclists from Across the State” by the Speaker of the House (Joe Hackney) which turned out to be the high point of the night. As the session rolled along, much discussion was given to several bills that preceded HB 563. There was so much discussion on the early bills, that the session ran out of time, before the bill could be voted on. It was tabled until 3:00 pm this afternoon (Tue 08 May). I went home to prepare for a full day at the legislature.

SB 1359 (Red Light Exemption for Motorcycles) was scheduled to be heard in the Senate J-II committee at 10:00 a.m. today, so I arrived a few minutes early (for a good seat) fully prepared to witness the discussion and provide any requested input regarding the bill. The committee also had a full agenda, and ran out of time before SB 1359 could be discussed. It is rescheduled for this coming Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

This rush to get bills heard and out of committee is sparked by the “crossover” deadline. Crossover refers to a time-table for bills to be heard and sent to the opposing house in the legislature. This year, all bills (that don’t have a financial aspect) must be heard, approved, and transferred (cross-over) to the other house no later than 27 May.

As the date for crossover approaches it creates a time crunch. Everyone is anxious to get their bills on the floor and passed. Bills that don’t transition to the other house will die in their house of origination. If a bill does not make the transition to the opposing house by the deadline, it cannot be re-filed until the 2009-2010 session.

Generally, bills that have money aspects are not subject to the crossover deadline.

The House General Session met at 3:00 pm today and they discussed and voted on HB563. Representative Allred offered two amendments to the bill during discussion. The first amendment was to remove the chin strap language; the second was to remove the requirement for riders to wear safety helmets at speeds below 35 mph. Both amendments were voted down by the House.

On a positive note, we experienced a small victory, that demonstrates that some of our elected officials are listening to our concerns. Although the bill passed, there was a significant increase in the number of representatives who opposed passage. The original vote (second reading) was 99-15-2 in favor of passing the bill. Today’s vote was 92 -28-0. The bill still passed, but the number of elected officials who opposed the bill nearly doubled from the vote during the second reading.

I just read the Senate calendar for tomorrow and Senator Rand’s bill, SB 375 Motorcycle Learner's Permit Changes will be heard in the transportation committee tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. I will be there to present our concerns and to offer an alternative to the bill. I am hopeful they will form a sub-committee to look into alternative ideas, and we will be invited to participate.

Please contact the members of the Senate Transportation Committee and ask them to give the bill an unfavorable recommendation, or to establish a sub-committee to find an acceptable alternative. Members of the Transportation committee are listed below with their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

That’s all for today folks… I’m tired and have a lot to do before I go to the transportation committee tomorrow. Hope to see some of you there.

Keep the Faith!

doc ski

MRF News from the Hill 4-30-07

07NR05 - News From The Hill

MRF E-MAIL NEWS
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Hennie, MRF Vice-President of Government Relations
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)

#07NR05- News From Washington DC

The View from Capitol Hill

Federal Legislation to End Discrimination of Bikers Introduced

Washington DC

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation reports that legislation to close the
loophole that currently exists in our nation?s health insurance
industry has been introduced in the US Senate (S 616) and House (HR
1076).

Under current law, group market insurance customers - that?s everyone
who has insurance from a job in the private sector, military or
government - can be denied benefits for a particular injury just
because it came from an motorcycle accident.

Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) in 1996 to ensure proper access to health insurance for
all American workers. Once the bureaucrats at the US Department of
Health and Human Services issued their final ruling on the law they
managed to allow a loophole that can be used to discriminate against
motorcyclists when the need health insurance the most, after an
accident.

The loophole also is used by insurance companies to deny benefits for
any accidents that stem from horseback riding, snowmobiling, and snow
skiing, just to name a few.

"This legislation will right an injustice done to America's
motorcycling community," said Jeff Hennie, Vice President of
Government Relations for the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. "We are
asking the Congress to tell the insurance industry that they can no
longer get away with refusing benefits that have been bought and paid
for by motorcyclists."

The House legislation has been referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, while the Senate bill is sitting before the Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

In order to pass this legislation, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation
needs your help. Please join your fellow freedom fighters and ask your
Members of Congress and Senators to co-sponsor this important
legislation.

The legislation to close this loophole has been around for the last
few sessions of Congress, but the bills introduced in this 110th
Congress have a few new twists. First, the House Democrat lead is new.
Welcome Bart Stupak to the picture; he is a 8th term Democrat from
Upper Peninsula Michigan and the top third of the mitten state. Mr.
Stupak?s district has tens of thousands of miles of snowmobiling
trails and most of his constituents use the snow machine to commute,
run errands and socialize, making the snowmobile an integral part of
everyday life. Mr. Stupak is also close friends with the Chairman of
the House committee that has jurisdiction over the measure; and is a
subcommittee chairman on the same full committee.

The House Republican lead is the same, Michael Burgess. Burgess is
medical doctor from, Flower Mound, TX. Burgess was an OB-GYN,
delivering 3000 babies before running for Congress in 2003.

The Senate sponsors are the same returning Senators as previous
sessions of Congress, Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation thanks all of the champions of this
legislation.

Another new development is that the House has adopted the Senate
language, making passage into law slightly simpler by eliminating the
need for both bodies of Congress to form a conference committee to
iron out the legislative differences. Previously the House and Senate
had slightly different solutions to closing the loophole.

Last Congress saw no major movement on the legislation. With your
help, we can close the loophole that allows our health insurance
providers to deny benefits for an injury simply because it involved a
motorcycle.

Ask your federal Representative to support HR 1076 and your two US
Senators to support S 616. Should you receive any commitments or
denials to support the legislation, or if you have any other
legislative question or concerns, please contact the MRF.

In other news...
IS DETROIT BACK IN BUSINESS?

The new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is going
to do everything he can to bring back the glory days of the Motor
City. Detroit is far from the powerhouse it once was, losing countless
jobs and dollars to Toyota and others. Chairman John Dingell (D-MI), a
hometown Detroit boy, is often referred to as the dean of the House,
mainly because of his career as a House member for over fifty years.
He just won his 27th term and is currently the longest-serving member
of the House. He has sworn to defend his automaker constituents, which
does seem admirable. However, one of the ways he plans to breathe new
life into the Big Three automakers is on the backs of the American
consumer and the rights of the automobile owner. Last Congress,
Dingell was one of the most outspoken opponents of the Right To Repair
Act. He routinely tried his best to torpedo it in committee and was
often persuasive enough to win the support of his Democrat allies. Now
they are running the committee with Dingell at the wheel, so don't
expect to see any movement on the Right to Repair Act this year, which
was HR
2048 in the 109th Congress, or any protection for smaller independent
repair shops that are struggling to exist alongside a massive
dealership network.

Jeff Hennie

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit
http://www.mrf.org/subscribe.php

Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at
http://www.mrf.org/join.php or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the
Minds conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php
for further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by
visiting http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available
to MRF members and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted.
Reproduction permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders
Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national
motorcyclists' rights organization headquartered in Washington, DC.
The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington,
DC, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice
devoted exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in
the early 1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would
champion the cause of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and
the very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its
leading members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation
and regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual
regional and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights
activists, as well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF
REPORTS.

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10 Ways to be Safer on a Motorcycyle

May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month

10 Ways to Be Safer on a Motorcycle

(Forwarded by C. Boone, CBA/ABATE of NC)

1.) Assume Drivers Can't See You: Ride assuming that you and your motorcycle
are totally invisible to motorists. That means you must never assume that
drivers can see you. The odds are, they can't so believe it yourself and
always have an "out" for dangerous traffic situations. Motorcycle Safety
depends on you.

2.) Maintain Safe Spacing: Leave plenty of space in front and back and to
the sides from all other vehicles. Be an island. Stay away from traffic as
much as possible. This gives you more visibility and more time to react to
situations.

3.) Anticipate Trouble: Anticipate trouble situations and know what to do
when you see them. Analyze what vehicles are doing and try to predict the
outcome. Then make sure you're ready to avoid a bad traffic situation.

4.) Beware of Oncoming Left Turners: Beware of oncoming motorists turning
left in front of you at intersections. This is the leading cause of death of
motorcycle riders. I'm deadly serious here. I have personally lost many
friends to this accident. If you only remember one tip here, let it be this
one. Slow down before you enter an intersection. Have an escape route
planned. Stay visible. Don't travel too close to cars in front of you.
Position your bike so it can be seen by the left turner. Eye contact is not
enough.

5.) Ride Your Own Ride: Don't try to keep up with your friends who may be
more experienced. Know your personal limits. Ride your own ride.

6.) Watch Out for Curves: Beware of taking curves that you can't see around.
A parked truck or a patch of sand may be awaiting you.

7.) Don't Give In to Road Rage: Do not give in to road rage and try to "get
even" with another rider or motorist. If you follow these tips, most likely
you won't fall victim to road rage. It's better to calm down, slow down, and
collect your thoughts first. Then continue on and enjoy the ride. That's
what we're all out there for in the first place.

8.) Don't allow Tailgating: If someone is tailgating you, either speed up to
open more space or pull over and let them pass. Life is too short. Remember
that a bike can stop faster than a car so you don't want a truck on your
tail when you find yourself trying to brake to avoid an accident. Also,
don't tailgate the vehicle in front of you. Oncoming drivers can't see you.

9.) Don't Be Blinded by Sunglare: Beware of riding your motorcycle into sun
glare. All it takes is turning a corner and finding the sun either directly
in your face or passing straight through your windshield. Some helmets have
shields to block the sun. Face shields help somewhat. But sometimes you just
find yourself blinded by the light. Slow down, pull over, shield your eyes
and look for a way to change direction.

10.) Avoid Riding at Night: Avoid riding at night, especially late Saturday
night and early Sunday when drunken drivers may be on the road. It goes
without saying that you shouldn't drink and ride. Going bar hopping? Leave
the bike at home and find a designated driver.

The War of Attrition to Regain our Liberties: Fighting NC's Helmet Law

http://www.bikerezine.com/articles/warofattrition.htm
The War of Attrition to Regain Our Liberties:
Fighting NC’s Helmet Law

Written by FastFred Ruddock, April 2, 2007

Sometimes it is more important to stand up and fight for your rights than if you win or lose individual battles. Old timers in the battle against North Carolina’s helmet law told me they were impressed I was able to get as far as I did in bringing my case through the court system. They also admonished me that I may never get the chance again and should savor this experience. Apparently they feel the state keeps a list of “trouble makers” in their database so when a tag number is entered in a computer the police officer knows whether or not to issue a helmet ticket. I can neither confirm nor deny this theory at this time. However when I ride in North Carolina I still decide and plenty of police officers have seen me do so yet none have made any effort
to issue me another helmet ticket.

To keep everything in perspective that it is the law rather than the device I oppose: I wore my full face DOT helmet through the full length of I-26 in South Carolina. However I removed that helmet for my 100 plus mile ride from the state line of North Carolina to Bryson City deep in the Smoky Mountains. I passed many state troopers and local police officers along my freedom ride to court. However none of these law enforcement officers made any effort to deter or stop me let alone issue another ticket for violating NC G.S. 20-140.4. I
arrived in Bryson City and settled in before dark. I was required to be present in court prior to 9 AM to oppose my helmet ticket. I rode past the Bryson City Police Department as they changed shifts on my way to court; many police officers were in the parking lot by their cars as I rode by without a helmet and they all stopped and stared hard yet none made an effort to pursue.

I arrived early to court to a nearly empty courtroom. The bailiff at the metal detector smiled and told me I looked well prepared with my huge stack of paperwork. I took a seat near the front of the courtroom for what would prove to be a long and educational day. By 9:00 AM the courtroom was packed to standing room only. When roll was called I get a sneaky suspicion the District Attorney or DA knew who I was as he looked right at me when he called my name; I confirmed I was pleading not guilty and representing myself. Most present in
the courtroom were content to merely surrender to the DA without a fight and pay fines of $100 or more dollars and court cost ranging upwards to $300 or more. The greatest majority of folks were processed in far under 5 minutes as they paid the state fines without a fight. While I did not count the number present I suggest it would be reasonable to say the number processed easily exceeded 100.

As the day wore on it became clear they intended to empty the courtroom prior to hearing my case. I suspect they were afraid of educating the masses present about their rights and ability to do more than just surrender and pay. Keep in mind putting up a fight in no way increases the fines or court costs you pay following these methods. Finally there were only four of us in the courtroom and the DA asked my companions why they where present and if they had business; FU let them know he was present in my support. I was then called
forward. When I took my seat at the defense table two opposing lawyers took their places at the prosecution’s table. This really tickled me they were so worried about this case they were willing to pay two lawyers to oppose one longhaired hillbilly biker with no lawyer. I smiled to myself confident they had already wasted far more money than the maximum fine and court costs I could be ordered to pay.

Then things really got interesting and it all seemed like a well choreographed production. The female lawyer began asking the state trooper various simple questions about who he was and what he did for a living as if we did not know based upon his uniform. The most interesting tidbit of information was he had been a trooper for six years. Then she asked him to relate what happened before and during the stop. At this point the trooper lied on the stand before changing his testimony to that he could not remember or recall if I was wearing anything upon my head. I’am relatively sure this was a planned maneuver to sucker me into taking the stand when my case was in reality based solely upon points of law. On the other hand the DA grilled the trooper about
the fact he never determined I even had a helmet that met with his approval.

One of the more interesting or rather entertaining moments was when the DA introduced into evidence an article from the Full Throttle of the Carolinas magazine. It was at this moment I both felt foolish and at the same time the desire to laugh. I wondered just how long it took these two nerdy looking lawyers to dig up that piece of evidence. Then the thought of how many hours and resources had been invested into my case before I even arrived at the courthouse. At that moment I realized regardless how the case turned out I had indeed won a moral victory. The female lawyer read from my article and it was all I could do not to laugh or smirk. I have a strong feeling I was not the only one trying to keep a straight face. At this point as my assistants taking
notes in the audience lost concentration and omitted a few items. She relished reading about how I rode away from the stop without a helmet and how many lidless miles I enjoyed that day. The final quote she read from the article seemed to really fire up the state: “The lidless rides will continue and you are invited to join in the fun.”

Another important thing to remember when going to court and taking part in civil disobedience is that psychology will be used against you. Police officers and DAs are trained to use psychology to manipulate citizens and defendants. When I attempted to enter into evidence letters and statements from NCDOT and NHSTA the DA told a lie or rather used a blanket statement in an attempt to summarily dismiss my entire stash of evidence. The trick worked initially. However when I began my final arguments the judge told me I must
use points of law to backup my case. I responded to tell him that along with all my exhibits had been refused by the DA as hearsay. The judge raised an eyebrow and made the DA re-examine my court brief. She did not look happy but had to relent and allow the brief to be submitted to the judge. I now suppose much of my materials could have been entered into evidence had I known more about the rules of evidence.

The judge spent a great deal of time reading my brief of case complete with many points of law supporting my case. He took copious notes and appeared to be quite engaged with the reading. After studying the materials for nearly 15 minutes he looked up and said, “Mr. Ruddock I am very impressed with your brief.” However I failed to gain standing to make a constitutional challenge because I misspoke at the traffic stop, in print, and in court. My mistake was referring to my chosen “safety helmet” with any words other than “safety helmet” such as head cover or hat. As a result the judge found me responsible and I was fined $25 and charged $75 in court costs.

