Hey,
It’s ironic how we learn lessons, what sinks in, or what touches a cord in our memory banks. I had a tooth pulled on Tuesday and they gave me a round of antibiotics. I started to take them and felt weak, then my joints started to ache, and finally I awoke to a splitting headache.
I just wanted to stay in bed today, but the Post must be published behind the mantra, “The Show Must Go On!” Years ago that adage struck home and it has always stuck. It’s like, “Never give up.”
At the end of the day the mission must be completed, so let’s hit the news. It’s a good one.
QUICK, OPEN THE BAD JOKE LIBRARY–Why do Tennessee fans wear orange? So they can dress for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.
Mississippi State University Coach Dan Mullins is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week; believe it or not the other half can dress themselves.
What do you say to a University of Alabama football player dressed in a three-piece suit. “Will the defendant please rise.”
How can you tell if an Auburn football player has a girlfriend? There’s tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.
LAS VEGAS WET T-SHIRT CONTEST—Las Vegas contains some of the best-looking women in the world. They are hiding everywhere. They are talented, athletic, artistic, and undercover. Unfortunately, they only come out during the casino shows at night.
But Las Vegas Bikefest brought out some of the girls for their Wet-T-Shirt contest in the sun.
–Jack McIntyre
Bikernet Baggers co-Editor and machine gun photographer.
BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!—
Binford Custom Cycle Bagger
http://www.bikernetbaggers.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=12886
Well done! I am glad to see a Glide without the giant front wheel.
–Bill Moore
Greensboro, NC
The staff of Bikernet Baggers wants to focus on more performance baggers. We will be looking for more of them to feature.–Bandit
SUNDAY SPECIAL REPORT–The Largest Gang in The Country are operating a Scheme To Seize Your Money.–Rogue
American shakedown: Police won’t charge you, but they’ll grab your money
U.S. police are operating a co-ordinated scheme to seize as much of the public’s cash as they can
By Neil Macdonald, CBC News
There’s a shakedown going on in the U.S., and the perps are in uniform.
Across America, law enforcement officers — from federal agents to state troopers right down to sheriffs in one-street backwaters — are operating a vast, co-ordinated scheme to grab as much of the public’s cash as they can; “hand over fist,” to use the words of one police trainer.
Roadside seizure
It usually starts on the road somewhere. An officer pulls you over for some minor infraction — changing lanes without proper signaling, following the car ahead too closely, straddling lanes. The offense is irrelevant.
Then the police officer wants to chat, asking questions about where you’re going, or where you came from, and why. He’ll peer into your car, then perhaps ask permission to search it, citing the need for vigilance against terrorist weaponry or drugs.
What he’s really looking for, though, is money.
‘Authorities claim it’s legal, but some prosecutors and judges have called it what it is: abuse. In any case, it’s a nasty American reality.’
And if you were foolish (or intimidated) enough to have consented to the search, and you’re carrying any significant amount of cash, you are now likely to lose it.
The officer will probably produce a waiver, saying that if you just sign over the money then the whole matter will just disappear, and you’ll be able to go on your way.
Refuse to sign it, and he may take the cash anyway, proclaiming it the probable proceeds of drugs or some other crime.
Either way, you almost certainly won’t be charged with anything; the objective is to take your money, not burden the system.
You’ll have the right to seek its return in court, but of course that will mean big lawyer’s fees, and legally documenting exactly where the money came from. You will need to prove you are not a drug dealer or a terrorist.
It might take a year or two. And several trips back to the jurisdiction where you were pulled over. Sorry.
In places like Tijuana, police don’t make any pretense about this sort of thing. Here in the U.S., though, it’s dressed up in terms like “interdiction and forfeiture,” or “the equitable sharing program.”
Authorities claim it’s legal, but some prosecutors and judges have called it what it is: abuse.
In any case, it’s a nasty American reality.
Powers and justifications
Seizing suspected drug money has been legal here for decades, but after 9/11 police acquired a whole new set of powers and justifications. And they set about using them for profit.
The Washington Post this week reported that in the past 13 years, there have been 61,998 cash seizures on roadways and elsewhere without use of search warrants.
The total haul: $2.5 billion, divided pretty much equally between the U.S. government and state and local authorities (hence the Kafkaesque “equitable sharing” euphemism).
