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.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

CONGRESS CONSIDERS MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS MONTH For many years the National Coalition of Motorcyclists has worked toward getting May officially designated by Congress as Motorcycle Awareness Month nationwide. Although virtually every state and major municipality now issues “Motorcycle Awareness” proclamations, no such Congressional proclamation has ever been passed to bring national awareness to motorcycle safety.

During the mid-90?s the House of Representatives banned such resolutions primarily due to the costs incurred by the public to work hundreds of these special days, weeks and months through the legislative process.

The federal government did officially recognize May 2004 as National Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month, thanks to the efforts of retiring U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a member of the NCOM Legislative Task Force whose Senate Resolution 168 was passed by unanimous consent of the U.S. Senate, but this did not provide a permanent solution.

Now, Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas has introduced House Resolution 339, a non-binding ?sense of Congress? measure that supports the goals of a ?Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month? in perpetuity. Though barred from setting aside periods on the calendar for a specific purpose or cause, HRES 339 ?supports the goals of a motorcycle safety awareness month? without officially designating such a month.

Your help is needed to get the measure enacted. Please contact your Congressional representatives and request that they support House Resolution 339, and make our federal legislators aware of motorcyclists’ overwhelming support for this effort.

COLORADO ENACTS HELMET LAW FOR YOUNG RIDERS While 30 states currently allow most adults the freedom to choose when and where to wear a helmet, only three of those states have no helmet requirement for any rider; Colorado, Iowa and Illinois.

Colorado has not had a helmet restriction since 1977, but now Colorado’s legislature has passed House Bill 1117 to require helmets for any rider under 18. The Kiddie Helmet Law was signed by Governor Bill Ritter on June 1, and the new law will go into effect on July 1, 2007.

This bill targets minors only, and adults 18 and older will still have freedom of choice. HB 1117 creates penalties of $25 to $110 for riders or passengers under 18 who fail to wear a motorcycle helmet, of which $10 would go to the Colorado traumatic brain injury trust fund.

?HB 1117 ?fixes? little-to-nothing,? said Terry Howard, State Coordinator of ABATE of Colorado, ?it is a solution in search of a problem.?

HELMET-FREE FOR A FEE Following on the heals of Governor Jennifer Granholm?s veto of a helmet law repeal bill passed by the Michigan legislature last year, a new piece of legislation has been introduced that puts a price on freedom by allowing riders to opt out of the state?s helmet requirement by paying a fee.

House Bill 4749 was recently introduced by State Rep. Barbarah Farrah (D-Southgate), and sponsored by no fewer than 60 representatives, that would allow motorcyclists the opportunity to buy their freedom for $100 per year or $200 for a three-year no-helmet permit. Supporters argue that the measure could ring up more than $25 million for the cash strapped state.

Motorcyclists could circumvent the mandatory helmet law, under the new bill, if they are 21 or older, have been licensed to operate a motorcycle for at least two years, complete a motorcycle safety course, have insurance or security of $20,000 for first-party medical benefits in the event of an accident, and purchase an endorsement for their license plate and license.

ABATE of Michigan, a group that has sought to have the 38-year-old mandatory helmet law repealed, has even claimed that the helmet law costs the state about $1.2 billion a year in tourism because cyclists go elsewhere to ride helmet-free.

Michigan is the only Great Lakes state with a helmet law, said Jim Rhoades, legislative director for ABATE, and out-of-state riders won?t visit because of the state?s current universal helmet mandate. “This helmet bill would be the strictest law that would allow adult choice,” Rhoades said.

TENNESSEE ENACTS R-O-W LEGISLATION ?I am proud to announce that HB1335 (Right of Way Violations) passed the Tennessee House today by a margin of 93-3,? exclaimed a jubilant Mike Hays, legislative director for CMT/ABATE, Inc.

The bill will go to the Governor after the Senate signs off on a minor amendment, and State Rep. Rob Briley who sponsored the House bill will ask the Governor to schedule a ceremonial bill signing event at his earliest convenience. Senator Tim Burchett sponsored the companion Senate bill, SB794.

?It will be up to the motorcyclists of Tennessee to educate those who will enforce and prosecute under this new law,? added Hays. ?Talking with your local police, prosecutors and judges is the best way to make sure the authorities use the new law where applicable.?

Meanwhile, the Tennessee General Assembly is wrapping up for the year and HB1283/SB1511, Tennessee?s helmet law modification bills, will be rolled into the 2008 legislative session. The helmet law repealer has passed the Senate and has passed the House Transportation Committee.

?When we launched the House bill, Dr. Joey Hensley, representative from Hohenwald, TN, lifetime rider and CMT/ABATE member was the prime sponsor,? explained Hays. ?But Dr. Hensley decided that there was entirely too much emphasis on the helmet and no attention paid to reducing the crashes, so he withdrew as the prime sponsor and long time supporter Representative Curry Todd of Collierville took the lead.?

Dr. Hensley has challenged the medical community to join with the motorcycling community to address issues that will lead to safer riding.

Pointing out that Tennessee?s fatality and injury rates are consistently higher than most of the 30 states that allow responsible adults the option of wearing a helmet, Rep. Todd said, “I stand strong on the rights of adults to have freedom of choice. Helmets are sold in the apparel department of dealerships, not the safety department. There is ample evidence to show that as states have repealed helmet laws, injury and fatality rates have declined. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Tennessee Legislature and the freedom loving motorcyclists of Tennessee to allow responsible adults the right to choose their riding apparel.?

DENVER TELLS BIKERS TO PIPE DOWN The Denver City Council has passed an ordinance aimed at muffling motorcycles that have been modified to make them louder, over thundering opposition from local bikers and motorcycle businesses. City Councilman Rick Garcia said he sponsored Council Bill 242 in response to mounting complaints from residents about thunderous hogs rolling through his northwest Denver districts at all hours. But bikers call the new law discriminatory.

The municipal ordinance, which passed 8-2, is the toughest noise law in the nation and will allow officers to ticket motorcyclists if a bike made after 1982 has a muffler lacking a mandatory factory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency noise certification stamp certifying that the exhaust system is in compliance, instead of testing the decibel level with a noise meter as previously required.

That means police will be able to pull over motorcycles they consider too loud, citing riders whose muffler isn’t EPA-certified, though noisy cars and trucks are still subject only to a sound-meter test, which motorcyclists say is more fair because it?s more objective.

Peter Boyles, a talk-radio host and avid biker whose show recently focused on the new ordinance, said police were “going to be able to pick and choose who they want to grab.”

Once ticketed, bikers will have two weeks to show a judge they fixed the problem to avoid a $500 initial fine. Garcia said out-of-towners could vow to never ride bikes with modified exhausts through the city again.

Some motorcycle shop owners warned they could be put out of business, and Garcia’s office was deluged with calls from across the country. Wayne “Lumpy” Ordakowski, who owns a motorcycle shop in southern Denver, said that dealers usually installed EPA-certified mufflers and most after-market shops didn’t stock them. The law jeopardizes small operators like him, he said. And the city should target bikers who make noise, not punish everyone who rides, he added.

As motorcycles soar in popularity, so do laws that restrict their sound levels. The city of Albuquerque, N.M. enacted a similar noise ordinance in 2002, but an uproar from the riding community convinced the city to switch to sound-meter testing.

TEXAS GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO TRAFFIC SENSORS During a discussion at the recent NCOM Convention regarding the spate of states enacting laws that allow riders to proceed through red lights that fail to cycle, Sputnik of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association (TMRA-II) and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Legislative Task Force (NCOM-LTF) told the audience that ?In Texas we decided that instead of giving bikers a legal way to proceed through a non-functioning traffic light, we?d require the state to make ?em work correctly.?