The judge seemed to really enjoy the case any looked as if he might laugh as he read out the minimal fine and court costs. The bailiffs patted me on the back as I left and told me I did one fine job representing myself. One of the bailiffs also has a bike similar to mine it turns out. My friend FU asked the state trooper who ticketed me if he would be willing to take a photo with us by the bike. Trooper Crisp respectfully declined due to an official policy.

While I may have paid $100 please keep in mind the state had to pay two lawyers, one judge, two bailiffs, two state troopers, and at least two clerks. Additionally the courthouse stayed open beyond normal hours to complete my case and other clerks were working on the clerk’s office. How much was spent prior to court in research, planning, and rehearsals is anyone’s guess but I bet it was a lot more than $100. Prior to my case the troopers last case was hours before mine. I take some solace in knowing I kept two state troopers off
the highway all day long. Additionally FU pointed out to me the trooper seemed in a hurry as he left; FU supposed he did not want to see me ride off yet again with no lid.

Consider it took the state over an hour to deal with me and with simple math you realize that as few as seven bikers could tie up a court room for a full day. When you realize there are over 160,000 bikers in North Carolina the lag becomes 23,000 days. Considering NC has 100 counties and there are 365 days in
a year the actual delay works out to one year for the entire system if court was held every single day in every single courtroom in the state. This would prove to cost to society is far more enforcing this law than any imagined social burden our enemies speak of with forked tongues to the legislature. Now imagine if every biker simply went out and got just a single ticket and fought that ticket in court much as I have done. Either the law would be repealed or enforcement would end but either way we would win!

Acknowledgments: It is my wish to extend my deep heart felt thanks to ALL the bikers who helped make this effort possible. Without your material, legal, and moral support none of this would have been possible. The list is very long and with the great danger of missing some who deserve special thanks I’ll list a few who made significant contributions: Jerry, Gypsy, Quig, Roach, Warren, Kit, Wendy, Roger, Missy, FU, Lynn and many others.

The brief used in court is available at
http://www.bikerezine.com/articles/brief.pdf

This project is on going and more materials and information will be posted as time allows. Your questions and suggestions are welcomed.

Yours in Liberty,

FF

Subscribe or unsubscribe to FastFred's Biker Ezine with the instructions
located at http://www.fastfreds.com/join.htm

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Get the latest info about fellow biker rights activist Bad Bob’s recovery from a right of way accident with a cage at www.bikerezine.com/badbob

Video Link to A Gathering of Eagles, Washington, DC

A Gathering Of Eagles video. 17 March, 2007

CBA Continuing Education Seminar March 31st

Hello all,

A continuing education Seminar has been scheduled for March 31st at the
Randolph County lodge.
The schedule will be as follows:
10AM til 12 Noon...........Strategic Planning
12 til 1PM.......................Lunch
1PM til 4PM...................Accident Scene Management by Slider Gilmore

***The 10AM start time gives people more time to arrive***

Thanks,
Randy

Jesse James Fined By CARB

JESSE JAMES FINED BY CARB California air regulators have issued $271,250 in total fines against Jesse James of West Coast Choppers, the co-producer and host of "Monster Garage" and "Motorcycle Mania," saying that 50 of his custom-built choppers ran afoul of California's clean-air rules.

California Air Resources Board officials said their inspectors found that the monster bikes sold between 1998 and 2005 did not have state certified emissions equipment on their exhaust and fuel systems, resulting in these bikes spewing hydrocarbons at up to 10 times the state limits.

The market for custom-built motorcycles has taken off in recent years, and prominent bike builders have achieved celebrity status, but progressively stricter new emissions regulations from the EPA are already impacting the motorcycle industry.

Homeland Security offers details on Real ID

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6163509.html?tag=nl.e539>http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6163509.html?tag=nl.e539

Homeland Security offers details on Real ID

By <mailto:declan.mccullagh@cnet.com>Declan McCullagh, CNET News.comPublished on

http://news.zdnet.com/2001-1_22.html>ZDNet

News: March 1, 2007, 11:05 AM PT

Hundreds of millions of Americans will have until 2013 to be outfitted with new digital ID cards, the Bush administration said on Thursday in a long-awaited announcement that reveals details of how the new identification plan will work.

The announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offers a five-year extension to the deadline for states to issue the http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6143862.html?tag=nl>ID cards, and proposes creating the equivalent of a national database that would include details on all 240 million licensed drivers.

According to the http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhs.gov%2Fxlibrary%2Fassets%2Fnprm_realid.pdf&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>draft regulations (PDF), which were required by Congress in the http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5697111.html?tag=nl>2005 Real ID Act and are unlikely to assuage <http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6153532.html?tag=nl>privacy and cost concerns raised by state legislatures:

• The Real ID cards must include all drivers' home addresses and other personal information printed on the front and in a two-dimensional barcode on the back. The barcode will not be encrypted because of "operational complexity," which means that businesses like bars and banks that require ID would be capable of scanning and recording customers' home addresses.

• A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is under consideration. Homeland Security is asking for input on how the licenses could incorporate "RFID-enabled vicinity chip technology, in addition to" the two-dimensional barcode requirement.

• States must submit a plan of how they'll comply with the Real ID Act by October 7, 2007. If they don't, their residents will not be able to use IDs to board planes or enter federal buildings starting on May 11, 2008.

• Homeland Security is considering standardizing a "unique design or color for Real ID licenses," which would effectively create a uniform national ID card.

Thursday's draft regulations arrive amid a groundswell of opposition to the Real ID Act from privacy groups, libertarians and state officials. On Wednesday, the http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nga.org%2Fportal%2Fsite%2Fnga%2Fmenuitem.6c9a8a9ebc6ae07eee28aca9501010a0%2F%3Fvgnextoid%3Deee15045e5901110VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>National Governors Association endorsed a http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fthomas.loc.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Fbdqu

The draft rules, which are not final and will be subject to a public comment period, also include a more detailed estimate of how much it will cost to comply. The National Conference of State Legislatures and other state groups http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncsl.org%2Fprograms%2Fpress%2F2006%2Fpr060921REALID.htm&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>estimated last year that states will have to spend more than $11 billion. But Homeland Security says the total cost--including the cost to individuals--will be $23.1 billion over a 10-year period.

Another section of the 162-page regulations says that states have until December 31, 2009, to certify that they're on the path toward fully complying with the Real ID Act.

Push for repeal continuesOpponents of the Real ID Act, who have been advising states to publicly oppose the system, said that the draft rules are insufficiently privacy-protective and reiterated their call for a repeal of the entire law"We still need dramatic legislative action from Congress," said Tim Sparapani, legislative counsel for the ACLU, which runs the http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realnightmare.org%2F&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>RealNightmare.org site. "We've got to wipe out the underlying act."

Sparapani and his allies of more than 50 groups, including the National Organization for Women and United Automobile Workers, sent a http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdt.org%2Fsecurity%2F20070228realidletter.pdf&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>letter (PDF) on Monday endorsing a bill to repeal the Real ID Act. The letter says it was a "poorly-conceived law that can never be made to work in any fair or reasonable manner."

The ACLU believes Collins' bill is only a half-hearted step that doesn't go as far as it should. Other proposals include http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fthomas.loc.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Fbdquery%2Fz%3Fd110%3Ah.r.01117%3A&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>one from Rep. Thomas Allen, a Maine Democrat, that would rewrite the Real ID Act, insert privacy safeguards, and hand $2.4 billion to states over an eight-year period. On Wednesday, Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, and Daniel Akaka, a Hawaii Democrat, http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A

Some state governments, such as http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6153532.html?tag=nl>Maine, already have come out against the Real ID Act--a move that effectively dares the federal government to continue even when some states refuse to participate. At least http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realnightmare.org%2Fnews%2F105%2F&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>eight states (including Arizona, Georgia, and Vermont)

have had anti-Real ID bills approved by one or both chambers of the legislature.

For their part, proponents of the Real ID Act say it's designed to implement proposals suggested by the 9/11 Commission, which noted that some of the hijackers on September 11, 2001, had fraudulently obtained state driver's licenses. But not all did: at least one hijacker simply showed his foreign passport and walked onto the airplane that day.

The Bush administration and many congressional Republicans have defended the Real ID Act as a way to stop future terrorist attacks and deter illegal immigrants.

"Raising the security standards on driver's licenses establishes another layer of protection to prevent terrorists from obtaining and using

fake documents to plan or carry out an attack," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement. "These standards correct glaring vulnerabilities exploited by some of the 9/11 hijackers who used fraudulently obtained drivers licenses to board the airplanes in their attack against America."

A 23-page report released this week by Janice Kephart, a former lawyer with the 9/11 Commission, defended the Real ID Act by calling it a "significant step in enhancing our national and economic security and our public safety." Kephart is now president of http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.911securitysolutions.com&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>9/11 Security Solutions.

States bowing out of Real ID requirements is "not the way to secure America," the report says. "Embedding identity security into state-issued (ID card) systems will take significant planning to fulfill the requirements of Real ID and significant financial resources for the 'brick and mortar' start-up costs. Congress must step up to the plate and make securing of identity documents the national priority that our citizens deserve."

The Real ID Act passed Congress as part of an http://dw.com.com/redir?destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fthomas.loc.gov%2Fcgi-bin%2Fbdquery%2Fz%3Fd109%3Ah.r.01268%3A&siteId=22&oId=2100-1009-6163509&ontId=1009&lop=nl.ex>$82 billion military spending bill that also included funds for tsunami relief. No up-or-down vote on solely the Real ID Act took place in the entire Congress, though the House of Representatives did approve the rules http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-5571898.html?tag=nl>by

a 261-161 vote

Doc Ski

Keep The Faith. Support our Troops in the war on terror...Wear Red every Friday.

docskivnv@earthlink.net

Cyclists Lobby Legislators

Cyclists lobby legislators

By Alex Keown Daily Times Staff Writer

RALEIGH — Motorcycle safety and education initiatives, discrimination and a repeal of North Carolina's helmet laws top the list of state bikers' legislative concerns.

Nearly 70 bikers from across North Carolina descended on the General Assembly Wednesday morning to meet with lawmakers and address these concerns. Clad in sports coats, wind breakers or traditional biker leathers, members of the Concerned Bikers Association, including a contingent from Wilson, went door-to-door in the legislative buildings hoping for time with lawmakers.

Tom Umberger of Wilson, president of CBA, said many of the lawmakers don't think about bikers as an organized political group.

"We vote, but the lawmakers don't know that we are concerned about key issues affecting us as riders, and that's why we're coming up here to talk to them," he said.

Although the group has been lobbying the legislature for more than 30 years, they've not had much success. However, the CBA has become more politically active over the past several years, Umberger said. The group has actively campaigned for several legislative candidates including Rep. Joe Tolson, a Pinetops Democrat.

"They're a good organization looking after a segment of society that's often overlooked," Tolson said after speaking with Umberger and other members of the group. "I really like a lot of what this group stands for."

As the groups criss-crossed the legislative campus, meeting with lawmakers was often hit or miss. If a legislator wasn't in, they left cards that included the CBA agenda. If representatives were available, the bikers took a few minutes of their time to express their concerns.

CBA member Andy Malinowski, formerly of Wilson, told Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield that he believes the mandatory helmet law for motorcycle riders should be repealed because the helmets don't offer any protection to the neck and decrease hearing and peripheral vision.

"There's newer technology out there that offers head protection, but because it's not classified as a helmet, we're not allowed to wear it," Malinowski said.

He added that he believes wearing a helmet should be a personal choice and not something mandated.

"We don't want to be just seen as 'the helmet law guys', we've got a slew of concerns that affect the safety of motorcycle riders across North Carolina," said Thomas J. Wasileski, legislative director of the association.

Farmer-Butterfield said she would have a difficult time supporting a repeal of the helmet law and would need to look at data from other states that don't have a helmet law.

Wasileski, more commonly known as Doc Ski, said the group is fighting to end discrimination they're seeing from some business owners across the state who don't want to cater to the bikers because of their often perceived rowdy behavior.

"It's just not fair to treat people this way and it should be stopped," Wasileski told Farmer-Butterfield. "If you just look at me without talking to me you'd never know I have a Ph.D. in developmental psychology."

During the chat with Farmer-Butterfield, Wasileski said he is hoping the legislature will push for more funding for motorcycle safety, education and awareness initiatives. He said bikers would be willing to pay an additional $1 on their annual registration if those funds would be earmarked for such a program. He said that would provide more than $250,000 in additional funds for such a program.

alexjk@wilsondaily.com | 265-7847

NC Budget Outlook

Budget outlook neither great, grim, legislators say as negotiations begin

By James Romoser

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Common%2FMGArticle%2FPrintVersion&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192940856

JOURNAL RALEIGH BUREAU

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

RALEIGH

State legislators got their first collective look yesterday at the financial projections that will shape the next state budget as they began five months of number-crunching and negotiating.

The outlook is neither great nor grim, state officials said in a presentation to legislators. It is somewhere in the middle.

The economy is slowing down, causing the state to collect less tax revenue than it otherwise would, and requests for new spending will be up. Although the next budget cycle, which begins July 1, will be tight, nobody is expecting anything like the budget crises that rocked state government in years when the economy was in a recession.

The biggest factor that will affect the 2007-08 budget forecast is uncertainty surrounding the real-estate market in North Carolina, officials said.

"It's fair to say that the housing and real-estate slowdown have finally arrived," said Barry Boardman, an economist in the legislature's fiscal-research division.

Meanwhile, inflation and continuing population growth in North Carolina will cause the costs of existing state programs to rise. Those unavoidable increases will be coupled with large requests for new spending in such areas as public education and mental-health care.

By the midway point of the current budget year, the state's revenue collection was ahead of expectations: The state collected $285 million more than the $8.7 billion that it had expected to collect by that point, state economists said.

They added, however, that the extra revenue is not likely to offset the state's so-called structural budget gap - a perennial failure of the state's annual revenue to cover operating costs. The structural deficit is often blamed on an outdated revenue system designed to fit a manufacturing-based economy rather than one based on services.

"We heard that, as always, there will not be enough money to spend as some people would like to spend," said Rep. Paul Stam, R-Wake, after the meeting. Stam is the House minority leader.

Members of both parties made general calls for a closer look at all areas of state government to find out what could be cut.

"When you have a $19 billion budget, there is room to make cuts," said Rep. Jim Harrell III, D-Surry, referring to the size of the current year's operating bud-get.

Some programs - including some very big ones - are difficult to cut.

Medicaid, for instance, is the state's second-largest spending commitment, after public education. Statistics presented yesterday showed that the state's Medicaid spending rises steadily every year, even in tight budget years when spending on other programs stays level or goes down.

That is because state legislators have very little discretion when it comes to Medicaid, a health-insurance program run by the federal government. Most state Medicaid spending is man-dated.

"It's a dilemma. What are we going to do?" asked Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth, who is one of the Senate's lead budget writers.

"There's no easy answer to Medicaid."

• James Romoser can be reached in Raleigh at 919-833-9056 or at jromoser@wsjournal-.com.