Some, no doubt, were indeed drug dealers or money launderers and just walked away from the money. Others just couldn’t spare the expense and time of going to court.
Of those who did, though, nearly half got their money back, a statistic that fairly screams about the legitimacy of the seizures.
So does another fact: In many cases, authorities offer half the money back – money they’d claimed was proceeds of crime. And when they do issue a cheque, they almost always insist their victim sign a legal release promising never to sue.
It would also appear police like to target minorities, who tend to be cooperative and less likely to hire a lawyer.
Civil rights advocates have documented all sorts of outright legal theft:
The (minority) businessman from Georgia who was relieved of $75,000 he’d raised from relatives to buy a restaurant in Louisiana.
The (minority) church leaders who were carrying nearly $30,000 from their Baltimore parishioners to carry out church activities in North Carolina and El Salvador.
The young college grad with no criminal record on his way to a job interview out West who was relieved of $2,500 lent to him by his dad for the trip.
News outlets here have reported many such abuses over the years. But the Washington Post’s latest investigation exposes money-grabbing as big business.
It involves a nationwide network of enforcement agencies (except in the few states that have banned it) that operates with the help of a vast private intelligence service called “Black Asphalt” (police forces pay an enrollment fee of $19.95). The network uses consultants and trainers who either charge fees or operate on contingency, keeping a percentage of cash seized by their police pupils.
Police forces use the money to finance their departmental budgets, sometimes spending it on luxury vehicles, first-class tickets to conferences, and lavish quarters. They regard the money as rightfully theirs. One prosecutor used seized cash to defend herself against a lawsuit brought by people whose cash she seized.
It’s just human nature, really.
Give police the legal ability to take someone’s money, and to claim it’s in the national interest, and then tell them they can keep a nice chunk of it, and what other result could there be?
Travel advice
So, for any law-abiding Canadian thinking about an American road trip, here’s some non-official advice:
Avoid long chats if you’re pulled over. Answer questions politely and concisely, then persistently ask if you are free to go.
Don’t leave litter on the vehicle floor, especially energy drink cans.
Don’t use air or breath fresheners; they could be interpreted as an attempt to mask the smell of drugs.
Don’t be too talkative. Don’t be too quiet. Try not to wear expensive designer clothes. Don’t have tinted windows.
And for heaven’s sake, don’t consent to a search if you are carrying a big roll of legitimate cash.
As the Canadian government notes, there is no law against carrying it here or any legal limit on how much you can carry. But if you’re on an American roadway with a full wallet, in the eyes of thousands of cash-hungry cops you’re a rolling ATM.
He is a must see!! He has played with B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Taj Mahal, John Mayall, & Tad Bonoit.
To SRV, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Jack White, Allman Bro’s.
Check him out on Facebook!!
–Pablo
WEEKEND GUN NUT REPORT–Home Defense is a Family Affair
Involve the whole family in your emergency preparedness plans—you won’t regret it.
By Jim Wilson (RSS)
To look at the issue of home defense as a matter of only dealing with bad guys is to fail to understand the matter. While protecting your home and family from crooks is certainly important, it is equally important to have a home-defense plan that covers fire, natural disaster and any other situation that might affect the safety of your loved ones. Building the home-defense plan should involve the entire family.
Too often, we think that home defense is the man’s job. Others are smart enough to involve their wives in such serious matters. But the truth is that you should also involve the children in the planning. You might be surprised at the good ideas that kids can come up with. Regardless, your 5-year-old needs to know that the plan is…for example, if she wakes up and smells smoke, she is supposed to go out her bedroom window and run to the neighbor’s house (where prior arrangements have been made).
In the case of a tornado, hurricane or earthquake, everyone needs to know where the safest places in the house are and that they should go there. And these are locations that should be agreed upon ahead of time. Does everyone know where the home fire extinguishers are? Do they know how to operate them?
In the case of a home invasion, do the family members have places to hide? Do you know where those places are? And even small children, with a little help, can learn how to dial 9-1-1.
When emergencies occur, it is not the time to try to slap together some sort of plan. People can get confused. And, frankly, there often isn’t enough time. Knowing what the plan is ahead of time gives the family member some confidence in being able to deal with it. The family member, parent or child, can say, “They told me that this might happen and I know just what to do about it.”