True to his word, HB 1279; ?relating to the requirement that a detector for certain traffic-actuated electric traffic-control devices register the presence of a motorcycle,? was passed and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on May 25, 2007.

WEIRD NEWS: TERROR SCARE ENTRAPS MOTORCYCLISTS Six motorcyclists, including five students, were on a fun ride after dinner in Calcutta, India, when they were hauled off to the police station and interrogated overnight as suspected terrorists.

Their crime: stopping their motorcycles in front of the American Center as one of them received a call on his cellphone. The sight of the six, on three motorcycles, was enough for the cops manning the ?high-security? address to suspect them to be terrorists. Fearing an attack — with memories of the January 2002 strike at the site and other recent terror bombings fresh in their minds — the guards called a police patrol team that rushed to the spot.

It took a whole night?s grilling for the police to realize that the six were anything but terrorists, and they were released the next morning.

Upendra Mishra, a second-year MBA student, said that he and his friends were on their way back home after dinner at McDonald?s, and were in front of the American Center around 10.15pm when Sandip Arora, also doing his MBA, got a call on his cellphone. ?Sandip stopped his bike and took the call. We, too, stopped. Suddenly, a police team rushed to the spot and we were taken to Shakespeare Sarani police station. We told the officers that we were students, but they would not listen to us,? Upendra added.

Deputy commissioner (south) Ajoy Kumar said: ?They were talking over cellphones in front of the American Center. It was very suspicious. As a precautionary measure, they were all examined.? An officer of the police station added: ?We thought they had planted bombs nearby and were talking on the phone to trigger a blast, just as what happened in Hyderabad.?

QUOTABLE QUOTE: ?If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.?

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856?1941)

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 COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS

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. He also gave a presentation on the Bikernet Independent noise study, which is being used right now to fight the new harsh Denver Noise Ordinance. It?s available on Bikernet for anyone dealing with noise issues.Bikernet Independent Noise Study

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)

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.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

BIKER?S RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, THE MANUAL AVAILABLE– Last week I attended a convention of Biker?s rights and legislation effecting our sport and lifestyle. The offices of Richard M. Lester and Mike Mandelman produced a manual on our Rights and Civil Liberties. If you want to check it out go to aimncom@aimncom.com or call (800) 662-2453.

MOTORCYCLE FATALITY SURGE RENEWS NATIONAL HELMET DEBATE The debate over whether the nation’s nearly 6 million motorcycle riders should by law be required to wear helmets is nothing new, but a decade long rise in both registrations and fatalities has rekindled interest in helmet laws, according to reports by two major news outlets: ABC News and USA Today.

In 1995, Congress repealed a second attempt at a national helmet law, and in the ensuing decade motorcycle fatalities more than doubled, from 2,227 in 1995 to 4,553 in 2005. And while it’s true there are significantly more bikes on the road, also nearly doubling from 3,727,738 in 1995 to 6,183,596 in 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the fatality rate has also increased by nearly 13 percent.

The problem, according to advocates of helmet laws, is that one-sided, well-organized lobbying at the state level ? where for now, this issue is primarily legislated ? have largely hampered the creation of new helmet laws or the strengthening of existing ones. Of the 50 states, only 20 maintain helmet laws for all riders, while 27 require helmets for select rider groups ? typically those under 18 years old. Colorado, Illinois and Iowa currently have no helmet laws.

“It’s pretty much a single-issue lobby,” Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, told ABC News. “They’re very well-organized and they’ve become very adept at working state legislatures.”

In many ways, the helmet debate has been taken off the table at the federal level, Harsha said, describing $25 million distributed by Congress to states in 2005 for motorcycle training and education that cannot be spent on promoting helmet use.

And to groups that advocate against mandatory helmet laws ? such as state ABATE organizations ? that’s exactly the way it should be: The government should stay out of a motorcycle rider’s personal decision-making.

But sparked by rising fatality statistics and last year’s crash of NFL star Ben Roethlisberger, lawmakers in eight states are pushing for new motorcycle helmet laws, and helmet-law proponents told USA Today that it’s been a tough fight ? bills have already been defeated in six of those states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, and Oklahoma. After he introduced Delaware’s first mandatory-helmet bill in more than 20 years on March 14, state Rep. Gary Simpson got e-mails from people vowing to campaign against his re-election. “It’s a very strong lobby,” Simpson said.

In Oklahoma, according to Tiger Mike Revere, State Coordinator for ABATE of Oklahoma and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) board of directors, the helmet law was not only defeated, but the bill?s author, Rep. Skye McNiel, attended the Confederation of Clubs meeting and apologized for submitting such a bill, affirming that she will never again propose a helmet law and pledged to work together with the riding community on issues to improve motorcycling.

Meanwhile, some bikers? rights advocates are working on legislation to repeal or modify their state?s helmet laws. SB 1511 has passed the Tennessee Senate and would roll back the mandatory motorcycle helmet law for adults 21 and older. Likewise, SB 255 in Missouri would allow Freedom of Choice for riders 21 and older, citing the fact that 6 of the 8 states surrounding Missouri do not require adult helmet usage.

FLORIDA ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY Released April 5, 2007, the following is an economic impact study done for the first six years ten months of Florida?s amended helmet law. The motorcycle registration figures are compiled from the statistics of the Florida department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The fees come from the license registration bureau. From 1999 to April 2007 motorcycle registrations in Florida increased from 198,601 to 509,036. That is an increase of approximately 157%, and it is rising. The following is the estimated revenue generated from the registration and bike purchases.

310,435 motorcycles at an average of $10,000 each equals $3,104,350,000.00
Sales Tax at 6% = $186,626,100.00
Registration fee for motorcycles at $26.40 = $8,226,527.50
Change of title at $29.75 = $9,235,441.25
Buy Tag at $10.00 = $3,104.350.00

TOTAL = $3,311,343,418.75

?This is a low estimate as it doesn?t include antique motorcycles or mopeds,? said James ?Doc? Reichenbach II, State Director of ABATE of Florida, Inc., and Chairman of the Board for the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM). ?This is over three billion dollars in almost seven years that has been brought into Florida?s economy. Over two hundred million in taxes alone went into the Florida State Treasury.?

Doc also points out that this does not include the almost 4 billion dollars put into the economy from Bike Week and Biketoberfest over the same period.

Registration are annual so they would increase with each year and there are also over 800,000 people with motorcycle endorsements in Florida and that is $5 every time they renew it.

?I hope these figures will help anyone who has heard that Florida motorcyclists don?t pay their fair share,? concluded Doc.

MICHIGAN MUNICIPALITY RESCINDS MOTORCYCLE BAN The Oak Park City Council has unanimously repealed an anti-motorcycle ordinance that prohibited motorcyclists from riding on residential streets between 10pm and 6am.

ABATE of Michigan became aware of this ordinance when one of its members, Oak Park resident David Dolinski, contacted the organization and complained about signs being posted advising of the ordinance. ABATE authorized its attorney, Lawrence S. Katkowsky of Bingham Farms, to look into the matter. Katkowsky, who also serves as the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Attorney for Michigan and is legal adviser to the Confederation of Clubs of Michigan, notified the City that the ordinance was illegal under Michigan law and asked that it be repealed before the 2007 riding season.

Apparently neither the council, the City Manager, nor the City Attorney were even aware that the ordinance was on the books and were not aware that it was being enforced.

Following the council vote ABATE thanked the Mayor of Oak Park, Gerald E Naftaly and the other members of the City Council for their prompt action to remove this ordinance from their books.