N.C. budget outlook:
The three largest parts of the state budget are education, Medicaid and the N.C. Department of Correction. Total state spending has increased 63 percent in the past nine years:
State operating budget for 2006-07
Education $9.8 billion
Health and human services $4.2 billion
Justice and public safety $1.8 billion
Reserves $1.4 billion
Other $1.1 billion
Debt service $571 million
Total $18.66 billion

a) Changes in state spending
Spending area          1996-97                  2005-06                  % Increase
Medicaid                  $1.05 billion              $2.9 billion                    178.5
Education                  $6.2 billion              $9.8 billion                      60.1
Dept. of Correction      $809 million             $1.1 billion                      33
Total state spending      $10.3 billion             $16.9 billion                  63

Source: N.C. General Assembly

House Res Opposes N A Union. 1-27-07

House resolution opposes North American Union

Lawmakers seek to block NAFTA superhighway system, continental integration

By Jerome R. Corsi
WorldNetDaily.com

Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., has introduced a House resolution expressing
congressional opposition to construction of a NAFTA Super Highway System or
entry into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.

Goode said the goal behind House Concurrent Resolution 40
[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.con.res.00040], introduced
Monday, is "to block a NAFTA Superhighway System and to indicate the
opposition of the Congress to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)
of North America that was declared by President Bush, Mexico's
then-President Vicente Fox, and Canada's then-Prime Minister Paul Martin, at
the conclusion of their summit meeting in Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005."

The preamble of HCR 40 refers to the Trans-Texas Corridor
[http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/] being built by the Texas Department of
Transportation, noting "a NAFTA Super Highway System from the west coast of
Mexico through the United States and into Canada has been suggested as part
of a North American Union to facilitate trade between the SPP countries."

A subsequent "whereas" clause notes "the State of Texas has already begun
planning of the Trans-Texas Corridor, a major multi-modal transportation
project beginning at the United States - Mexico border, which would serve as
an initial section of a NAFTA Super Highway System."

The resolution expresses concern "it could be particularly difficult for
Americans to collect insurance from Mexican companies which employ Mexican
drivers involved in accidents in the United States, which would likely
increase the insurance rates for American drivers."

Another concern with the plans for a NAFTA Super Highway is that "future
unrestricted trucking into the United States can pose a safety hazard due to
inadequate maintenance and inspection, and can act collaterally as a conduit
for the entry into the United States of illegal drugs, illegal human
smuggling, and terrorist activities."

The Spanish investment consortium, Groupo Ferrovial
[http://www.ferrovial.com/], is funding the construction of TTC-35 and will
lease the highway for 50 years. To prevent more such foreign leasing of U.S.
highways, HCR 40 notes as a risk that "a NAFTA Super Highway would likely
include funds from foreign consortiums and be controlled by foreign
management, which threatens the sovereignty of the United States."

Regarding SPP, HCR 40 states "reports issued by the SPP indicate that it has
implemented regulatory changes among the three countries that circumvent
United States trade, transportation, homeland security, and border security
functions and that the SPP will continue to do so in the future."

Further, HCR 40 charges "the actions taken by the SPP to coordinate border
security by eliminating obstacles to migration between Mexico and the United
States actually makes the United States-Mexico border less secure, because
Mexico is the primary source country of illegal immigrants into the United
States."

The resolution calls for Congress to express its sentiment that:

. the United States should not engage in the construction of a North
American Free Trade Agreement Super Highway System;

. the United States should not allow the Security and Prosperity Partnership
to implement further regulations that would create a North American Union
with Mexico and Canada; and

. the president of the United States should indicate strong opposition to
these acts or any other proposals that threaten the sovereignty of the
United States.

As WND previously reported,
[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52230] in the
109th Congress, Goode had introduced HCR 487, which is substantially the
same as the re-introduced HCR 40.

WND has also reported
[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53803] Goode has
introduced two additional bills into the new Congress, with the intent of
blocking any North American integration by the Bush administration. The two
additional resolutions are:

. H.C.R. 18. Expressing disapproval by the House of Representatives of the
Social Security totalization agreement signed by the Commissioner of Social
Security and the Director General of the Mexican Social Security Institute
June 29, 2004. Joined by 27 co-sponsors. Introduced Jan. 4, 2007.

. H.C.R. 22. Expressing the sense of Congress that the President should
provide notice of withdrawal of the United States from NAFTA. Co-Sponsored
by Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C.. Introduced Jan. 10, 2007.

HCR 40 currently has five co-sponsors, all Republicans: John J. Duncan Jr.
of Tennessee, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Jones of North Carolina, Ron
Paul of Texas, Cliff Stearns of Florida and Zach Wamp of Tennessee.

How expensive is your government?

http://www.johnlocke.org/policy_reports/2007012980.html

This Session to Address Important Issues

By GARY D. ROBERTSON : Associated Press Writer
Jan 20, 2007 : 1:30 am ET

RALEIGH, N.C. -- There should be enough money for the budget. North Carolina finally has a lottery, and new ethics rules are on the books. The governor appears content to spend his final two years in office expanding his education initiatives, and neither leader in the House and Senate has a singular issue driving them to action.

And so when lawmakers return to Raleigh on Wednesday to open the two-year legislative session, many believe the time could be right to address some not-so-sexy questions unlikely to appear in campaign ads or stump speeches.

"We don't have a natural disaster to deal with and we have ... a replenished rainy day fund, but there are lots of pressing issues," said Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, expected to be elected House speaker. "Maybe not in the sense of one thing that dominates everyone's attention."

Lawmakers said that could open the door to debate on reformatting the state's tax system, changing the division of responsibilities between state and local governments, and figuring out how to pay for a backlog of school and mental health needs.

In what's likely to be his first term leading the House, Hackney said he intends to stick with a moderate agenda: expanding access to affordable health care, economic development and improving education.

The latter is a favorite of both longtime Senate leader Marc Basnight and Gov. Mike Easley, who is likely to push for raising teacher salaries to the national average by 2008 and expansions of programs aimed at his improving the state's high schools.

As the nominee of the Democratic Party, Hackney is widely expected win election as speaker, succeeding Rep. Jim Black, D-Mecklenburg, who decided last month not to seek the chamber's top post after a year of state and federal investigations into his campaign finances and his associates.

Considered more liberal that Black, Basnight or Easley, Hackney backs a moratorium on the death penalty and public financing of campaigns, and has also served as a foil to business interests on environmental issues. That worries some Republicans, who are also concerned the 14-term lawmaker might also press to grant state workers collective bargaining rights.

"There is at least concern from the business community about the possibility (of) taxes and about some regulatory initiatives," said Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham. "The question is within the House itself -- is there enough votes for those kind of things?"

While Democrats hold 68 of the 120 seats in the chamber, Hackney has said the caucus isn't much different than it was two years ago when a death penalty moratorium was scuttled for lack of support. He's also skeptical the House would vote to grant collective bargaining rights to public employees.

But others suggest the five seats Democrats added to their majority in November gives the party the ability to push for legislation they haven't taken to the floor this decade because of Republican opposition.

"Whenever there's a large margin for Democrats, there's going to be a larger percentage of Democrats in the caucus who are willing to move on progressive issues," said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake.

As usual, the biggest job for lawmakers will be to pass a two-year state budget before the July 1 deadline. That assignment won't be as difficult as it was earlier this decade, when annual budget shortfalls reached as high as $1.6 billion.

Lawmakers expect a revenue surplus for the fourth year in a row, but they will still have to figure out how to pay for cost increases tied to growing public school and university enrollment, ongoing mental health reforms and raises for state employees.

"What I think we've got is going to be manageable," said Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, a longtime co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "There will be enough one-time money around to continue to balance the budget and get along."

A lingering fiscal challenge will be coping with the loss of $300 million in tax revenue from the phasing out of two "temporary" taxes originally approved in 2001 -- an extra halfpenny on the sales tax and a boost in the income tax bracket for the state's highest wage earners.

Democrats began the phase out last year and want to complete the task, in part to remove a political issue for Republicans in 2008. They also have generally balked at Easley's suggestion to keep some of the extra sales tax on the books to pay for a targeted tax credit for low-income residents.

"The equitable thing to do is to drop them together," said Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, Hoyle's counterpart on the House Finance Committee. But he suggested there may be enough money for the credit even if the temporary taxes expire as scheduled.

Beyond the budget, lawmakers could turn to the following issues:

-- Tax reform. A commission studying the state's tax code could make recommendations this spring on whether to expand the sales tax to include services -- such as haircuts, home repairs or legal services. The sales tax rate would likely drop to make the change revenue neutral.

-- Medicaid costs. County commissioners will again try to rid themselves of sharing Medicaid costs with the state and federal governments, a bill that totals about $470 million annually. "That is local property tax revenue that is being diverted from local needs, such as schools and public health and safety," said Vance County commissioner Terry Garrison, president of the state commissioners' association.

-- Bond issues. Lawmakers will consider asking voters to approve issuing billions of dollar bonds to pay for public schools improvements, land conservation, roads, and water and sewer system repairs.

None of those issues will fetch the same headlines as the creation of the state lottery did in 2005, or should death penalty opponents succeed in winning a moratorium. But Basnight, D-Dare, said just because there's not an overriding issue heading into the session doesn't mean there's not work to be done.

"It's a bit unfair to say what you have to fix," Basnight said. "All of it needs improvement."

Stay Awake - Your Rights Are Being Taken Away

from NC-Bikers List

Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 11:37 PM
Subject: Stay Awake - Your Rights Are Being Taken Away

Your new Senate is already "hard at work" !
We're trusting our politicians to protect our rights, but it's not happening. Don't believe that? Read on ! Many of our Senators obviously feel that we shouldn't be trusted with our own freedom. Just recently we learned that while we were asleep at the wheel, our Senate passed a bill which allowed illegals who never paid a dime into Social Security to collect benefits. Do you know which idiot sponsored this bill? Do you know how your Senator voted? I didn't think so.
This week, the Senate made another attempt to take away one of your precious rights normally protected under the First Ammendment. A Senate Bill was introduced which contained a provision which would have made it illegal for you to solicit your Senator or Congressman unless you had previously registered as a lobbyist. Failure to do so would have put you in position to be fined and/or imprisoned. That's really hard to believe, but it almost became law, and I'll bet you didn't even know about it.
At the last minute before the vote on "The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act", the Bennett Amendment was introduced (Senators Robert Bennett R-Utah and Mitch McConnell R-Ky) which removed the requirement for all of us to register as lobbyists in order to speak our minds to our politicians..
There were 43 Nay votes, which would have prevented the removal of this proposal to limit your rights. The 43 Nay votes were all cast by Democrats, and they were led by the predictable ones: Clinton, Kennedy, Kerry, Boxer, Byrd, Feinstein, Obama, Schumer, Reid, and on and on.
7 Democrats joined with 48 Republicans to remove the proposal. There's a link at the end of this email which will show you exactly who voted for what.............and it wouldn't hurt if you passed this along to others who might want to retain what freedoms we have left. Here's the story:

BENNETT-MCCONNELL AMENDMENT PASSES SENATE!
NRA-ILA Grassroots Activism Protected

The U.S. Senate has voted 55-43 to accept an amendment to S.A. 3, the "Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act", removing an onerous proposal that would have drastically limited the First Amendment rights of Americans in the political process. Offered by Sens. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the amendment removed Section 220 that would have forced ordinary citizens to register with the federal government as "lobbyists," with all the attendant restrictions, costs, and penalties.

"The First Amendment protects an unqualified 'right of the people to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' That is a sacred right of the American people." said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. " Sec. 220 would have, for the first time in American history, severely regulated and restricted 'the voluntary efforts of members of the general public to communicate their own views on an issue to Federal officials.'

"On behalf of 4 million NRA members and tens of millions of gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen across the country, I want to thank Senators Robert Bennett and Mitch McConnell for their leadership in preserving political free speech for all," concluded Cox. "We are also grateful to the 53 other senators who voted for the Bennett-McConnell Amendment."

While this was no doubt a victory for NRA, gun owners, and freedom, enemies of the First and Second Amendments are alive and well in the 110th Congress, and no doubt will continue to assault our rights. Our thanks to all of you who contacted your U.S. Senators on this most important issue.

To see how your Senators voted, please visit www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00017.

Senate Bill 1

Yo All Y'all:

The Senate has passed Senate Bill one. Prior to it's passage amendment 20 (to remove Section 220) was voted on passed. Both of our Senators (Burr and Dole) voted to approve the removal of Section 220. Section 220 is the portion of the bill that would have required greater reporting of lobbying activities done by groups like the MRF. The amendment passed by almost a party line vote.

Please send them a nice thank you note for keeping "Freedom of Speech" alive in the USA.

Doc Ski

Creating the North American Union

From: DocSkiVNV@aol.com

Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 7:57 AM

Subject: Creating the North American Union

I found the following very interesting since there has been an attempt to build a highway, The Trans-Texas Corridor. This is a highway from Laredo (Mexican border town) to Oklahoma paralleling I-35 and bypassing towns and cities. It was to be an eight-lane highway in one direction in which five of the lanes would be for trucks only, that's sixteen lanes total. This was to be a toll road. There is also a rumor of a terminal that can handle thousands of trucks to be built in Kansas City, KS that would service a highway that would span North America.

I find this article very disturbing. The rights of people in the US, Canada, and Mexico are very different. I would think that our Constitution and the Bill of Rights would disappear. Call me an alarmist, but I see this happening.

I've been to Canada and Mexico and don't care for either one, why would I want to live under any of their laws.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_4213.shtml

This is another article that pretty much covers the same topic.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14965

This is the website for the 'Security and Prosperity Partnership Of North America'

http://www.spp.gov/

Why Legislative Fairness Works

Subject: Why Legislative Fairness Works

RALEIGH – It won’t work.

By John Hood

I guarantee you that is what some longtime lawmakers and allies of soon-to-be-ex-Speaker of the House Jim Black are saying about proposed reforms of the legislative process. The Democratic nomination of Rep. Joe Hackey to be the next speaker has prompted new attention to proposed changes, most of them championed in the past by a broad range of folks including the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, Republican Rep. John Blust of Greensboro, and Hackney himself.

Reform won’t “work,” say its critics, because allowing a full, fair, and open debate interferes with the passage of legislation. If leaders don’t have the ability to stack key committees with temporary members to push bills to the floor, to limit amendments once they’re there, and to use blank bills to keep some agenda items secret until the waning days of the session, the result will be chaos and inaction.

Perhaps. Properly run legislatures look like that sometimes. To believe otherwise is to misunderstand the fundamental purpose of elected legislatures. They are not charged with the task of passing as much and as far-reaching legislation as possible. Rather, the fundamental purpose of representative government is to communicate and debate the various and conflicting views of the general population. It is to represent constituents. The outcome may be legislation. But it can also be a praiseworthy outcome when no legislation results. Such an outcome can signify that advocates of a particular policy lack a strong enough consensus to legislate, at least for the moment.

The United States Constitution was famously devoted to the proposition that the exercise of government power, being dangerous, needed to be restrained by a combination of delegated powers, checks and balances among governmental departments, and a list of rights that can be abridged rarely if ever by even majoritarian government. The framers of the original constitution and the later Bill of Rights didn’t just dream up this notion one day at the dinner table. Their own state governments had increasingly come to include separation of powers, declarations of rights, and other elements designed to keep one individual or faction from wielding unchecked and overweening authority. They applied what they had already learned to the construction of a federal government.

These lessons have, of course, been frequently forgotten by subsequent generations of politicians, pundits, and activists. Exercising governmental power – which is, remember, nothing more or less than the institutional use of violence or threat of violence to accomplish an end – can be immensely rewarding and addictive. The crass get used to government as a means of enriching themselves, their cronies, or their particular constituencies at the expense of the general public. And the credulous come to believe that action is the same thing as progress.