Having a plan builds confidence. Having a plan builds family unity. And having a plan saves lives.
CARS AND BIKES IS MALAYSIA—
A few shots from Saturday.
The crowds are getting huge
–Art Hall
Bikernet International Investigator, Correspondent, Vast Story Writer, and Supreme Editor
QUICK TECH, New Bikernet Reader Comment!-–
360-Brake Installation
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=1839
Is it possible to buy the 360 brake and where?
–Christian Petersen
Marielyst, Denmark
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe this product made it. –Bandit
BRAD BAKER TAKES THIRD PLACE ON FACTORY HARLEY AT POMONA–
Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew Rider Jared Mees Wins 2014 AMA Grand National Championship
POMONA, Calif. (October 11, 2014) – Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Factory Team rider Brad Baker closed out the AMA Pro Flat Track season with a third-place finish in the Grand National Twins main at the Law Tigers Flat Track Finals at L.A. County Fairplex as Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees claimed the 2014 AMA Grand National championship.
Mees finished fourth on the Rogers Racing/Las Vegas H-D/Blue Springs H-D Harley-Davidson® XR750 to seal his second AMA Grand National championship, beating out Crosley Radios/Villa-Esparza Kawasaki rider Bryan Smith, who won the main, by just three points. Ramspur Winery/Lloyd Brothers Motorsports rider Jake Johnson finished second on a Harley-Davidson® XR750 motorcycle.
“It’s a heck of a day for our team,” said Mees, who also won the championship in 2012. “I knew Bryan would be racing hard today, and he took off and I started racing with Brad in those early laps, but then I thought I’d rather be alone out there and backed off and just raced smart to get the title. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. This team is great and has put me on a fast Harley-Davidson motorcycle all season.”
Baker won his heat race and started on the pole for the main. Smith took the lead at the start and quickly opened a gap over Baker and Mees. Johnson passed Mees for third place on lap 11, and he and Baker raced together until Johnson pulled ahead on lap 16. By then Smith had a lead of two seconds. Smith won by 1.457 seconds, with Baker 4.222 seconds behind at the finish.
“We had a great Harley-Davidson tonight and did well in the Dash,” said Baker, the defending AMA Grand National champion. “But on the first lap of the main I discovered my brake needed to be pumped to work, so I pretty much raced the main with no brakes, which is a struggle at this track. We’ve had super competition tonight and all season defending this Number 1 plate, and I’m proud to hand it over to Jared, but he knows we’ll be racing to get it back next season.”
Smith won the four-lap Dash for Cash bonus sprint race and started the Grand National Twins main 12 points behind Mees. The season ends with Mees leading the series with 279 points. Smith has 276 points. Johnson finishes third with 264 points, followed by Zanotti Racing/Moroneys H-D rider Kenny Coolbeth Jr. with 208 points. Baker placed fifth with 202 points.
WEEKEND BOOK RECOMMENDATION–Reading this book now. If yer a Johnny Winter Fan, this is a must read.
It goes back through his childhood. His problems & issues growing up to the record recording deal with Columbia in 1969 and lot’s more.
–Pablo
SECOND WEEKEND GUN NUT REPORT–NICS Checks Show Gun Purchases Strong in 2014
New numbers reported by the FBI suggest that Americans may be buying firearms at a slightly higher rate in 2014 than they did in 2012, following a record number of checks during the “surge” brought on by President Barack Obama’s re-election in November 2012 and his subsequent campaign for gun control.
Because Americans bought guns at an unusually high rate in 2013, some commentators have compared the 2013 numbers to those in 2014 and on that basis claimed that gun purchases are in serious decline. However, that’s like saying that a professional football team’s offense is waning, because after racking up 30 points in the first quarter and 40 points in the second quarter, it has scored only 24 points in the first eleven minutes of the third quarter.
Thus far in 2014, there have been 8.33 million checks for the purchase of firearms, compared to 8.29 million for the same period in 2012, and smaller numbers in previous years. These figures don’t include checks conducted for the purposes of purchase or carry permits, or several relatively uncommon categories of checks, nor do they indicate how many firearms were transferred as a result of the checks. NICS check numbers don’t indicate gun sales as accurately as firearm manufacturing and import statistics, but they are more up-to-date in general and they are updated on a monthly basis.