SACRAMENTO BIKE PARKING Sometimes all you have to do is ask — just ask Deacon, founder of ABATE of California? ?As many of you know there is now parking for MOTORCYCLES ONLY in Old Town Sacramento, located in the cul-de-sac at the Pony Express Rider statue. A couple of years ago ABATE asked the Mayor for some parking there and lo and behold we now have it FREE,? said Deacon. ?When I went to City Hall for a permit, right in front of the building is MOTORCYCLE PARKING ONLY!!! 10 hours for FREE!!! Like I said?sometimes all you have to do is ask!?

BIKERNET NOISE STUDY AVAILABLE–If you’re having problems with noise issues in your area, you might want to print up the Bikernet Independent Noise Study and share it with law enforcement and the community. It’s designed to point out the Biker’s side of the noise issue in a way anyone can understand and relate to. Just click here: Bikernet Independent Noise Study

MULTINATIONAL FIRM BANS MOTORCYCLES The Multinational firm Johnson Controls Ltd has banned the use of motorcycles ?on company business,? barring thousands of employees across Europe from riding motorcycles under threat of disciplinary action.

A company spokeswoman said: “Motorcycles must not be used by employees on company business,” adding that “The policy covers just under 5,000 Johnson Controls UK-based employees either working in the UK or Europe, in the building efficiency business.”

She said employees were free to ride bikes in their own time, including to and from work, but claimed the policy was ?for the protection of our people?. Johnson Controls employs 136,000 people worldwide.

An anonymous employee who made the policy public said; ?If all the blue chip companies start to do this then motorcycling is no longer an alternative form of transport.?

ROAD PRICING HEATS UP IN ENGLAND Opposition to the Government road charging plans is growing throughout England, with an online petition against the pricing scheme has made national news after collecting over a half million signatures.

Road pricing would involve a huge infrastructure of a combination of beacons and gantries, or satellites, possibly even all three, to monitor where your vehicle travels and charge you accordingly. The current fear is that road users will have to pay to have on-board ?black box? sensors installed that are necessary for vehicles to be recognized and their owners charged.

Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) of the United Kingdom is totally opposed to the level of surveillance and control which the road charging plans represent, and questions the motives of the government in proposing it.

MAG-UK points out that it may be no coincidence that the technology necessary to achieve the level of surveillance necessary to implement road charging, could also be used to achieve vehicle speed control to automate the enforcement of speed limits with a zero tolerance policy.

WIERD NEWS: ?DEAD? BIKER RETURNS HOME AFTER TWO YEARS An Australian man mistakenly certified as dead following a horrific motorcycle accident two years ago was reunited with his family last week after a social worker helped to identify him.

Samy Pillai, 50, was believed to have been killed in a hit-and-run accident in June 2005, after his wrecked motorcycle was found along the same stretch of road as a body mangled beyond recognition, the Star newspaper says.

But he was found to be alive, although speechless and partially paralyzed by the accident, after a social worker encountered him hobbling around on crutches almost 200 miles from his home and took him to authorities, who identified him from his thumbprints. Mr Pillai’s wife confirmed the man was her husband, but how he spent his years away from home remains a mystery. The couple have nine children, the newspaper reported.

“I am glad Samy Pillai has been reunited with his family who had all this while thought the unidentified body had been his,” the newspaper quoted Andrew Raju, the social worker, as saying.

NCOM HONORS FALLEN RIDERS, INVITES NAMES TO BE SUBMITTED The NCOM Convention hit last weekend, the National Coalition of Motorcyclists requested that MRO’s, motorcycle clubs, and riding associations submitted the names of those members and supporters who died since May 2006. They honored their memories during the traditional ?Ringing of the Bell? tribute to fallen riders during the opening ceremonies. Dedications can be e-mailed to NCOMBish@aol.com.

The 22nd annual NCOM Convention was held Mother?s Day weekend, May 10-13, 2007, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, located at 8629 JM Keynes Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Reserve your room now for the special NCOM rate by calling (704) 547-7444 or 1-(800) HILTONS.

Hosted by ABATE/Concerned Bikers Association of North Carolina and the Confederation of Clubs North Carolina, this annual gathering drew over a thousand motorcyclists rights leaders from across the country 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.

To pre-register for next year?s convention in Texas, call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) 525-5355 or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: ?The United States is a nation of laws; badly written and randomly enforced.?

–Frank Zappa, American musician & songwriter (1940-1993)

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.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

FREEDOM OF CHOICE MAY COME WITH A PRICE TAG Pennsylvania motorcyclists successfully modified their mandatory helmet law in 2003 to allow riders 18 and older the option of wearing a helmet, but now a lawmaker wants bikers who don’t wear a helmet to carry at least $10,000 in medical insurance to cover injuries if they crash. State Sen. Constance Williams says the requirement honors bikers’ freedom to ride helmetless while making sure they take financial responsibility for their decision.

Governor Ed Rendell, who signed the law that allows bikers to ride without a helmet, has said more Pennsylvanians die from smoking than motorcycle accidents, but Sen. Williams cites a national report being circulated among State Legislatures that says highway fatalities are on the rise for the first time in 20 years, linking the increase to deaths from motorcycle crashes.

NEW TWIST FOR HELMET LAW MODIFICATION Lost revenues from tourism has become a common theme for modifying helmet laws in states that claim motorcyclists are riding around them and spending their vacation money in other states that don?t require helmets.

Now Virginia has taken that argument a step further by proposing legislation that would allow motorcyclists to ride without a helmet on state scenic highways. On all other roads, police would not be allowed to stop riders for not wearing helmets unless they are stopped for another driving offense such as speeding, making the helmet violation a secondary offense.

Virginia motorcyclists are requesting help from across the country to pass HB 2585, asking riders to write their Delegates to let them know that you would spend your tourism dollars in Virginia if the state allowed freedom of choice on its beautiful scenic byways.

Bikers in Nebraska also want the right to make their own decisions about helmets, saying the current helmet law is costing the state $2-5 million a year during annual bike festivals in neighboring states because motorcyclists avoid riding through helmet law states.

Motorcyclists are lobbying the Unicameral legislature in Lincoln to support LB 253, a bill that would allow riders 21 and older to ride without a helmet. ABATE of Nebraska is not asking for letters or phone calls to their legislators at this juncture, but they would like for out-of-state riders to visit their website at www.abateofne.com and fill out a simple online poll that will allow them to put together written testimony from motorcyclists from across the nation.

?ABATE of Nebraska has once again filed legislation to establish Freedom Of Choice for adult motorcyclists,? said Tiger Mike Revere, state coordinator for ABATE of Oklahoma and member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Board of Directors. ?They have appealed for our help, and I pledged NCOM’s support for their campaign. Unfortunately, I have the additional subject of the Helmet Law assault in Oklahoma to address.?

TELEVISION DOESN?T REFLECT REALITY Most people drive safer than television characters, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham study. The UAB study of 79 prime time TV shows revealed that actors often don?t buckle up before they drive and sometimes don?t wear helmets when they ride motorcycles and bicycles.

The research study, published in the journal Injury Sciences, found that over four weeks the television characters buckled up only 62 percent of the time. The TV characters used motorcycle helmets only 47 percent of the time and bicycle helmets nine percent of the time. Research shows most Americans are much safer ? buckling seat belts 80 percent of time, using motorcycle helmets 60 percent of the time bicycle helmets 40 percent of the time.

“Since Americans watch more than four hours of TV per day, how safety behaviors are depicted on television can have tremendous influence on public perception of seatbelt and helmet use,” said Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., associate director for research at the Center for Injury Sciences and one of the study authors. Researchers also studied 21,670 television commercials that McGwin says present a safer depiction, with seatbelt use by 86 percent of individuals, motorcycle helmet use 100 percent and bike helmet use 84 percent.