I’m not arguing that inaction is necessarily beneficial, either. Government does have a legitimate role in addressing public problems. A legislature that respects and airs the views of all its members, not just those in the current majority, is more likely to choose the right tasks to perform and fashion efficient means of performing them. A clash of governing philosophies may be messy and time-consuming. But it, well, works better – if you define “work” correctly.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation.

Legislative Retreat Feb 3rd & 4th

Do you enjoy the freedoms motorcycling brings?
Do you love the feeling you get when you put your machine on the road?
Do you want to always be able to enjoy these freedoms without more restrictions?
Do you want to dress as you like, park where others park and be welcome in all public places?

If these are important issues to you as a motorcyclist, come and join us at the CBA/ABATE of NC Legislative Retreat, February 3rd and 4th. We will explain why, as a motorcyclist, you should remain alert and aware of political activities concerning motorcycling.

In order to protect your right to ride, it is necessary that you include yourself among the thousands of North Carolina motorcyclists who have banded together to form the most effective grassroots motorcyclists' rights organization (MRO) in the state. CBA is a true brotherhood and sisterhood of freedom loving riders who remain alert and aware of political activities concerning motorcycling.

This legislative retreat is open to ALL motorcyclists!

February 3 & 4, 2007
Saturday 10:00 am, Sunday 9:00 am
Seminar Presenter:
Docski
Legislative Director, CBA/ABATE of NC

SATURDAY NIGHT SOCIAL
CBA Lodge opens at 6:30 pm
Dinner served at 7:00 pm
Shrimp-A-Roo ~ $10 per plate
For more info or to RSVP call or email Jocelyn 910.443.3502 thepropagator@yahoo.com

Brunswick County CBA/ABATE of NC
509 Bricklanding Rd, Shallotte, NC
(Hwy 179, behind Shallotte Muffler)
(910) 754-5647
www.brunswickcba.org

GET INVOLVED
FREEDOM IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!

Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.

#07LR02 - MRF LEADERS' REPORT – January 12, 2007

07LR02 - MRF LEADERS REPORT - January

MRF LEADERS' REPORT
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
jeff@mrf.org (e-mail)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

#07LR02 - MRF LEADERS' REPORT – January 12, 2007

TO: The Leaders of the American Motorcyclists' Rights Movement HIPAA –
URBAN LEGEND OR DID IT JUST GET WORSE?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently printed the
final rule concerning “Nondiscrimination and Wellness Programs in Health
Coverage in the Group Market,” also known as the loophole that allows
health insurance providers to refuse benefits on a claim that was the
result of a motorcycle accident. The final rule is the result of a process
that began almost 10 years ago when the interim rules were published in
1997 as a direct result to the original HIPAA (PL-104-191) legislation
passed by Congress in 1996.

The idea of not delivering on health insurance coverage has it roots in a
much different arena than motorcycles . . . domestic violence. Back in the
early 1970’s in California, health insurance providers began exploiting a
loophole that would become known as the “wife beater clause,” which
essentially allowed insurance companies to not provide repeat coverage for
damage done as a result of a heavy-handed husband. The insurance companies
claimed that they would provide coverage for the initial incident of
domestic violence, but after that they shouldn’t have to because the woman
should have left the abusive husband, thus making the subsequent beatings
her fault and uninsurable. Being 1970 and being California, that loophole
did not last very long, but nevertheless began a troubling trend of
insurance providers using every loophole to excuse themselves from paying
on claims.

This final rule clarifies who exactly can be refused benefits and how many
Americans are affected. The answer in both cases is a lot more than was
previously thought. 135 million Americans are in the group insurance
market, and every one of them can be refused any health insurance funds
under what is called the “sources of injury rule.” The group market makes
up the bulk of the insurance market when compared to the 2.5 million who
participate in individual plans. Basically, if you have insurance through
your job, even if you work for the government, you can be refused coverage
of an injury based simply on the source of that injury and nothing else.

Can my employer do that? The answer is absolutely, if they tell you.
Employers and insurance providers must provide with a full written or
virtual explanation of your insurance plan, and each year after that they
must provide you with an update that tallies any additions or reductions
in material benefits. So if they are going to exploit this loophole, they
simply have to tell you either in the initial book or in the yearly
changes. It may be the fine print, but legally that’s ok.

Now for the real question: is it happening? Are insurance companies really
denying benefits for hospital bills because the injured party was on a
motorcycle instead of in a car? It would seem so, given that the insurance
companies’ inherent greed and the practice of making a profit would
encourage them to refuse claims whenever they had the legal authority to
do so. Just ask any beach house owner in the Gulf Coast right now, and all
you will hear about is the outrageous behavior of the insurance companies
and how nobody is getting a fair market price for property or belongings
lost. Well, it seems that the insurance companies aren’t too preoccupied
with motorcyclists or snowmobilists or any other group of Americans
potentially affected by this glaring loophole. For the past six months I
have been asking for actual examples of individuals who can attest that
they have been singled out for riding and have had to pay hospital bills
out of pocket because they were hurt while doing some riding on a
properly-licensed bike. To date, I have heard from no one. I thought it
was me, so I inquired around some of other folks working on this issue,
including the AMA, and none of the organizations I contacted have heard of
any cases either.

So what’s going on? Do the insurance companies not know of this loophole?
That’s doubtful given the hundreds of lawyers, accounts and actuaries they
employ, many of whose sole mission is to uncover these exact types of
loopholes to save their middle managers a few hundred thousand a year.
Could it be that the insurance companies have some scruples and are not
choosing to exploit bikers? That’s not likely either. In a closed door
meeting I had with some of the original authors of this rule, they
confessed that they think of this loophole as sort of an urban legend.
Very little is known about why the original HIPAA bill included the source
of injury rule, and very little is known about any actual examples of the
rule being used by insurance companies, yet there is a lot of talk about
it around the country. Undeniable is the fact that the loophole does exist
and could one day be used, and if so it would spell the end of
motorcycling as we know it.

One thing this final rule does carve in stone is the need for a
legislative fix. In fact, in that closed door meeting with the folks at
the Department of Labor and HHS they revealed that they, as an agency,
don’t have the legal authority to close this loophole. In fact, if they
did close it they feel that the insurance companies would sue and win,
therefore making any chance at passing a legislative fix all that much
more difficult. This sentiment was originally express by long time biker
turned politico Tommy Thompson when he held the top spot at HHS a few
years back. So I have every reason to believe the rank and file agency
paper pushers are telling the truth.

So we have some work cut out for us in order to close this loophole before
it does become a widespread problem. Legislation is being re-drafted and
will soon be re-introduced in both bodies of Congress. When that happens,
the push will once again resume toward fixing this loophole. However,
Congress is going to want actual examples before they legislate the
insurance industry. Without those examples, we have an uphill battle.
Congress isn’t likely to waste valuable time and resources on something
that may not be a problem right now, as that’s just the shortsighted
nature of our Congress.

So to answer my own question, it just got worse.

You can read the final rule in the Federal Register Volume 71, Number 239.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html

IN OTHER NEWS . . .

NHTSA recently had a meeting of the Motorcycle Awareness Subcommittee, a
smaller core of individuals that regularly attend the quarterly meetings
held at the safety agency.
This inaugural meeting was attended by yours truly, AMA, MSF, and the
motor vehicle administrators and a host of NHTSA folks. We began with the
intention of addressing motorcycle awareness campaigns and came up with
what NHTSA calls a “planner”. This planner will be a host of templates of
press releases, event ideas, campaign slogans and posters, PSA and other
items geared at promoting “May is motorcycle awareness month.” The planner
will be available this spring for public consumption. The MRF will be
reviewing the proposed planner later this winter and will be able to sign
off on it before it’s revealed. We should all be looking forward to this
helpful tool.

NEWBIE GREENIE

President Bush has tapped Molly O’Neill to serve as the Environmental
Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for the Office of
Environmental Information, replacing Kim Nelson, who left the agency late
last year. O’Neill is currently the state director for the Environmental
Council of States’ National Environmental Information Exchange Network, a
jointly-governed initiative between the EPA and state governmental
agencies that shares and exchanges data over the Internet. Before joining
ECOS, O’Neill was an environmental consultant for 14 years, working on
organizational and performance assessments, measures, business process
re-engineering, and large-scale information management system
implementation projects. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from
Virginia Tech. In her statement before the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee, she didn’t mention any radical changes she would like to
see or any other red flags. My guess is it will be business as usual with
the Environmental Protection Agency.

IS DETROIT BACK IN BUSINESS?

The new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is going to do
everything he can to bring back the glory days of the Motor City. Detroit
is far from the powerhouse it once was, losing countless jobs and dollars
to Toyota and others. Chairman John Dingell (D-MI), a hometown Detroit
boy, is often referred to as the dean of the House, mainly because of his
career as a House member for over fifty years. He just won his 27th term
and is currently the longest-serving member of the House. He has sworn to
defend his automaker constituents, which does seem admirable. However, one
of the ways he plans to breathe new life into the Big Three automakers is
on the backs of the American consumer and the rights of the automobile
owner. Last Congress, Dingell was one of the most outspoken opponents of
the Right To Repair Act. He routinely tried his best to torpedo it in
committee and was often persuasive enough to win the support of his
Democrat allies. Now they are running the committee with Dingell at the
wheel, so don’t expect to see any movement on the Right to Repair Act,
which was HR 2048 in the 109th Congress, or any protection for smaller
independent repair shops that are struggling to exist alongside a massive
dealership network.

Ethics Debate Begins
The US Senate began debate this week on a hot button election issue,
ethics in Washington. S. 1, sponsored by both party leaders of the upper
body of Congress, was introduced on Tuesday and it’s off to the
traditional slow Senate start. Debate is likely to run for a few weeks if
not the whole month of January. Of concern to the grass roots lobbying
community are provisions that have been floated in the past, but never
actual introduced, that would require excessive lobbying activity reports
from every registered lobbyist in the Nations Capitol. By excessive I mean
just plain crazy, including things like reporting to the Clerk of the
House and Senate every email, fax, phone call, personal conversation with
every elected official and staff. Ethics are a good thing and reform is
needed but collecting information just for the sake of collecting is not
only ridiculous it is nearly impossible. It would also induce an
environment in Washington where possibly more mischief would emerge.
Senate support was initially high for some expansion of the data currently
collected from lobbyists but that support has eroded as groups, like the
MRF, have been throwing cold water on the issue. Its difficult to predict
the future of congress, but barring any more high profile lobby scandals,
the ethics reform package that will eventually pass should not have any
adverse effect on how the MRF or any other grassroots political activists
gets things done.

The MRF will continue to keep you updates on issues impacting motorcycling
from the Nations Capitol. -JH

To subscribe or unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit
http://www.mrf.org/subscribe.php

Ride With The Leaders by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php or
call 1-202-546-0983.

Visit the new MRF online shopping store at https://www.mrf.org/shop for
the latest in MRF goodies.

Send your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship to http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.
________________________________________

The MRF Reports is an official publication of the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation. All rights reserved. The print version is published six times
per year and distributed nationwide.
Articles from the MRF Reports which are posted here may be reprinted, with
attribution to the author and to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, for
non-profit uses.
Opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation or its officers.

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http://mrf.org/mailman/listinfo/mrfnews_mrf.org

AMA News and Notes, Feb. '07

AMA News and Notes

February 2007

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is hosting a Washington, DC
Ride Into Political Action seminar for motorcyclists who want to learn how
to influence governmental decisions, whether in Congress or in their local
communities.
The seminar, to be held February 24-27, 2007 at the Phoenix Park Hotel
in Washington, DC, allows participants to meet and learn from the AMA's
Washington staff as well as other political experts. Besides learning about
state and federal issues facing motorcyclists today, participants will get
tips on building relationships with government agency officials and on
lobbying elected officials. The instructors will also prepare participants
to meet face-to-face with members of their own congressional delegations.
A registration form is available in the American Motorcyclist magazine
or by contacting Sharon Smolinka at the address below. Mail the completed
form to AMA, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, OH 43147. For more
information, contact Sharon Smolinka at (614) 856-1900, ext. 1252 or by
e-mail at ssmolinka@ama-cycle.org.

Pima County, AZ motorcycle owners, more than 6,200 strong, will no
longer have to worry about whether their vehicles can pass the state's
emissions tests.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed that exempting
the motorcycles from the testing will not harm air quality in the region.
The change, which becomes effective in early 2007, helps more than
motorcyclists; the EPA said those who drive "collectible vehicles" also can
skip the testing. That affects another 1,400 vehicles. There already is an
exemption for the oldest cars and trucks - those manufactured before 1967.
Motorists in Maricopa County are not quite so lucky: The EPA order
exempts only collectible vehicles; motorcyclists still will have to go
through the testing.
Both areas of the state have had testing programs for years to comply with
federal air-quality rules, particularly as they relate to carbon monoxide
and ozone pollution.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has now
posted the comprehensive State Highway Safety Management documents on their
website. All fifty states' documents can be found at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/nhtsa/whatsup/SAFETEAweb/pages/SafetyPlans.htm.
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) encourages all motorcyclists
to review these documents to make sure their respective state agencies are
taking motorcycling into account in their highway safety plans.

The 2007 Arizona State Trails Conference: Opportunities, Issues and
Strategies for the Future is now scheduled for October 4-6, 2007 in
Prescott, Arizona. The conference will bring together all trail users (OHV,
hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, etc) and land managers to understand
current trail opportunities and issues and start planning for the future.
Arizona State Parks Trails Coordinator Annie McVay is now calling for
proposed presentations for the conference. Send your ideas in an e-mail that
includes: description of the topic to be covered, description of what
participants will learn and take away from the session, names and brief
credential of speakers for the sessions, and the length of time needed for
your presentation. These proposals are due Friday, February 2, 2007. The
proposals can be brief; they will follow up with more specifics with chosen
presentations. Send proposals to trails@azstateparks.gov.

Saudi Arabian officials are increasing security vigilance in the holy
cities of Makkah and Madinah for the annual Hajj by banning motorcycles.
Officials almost immediately impounded 350 motorbikes since heightened
security operations began. An official who wished not to be named told
Arabnews.com that the motorcycle ban was a response to problems related to
hit-and-run accidents as well as thefts where criminals used motorcycles to
navigate crowds and escape quickly. Motorcycles have also been banned
because riders in past years have used them as unsafe, unlicensed,
one-passenger taxis. Transportation services are in high demand during the
Hajj, causing a problem with taxis and buses.
Noise and pollution caused by motorcycles and scooters was also cited as
a concern. Mopeds are particularly polluting because they use two-stroke
engines that burn a mixture of oil and gas.

New York City Council proposals under consideration to curb loud
motorcycle noise weren't exactly welcomed by the Bloomberg administration
recently. Some Council members want to make it illegal to park certain
motorcycles that don't have sound-dampening equipment. Also they are
attempting to make it illegal for riders to engage in "exhibitionist
behavior" including riding with one wheel off the ground, racing and
creating unreasonable noise by accelerating whether or not the bike is
moving. Motorcycles could be seized from owners. The Council promises to
revisit the issue throughout the year.