NMA E-Newsletter #300: “It Only Takes One …”
We all expect a certain level of hypocrisy in politics, but some examples are just so flagrant, we can’t ignore them. Such is the case of Sara Shaw, a city commissioner in Kissimmee, Florida.
In August, a Florida Highway Patrol officer stopped Shaw on the Florida Turnpike for driving in excess of 100 mph in a city-owned vehicle. Shaw took a defiant tone throughout the encounter and later said the officer’s account of the stop was wrong. Court records show that the commissioner is no stranger to the red and blue flashers (more on this in a minute). The irony is that at the time of the stop, Shaw was on her way to meet with the Florida League of Cities (FLC) to discuss the virtues of red-light cameras.
Seems Shaw has gained a reputation as a red-light camera crusader. In March, she testified before the Florida Senate Transportation Committee, along with the FLC, in favor of red-light cameras. (Watch the video here. Her testimony starts at the 106: 25 mark.) During her testimony, Shaw claimed red-light cameras had reduced traffic accidents in Kissimmee. She then explained how she had been hit by a red-light runner and therefore considers red-light runners criminals. She also blamed “habitual offenders” for most intersection accidents and said “it only takes one ticket in the mail” to correct the behavior.
Funny Ms. Shaw should point the finger at habitual offenders, given her own substantial experience with the traffic justice system.
At the time she testified in March, Shaw was under license suspension for an unpaid speeding ticket, according to Orange County court records*. This was her fourth license suspension for failure to pay her traffic fines. Since 2002, Shaw has accumulated a total of three speeding tickets, two tickets for failure to obey a traffic control device (such as a red light), one ticket for running a stop sign and one ticket for failure to yield.
Shaw’s license was reinstated in July, shortly before her latest brush with the FHP. She failed to appear for that ticket, claiming she never received notice of her arraignment date. However, the trooper told her the date during the stop and wrote it on her ticket. According to court records, this was the second time Shaw has failed to appear for a court proceeding. Court records also show that Shaw has twice taken the court-approved traffic safety class to mitigate the points on her driving record.
It seems that multiple tickets and multiple traffic safety classes have had little impact on Ms. Shaw’s behavior behind the wheel. If only one of those tickets had come from a camera—remember, “it only takes one”—perhaps she would have learned her lesson.
One final note. Shaw’s March legislative testimony prompted a Florida red-light camera activist to ask the City of Kissimmee for records regarding the number of red-light violation crashes before and after the installation of red-light cameras. Over the course of four months, the city was unable to produce accurate information due to a problem with the method it used to submit data to the state as well as a claim that the backup data could not be recovered.
*Court record information comes from the searchable databases provided by Orange County and Osceola County, Florida.
DIRT BAG CHALLENGE FROM CHOPPERTOWN—
What the heck is the Dirtbag Challenge? Click here to watch a clip and download the movie for only $5 TODAY ONLY. Get the DVD here for only $10.
THE BIKERNET SUNDAY BAD JOKE LIBRARY IS STILL OPEN— Husband and wife had a tiff. Wife called up her mom and said, “He fought with me again, I am coming to live with you.” Mom said, “No darling, he must pay for his mistake. I am coming to live with you.
–from Jerry and Rogue
THAT’S IT—I was going to ride to the temple and be spiritual, then the gang who are going to the Hessians Anniversary party teased me with fantastic food, custom motorcycles, and sharing time with one of my granddaughters. I need to bring you some of Dominic’s bikes. He’s a humble master, with his son working at his side.
He grew up around custom bikes and building traditional choppers. But I think I’m going to stick around here, relax and ponder next week.
I need to finish Pat Patterson’s feature for the HORSE. I sent more shots of my ’46 Indian rear fender to Rich in Charleston. They are going to re-shape my rear fender slightly.
The Sheriff is currently at the Analog run produced by Caleb or Crow Customs. We may bring you a report next week.
Hopefully, this will be the week to dive into my last chapter once more and wrap up the second Chance Hogan book. It’s time to go to press, and Jon Towle is working on the cover.
And so, The Show Must Go On! And don’t you forget it.
Ride Free Forever,
–Bandit