CONNECTICUT BIKERS WANT TO RAISE THE BAR Connecticut State Reps Wilbur and Zalaski have co-sponsored a bill to repeal their 15-inch handlebar height law. CT statute # 14-80i(b) reads: “No person shall operate a motorcycle on a highway or in any parking area for ten or more motor vehicles if the motorcycle is equipped with handlebars that are more than fifteen inches in height above the uppermost portion of the seat when the seat is depressed by the weight of the operator.”

Rep. Wilber, who co-sponsored this bill with Rep Zalazki, had an OLR legislative report done that concluded that high handlebars are not a safety issue. The report also found that there has been a trend across the country to change the height restriction law with 16 states completely repealing the law. HB 6937 is currently under consideration in the Transportation Committee, and would completely repeal the handlebar law 14-80i(b), allowing Connecticut riders to decide for themselves what height their handlebars should be.

VIRGINIA RIDERS BESIDE THEMSELVES Virginia is only one of two states that specifically prohibit two motorcycles to ride two abreast in a traffic lane, but riders there are hoping to change that.

HB 1808 has passed out of Transportation Committee and bikers are urging their Delegates to support the bill when it comes up for a vote. They argue, among other things, that two motorcycles abreast in a traffic lane aids in making the motorcycles more visible to other traffic, and that in larger groups of motorcycles, riding two abreast keeps the overall length of the group shorter, and discourages other vehicles from dangerously cutting into the group – an issue motorcyclists riding in groups often face.

OH DEER! According to transportation officials, nearly 200 people are killed nationwide each year in crashes involving wildlife, mostly deer. The collisions cost drivers almost $1.5 billion each year in property damage, deaths and injuries.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) says they are trying to cut those numbers down. Flash lights and motion sensors are just a few of many solutions transportation experts are considering, and CDOT has put up a number of wildlife escape ramps on US 550 that allow wildlife to cross the road without getting stuck in traffic. CDOT says animals are getting more used to the ramps, even teaching their young how to use them.

On US 40, CDOT also installed a series of unusual looking reflectors to create flashes of light at 54 angles, horizontally and vertically, when a vehicle?s light hits them. According to CDOT, the reflected light bounces back and forth across the road, deterring deer and other wildlife from crossing. Drivers cannot see the light because of the way it?s reflected.

CDOT also hopes to install a motion detector system on US 160, that when triggered by a deer or other animal will cause a large light to go on to let an oncoming driver see there?s an animal on or near the road. The light may also startle the animal and keep it off of the road.

Meanwhile, an eight state research group met in Minnesota to brainstorm ideas for keeping wildlife off the road, and their leading proposal involves placing canisters of real or synthetic wolf and coyote urine near the roadways, hoping the scent of predators will cause the animals to flee.

INDONESIA INSTITUTES NEW ANTI-MOTORCYCLE LAWS New motorcycle lanes went into effect in Jakarta in January. Motorcyclists are now supposed to use the “slow” left lanes on city streets and police began getting tough on riders by issuing more than a thousand traffic tickets the first day to bikers not riding in the designated lanes. Trials are held on the spot and take about 5 minutes.

The head of traffic at the Jakarta Police, Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo, said he hoped the rule would increase order in the streets and reduce the number of traffic accidents.

The left-lane rule is not the only new requirement for motorcyclists. They are also being told to keep their headlights on during the day, so that other vehicles can see them more easily.

The city is also considering banning them from entering main thoroughfares during peak hours, recommending that motorcyclists park their bikes and make use of the city’s busway instead.

Of 7.23 million vehicles in Jakarta, 64.1 percent, or 4.64 million, are motorcycles. The Jakarta Transportation Board has estimated that more than three million motorbikes are on the city’s roads every day, compared to 2.5 million cars. Out of the 4,206 road accidents reported last year, 3,826 involved motorcyclists.

But the government believes emissions tests may be the best way to curb motorcycle growth, so the Jakarta administration has been called upon to enforce stricter emissions testing for motorcycles to control the increasing number of motorbikes, up 15% from the previous year. The State Ministry for the Environment said motorbikes that fail to meet emissions standards could be banned from the city’s streets. 60% of the motorcycles tested in spot checks did not meet emissions standards set in 1993, so the ministry predicts that even more would fail the newer, tougher emission standard issued in 2006.

JESSE JAMES FINED BY CARB California air regulators have issued $271,250 in totalfines 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. What they miss is the simple fact that motorcycles are used far less than cars, so in fact cars are putting out much more hazardous materials than almost any motorcycle.

Most states don’t even enforce EPA regs, and a number of legislative efforts are underway to afford the freedom to build any motorcycle from a wide open customs, replica motorcycle, right down to an EPA certified engine package so you can build a long distance motorcycle that’s EPA certified.

WEIRD NEWS: DRUNKEN DOUGHNUTS A Pontiac, MI motorcyclist gets sued, then sent to prison, for his actions that took place outside a bar earlier this year as he was ?doing doughnuts? in the parking lot when he struck and injured a woman who was standing outside the saloon.

Now he?ll be riding a prison van to Stateville Correctional Center, where he was sentenced to one year after pleading guilty to failure to report an accident with injury. He was also ordered to pay restitution, and faces a lawsuit from the injured woman who is seeking $50,000 each from the rider, the owner of the motorcycle and the saloon owner.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: ?We, too, born to freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 – 1945), 32nd President of the United States

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.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish
National Coalition of Motorcyclists

CHINESE CITIES CONTINUE TO BAN MOTORCYCLES China, the world?s leading producer of motorcycles with more than 13 million units manufactured annually, has been systematically banning or limiting the use of motorcycles. Most recently, the large Chinese city of Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, will join over 100 other cities in banning all motorized two-wheelers. As of January 1, the city?s 260,000 registered motorcycles in the city will be forced off the roads, as well as an additional 100,000 unregistered ones and 100,000 electric bicycles, and tens of thousands of people who use the vehicles to earn a living and make deliveries must turn them in for scrap or move them out of the city.

After six decades of control, Communist officials are accustomed to issuing sweeping draconian edicts such as this, confident that they unfailingly act for the benefit of all citizens, while individual rights are ignored and citizens simply must accept what the one-party state decides is best and are helpless to act on their frustrations.

In 2002, Guangzhou shortened the service life of motorbikes to 8 or 10 years from the previous 13 years, and offered cash rewards to owners who discarded their bikes before their ?end of life? expired. The city began phasing out motorcycles, leading up to a total ban by 2007. But after motorcycle and scooter prices plunged, throngs of residents eagerly turned to two-wheel transportation, jamming up the roads, contributing to air pollution and increasing snatch-and-run crimes committed by motorcycle-riding thieves. Motorcycles were involved in half of the city?s accidents last year.

Since 1994, cities like Shanghai, Tianjin and Nantong have stopped issuing licenses to new motorcycles. In Shanghai, many motorcycle shops were even shut down recently. Motorcycles are not replacing cars in Chinese cities, they are replacing bicycles so whereas the environmental impact of a shift to motorcycles in Western cities would lead to cleaner air, in China it’s the other way around.

Analysts estimate that China will not have an urban market for motorcycles by 2010 if more cities continue to ban their use. Nowadays, the Chinese government is following a “no encouragement and no support” policy towards the motorcycle industry.

SALT LAKE CITY PLAYING HEAD GAMES The Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah has proposed a municipal ordinance that would implement a city-wide helmet law for all motorcyclists and bicyclists, though the state of Utah does not mandate helmets for adult riders.