Pakistan's home secretary has in exercise of powers prohibited the use
of motorcycles or two-wheelers without silencers or mufflers for a period of
four days around the 2007 New Year.
In a notification issued just prior to Christmas, the home secretary
said certain groups of youngsters are likely to create a public nuisance and
noise pollution on the New Year's eve by driving around in motorcycles and
other two-wheelers without silencers, which creates unrest and disrupts
public peace.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has installed the nation's first
wildlife crossing designed to warn motorists of large animals approaching
the busy highway. As the animal-detection system goes into operation,
infrared cameras and military-grade software will set off large signs and
warning lights so that drivers will know to slow down and be ready for a
possible encounter with a 600-pound elk, a mule deer or some other creature
of significant size.
This is an example of real-time ITS (information technology system)
communication with drivers that the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)
has been involved in enhancing since our inclusion in ITS America over 10
years ago.
The high-tech crossing is part of an extensive system of wildlife
underpasses and electrified fencing along a three-mile stretch of Arizona
260 about seven miles east of Payson that is designed to guide animals
across the highway with less danger. It allows the wildlife to maintain
migration and foraging patterns while minimizing the danger to motorists and
the animals.

Europe's third Driving License Directive was recently adopted without
any advantageous changes for motorcycling. The new driving license scheme
will restrict access to motorcycles without any obvious safety reasons. The
Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) is concerned by
the EU Institutions and Member States' lack of knowledge and understanding
over motorcycling issues.
The European Parliament adopted the Directive on Driving Licenses
without modifying the compromise reached between the Member States. The
endorsement of the Compromise by the European Parliament was followed by the
Council Of Ministers second reading which failed to bring about any changes.

Despite FEMA lobbying and the support of many decision makers, the
outcome of the vote was no real surprise as motorcycling took a back seat to
other issues. FEMA is totally unsatisfied by the motorcycle provisions
included in the Directive as they are discriminatory to new and young riders
and unjustifiably complex. Instead of improving safety, they will make
access to motorcycles more difficult to enforce with an adverse effect on
safety.

New Jersey, and surrounding states, riders are urged to contact your
State Representative and tell them that you want them to support keeping the
only legal OHV park open in the State of New Jersey.
The New Jersey Pinelands Commission has mandated that the New Jersey
Off-Road Vehicle Park must close their operation by September of 2008
because the Commission is under pressure from the Pinelands Preservation
Alliance and the Egg Harbor Water Shed who are both opposed to OHV
recreation in New Jersey.
The Commission has a responsibility to honor an agreement that they made
with the OHV Park and that they promised not to close the Woodland Township
OHV Park until they agreed to a new location for the park to move to within
the boundaries of the Pinelands. The agreement was to have both the Monroe
and the Woodland parks operating simultaneously by the end of 2005 and then
phase out the Woodland operation over the next 3 years ultimately closing it
in September of 2008. For further information or to find your
representative, go to www.njohva.org.

Circumstances may change destiny in the House for Hackney

By GARY D. ROBERTSON
Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. — In a 25-year legislative career that established him as the leader of the liberal wing of House Democrats, Joe Hackney never appeared destined for the chamber's top spot.

But the troubles of outgoing Speaker Jim Black, his talent as a legislator and his success in the critical role of majority leader over the past two years have put the speaker's job within Hackney's grasp.

"I just felt like for this particular time and this particular place ... I felt I was the right one," Hackney said after winning the speaker's nomination Wednesday night from his fellow Democrats, outlasting four other candidates in balloting. "I've been happy in lesser roles over the years."

As long as nearly all the 68 Democrats in the chamber stick with him, the 61-year-old Hackney will be elected speaker when the House reconvenes in two weeks.

"I don't see any person ... behind anybody but our caucus nominee," said Rep. Dan Blue, D-Wake, a former speaker who lost in Wednesday's balloting.

Just a few years ago, Hackney's decidedly left-wing view of many issues and his Orange County address made it unlikely he would be tapped to preside over a body largely filled with business-oriented or conservative legislators.

He was the chief proponent of an unsuccessful bill that called for a two-year execution moratorium and has had many dustups over the years with state industry over environmental regulations. Hackney also has backed expanding public financing of elections.

But in recent years Hackney has taken some key moderate positions, voting for a state lottery in 2005 and big incentives for computer maker Dell Corp. in 2004 — even though progressive groups opposed both of them.

"Liberals don't vote for the lottery, and he did," said Ran Coble, executive director of the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Public Policy Research.

Hackney said his public policy approach reflects, in part, changes in his district. He now represents all of Chatham County, a more conservative area where he and his brother run the family's cattle farm, in addition to a smaller portion of Orange and Moore counties.

And as the elected Democratic leader in 2003 and the majority leader in 2005, Hackney said his job was to make sure the position of the entire Democratic caucus was represented. That won't change in 2007, he said. Democrats will be committed to education, affordable health care and job creation.

"My vision for North Carolina is the same as House Democrats all over and those who elected us to these offices across North Carolina," Hackney said.

Hackney also gained trust from colleagues when he kept the Democratic caucus from splintering last year as federal and state investigators probed Black's campaign finances and other activities.

As the investigations continued, Hackney led efforts to push through lobbying and campaign finance reforms prompted in part by Black's problems while also focusing on getting his party's legislative platform through the General Assembly.

Before the November elections, Hackney took a larger role in raising campaign money for House candidates. Democrats gained five more seats in the November elections, giving them their largest majority since 1994.

Wednesday's result reflected his work, said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake.

"People with a different variety of political points of view came to the conclusion that they can trust him and that he was going to do what was in the best interest of the state," Ross said.

Ross and others who have worked with Hackney on legislation describe him as a thorough and careful politician. They said he was willing to listen to man y viewpoints while shepherding complicated bills that included lobbying and drunken-driving enforcement reforms.

As chairman of the House's top judiciary committee for the past two years, the family law attorney welcomed amendments from Republican members and input from interest groups. Coble praised Hackney as one of the five best legislators he's seen in the past 30 years.

"He always gave us a fair shake," said Paul Stock, a lobbyist for the N.C. Bankers Association, whose political action committee donated to Hackney's campaign in 2006. "He is probably among the most meticulous workers himself on the issues he chooses to address."

___

January 11, 2007 - 7:37 p.m. EST

New Speaker of the House

RALEIGH – So, it’s Joe Hackney.

The veteran liberal lawmaker from Chapel Hill will be the Democratic nominee for speaker of the North Carolina House – and, unless something funky happens at the start of session, he’ll lead the chamber for the 2007-2008 session. I must admit that I didn’t think this was the most likely outcome, though I also can’t say I was shocked. Democratic friends of mine had shared a number of scenarios in recent days for how the Democratic caucus vote would turn out, and several plausible ones put Hackney on top. Obviously, one turned out to be more than just plausible.

Going into a five-person race – briefly a six-person contest, but Rep. Joe Tolson dropped out quickly in favor of Hackney – the wily attorney had several things going against him. Moderate Democrats aligned with major party leaders and business groups saw him as too far left of the party’s mainstream. They feared that the picture of a Chapel Hill Democrat leading the House would turn out to be a dream come true for otherwise-dejected Republicans (which is precisely how most of the latter will see it). And some complained about Hackney’s personal style, calling it abrasive and undiplomatic.

But Hackney also brought several assets in the race. For one thing, everyone recognized him as a bright, diligent lawmaker. They respected his intellect and had to admit that he had helped to hold together narrow Democratic majorities in the House through difficult times and votes. Urban lawmakers certainly saw Hackney as one of them, but he also had developed a rapport with rural members who acted as a swing vote in the race.

Most importantly, however, there was Jim Black. Although the two were not close ideologically or personally, Black was by all accounts an ally for Hackney in the speaker’s race. I don’t mean that Black has been actively pushing Hackney. What he has spent the past several weeks doing is arguing that anyone would be better in the job than Dan Blue, the former speaker who challenged Black in 1999 and fell just short of defeating him with the help of Republican votes. Ever since, Black has seen Blue as the villain. And Black saw a 2007 election of Blue as an implicit repudiation of his four-term speakership. Of course, Blue has of late had plenty of reason to point out that he had acted presciently, and that the House would have been spared great turmoil and embarrassment had Black not won the 1999 contest.

Most of today’s House Democrats don’t agree. They believe Black, whatever his flaws, engineered and maintained a Democratic majority during tough elections and divisive political events. Some are still in denial about allegations of corruption and the possibility that Black’s political “engineering” is going to get him indicted for federal crimes. Thus Black, though widely seen as disgraced outside of the Beltline cocoon, retained significant influence and appears to have had a major hand in convincing members not to support Blue – thus, in the end, putting Joe Hackney in the speaker's chair.

Some of the members Black contacted favored the moderate candidates, Jim Crawford and Drew Saunders. Others sided with Hackney. I understand that on the third ballot it was Hackney with 24 or 25, Crawford with 21, and Blue with 19. Once Blue dropped off the list, the liberals broke to Hackney and it was over.

As Hackney began visibly to pick up momentum this week, some of the reporting suggested that he had been moving to the center, and cited his turnabout on the state lottery and business incentives as examples. Unfortunately, those are two issues on which the Right and the Left in North Carolina have long been in agreement – against. Speaking to reporters after the vote Wednesday night, Hackney emphasized his intention to lead the full caucus. “North Carolina is a diverse state,” he said. “This is a diverse caucus. I will make sure that all parts of the caucus are represented in the appointments that I make.” He added that he looked forward to “a session with civility, with openness toward our Republican colleagues, working together for all the people of the state.”

From the standpoint of free-market folks like me who want more individual liberty and less costly, less meddlesome government, the best that can be said at this point is that a Speaker Hackney will probably do the wrong thing most of the time – but he’ll probably do it thoughtfully, fairly, and honestly.

Believe it or not, that still sounds like an improvement worth celebrating.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation

MSF vs. Oregon

Motorcycle Safety Foundation vs. Oregon

MRF E-MAIL NEWS

Motorcycle Riders Foundation

236 Massachusetts Ave. NE

Suite 510

Washington, DC 20002-4980

202-546-0983 (voice)

202-546-0986 (fax)

http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jay Jackson, MRF Director of Motorcycle Safety

jay@mrf.org

January 4, 2007

Motorcycle Safety Foundation vs. Oregon

On December 15, 2006 the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) announced that
they had filed a lawsuit against Oregon State University (OSU) and Steve
Garets, Director of the Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program (TOMS) of
OSU. The MSF is claiming copyright infringement and violation of their
rights under the Lanham Act.

This action was not completely unexpected as the Motorcycle Riders
Foundation (MRF) has paid close attention to this issue for several years.
The very afternoon of the announcement MRF Director of Motorcycle Safety,
Jay Jackson, spoke with Steve Garets of Team Oregon as well as MSF
President Tim Buche. Communication from the MRF was quickly established
not only with Team Oregon and the MSF, but BikePAC Oregon, the National
Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA), several
state program coordinators and numerous motorcycle safety instructors as
well.

Most of the motorcycling community, especially those close to rider
education, recognize that this situation carries potentially severe
ramifications. At the least, it is a distraction that draws resources and
focus from the primary function of rider education professionals, which is
to provide life-saving training. At the worst, it is a divisive issue that
may compromise the credibility, consistency, integrity and ultimately the
future of rider education.

Ron Shepard, Coordinator of the Idaho STAR program, suspects the MSF's
intent is not necessarily to win the lawsuit, but rather to seek an
injunction that would halt all current activity. In doing so, states that
are required to offer training may be forced to use an MSF product if
their current program is suspended.

Ken Kiphart, SMSA Chairman, surmises that this may be more of a case for
the courts and feels it is likely that the SMSA will not be actively
involved at this time. In as much as the SMSA's purpose is to support
state programs, it remains possible that this position may change.

Steve Garets stands by the TOMS curriculum and encourages other programs
to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of their rider training efforts
at treating skills and strategies necessary for safe street riding.

A number of different opinions have been shared with the MRF from
instructors, state program coordinators and others. It appears that the
MRF has friends, and constituents, on both sides of the argument.

The MRF exists to support the state motorcyclists' rights organizations
(SMRO). As with any issue of interest to motorcyclists, the MRF will
continue to monitor and evaluate this situation and will attempt to
provide all resources appropriate when, and if, specifically requested by
an SMRO in need of assistance.

© All information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Rider Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety a

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A Life of Living Dangerously....

Yo All Y'all:

I received this from one of my e-lists... hope it stimulates you to think about these things...

Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair. This article appears
in the January 2007 issue of Maxim Magazine, with illustrations by Ralph
Steadman(Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

doc ski

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was changing planes at a Midwestern airport, with an hour or two to kill,
and took my book to a bar that actually still boasted a smoking section.
Hoisting myself onto a stool, I called cheerfully for a Johnnie Walker Black
Label and was told that before I could be served it I would need to produce a
driver's license. Well, I was planning to fly rather than drive, and said so.
No license, no drink, came the reply. In a big city when this happens I
tell the management to fuck off and then take my custom elsewhere. But in this
pissant airport terminal I had no choice.   Seeing my then pepper-and-salt
beard and doubtless noticing other signs that I was older than him and much
older than 21, the lad behind the bar took pity and showed some respect to his
elders. The thing was that his bar had been sued. A doltish senior citizen,
seeing younger people being "carded" and himself uncarded, had gone to a
lawyer and..."Don't tell me," I broke in.   "He claimed age discrimination." Yes.
"And won?" Yes.

As a result of this senile absurdity, on the part of both the plaintiff and
the judge, I was unable to have a cocktail and a cigarette at the same time
without undergoing a slight humiliation. The barman, instead of being a
temporary friend, becomes a part-time cop, which destroys the notion of
hospitality. And nobody was any better off, or better protected, as a result. Things
like this either enrage you or they don't, and what infuriates me is how
little outrage they actually cause.

I was on my way to Chicago, a favorite city of mine because in its many
neighborhoods there are several dozen different ways of getting into trouble.
But very soon now there won't be a single bar or restaurant in that city where
you can have a drink and a smoke at the same time at all, let alone under the
supervision of a barman already scared of an informer and a fine. As from
April 2006, furthermore, the city has told restaurants that they may not serve
foie gras. And as I write, one of the greatest-ever centers of ethnic and
soul food is considering a band on the so-called artificial trans-fats that
enrich the oil in which sausages, steaks, pizzas, and chickens are often fried.
They don't want to leave the decision up to you.

How shall I phrase my objections to all this? I could say, which would be
true, that I did not emigrate to the Unites States in order to be told what to
do, let alone what I could eat, drink, or smoke. I could say that I left
home many decades ago and no longer require any surrogate parents to worry
about me. I could say that I don't let my own children eat at McDonald's but
that's entirely my business. I could say that I don't enjoy fatty foods or even
foie gras except on rare occasions, but that I can avoid them myself,
thanks, without anybody telling me or my favorite restaurant proprietor what to do.
Above all, I could say that whenever I hear someone intone, "Sir, I'm going
to need you to..." my instinctive response is, "And as for you, sir, I need
you to stay the fuck out of my face."