The proposed ordinance reads in part: 12.24.130 Motorcycle or motor-driven cycle — Protective headgear — Closed cab excepted — Electric assisted bicycles, motor assisted scooters, personal motorized mobility devices.

A. A person may not operate or ride on a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle on a street, highway or public park unless the person is wearing protective headgear which complies with specifications adopted under Subsection (C).

The Salt Lake City Weekly newspaper had this to say about the helmet law: ?City Hall is on the verge of proposing a helmet law that would make Salt Lake City one of the few cities in the country requiring that all bicycle-riding adults don a safety helmet.

?The proposal also applies to motorcycles; small, motorized scooters and the Segway, that two-wheeled platform President George W. Bush fell off. Skateboarders, however, would be spared.

?The city?s smokers rolled over for the ban on lighting up on golf courses and in public squares, but bike riders might not be so complacent.?

ABATE of Utah is requesting that riders contact Mayor Rocky Anderson and voice your opposition to this legislation. You can contact Mayor Anderson by phone: (801) 535-7704, by e-mail: mayor@slcgov.com or by letter: 451 South State St., Room 306, SLC, UT 84111.

U.S. DOT ANNOUNCES SEATBELT USE DOWN, HELMET USE UP According to a new study recently released by the National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), seat belt use in the U.S. is currently at a rate of 81 percent, down slightly from the use rate of 82 percent in 2005.

Citing the new report, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters also noted the latest data shows that 51 percent of U.S. motorcyclists now wear helmets, up from 48 percent in 2005. She pointed out that in the West, motorcycle helmet use rose from 50 to 72 percent between 2005 and 2006; and from 42 to 47 percent in the Northeast. However, the use rate fell from 53 to 50 percent in the Midwest and from 49 to 45 percent in the South. Only helmets that comply with DOT standards were included in the survey.

According to Administrator Nicole R. Nason, the NHTSA recently started offering federal grants to states for programs that help reduce the number of motorcyclist accidents. For example, this year the agency will make available $6 million in grant funding to states for motorcycle safety training and motorist awareness programs.

NO EMISSIONS TESTING FOR PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA MOTORCYCLES Owners of more than 6,200 motorcycles in Pima County, in which Tucson is located, will soon no longer have to worry about whether their vehicles can pass the state’s emissions tests, but the 22,000 motorcycles registered in Maricopa County, where the city of Phoenix is located, remains one of the only places in the U.S. where motorcycles must pass emission 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. State legislators voted for the exemption in 2005, but the law was contingent on getting the required approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — that order came December 15th as the EPA agreed that exempting the motorcycles from the testing in Pima County will not harm air quality in the Tucson region.

“This is a big step in the right direction,” said Bobbi Hartmann, a lobbyist for the motorcyclist groups in Arizona and a member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Legislative Task Force.

Motorcycle groups such as ABATE of Arizona, the Modified Motorcycle Association (MMA) of Arizona and the Arizona Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs had backed the legislation, hoping to get their vehicles exempted from what they call unfair and unnecessary emissions regulation. State records had shown that 26 percent of the motorcycles taking the test failed while cars flunked at the rate of 16 percent.

MSF AND TEAM OREGON EMBROILED IN LAWSUITS The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has filed a lawsuit against Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program of Oregon State University alleging the parties infringed on MSF copyrights, and charging that they ?willfully misappropriated the MSF’s motorcycle safety and training curriculum materials in connection with the development and publication of Team Oregon’s Basic Rider Training (BRT) curriculum materials, and prepared derivative works based on the MSF’s copyrighted curricula,? and other charges.

The suit seeks to permanently enjoin the defendants from using the Team Oregon BRT, as well as from marketing or offering the Team Oregon BRT to other states or entities.

“The MSF has worked with the state of Oregon in connection with motorcycle safety training and policy for more than 20 years, and continues to support Oregon motorcyclists,” said Dean Thompson, director, communications of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “The MSF currently works with the Oregon Division of Driver and Motor Vehicle Services on licensing issues.?

“This is the first time in its history that the MSF has initiated legal action,” Thompson said. “We would prefer to focus on our mission of making motorcycling safer and more enjoyable. But if an organization does not protect its intellectual property rights, it can lose them. The MSF does not object to another entity developing a different basic riding curriculum. However, the MSF does take issue with any entity that takes a shortcut by misappropriating the MSF’s curriculum and misrepresenting it as its own.”

BikePAC of Oregon Executive Director Ken Ray responded to the lawsuit, stating in part, ?We are disappointed that MSF has chosen to file a lawsuit after their curriculum was deemed inadequate for Oregon. Although BikePAC is not involved in this legally, all motorcyclists in Oregon will suffer when money and energy that should go to rider training is having to be used to defend Team Oregon against MSF attorneys.?

Ray went on to explain that the ?MSF has implied or threatened legal action for several years ever since Team Oregon began phasing out the MSF curriculum and began using one developed by Steve Garets and other Team Oregon instructors. MSF has maintained that printed material dealing with motorcycle training is their intellectual property. Most recently the Motorcycle Safety Foundation attempted to have their motorcycle-training curriculum certified to meet Oregon standards to replace a DMV skills test for motorcycle endorsements. Although a final decision has not been reached by the Oregon Traffic Safety Commission on the MSF proposal, the Governor?s Advisory Board on Motorcycle Safety after a year of analysis and testimony unanimously voted to recommend disapproval by OTSC.?

PELOSI TARGETS GRASSROOTS LOBBYING House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) has pledged to take up a lobbying reform proposal that would impose new regulations on speech by grassroots organizations (such as motorcycle rights organizations), while providing a loophole in the rules for large corporations and labor unions.

The legislation would make changes to the legal definition of ?grassroots lobbying? and require any organization that encourages 500 or more members of the general public to contact their elected representatives to file a report with detailed information about their organization to the government on a quarterly basis.

The report would include identifying the organization?s expenditures, the issues focused on and the members of Congress and other federal officials who are the subject of the advocacy efforts. A separate report would be required for each policy issue the group is active on.

?Right now, grassroots groups don?t have to report at all if they are communicating with the public,? said Dick Dingman of the Free Speech Coalition, Inc. ?This is an effort that would become a major attack on the 1st Amendment.?

The Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act, which made some of these changes, was actually approved by both the House and the Senate in the 109th Congress, but failed to make it through a conference committee.

OKLAHOMA BILL WOULD REDUCE MOTORCYCLE TOLLS An Oklahoma state lawmaker is proposing giving a break to motorcycle riders on the state’s turnpikes. State Representative Paul Wesselhoft says it’s not fair for motorcyclists to pay the same price as a car on the toll roads because motorcycles cause less wear and tear on the roadway. And he says the bikes cause less pollution and are more fuel-efficient.

His proposal calls for motorcycles to be charged half the toll currently charged to two-axle vehicles such as cars and SUVs. Rep. Wesselhoft says he doubts the state would lose any revenue by reducing the toll because he believes more bikers would drive the turnpikes if the toll were lower.

Rep. Paul Wesselhoft (R-Moore, OK) has been coordinating with ABATE of Oklahoma regarding advancing this legislation, which ABATE of Oklahoma’s State Board has voted to fully support. ABATE contacted the Central Oklahoma HOG Chapter to provide a Harley for a photo-op for Rep. Wesselhoft, who has prior motorcycling experience, to introduce his proposal to the media.

?We appreciate Representative Wesselhoft?s decision to introduce this measure, which will be beneficial both to our state and to improving motorcycling Quality of Life in Oklahoma,? said Tiger Mike Revere, State Coordinator of ABATE of Oklahoma and a member of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) Board of Directors.

UK LICENSING PLAN FOR ALL MOTORCYCLES A plan to crackdown on teenage motorcyclists plaguing estates and shopping centers was unveiled by Labour MP Chris Bryant, who wants to bring in a new law calling for all bikes – including off-road scramblers and mini-motorbikes – to be forced to have license plates.

Many of the bikes used by hooligans to terrorize others are unlicensed as they are officially classified as off-road machines, he said. Police are reluctant to chase them fearing riders could be thrown off and be killed or injured. But Mr Bryant believes by putting number plates on bikes officers would know who owns the vehicles and track them down.

He told the London Mirror that, “Unlicensed so-called ‘off-road’ bikes are a lethal nuisance. The racket they make and the danger they pose to pedestrians and drivers means it’s time we licensed them.”

Sales of mini-motorcycles, which can go up to 60mph, have soared ten-fold since 2002, to 100,000 last year.

WEIRD NEWS: Bees mistake motorcycle cushion for real flowers. Vivid flowers on a cushion used by a woman for her motorcycle were so lifelike that hundreds of bees attempted to collect honey from it, the China Daily newspaper reported. Seeing so many bees flying over the motorcycle, parked at a village near Shenyang of Liaoning Province, the rider was scared out of her wits and cried for help. She was rescued from the spot only after fire fighters were called in to drive the bees away.

CNN POLL REVEALS MOST AMERICANS THINK GOVERNMENT IS DOING TOO MUCH A quarter century after the Reagan revolution, a CNN poll found that most Americans still agree with the Gipper; “Government is not the answer to our problems — government is the problem.”

The poll showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans perceive, correctly, that the size and cost of government have gone up: discretionary spending grew from $649 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $968 billion in fiscal year 2005, an increase of $319 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Queried about their views on the role of government, 54 percent of the 1,013 adults polled said they thought it was trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. Only 37 percent said they thought the government should do more to solve the country’s problems.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) 40th President of the United States & 33rd Governor of California

HELMET LAW THE FOCUS OF LAWSUIT IN CALIFORNIA:A local motorcyclist and four others filed a civil lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol on Thursday alleging that the state’s helmetlaw is unconstitutional.

The seven-page suit, filed on behalf of the motorcyclists by attorney Wendy Lascher of Ventura, argues that the 14 year-old law is vague andviolates the plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment rights because it doesn’t adequatelydescribe a correct helmet.

“I have spent thousands of dollars fighting this and I’ve committedthousands more,” said Don Blanscet of Penn Valley.

The suit cites an August 16, 2006, ruling by a Santa Cruz judgedismissing a plaintiff’s traffic citations for not wearing a helmet on the groundsthat the law is unconstitutional. An appeal of the decision is still pending in the 6th District Court of Appeals.

The plaintiff in the August ruling, Richard Quigley of Aptos, was one ofthe five who filed the lawsuit on Thursday. Quigley said one of the reasonsbehind the lawsuit was to force the issue of the constitutionality of the helmet law. His perception is that the courts are slow to respond to the Augustruling.

“After the judge told the CHP what they were doing was unconstitutional,and they said that they didn’t care, I was sort of compelled to make themcare,” Quigley said. “They didn’t leave me much choice.”

Lascher said that she thought the case had “an excellent chance” of winning.

“The issue here is limited,” Lascher said. “It’s whether the helmet law we have creates a clear enough standard that anyone who looks at it cansay, ‘this helmet qualifies. This helmet doesn’t qualify.'”

— By Jill Bauerle

LAUTENBERG TO CHAIR TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE: (Published: November 16, 2006) WASHINGTON (AP) – New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg will be chairman of a transportation subcommittee when the new Congressconvenes in January, his office said Thursday.

Lautenberg will head the Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Securityand Water Quality Subcommittee. Among the issues Lautenberg said his panelwill deal with are drunken driving, MOTORCYCLE SAFETY, chemical plantsecurity and oil spills.

“This chairmanship will allow me to provide greater safety and securityfor New Jersey’s transportation systems,” Lautenberg said. “This panel willalso lead the way in protecting the quality of water on our shore and in our rivers, lakes and wetlands.”

Besides his seat on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Lautenberg will also serve on the Appropriations Committee and theEnvironmental and Public Works Committee.

–The Associated Press

OPEN LETTER TO BRIAN BENECZKOWSKI:ALERT FROM JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP: America’sAggressive Civil Rights Organization,November 13, 2006.

Dear Mr. Benczkowski,

We’d like to congratulate you on your new position as Chief of Staff for theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. As you know, the BATFEhas experienced several embarrassments recently, such as the discovery thatagents were improperly talking to the neighbors and relatives of people whowere buying firearms at Virginia gun shows. This incident, as well asseveral related ones, prompted the recent BATFE hearings in Congress.

There are also problems with your Firearms Technology Branch, whicharbitrarily designates certain firearms or accessories as “legal” or”illegal”. We say arbitrarily because we have seen multiple instances ofitems that are categorized as “legal” suddenly recategorized as “illegal” months and even years later. Worse, owners of these items are seldomnotified that their once-legal property is suddenly illegal. Theselaw-abiding citizens become “criminals” overnight, and are completelyunaware of it!

The Firearms Technology Branch has also been known to incompetently “test”firearms. In at least one case, the testing agent declared a rifle to be anillegally modified machine gun because he was able to force it torapid-fire.

It was only after a third party disassembled the rifle that it was found tohave a malfunctioning part. To think that a man’s life, freedom, andlivelihood rested on the findings of the Firearms Technology Branch … andthe BATFE didn’t even bother to inspect the rifle. It’s not entirelysurprising, of course, considering that the BATFE has no written,standardized procedures for performing these tests.

We know such improprieties will not knowingly be permitted to take place onyour watch. Additionally, we hope that you will seriously examine the casesof the hundreds or more firearms owners who may have been falsely imprisonedas a result of these poorly-executed tests.

We would like to offer you a complimentary copy of our book _”Gun Control”:Gateway to Tyranny_, which illustrates the connections between the 1968 GunControl Act and the 1938 Nazi gun control laws. The two are eerily similar.

Gateway also reproduces a letter from Louis Coffin at the Library ofCongress to Senator Thomas Dodd, who had a copy of the original Nazi lawsand wished for a translation.

Senator Dodd, it should be noted, was a primary author of the 1968 GCA.Would you or the Justice Department be willing to open an investigation intothe use of Nazi laws as a model for American gun laws that infringe on therights of Americans?

As evidenced above, the BATFE has been riddled with greed, arrogance,dishonesty, and incompetence from its inception.

Despite numerous attempts at “reform”, these problems still exist, and as aresult, we’ve come to believe that the best “reform” would be totalabolishment of this agency.

Sincerely,
Aaron Zelman
Executive Director
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership www.jpfo.org

SCORECARD ON HIGHWAY SAFETY LAWS:D.C. and Washington State Receive Top Rankings in National Scorecard on Highway Safety Laws; Arizona, Ranked Lowest Emergency Nurses Association Study Comes as Americans Prepare to Take tothe Roads for Thanksgiving Holiday CHICAGO, Nov. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ — Washington, D.C., and the state of Washington were the only locations to receive perfect scores in anEmergency Nurses Association (ENA) study released today that ranked states on ascale of one to 10 for having highway laws that promote safety and injury prevention.

The “2006 ENA National Scorecard on State Highway Laws: A Roadmap forInjury Prevention” ranked Arizona at the bottom of the survey, with a score of two out of a possible 10. The scorecard is designed to educate legislatorsand the general public about their state’s strengths, weaknesses and level of risk at a time of increased travel during the holiday season.