The noose of "zero tolerance" is tightened very gently and slowly, and
always "for your own good." At another airport recently, I was discovered to be
carrying a valuable new gold-plated cigarette lighter in a presentation box.
It was intended as a gift. They tried to take it off me, under a new
regulation that is designed to protect us against another Richard Reid (who
attempted to light his "shoe bomb" with matches). Nobody ever tried another shoe
bomb in the several years that lighters on planes were legal, and I further
offered to demonstrate that this lighter was brand-new, had no lighter fluid in
it, could not be struck, etc. The official stone face and flat tone kicked
in. "No exceptions." I had to risk missing my flight, and call for two
supervisors, in order to have a valuable piece of private property held for
me-fortunately this was my hometown airport-until I came back. Amount of
government time wasted this way every day: incalculable. Amount of additional
"security" provided: nil. Number of American airports where ther is a bin on the
way out, and where you can collect a lighter if you surrendered one on the way
in: one. An exception! Zero tolerance equals zero thought. The plan is for
a society where one size fits all, and where even in New York-New York!-you
cannot hang out a shingle that says: O'LEARY'S HIBERNIAN CABIN. TWO-DRINK
MINIMUM. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SMOKE, THEN STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY BAR. This
means that, in some essential way, the city has lost its character. New laws
forbid making noise after midnight (human noise, that is, not car-alarm noise)
and make it an offense even to smoke under a restaurant awning. My editor at
Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter, had his office raided while he was on vacation,
and was issued a citation because on his desk there was an object that could
be used as an ashtray. Nice to know that the city has officials with this
much time on their hands, and that it encourages people to snitch on each other
at work. At this rate we shall all soon live in some sinister Disneyland,
with plastic tables in well-lit plastic restaurants, everybody tucked up
safely by midnight, and warnings on every package. The memory of the dark and
funky bar, with blue smoke and jazz and thick steaks and bloody wines and strong
cocktails (and red-blooded sexual overtones) will have been neatly
airbrushed. You think I jest? The postage stamp issued in honor of the great
bluesman Robert Johnson, which is based on a famous photograph of him with
unfiltered cigarette adhereing to his lower lip, has had the cigarette airbrushed
already. They just don't trust you with such dangerous and inflammatory
information.

Actually, there is "age discrimination," but it is directed at the young. I
quite often lecture at college campuses where, if students are invited to
the dinner, not even a glass of wine can be served. (When I was at Oxford,
sherry or wine during tutorials was almost compulsory, and Oxford isn't famed for
being a worse place, or an inferior university, as a result.) Eighteen is
old enough to vote, to drive, to marry, and to join the Army but not old
enough to have a drink in a public place. To be young in America now is to be
constantly told to buckle up, wear a bike helmet, wear a condom, avoid risk,
watch your intake, show your ID at all times, and respect the world of political
correctness and safe sex that curmudgeons like me have so considerately left
to you. And if you do decide to live dangerously and sign up for the armed
forces, you will find that girlie magazines are banned at stores on the base
and that you cannot even pop a can of ale. In Iraq not long ago, I was woken
by Baghdad-type noises and went outside onto the safe-house patio, where I
found a boy about the age of my son whose job it was to stand outside while I
was inside. This infantryman looked over his shoulder about five times when
I offered him a hit from my flask. Heaven forbid he should have the
responsibility of deciding for himself. (The people who were trying to kill us spend
the rest of their time assassinating the owners of Iraq's liquor stores.)

Talking of foreign policy, our stupid Puritanism is in the process of
handing our deadliest enemies a deadly weapon. When I was in Afghanistan, I ran
into several American soldiers and "drug enforcement" officials whose job it
was to spray opium poppy fields with chemicals, or else burn them or confiscate
the product. In many Afghan villages, this well-known poppy happens to be
the only source of income. And I hate to break it to our eager enforcement
beavers, but the country has thousands of miles of unpatrollable frontiers,
across which are millions of people who will pay top dollar for the stuff. In
other words, the attempt to destroy the livelihood of the growers will simply
fail, as it deserves to do. But meanwhile the Taliban forces are creeping
back in and telling the villagers that they will help them against the
crop-burners.   And all the money that could be raised for education and
reconstruction, if the crop was instead bought to make painkillers, is diverted to
criminal warlords and their Islamist allies, whose Puritanism makes our own version
look feeble. Nice work. Good job.

All of those who I met on the "enforcement" side were quite willing to admit
that what they were doing was the most absolute and perfect bullshit.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S. of A., we have an acute shortage of painkillers, which
are often underprescribed anyway, for people in desperate need of them,
because doctors are scared of a visit from the "drug war" police. And Rush
Limbaugh-who has already been pointlessly prosecuted for allegedly overusing his
own painkillers-was recently detained at the airport for traveling with Viagra
just because the prescription was not in his name. Mr. Limbaugh's dick is
none of my or our concern, and anything he is likely to do with it must be
counted as a crime without a victim. But the private life means nothing to
those who are determined that we play by their rules on everything from food to
sex. (Sir, you want a hard-on? I'm going to need to see some written
permission for that.")

Well, you may think I'm overstating current circumnstances somewhat. But
these aren't the ramblings of a disgruntled smoker. I have what is sometimes
known as a life, which luckily for me involves self-employment as a writer and
speaker. It's always amusing, but it involves a fair bit of stress, travel,
late nights, and the suchlike.   And you know what? I think I can handle it
on my own. There are times when a cigarette will help me-due to its famous
nicotine content-to stay awake and to concentrate. (Nicotine can even ward off
Alzheimer's, say the doctors, if you live long enought to get it, that is.)
My metabolism can process Scotch whisky without any undue difficulty, and
there are moments when the glow can help me write, or even talk. It wards off
boredom, which presses in on me from every side in a country increasingly run
by tedius idiots. Some of my writer friends do really well with the help of
a joint, and good luck to them, but dope gives me heartburn and makes me
less aggressive, and I don't need either of those results. Very occasionally, a
snort of cocaine can be a good thing, but I despise people who make a habit
of it. (Outside my house is a school with a sign that says DRUG FREE ZONE on
its fence. Uh, huh. I am never more than two telephone calls away from a
score if that's what I choose, and I gather from well-informed sources that
the stuff often comes direct from the police department.) I have no use for
breakfast, but at lunch a T-bone with about eight cloves of garlic, rammed home
with some rich Burgundy or pinot, often appeals. (The New England Journal of
Medicine now admits that two proper drinks a day are more or less essential
for the heart: I was in possession of this information while doctors were
still nervously covering it up.) I don't drink any sort of coffee except
espresso, and was delighted to learn recently that decaffeinated beans raise a
person's level of bad cholesterol. I have no intention of telling you about
Viagra-related matters, but I will say that when my cock talks, I listen.

This is the only country in the history of the world that stipulates "the
pursuit of happiness" as an inalienable human right. I once produced a book
about Thomas Jefferson, who wrote those words, and I can tell you that nobody
knows whether he meant pursuing happiness, or happiness itself as a pursuit.
Whichever meaning he intended, it would clearly include the right to go to
hell in your own way, and also the right to tell other people to go do the same.

Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair. This article appears
in the January 2007 issue of Maxim Magazine, with illustrations by Ralph
Steadman(Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

NATIONAL COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS
From James D. “Doc” Reichenbach II
Chairman, NCOM Board of Directors
PO Box 712
Silver Springs, Florida 34489
(352) 625-6353
abatefl@worldnet.att.net

December 7, 2006

On November 30, 2006 I met in Washington, D.C. with Vice-Chairman
Robert Sumwalt of the National Transportation Safety Board. We
discussed the NTSB seminar held in September of this year and the
problems we had with the panel that presented facts that we claim are
flawed. I also discussed with him that no motorcyclists were
represented on the questioning side of the panel. No one from any of
the National organizations including the National Coalition of
Motorcyclists were given an opportunity to ask questions directly of
the panels. We were only allowed to write questions on 3 x 5 cards
and then the NTSB would decided which questions to ask. False
statements were made and the motorcyclists had no recourse until I
took proof of some of the errors to the NTSB. My suggestion was that
another seminar be held and the motorcyclists have their voices heard
in a fair and just format. He said he would take the idea up with the
board.

The vice-chairman and I went over all the material I took with me
including samples of ABATE of Florida’s billboards and safety items.
One of the many things that were discussed were the difference between
states data and NHTSA and the Federal Highway Administration’s data.
In 2004 NHTSA had Florida helmetless death rate at 56% however the
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles had the
helmetless death rate at 46% for 2004. He agreed that there are many
inconsistencies between the Federal level and the State level and it
needed to be looked into. He also mentioned the Motorcycle Crash
Causation Study that is being done.

The following is a statement to me from the Vice-Chairman.
“Motorcycle registration and vehicle miles traveled provided by FHWA
has been criticized as being inaccurate. For example, in spite of
many indications that motorcycle use has increased (increased sales,
registrations, etc.) the Vehicle Miles Traveled data reported by FHWA
has remained approximately the same for the past decade. I personally
feel that having accurate activity data for motorcycles is
instrumental in terms of tracking accident and fatality rates. The
National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety (NAMS) study was completed in
2000. This was done by Motorcycle Safety Foundation, NHTSA, and other
groups. There were 82 recommendations in NAMS but many have not been
enacted. Staff will review the report and consider whether it is
appropriate for the Safety Board to comment further.” There has been
no decision if there will be a letter going out, but as of right now
he has heard of no national helmet law being recommended and he does
not support one. The last item we discussed was that all motorcycle
groups including National groups need to band together to become an
even more powerful force for our cause. I believe that some of us
having been saying that for years, maybe soon everyone will realize a
house divided must fall.

When Mr. Sumwalt had his confirmation hearing in front of the senate
committee, he was asked if he wore a helmet when he rode and his
answer was that yes he did however it should be a personal choice to
do so. A senator stated he didn’t like the answer Mr. Sumwalt gave,
Mr. Sumwalt stated that was his answer, and he was confirmed.

I found the Vice-Chairman to be very dedicated and an honorable man
who will do everything in his power to help us get to the true facts
and help us save lives.

Respectfully,

James D. “Doc” Reichenbach II
Chairman of the Board

NCOM NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

NEW U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY LOVES TO RIDE Mary E. Peters, the
new U.S. Transportation Secretary, recently visited the
Harley-Davidson plant in Milwaukee and talked about the “alarming
rise” in motorcyclist fatalities. Peters is an ardent motorcyclist who
will “never, ever ride without a helmet," but she does not, however,
think that the federal government should order mandatory helmet use.

"We don't believe that it's up to the federal government to mandate
helmets," she said, adding that was something for the individual
states to decide. She urged motorcyclists to wear helmets and
protective gear, drive sober and take classes on safe motorcycling.

"Cyclists have a lot of responsibility to take care of themselves,"
she said, but added that motorists also have to do a better job of
sharing the road with motorcycles. Peters commended Harley-Davidson
Inc. for its efforts in motorcycle safety programs and cycle
maintenance.

On Sept. 30, the U.S. Senate confirmed Peters' appointment, and the
Harley-Davidson tour was her first public event since she was sworn
in. Nicole Nason, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, also took the tour. They visited what is called
Harley-Davidson University, where the 660 Harley dealerships
nationwide learn how better to service the vehicles.

LAUTENBERG TO CHAIR TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE The new
Democratically controlled U.S. Senate has reassigned committees and
New Jersey Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg will be chairman of a
transportation subcommittee when the new Congress convenes in
January. Lautenberg will head the Transportation Safety,
Infrastructure Security and Water Quality Subcommittee, and among the
issues his panel will deal with is motorcycle safety.

Lautenberg has a long history of supporting helmet laws. In 1991 he
worked to insert language in a highway bill that created a nationwide
helmet mandate that was removed in 1995 by the Republican controlled
Congress after much lobbying by bikers across the country. In May of
last year, Lautenberg attempted to reinstate the federal helmet law by
amending the transportation reauthorization bill (SAFE-TEA), but his
amendment was defeated by a vote of 28 to 69.

Lautenberg again raised the ire of motorcyclists across the country
this summer by sending a personal letter to all 50 governors praising
the benefits of helmet laws and suggesting that such legislation may
be introduced in the U.S. Senate in the near future.

MRO LEADER ELECTED TO PUBLIC OFFICE Former ABATE of Oregon State
Coordinator Joe Laurance was elected to Douglas County Commissioner
position 2 on Tuesday night. Laurance won with 53% of the vote against
a well-known local businessman.

“In a phone conversation with Joe he credited ABATE and BikePAC
membership for the skills and desire to run and win an elected
office,” said Ken Ray, Executive Director of BikePAC of Oregon.

Laurance was State Coordinator of ABATE for two years, and is a member
of BikePAC of Oregon. He also traveled to Washington DC to lobby on
behalf of Oregon during the formation of the current highway funding
statute. “Joe has been a participant in MRF conferences and NCOM
conferences and proudly labels himself a biker as well as
commissioner-elect,” said Ray. County Commissioner-elect Laurance said
will continue to work for motorcyclist’s interests not only in Douglas
County, but also at the State and Federal levels.

The National Coalition of Motorcyclists supports motorcyclists who run
for public office through NCOM Freedom Fund contributions, mentoring
from NCOM Legislative Task Force legislators and lobbyists and
instructional literature such as “How To Get Elected To Public
Office,” written by New Hampshire State Representative Sherman
Packard, one of the first bikers in the country elected to the
legislature.

CARB WANTS TO TEST MOTORCYCLES The California Air Resources Board
(CARB) has submitted a proposal to expand the state’s vehicle
inspection and maintenance (I/M) program in part by subjecting
high-mileage vehicles to annual inspections and including motorcycles
for the first time. The CARB proposal was included in a draft state
plan to achieve federal pollution standards.

CARB also intends to tighten new motorcycle exhaust and evaporative
emissions standards by an additional 50 percent beginning with the
2013 model year. The Federal EPA used the current CARB standards as a
basis for establishing stricter new emissions regulations that went
into effect with the 2006 model year motorcycles with further
reductions taking effect in 2010.

POKER RUNS UNDER SCRUTINY ”’Poker Runs' for charity (such as those
staged by motorcycle or car clubs) amount to illegal gambling under
Arizona Law,” states a pamphlet issued by the Arizona Gaming
Department. “50/50 drawings or raffles, where the funds raised are
split 50-50 between the fund-raisers and the winner, are also illegal
gambling.

Bobbi Hartman, a lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona and member of the
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Legislative Task Force,
told NCOM News Bytes that “We were recently made aware that our
Motorcycle Poker Runs, 50/50's and like Raffles, were being closely
scrutinized by the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG). It was thought
that this was due to "new" gambling laws in the state of Arizona
passed under Prop 202 back in 2003 giving Native Americans 'exclusive
rights' to gambling.”

Motorcyclists should be aware that similar restrictions have already
arisen in Texas and New Mexico, and this situation was a topic of
discussion at the recent NCOM Regional Meeting in Albuquerque. For
direction on how to legally conduct poker runs and raffles, visit the
www.azag.gov/consumer/gambling/statutes.html or www.azgaming.gov, but
in short you cannot charge for a poker run and any monies received
must either be donations or charges for food, beverages, etc. As for
50/50 or raffles, if your club, organization or association is not a
501 and/or you are not doing it for a charitable organization, you
cannot legally conduct a raffle.

FLORIDA BIKERS WANT HARSHER PENALTIES IN FATAL ACCIDENTS The streets
that lead to Daytona Beach are lined with spots where motorcycle
enthusiasts have lost their lives. Some of the dead during past Bike
Weeks and Biketoberfests were at fault, unwisely mixing alcohol and
speed. Others, like Jody Driggers, were just in the wrong place at the
wrong time.

His death stands out, biker-rights activists say, because he was doing
no more than sitting at a stoplight on International Speedway
Boulevard when he was hit from behind by a sport utility vehicle. "I
remember that case," said James "Doc" Reichenbach II, president of
ABATE of Florida and chairman of the board for the National Coalition
of Motorcyclists. "I'm tired of going to funerals."