The scorecard rankings were based on ENA criteria derived from five policy areas that come under the jurisdiction of the states, four of whichfocused on the presence of highway safety laws including primary seatbelt laws, child passenger safety laws, graduated driver licensing (GDL) and universal motorcycle helmet laws. The fifth measure evaluated each state’scapacity to respond to severe emergencies by determining the existence of initiatives thatwould allow a state to establish a statewide trauma system.

“We’ve released the scorecard at a time of increased emphasis on disaster preparedness, which can overshadow the fact that more than 40,000fatalities occur on our roadways every year,” said Nancy Bonalumi, RN, MS, CEN, ENA president. “The scorecard is designed to educate ENA members and thegeneral public about each state’s strengths and weaknesses so that they are empowered to advocate for change. While we can not be free of risk, it is necessaryto take all possible steps toward preventing injury.”

The ENA’s Injury Prevention Institute, which compiled the scorecard, emphasizes that safe driving is a public health issue. In 2004, 42,836people were killed in motor vehicle crashes. In 2005, there was a 1.4 percent increase over the 2004 data, raising the total to 43,443 people killed. Thislevel is the greatest number of fatalities from traffic crashes since 1990. Thescorecard aims to enhance collaborative efforts at the local, state and nationallevels to encourage implementation of effective injury prevention programs and policies to help save lives.

Key information from the report: — Locations with the most highway safety and injury prevention laws inplace according to ENA criteria include Washington, D.C., Washington,California, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee

— States with the fewest highway safety and injury prevention laws inplace include Idaho, North Dakota, Ohio, Arkansas, Minnesota, South Dakota and Arizona

— Six states currently do not have established statewide trauma systemand have no plan in place for establishing a trauma system to respond tomedical emergencies

“Every year emergency nurses treat thousands of patients who are thevictims of traffic accidents that might have been prevented,” Bonalumi said. “We recognize the importance of laws in promoting safe driving and preventing injury, particularly around Thanksgiving and other busy holiday seasons.We hope that his scorecard will serve as a wake up call on all levels.”

For more information on the scorecard and to learn more about the survey’s ranking system/criteria, visit _http://www.ena.org_

DWI MANUALS AVAILABLE NOW!The Updated Version of the NHSTA DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Manuals are Now Available!

The “Bible” of DUI Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), the manual describes how SFSTs are to be administered under ideal conditions and is used nationwide to teach police officers how to properly do their jobs. A powerful tool when cross-examining the administering officers; in a bound book format for easy referencing.

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Mail Your Order Form to:
Publication Services
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
1150 18th Street, NW Ste. 950
Washington DC 20036

NEW CITIZENSHIP TEST TO GET TRYOUTS SOON: Monday, November 13, 2006BOSTON – Boston and nine other cities will be trying out a new citizenshipexam that tests applicants’ grasp of the American democracy.

The current test is heavy on historical facts, and includes questions aboutthe colors of the U.S. flag and the name of the form used to apply forcitizenship. The new exam will ask about the Bill of Rights and the meaningof democracy.

“The intent is to create a test, and a testing process, that is fair andmeaningful,” said Shawn Saucier, spokesman for the Office of Citizenship andImmigration Services.” It is not to make it harder … The new test isdesigned to encourage immigrants to really look at our history andgovernment, and what we value as a society.”

Starting this winter, the test will be offered on a voluntary basis inBoston and nine other cities. Officials have not announced the other citiesthat will offer the test, Saucier said.

In 2008, the exam will be given to all applicants for naturalization.During the pilot project, officials hope to work out any problems with thetest and refine the exam by administering it to 5,000 people. To pass thetest, immigrants must correctly answer six of 10 questions.

Some immigrant advocates say a more sophisticated set of questions couldmake the exam more difficult to pass and raise the bar for citizenship toohigh.

“We are highly suspicious of their motives for (redesigning the test),”saidJoshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant andRefugee Rights, which drafted a letter to federal official. “We think thatit may be designed to make it difficult for less-educated immigrants tobecome citizens.”

NEW MONROE PROGRAM URGES MOTORCYCLE SAFETY: Through comraderie, mentorship and occasional excursions on the openroad, a new programhere plans to build biker safety for years to come.

The Fort Monroe Motorcycle Association began meeting earlier this month.Group leaders arelooking for members who are interested in improving their riding skills,as well asseasoned riders willing to mentor those who are just getting the feelfor their bikes andthe road.

Due to a summertime string of fatal accidents involving Soldiers, theemphasis ofmotorcycle safety has become a top priority across the Army. In recentmonths, twoinstallation motorcycle safety rides drew sizeable crowds from not onlythe Monroecommunity, but also other service branches and military installationsthroughout HamptonRoads.

?We want to keep that momentum going,? said David Speigner, who isspearheading the group.?Our purpose is to support the Fort Monroe community by establishing andmaintaining aspirit of comraderie among riders. We?re going to stress rider educationand skillsdevelopment to reduce the potential of motorcycle accidents.?

The FMMA is open to all military, civilian and contract employees on theinstallation, aswell as Department of Defense retirees and other service membersresiding in the area.

Though their meeting schedule is considered tentative at the moment,the FMMA plans tohold monthly meetings once they get settled into a regular routine. Fornow, theirmeetings will be held in the classroom adjacent to the Fitside Perk atthe Fort MonroeFitness Center during the lunch hour, Speigner noted.

Along with their regular meetings, the group is planning social eventsand rides ofvarying distances. Speigner would like the group to take a trip to theBlue RidgeMountains if they can work out the logistics. He will also push forbarbeque socials.

?We want to make it fun as well as educational,? he said. ?We want tobuild friendshipsand community relations.?

For those who currently ride motorcycles, or are interested in owningone, these meetingswill provide the necessary information and feedback that could possiblyprevent a futureincident resulting in damage, injury or death.

Speigner said some of the topics the group will focus on during theirmeetings include:accident avoidance measures, proper motorcycle maintenance andrecommended safetyequipment.

Occasionally, they will invite outside motorcycle safety experts totheir meetings toshare insights and answer any questions the members may have.

For more information about the association or future events, current andpotential memberscan contact Speigner at 788-4886.

BY E DAVID VIDACASEMATE STAFF WRITER

HOA RULE FORBIDS COUPLE FROM SOMOKING IN THEIR OWN HOME: GOLDEN, Colo. — A judge has upheld a homeowners association’s orderbarring a couple fromsmoking in the town house they own.

Colleen and Rodger Sauve, both smokers, filed a lawsuit in March aftertheir condominiumassociation amended its bylaws last December to prohibit smoking.

“We argued that the HOA was not being reasonable in restricting smokingin our own unit,nowhere on the premises, not in the parking lot or on our patio,”Colleen Sauve said.

The Heritage Hills #1 Condominium Owners Association was responding tocomplaints from theSauves’ neighbors who said cigarette smoke was seeping into their units,representing anuisance to others in the building.

In a Nov. 7 ruling, Jefferson County District Judge Lily Oeffler ruledthe association cankeep the couple from smoking in their own home.

Oeffler stated “smoke and/or smoke smell” is not contained to one areaand that smokesmell “constitutes a nuisance.” She noted that under condo declarations,nuisances are notallowed.

The couple now has to light up on the street in front of theircondominium building.”I think it’s ridiculous. If there’s another blizzard, I’m going to behaving to stand outon the street, smoking a cigarette,” said Colleen Suave.

For five years the couple has smoked in their living room and that hadneighbors fuming.

“At times, it smells like someone is sitting in the room with you,smoking. So yes, it’svery heavy,” said condo owner Christine Shedron.

The Sauves said they have tried to seal their unit. One tenant spentthousands of dollarstrying to minimize the odor.

“We got complaints and we felt like it was necessary to protect ourtenants and ourinvestment,” said Shedron.

The Suaves said they would like to appeal the judge’s ruling but areunsure if they havethe money to continue fighting. They said what goes on behind theirclosed doors shouldn’tbe other people’s business.

“I don’t understand. If I was here and I was doing a lawful act in myhome when they gothere, why can they say, ‘OK, now you have to change,'” said ColleenSuave. “We’re notarguing the right to smoke as much as we’re arguing the right to privacyin our home.”

Other homeowners believe, as with loud music, that the rights of acommunity trump therights of individual residents. The HOA is also concerned that tenantswill sue thosehomeowners for exposure to second-hand smoke and this could be aliability issue.

The couple said that they would like to unload their condo and get outof the HOAentirely, but they are not sure if the real estate market is right.

ARIZONA RANKED LAST IN HIGHWAY SAFETY ACCORDING TO BUSINESS JOURNAL OF PHOENIX: A group has ranked Arizona last in the country when it comes to highwaylaws and rules that promote safety and injury prevention.

The Emergency Nurses Association issued the ranking as part of a new study that examines state laws mandating use of motorcycle helmets and auto seat belts, child passenger safety rules and driver’s license requirements.

Arizona ranked 51st — dead last — just ahead of South Dakota,Minnesota and Arkansas. The District of Columbia and the state of Washington tied forfirst and California tied for third with five other states.

Arizona does not require motorcycle riders to wear helmets and has highrates of drunk driving and uninsured drivers.

The study also looked at states’ emergency services and trauma centers and their ability to respond to highway accidents.

The poor ranking is the latest in a number of quality of life indicators in which Arizona ranks poorly. A Kansas research group ranked Arizona as the “dumbest” state in the union. Arizona also has high crime rates, thenation’s highest per-capita identity theft rate and the worst high school dropoutrate when compared to other states.

— Mike SunnucksThe Business Journal

STUDENT AT CALIFA COLLEGE BAN PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor bybanning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government.

The move by Orange Coast College student trustees, the latest clash over patriotism and religion in American schools, has infuriated some of their classmates — prompting one young woman to loudly recite the pledge infront of the board on Wednesday night in defiance of the rule.

“America is the one thing I’m passionate about and I can’t let them takethat away from me,” 18-year-old political science major Christine Zoldos told Reuters.

“The fact that they have enough power to ban one of the most valued traditions in America is just horrible,” Zoldos said, adding she wouldattend every board meeting to salute the flag.

The move was led by three recently elected student trustees, who ran for office wearing revolutionary-style berets and said they do not believe in publicly swearing an oath to the American flag and government at theirschool. One student trustee voted against the measure, which does not apply to other student groups or campus meetings.

The ban follows a 2002 ruling by a federal appeals court in San Francisco that said forcing school children to recite the pledge wasunconstitutional because of the phrase “under God.” The U.S. Supreme Court struck downthe ruling on procedural grounds but left the door open for another challenge.

“That (‘under God’) part is sort of offensive to me,” student trusteeJason Ball, who proposed the ban, told Reuters. “I am an atheist and a socialist, and if you know your history, you know that ‘under God’ was insertedduring the McCarthy era and was directly designed to destroy my ideology.”

Ball said the ban largely came about because the trustees didn’t want to publicly vow loyalty to the American government before their meetings.”Loyalty ought to be something the government earns through performance, notthrough reciting a pledge,” he said.

Martha Parham, a spokeswoman for the Coast Community College District,said her office had no standing on the student board and took no position on the flag salute ban.

“If their personal belief is that they don’t want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, the district certainly isn’t going to dictate what they do,”she said. More than 28,000 students attend the community college, located in conservative Orange County, California, south of Los Angeles.

— By Dan WhitcombFri Nov 10, 1:53 PM ET

AMA REJECTS PROPOSAL TO TAX SOFT DRINKS: LAS VEGAS (AP) – The American Medical Association on Tuesday decidedagainst a proposal tocall for taxes on soft drinks as a way to curb consumption of thesugar-laden beveragesblamed for contributing to obesity.

“We don’t want sugared soft drinks in schools. But a federal tax made alot of peopleuncomfortable,” said Dr. William Hamilton, a Salt Lake Cityanesthesiologist who attendedthe group’s meeting at a Las Vegas Strip hotel.

The AMA instead approved a proposal for a broader effort to fight obesity.

The American Beverage Association fought the tax proposal but issued astatement creditingthe AMA with adopting “a comprehensive approach to addressing thecomplex problem ofobesity.”

Dr. Ron Davis, president-elect of the nation’s most influentialphysicians lobbying group,insisted the idea of taxing soda was not dead. He said soft drinks nowaccount for 7percent of calories in the American diet _ the No. 1 source of calories.

“The epidemic of obesity in the U.S. has been developing and growing for30 years, andit’s going to take decades to turn it around,” he said.

— By KEN RITTER Associated Press Writer

JURY FINDS MASON CITY NOT NEGLIGENT IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH: MASON CITY, Iowa A jury has sided with Mason City in a lawsuit filed bya man who claimed an open fire hydrant caused his motorcycle accident.

James Kleven of Mason City was injured in June 2003. He sued the city for negligence, claiming an open fire hydrant being used to water flowerscaused the accident.

He claimed there was two to three inches of water in the street, causinghim to lose control of his motorcycle.

The city claims that Kleven had been drinking before the crash. He was not charged with drunken driving.

A Cerro Gordo County jury ruled yesterday that the city was not negligent. (Brian Fancher, KGLO in Mason City)

THE POLITICIAN: While walking down the street one day, a senator is tragically hit by atruck and killed. His soul arrives inHeaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

“Welcome to Heaven,” says St. Peter. “Before you settle in, it seems thereis a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, sowe’re not sure what to do with you.”

“No problem, just let me in,” says the senator.

“Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is haveyou spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where tospend eternity.”

“There’s no need! I want to be in Heaven,” says the senator.

“I’m sorry, but we have our rules.” And with that, St. Peter escorts him tothe elevator, the doors open, and he rides the elevator down, down, down.When the doors open again, the senator finds himself in the middle of abeautiful green golf course. In the distance is a club, and standing infront of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked withhim.

Everyone is very happy and in formal dress. They run to greet him, and theyreminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense ofthe people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster andcaviar.

Also present is the Devil, who is a very friendly guy who has a good timedancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that, before thesenator realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug andwaves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up, and the doorreopens in Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

So 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls movingfrom cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good timeand, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by, and St. Peterreturns.

“Well, you’ve spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now, you mustchoose where you want to spend eternity.”

He reflects for a minute and then answers, “Well, I would never would havethought it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be bettersatisfied in Hell.”

So Saint Peter escorts him to the elevator, and down, down, down he goesinto Hell. Now, the doors of the elevator open, and he is in the middle of abarren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends dressedin rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. And it’s hot,hot, hot, and the odor is just horrible.

Sweltering hot. Hot and miserable. The Devil comes over to him and smoothlylays his arm around his shoulder.

“I don’t understand,” stammers the senator. “The day before I was here, andthere was a golf course and club, and we ate lobster and caviar and dancedand had a great time. Now all there is is a wasteland full of garbage, andmy friends look miserable.”

The Devil looks at the senator, smiles, and says, “Yesterday we werecampaigning. Today you voted for us.”

Author – Unknown

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM: If you need more info on this or any other subject just go to the Sons ofLiberty Riders Info Zonehttp://solriders.com/ or http://bikers4row.org

Later
–Hawk
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Anything can be accomplished, if it’s planned right and you have thedesire and creativity to execute it.

–Jesse “The Governor” Ventura