Motorcycle advocates look at fatality and injury statistics and see a
pattern. In too many cases, they say, at-fault drivers of cars or
trucks involved in fatal crashes with motorcycles received nothing
more than a slap on the wrist. They chafe at laws that require
evidence of malicious intent or extreme recklessness before criminal
charges can be filed. Advocates say that should change. They want
criminal penalties to apply and they've collected thousands of
signatures nationwide, pushing Congress and state legislatures to
enact their goals into law.

Reichenbach’s group is trying to stiffen penalties for motorists who
cause a biker's death by violating their right of way. He acknowledges
that one reason those who have fatal crashes with motorcycles are not
treated more harshly is because of the social stigmas attached to the
biker culture. "The lifestyle has carried such an image over the
years," he told the News Journal. "People say 'whatever,' because
you've got hair down the middle of your back. These are just solid
citizens who care about their state and their country. We're mothers,
fathers, patriots. All we want is to be treated like everybody else."

COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU Bikers who were hired as extras in the
movie “Wild Hogs” say that their prized Harley-Davidson motorcycles
were damaged during filming. The damage occurred in the village of La
Cienega while the production was filming an explosion at a biker bar.

Ronnie Baca, one of the extras, says that about ten motorcycles,
including his, were damaged. The production company cut him a check
for $3,200, but Baca says that won’t do it. “That’s not what my bike
is valued at,” he says, adding that it “will probably be twice as much
as that.”

The production company says that the matter is not finished and it is
working with an insurance company to come up with an equitable
settlement.

WEIRD NEWS: AUSSIE BIKERS RIDE NUDE TO GET YOUR ATTENTION SEX? Now
the Motorcycle Council of New South Wales has your attention. Stripped
for action, the Australian bikers set out on their 'now notice us' ride.

The number of motorcycles and scooters on Sydney's streets is
increasing as motorists look for ways to avoid high fuel prices and
congestion. Sick of being ignored by Sydney drivers, motorcyclists are
hitting back with a publicity campaign featuring nude riders and the
slogan: "Come on, what do we have to do to get you to look twice?"

Photographs and a video being submitted to television stations as a
community service announcement during Motorcycle Awareness Week, Oct
28 - Nov 5, show motorcyclists riding naked through the streets of
Sydney, puzzling passers-by.

The motorcyclists are men and women of different shapes and sizes to
highlight that riders come from all walks of life. Guy Stanford,
chairman of the MCC of NSW, said it was a lighthearted approach to a
serious issue. "We hope that people have a good laugh at our expense
but also see how vulnerable motorcyclists can be on the road and
remember to look twice, particularly at intersections," he said. View
a sample video at
http://media.smh.com.au/?rid=23063&sy=smh&source=undefined.

PARISIAN BIKERS DECLARED FILTHY The mayor of Paris has been declared
anti-motorcycle, as he and his council have been plotting for years on
how to get rid of motorcycles in the French capital. Mayor Bertrand
Delanoe has recently been quoted as stating; "motorcycles pollute
between 3 and 122 times more than cars!"

In recognition of this he has decided that on high pollution days,
when cars can only come into the capital city on alternate days
(determined by the last digit of their license plate - odd or even),
that motorcycles will need to follow the same rule. In the past,
motorcycles were exempt.

PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT BANS MOTORCYCLE RENTALS In order to control
growing street crime in the former capital city of Karachi, Pakistan
the Sindh government decided to ban all motorcycle rental shops
immediately.

Sindh Transport Minister, Muhammad Adil Siddiqui, ordered the Home
Secretary and national law enforcement to take stern action. The
minister said it was observed that anti-social elements were using
rented motorbikes in robberies and street crimes. He hoped that by
banning motorcycle rental, the cases of mobile phone snatching and
others crimes would decline.

Adil directed police to take stern action against the violators of
traffic rules and show no leniency.

PHILIPPINE POLICE PHOTOGRAPH BIKERS People intending to travel by
motorcycle on Makati’s roads should be ready to say "cheese" in front
of a digital camera, though some may frown at having their photo taken
for police records. Police in the country’s financial capital are now
implementing a new scheme that would involve taking photographs of men
and women on motorcycles, according to The Philippine Star newspaper.

Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Makati City’s newly-installed
chief of police, said his pet project hopes to prevent street crimes
in the locality by making people think twice before committing crimes,
knowing that their pictures have been taken.

Cruz said Mayor Jejomar Binay has provided them with 11 digital
cameras, which are now being used by various police units patrolling
the city. "We came up with this scheme to prevent crimes committed by
motorcycle-riding men in Makati City," he told The Star. "We are doing
this because most criminals can afford to buy second-hand motorcycles,
which they usually abandon after a heist.

Chief Inspector Alex Fulgar, operations chief of the Makati City
Police Department, said Oplan Photo Sita appears to be working since
no crime perpetrated by motorcycle-riding suspects have been recorded
since Cruz took over and implemented the scheme.

BIKERS’ TURN FOR URINE TESTING Police in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia will
be conducting random urine tests on motorcyclists in the ongoing Ops
Sikap XI traffic operation. Due to concerns over the high number of
motorcyclists killed in traffic accidents, federal traffic chief Sen
Asst Comm (II) Nooryah Md Anvar has put out the order to state police
contingents to begin the checks immediately.

“It worked when we implemented it for bus drivers; with word going
around they became more careful. Since it has worked with bus drivers,
we are hoping it will have the same effect on motorcyclists.”

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Many of the supporters of repealing the helmet laws
are very effective. They are very well educated and well-funded. And
they have a single issue. They present this not as a safety issue, but
as a matter of state’s rights and individual freedom. They are very
good. I wish they were on our side.”
Linda Cosgrove, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
(NHTSA), in an interview with Scripps Howard News Service, May 25, 2006

And that's all the News that fits!

_______________________________________________
Cycle_News mailing list
Cycle_News@aimncom.com
http://aimncom.com/mailman/listinfo/cycle_news_aimncom.com

"We're in the Freedom Business"
- Karen Bolin

MRF E-MAIL NEWS
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah Butitta, Secretary Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Inc.
deb@mrf.org (e-mail)

October 31, 2006

#06NR19 – Past President, Karen Bolin Passes Away

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation regrets to report that our beloved
past President, Karen Bolin, passed away on October 30, 2006. Karen's
integrity, her love of motorcycling, and her dedication to
motorcyclists' rights will be long remembered. A memorial service
will be held for Karen on November 4, 2006 at 10:00 AM at Yahn and
Son Funeral Home 55 West Valley Hwy South, Auburn WA 98071. Karen
requested that in lieu of flowers a donation be sent to the National
Cervical Cancer Coalition ( www.nccc-online.org ) at 6520 Platt
Avenue # 693 , West Hills , CA 91307 . Karen's concern and hope was
that every woman be tested regularly.

Please contact Deborah Butitta with any questions.

Deborah Butitta

Secretary

Motorcycle Riders Foundation, Inc.

deb@mrf.org

The information in e-mails and documents created by the Motorcycle
Riders Foundation is the intellectual property of the MRF and may be
legally privileged. We assert the right to be identified as the
author of and to object to any misuse of the contents of such e-mail
or documents

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted.
Reproduction permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders
Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national
motorcyclists' rights organization headquartered in Washington , DC .
The first motorcyclists' rights organization to establish a full-time
presence in Washington , DC , the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the
only Washington voice devoted exclusively to the street rider. The
MRF established MRFPAC in the early 1990s to advocate the election of
candidates who would champion the cause of rider safety and rider
freedom.

From: DocSkiVNV@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 9:28 AM
Subject: NCOM NEWS BYTES

NCOM NEWS BYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

AAA PROMOTES USE OF AIR BAGS AND HELMETS FOR MOTORCYCLISTS The
American Automobile Association has issued a press release urging
motorcyclists to “explore new safety advances - including airbags” in
an effort “to help motorcycle riders curtail the growing number of
fatal crashes involving riders.”

“AAA wants all motorists to be aware that tremendous growth in the
popularity of motorcycling has added millions of new motorcycles and
riders to our roadways,” said AAA President, Robert L. Darbelnet.
“This means drivers need to be more aware than ever of how to share
the road safely with motorcycles. And motorcyclists need to take every
opportunity to increase their margin of traffic safety… (and) better
protect themselves by wearing protective gear, clearly illuminating
their rides and looking into new technologies such as motorcycles
equipped with airbags, the road can be safer for all of us,” Darbelnet
said.

“Promising new safety technologies - such as a motorcycle airbag
system recently tested by AAA in cooperation with its equivalent
motoring organization in Germany, ADAC – demonstrate that motorcycles
can be equipped to provide much more protection for riders,” AAA said.

AAA continued, “Motorcyclists owe it to themselves and their loved
ones, to upgrade to a high quality helmet if they have not already
done so, and to wear appropriate eye protection, footwear, gloves, and
bright or reflective riding apparel.”

“Motorists too, need to play a larger role in motorcycle safety,”
Darbelnet said. Approximately 50 percent all motorcycle crashes
involve another vehicle, according to AAA.

AIR BAGS ON MOTORCYCLES SETTING A TREND As cyclist injuries and
deaths increase, motorcycle makers are installing more safety features
— such as making greater use of antilock brakes and adding air bags.
Some people wonder how effective air bags will be, how much of a
market exists, and how much they would save cycle owners on insurance.

Honda Motor Co. added air bags in June to its fully loaded Gold Wing,
an 860-pound touring bike designed for distance driving in comfort and
made near Marysville, Ohio. Honda began working on its air bag system
in 1990 after determining that more than half of the motorcycle
accidents that result in deaths or injuries occur when the front of
the motorcycle strikes another vehicle or object. The cost of airbags
adds about $1,500 on a $24,000 Gold Wing.

Yamaha Motor Corp., with U.S. headquarters in Cypress, Calif., is
developing an air bag system and is using a scooter with air bags for
research in Japan, according to the company's Web site.

Worldwide Riders, a Cheyenne, Wyo.-based motorcycle accessories
company, sells vests with protective bladders that inflate as riders
are being ejected from their motorcycles.

"The motorcycle manufacturers are engaging in a lot of R&D in the area
of — some would call it safety, some would call it risk management,"
said Tom Lindsay, spokesman for the Ohio-based American Motorcyclist
Association. "It's part of a trend."

Bob Hartwig, chief economist for the New York City-based Insurance
Information Institute, said the insurance benefits of having
motorcycle air bags probably would be small because the devices
protect only the driver and only in frontal crashes. Air bags in cars
protect drivers and passengers in front and side crashes.

Jake Balzer, an analyst with Guzman & Company, an investment banking
firm, said there may be somewhat of a market for air bag-equipped
motorcycles, but questioned whether Honda will sell that many unless
states require motorcycles to have the devices.

Tim Buche, president of the Motorcycle Industry Council, said many
motorcyclists love new features and will be attracted to air bags. But
he said the market will determine whether the idea will spread. "If
air bags are going to be successful, they are going to be available on
other motorcycles," he said. "It remains to be seen."

GOLDEN STATE ENACTS R-O-W LEGISLATION “I decided to sign this bill
after extensive consideration and thorough deliberation with
proponents and opponents of this issue,” said California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger in signing a bill to increase penalties against
motorists convicted of a Right-of-Way violation that results in
injury. “I remain committed to enhancing traffic safety in California.”

SB-1021, which was signed into law on September 30, imposes additional
fines when a motorist is convicted of a traffic offense that causes
"bodily injury" or "serious bodily injury" to another person. The new
law also mandates that the California Driver's Handbook and the
curriculum of traffic-violator schools include information about
"respecting the right-of-way of others, particularly pedestrians,
bicycle riders, and motorcycle riders."

The R-O-W bill was sponsored by Senator Debra Bowen (D-28) and
co-sponsor Assembly Member Bonnie Garcia(R-80), worked with ABATE of
California in successfully lobbying SB-1021 into law.

Sixteen states have now passed R-O-W Bills since Virginia passed the
first such legislation three years ago, spearheaded by ABATE of
Virginia and the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) founded by
Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney Tom McGrath. They are:
Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire,
New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and now California.

CELEBRITY R-O-W By now you've probably read at least one report of
Angelina Jolie's sideswiping of a motorcycle, and injuring the teenage
girl passenger, as she supposedly fled the paparazzi in India where's
she's shooting A Mighty Heart. But a version of the story from the
local Indian media relays the firsthand accounts of both the accident
victim and an eyewitness:

The student, Mittal Rawat (19), told Janwadi police and The Indian
Express newspaper that; "Two vehicles were also proceeding towards the
same direction and tried to overtake me. One of the vehicles brushed
against my motorcycle and I fell down. Both the vehicles then sped
away," he said. Eyewitness Nikhil George, a student, said the two
vehicles had jumped the signal; "Soon after jumping the signal, one of
the four-wheelers hit the motorcycle. The rider and a girl riding
pillion fell, but had a narrow escape," he said.

This Indian outlet's version of events exemplifies their apparent
disinterest in milking the accident story because of a celebrity's
involvement; while young Rawat's statement that "immediately following
the incident, Jolie's vehicle pulled up beside me and my damaged
motorcycle, rolled down a window, and she asked how old I was. When I
told her 19, she said to the driver, 'No, he's way too old to take
home to Maddy and Shiloh. Let's get out of here,' and they drove off.
I'm not sure what she meant by that," would have set off a week of
cover stories in the sensationalist American tabloid media, The Indian
Express let it pass without further exploitation.

But NCOM News Bytes won’t.

CALIFORNIA GOES HANDS-FREE California lawmakers have joined New York
and New Jersey in requiring drivers to use hands-free headsets,
earbuds or speaker phones.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the ban on handheld cell phone use
while driving, and the new law goes into effect in July 2008.
Violators face a whopping $20 base penalty - local fees can be added
in - that rises to $50 for subsequent offenses.

LAW OF NATURAL SELECTION: “2 Killed In Motorcycle Crash; Police Say
Rider Was On Phone. On October 9, a man and his wife were killed when
the motorcycle they were riding missed a curve and ran into a concrete
median in Ellettsville, Indiana, and police report that the driver was
simultaneously talking on a cell phone and operating the motorcycle
when the crash happened. Neither was wearing a helmet.”

This newspaper report was sent to us by Tiger Mike Revere, State
Director of ABATE of Oklahoma and member of the National Coalition of
Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors. He has this to add as
editorial:

“This is one heck of a shame, especially when so many of us are
actively campaigning to reduce the number of motorcyclist deaths and
injuries associated with OTHERS yakking on cell phones! We certainly
don't need to contribute to these totals ourselves by violating the
Law Of Natural Selection, which is always out there to weed out the
stupid,” said Tiger Mike, adding “Of course, the idiot media had to
address that they weren't wearing a helmet, but I don't think it
would've mattered in this case. The most important piece of safety
equipment that needed to be used wasn't, and that is what's UNDER the
helmet, not the helmet itself!”

MONTANA FACES HELMET LAW THREAT In a request sent to NCOM News Bytes
from AMA Chairman Dal Smilie; “The MT Head Injury group is having a
state Senator draft a helmet bill. First one they have tried in
Montana since the early '90s,” going on to explain that ABATE of
Montana is an NCOM Member Group that may need assistance “since we
have not had a helmet law in a long time. So, let the folks out there
know.”

Glen Fengstad, one of the leaders of ABATE of Montana, and Vice
Chairman of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of
directors, reported during the 2006 NCOM Convention that “Montana was
vulnerable, and it seems to be coming to pass. We have a new State
Board, which seems to be very ‘gung-Ho’ and hopefully with guidance of
Dal and myself and a few other ‘old hands’ we will again stave off
this threat.”

IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL AGENDA FOR MOTORCYCLE SAFETY
ImplementNAMS.org is a new website introduced by the Motorcycle Safety
Foundation to focus on improving rider safety and to help stem the
rise in motorcyclist crashes by implementing the National Agenda for
Motorcycle Safety.

Released in November 2000 as a joint, two-year effort of NHTSA and the
MSF, NAMS is a comprehensive blueprint and strategic vision for the
future of motorcyclist safety. Intended to provide direction to the
safety community for a decade or more, the plan addresses safety
countermeasures on a variety of fronts. NAMS outlines 82 specific
recommended actions to improve motorcyclist safety, categorized in
five major areas: research and information, and human, social, vehicle
and environmental factors.

The National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety was always intended to
inspire the mobilization of efforts to promote and improve motorcycle
safety on all levels. Dr. Sue Bailey, Administrator of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration referred to the NAMS document in
her Forward Letter as "…a blueprint for the future."

The Administrator also mentioned in the NHTSA NAMS Forward Letter, "My
challenge to you, the motorcycling and traffic safety communities is
to take action on those parts of the National Agenda that you can
support so the recommendations become reality and motorcycle safety is
enhanced." She goes on to add, "I believe there is something in the
National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety for everyone o work toward. The
motorcycling and traffic safety communities must give it life."

The MSF has established a NAMS Grant Program available for those who
wish to implement innovative projects based upon the recommendations
provided in NAMS. This small-award grant program targets a broad range
of grassroots efforts to improve motorcyclist safety. The grants, up
to $10,000 each, may be used to jumpstart new programs or to support
ongoing efforts that complement NAMS recommendations.

CELEBRITY BIKE BUILDER FACES DUI MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES IN FATAL
ACCIDENT Billy Lane turned himself in to face DUI manslaughter
charges, as Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Miller said Lane’s
blood alcohol level was .192, more than twice the state’s legal limit
of .08, when the accident occurred on State Road A1A south of
Melbourne Beach leaving a 56-year-old male moped rider dead.

The custom chopper builder was arrested on charges of driving under
the influence manslaughter, driving with his license suspended and
driving under the influence with serious bodily injuries stemming from
the Sept. 4 accident that killed Gerald Vernon Morelock, a Sebastian
Inlet park ranger who was killed in the head-on collision between his
1983 Yamaha moped and Lane’s Dodge Ram pickup when Lane attempted to
pass several cars across a double yellow section of the two-lane
highway, violating Morelock’s right-of-way and killing him instantly.

Lane was transported to the Brevard County Jail Complex where he was
photographed and booked into the jail. He was released within 90
minutes on a $15,000 bond, officials said.

The deadly crash was also not the only run-in with traffic enforcement
for the celebrity biker. Lane was recently cleared of drunken driving
charges stemming from a June encounter with the North Carolina Highway
Patrol who said Lane drove on the wrong side of a two-lane road
without a helmet. Lane refused a breath test, which resulted in his
license being suspended for a year.

Miller said having a revoked license should have kept Lane from behind
the wheel but apparently wasn’t enough to keep Lane from driving again.

WEIRD NEWS: ANGRY DRUNK DRIVER RUNS HIMSELF OVER A drunk driver, who
drove at a gang of bikers while waving a pool cue, ran himself over
after getting out of his car. The 50-year-old was driving along
Highway 4 near Concord, California, when he saw the bikers, many of
whom were wearing leather and skull caps.

California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Yox told the San Francisco
Chronicle the man waved a pool cue at the bikers and swerved his car
towards them. The bikers split into two groups to get away and the
irate driver aimed his car at two bikers who had pulled off the
highway. He got out of his car with the pool cue - but before he
could do anything, he was knocked down by his own car which had been
left in reverse. The man was knocked into the highway and his car
reversed into the center divider. Some of the bikers grabbed him and
pulled him out of danger.

Authorities said they had no idea why Brooks reacted the way he did to
the bikers, who kept calm and didn't retaliate. "We don't believe
they went to fisticuffs with him," said Officer Yox. The man suffered
cuts and scratches and was taken to a near by hospital. He could face
charges of assault with a deadly weapon and drink driving.

WIERDER NEWS: SOBER BIKER RUNS HIMSELF OVER A 17-year-old youth
allowed 408 vehicles go over his body in Orissa's Malkangiri district
in India. Debraj Senapati, who practices martial arts, placed himself
between two wooden slabs on a mud field and allowed the vehicles - 404
motorcycles and four cars - to run over his stomach one by one in 20
minutes in the presence of thousands of people on October 9th.

In the past, Senapati had allowed 70 vehicles - all motorcycles - to
run over his body. He now plans to break the world record by allowing
500 motorcycles and five cars to run over his body.

"I aim to create a world record," Senapati was quoted as saying by a
local newspaper.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: "For if men are to be precluded from offering their sentiments on a matter, reason is of no use to us...dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the slaughter."
George Washington (1732-1799) Patriot and first President of the United States of America

And that's all the News that fits!

From: DocSkiVNV@aol.com
Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 7:42 PM

Subject: NTSB Public Forum on Motorcycle Safety

Yo All Y'All:

I recently attended the two day MC conference conducted by the NTSB. It waas a very enlightnening conference. I had planned to write a follow-up for all of you, until I received this note from Jeff Hennie (MRF) that says it all.

----------------------------------------------------------

National Transportation Safety Board Public Forum on Motorcycle Safety

September 12 and 13 2006, NTSB Headquarters, Washington, DC

The NTSB held its first ever motorcycle safety forum this past week.
Prior to summer of 2006 the NTSB had never investigated a single
motorcycle accident which is why they decided to hold the exhaustive two
day forum in the first place, to attempt to catch up on what they have
not done since the agencies inception in 1967. It’s important to note
that the forum was held for the benefit of the NTSB, not the
motorcycling community at large, not for Congress, or any other body,
individual or corporation. This was planned and implemented by the NTSB;
they did solicit limited feedback in the planning stages from the MRF,
the AMA and of course the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

A little bit of history on the NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal
agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation
accident in the United States and significant accidents in the other
modes of transportation -- railroad, highway, marine and pipeline -- and
issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. The
Safety Board determines the probable cause of:

* all U.S. civil aviation accidents and certain public-use aircraft
accidents;
* selected highway accidents;
* railroad accidents involving passenger trains or any train
accident that results in at least one fatality or major property
damage;
* major marine accidents and any marine accident involving a public
and a nonpublic vessel;
* pipeline accidents involving a fatality or substantial property
damage;
* releases of hazardous materials in all forms of transportation; and
* selected transportation accidents that involve problems of a
recurring nature

The NTSB has investigated more than 124,000 aviation accidents and over
10,000 surface transportation accidents. The NTSB operates independently
from US DOT and all other federal agencies. The have their own budget
and administrative staff in order to maintain an unbiased approach to
safety.

So you see they have the authority to investigate and make safety
recommendations on just about any accident or crash that happens in this
country. It was only a matter of time before they turned their sights on
motorcycles.

Now that you have an idea of what the NTSB is and what the aim to do, I
hope you have better understanding of what to expect from the safety
organization.

The 2 day long event (I stress long) consisted of seven individual
sessions each with a specific focus. The panels were titled:

Trends and Safety Statistics, Vehicle Design, Rider Protective
Equipment, Training and Licensing, Public Education and Awareness, Rider
Impairment, and lastly, Future Directions. If you want to see who was on
each panel please visit the NTSB website,

http://www.ntsb.gov/events/symp_motorcycle_safety/symp_motorcycle_safety.htm

Each panel operated in the same fashion, the panelist each spoke for
about 10 – 15 minutes, then the NTSB technical staff asked an unlimited
amount of questions and then, time permitting, the NTSB board members
asked audience questions that were handed in on cards. Personally most
of my questions were asked, not always answered though. So I do think
that NTSB was at least attempting to provide an unbiased forum to truly
unearth where we are as a country when it comes to motorcycle safety

The panels were fairly balanced, The MSF may have been over represented
in my opinion but they are a large safety organization and the
government does like to pander to those with the largest circle of
influence. If I have one major complaint about the forum it is that it
was not very well run. Often times topics were broached that were not
germane at all to the panel at hand. The most blatant example that comes
to mind was during the Public Awareness and Education, referred to by
the NTSB member Debra Hersman, who was sort of the grand marshal of the
event, “the panel that seems to be the most important to the riders of
this country”. So it confounds me that they would have Davis Snyder of
the American Insurance Association sitting on the panel. Not only did he
not address any aspect of public awareness or education but he
repeatedly mentioned the fact that states need mandatory helmet laws.
Now how that is even remotely relevant to the panel is beyond this
motorcyclist, I would have thought that topic would have more fitting on
the Rider Protective Equipment panel the day before. We all know that
the insurance industry is not our friend but I was hoping the NTSB would
have asked Mr. Snyder to keep his comments germane. Other panels had
similar problems, none as blatant thankfully.

On the same panel as Snyder sat Wayne Wierson from ABATE of IA. Wayne,
who was clad in denim and leather, did a terrific job of humanizing the
fatality situation instead of citing faceless numbers and stats he told
real stories of friends and loved ones lost to the road. Wayne answered
all of the questions directed at him with a serious professional manner.
He was truly one of the bright spots of the two day safety soirée.

Rider Protective Equipment

The 600 pound gorilla in the middle of the room had to be the thinly
veiled helmet panel aptly titled, Rider Protective Equipment. I was
anticipating the panel to bang on states for not all having a mandatory
helmet laws. So I wasn’t surprised when that topic came up repeatedly by
the first two panelists, Richard Alcorta MD of Maryland Institute for
Emergency Medical Services and Dave Thom of the Collision and Injury
Dynamics Lab. Emergency room doctors and helmet researchers do and
always will bestow the benefits of helmet use and condemn those who are
in favor of helmet choice. However, I was surprised that the other three
panelists focused on the often overlooked aspect of protective
equipment, pants, jackets, gloves and boots. The remaining panelists
spoke to the need for these important aspects of equipment and spoke
almost entirely to the fact that most Americans (two of the three
panelists were from England and Australia) don’t don proper leg and
torso gear when riding. The founder of Aerostich was also on the panel
and he too spoke about the benefits of modern materials and technology
he uses when designing and building his suits and jackets. Overall the
focus was not on helmet laws; of course they spoke about helmets but
mainly focused on the difference between novelty helmets and DOT FMVSS
218 Helmets.

The Panel Jay Jackson sat on was focused on Training and Licensing, Ray
Ochs from MSF was also on the panel. The panel focused on available
training, current licensing situations, and training curriculum. My
question for this panel was why does industry (MSF) have control of
training, isn’t that a conflict of interest? The question was asked by
NTSB board member Hersman and she phrased it a little differently. “Has
the MSF dumbed down the BRC and if so why” Ray Ochs flatly denied any
“dumbing down” but did admit to altering the course to make available to
a wider audience. He said” If you have a great training course, but no
takes it, what good is it?” I agree with that but when fatalities are
climbing perhaps emboldening new riders with a false sense of security
because the graduated from a basic rider course, what good is that?

The impairment panel went as you would think, alcohol use is a huge
factor and one that we as a motorcycle community must get control of.
The panel pointed out what some states are doing and made reference to
ABATE of MN’s Dial a Ride program and the Green, Yellow, Red Motorcycle
storage pods being used in Wisconsin. Ignition interlock devices were
also brought up and Diane Wigel of NHTSA made the point that they won’t
work because of hardware, “where would you put the device?” she asked.
Major Daniel Lonsdorf of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, an
affable and likeable gentleman, elicited many groans from the audience
when he suggested greater employment of technology to curb highway
deaths. “Why is there any car that goes above 75 mph, Why are there any
cars that start without having all seatbelts fastened, Why don’t we have
vehicles (including motorcycles) that don’t start when the operator is
impaired?” Judging from the audience reaction, I don’t think any of
these is coming any time soon but beware of what isn’t on the horizon yet.

There were some riders in the room and I would like to thank them for
attending, Sarge from MA, George from NY, Doc and Lana from FL, Lynn
Wesley from PA, Wayne from IA, Hairy George and Steve Zimmer from OH,
Jay Jackson from IN, Doc Ski from NC, Steve Garrets from OR. Sorry if I
missed anyone.

Overall, and I know some of the above people will disagree, I felt the
event was an unbiased search for answers by the NTSB. I really don’t
think this is a witch hunt for a national helmet law or any other
mandates. I think that the NTSB deals in fact, they don’t make something
bigger than it is or draw conclusion where there are none to be drawn.

Should you want to comment to the NTSB you can send an email to
motorcycleforum@ntsb.gov they will
be taking further comment for 30 days from September 13^th 2006. They
will also have the entire conference up on the web shortly. The package
of recommendations will be made public when it’s available, probably at
least six months from now.

If we as freedom fighting, liberty loving American motorcyclists learn
anything from this event it is that we need to stay in the fight for our
lives and what we love to do, Ride Free.

Hope to see some of you next week at Meeting of the Minds, hosted this
year by ABATE of Indiana.

Jeff Hennie

CBA of Raleigh

Freedom is not a spectator sport!

Loud Pipes ~ from NC-Bikers email list

Yo All Y'all:

The NC DMV decision to issue a North Carolina Drivers' License with the North American Union Logo, appears to be associated with these activities. I'd be interested if that member would write to the representative and ask about it again.

Sure looks like the bureaucrats are running the government now... how do you unseat someone who you didn't vote for?

North American Union Driver’s License Created

New MRF State Rep for NC

FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists' Association) Press Release, Sept 3rd.

MRF News, Aug. 22nd '07

Sturgis Discrimination Against Patch-Holders

Patch ban at One-Eyed Jack's spurs boycott, possibly legislation

Columnist takes a new twist to a long-running Sturgis issue

By Bill Harlan, Journal staff

Funding Secured for Nationwide Crash Study

NCOM News Bytes, Aug '07

AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS 6-05-07

MRF Leaders Report 5-14-07

From The Gunny's Sack 5/19/07

Long Day at the NC Legislature ~ Docski 5-08-07

Tuesday, May 8th 2007

5:36 PM

A Long Day at the NC Legislature

MRF News from the Hill 4-30-07

10 Ways to be Safer on a Motorcycyle

May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month

The War of Attrition to Regain our Liberties: Fighting NC's Helmet Law

Video Link to A Gathering of Eagles, Washington, DC

CBA Continuing Education Seminar March 31st

Jesse James Fined By CARB

Homeland Security offers details on Real ID

Cyclists Lobby Legislators

NC Budget Outlook

House Res Opposes N A Union. 1-27-07

How expensive is your government?

This Session to Address Important Issues

Stay Awake - Your Rights Are Being Taken Away

Senate Bill 1

Creating the North American Union

Why Legislative Fairness Works

Legislative Retreat Feb 3rd & 4th

AMA News and Notes, Feb. '07

More on Speaker Hackney

Circumstances may change destiny in the House for Hackney

New Speaker of the House

MSF vs. Oregon

A Life of Living Dangerously....

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