Finding Strength in Our Darkest Hour

 

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~Sir Winston Churchill

 

I had to do a double take at my monthly meeting agenda when I realized the best news I had for Local 36 was the E.P.A.’s Final Ruling on the future of motorcycle emissions.  I average about 80 hours a month on the internet searching for positive news stories to inspire the troops of Bikerdom. Unfortunately, for every positive news item that gives me hope, I inadvertently stumble upon three discouraging stories that bring me right back down.  I don’t mind the occasional beating, but our position is being decimated and it’s time to replenish our reserves, strategize and mobilize. 

 

Another lid law modification bill has been defeated in California ’s Assembly Transportation Committee.  The Patriot Act, and it’s oncoming revision looks to have a negative impact on us ‘known associates’. The Motorcycle Awareness Rally in May has been CANCELED.  The Murkowski Rider’s Training amendment to TEA didn’t pass the U.S. Senate. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation testifies against rider training in D.C. and also talks smack about state run motorcycle safety programs. Then, incredibly, the MSF steals the California Motorcycle Safety Program right from under us.  $2.00 from each motorcycle registration helps fund that program. The 1-800-CC-RIDER phone number is disconnected and the www.cmsp.org website is down. You paid for those.  High handlebar tickets are now a point on your license as well as non-correctible and the same deal may have been dealt for loud pipes. Beanie tickets are on the rise despite the 9^th Circuit ruling that staved off the citations for a good while.  Excessive noise ordinances are emerging everywhere and tickets are being written all over the country.  Northwestern Mutual, the ‘quiet company,’ rubs our nose in it with a television commercial showing a bike with loud pipes keeping an eavesdropper from hearing good financial advice from the next table.  Even the simple art of lane-splitting was recently attacked by an ultra liberal news magazine in my neck of the woods.  

 

Then, there’s the human element.  No good news there, either.  Seemingly, “Kill a Biker, Go to Jail” is no longer applicable.   We all know the Bill Janklow story.   The former congressman from South Dakota was sentenced to 100 days and some court/jail costs for killing Minnesota rider, Randy  Scott.  ABATE of SD has declared the penalty to be consistent with similar occurrences and asks that we stop writing the Governor. Also, there will be no boycott of Sturgis. The damage has been done.  Instead, use your outrage to help increase sentencing penalties in the memory of those we’ve lost. Or, save your letter writing skills for Tama County , Iowa . Apparently, when you drive a van in Iowa you can nod off, cross the centerline, kill 3 Bikers and permanently maim 3 more and only be subject to a $70 fine with no jail time.

 

In my back yard,  Pastor Tom “Big Dog” Rietveld was killed by a hit and run driver in Bishop.  Stan Jacobs, who’s lifetime mileage would circumnavigate the globe at least 14 times, sustained injuries from a left turning pick up truck and remains in the hospital a full month after the accident. We thought we were going to lose Leon Dailey for a while and I’m glad to report he’s up and causing mischief again. Add this to the 4 recent fatalities we’ve experienced in my valley and you see an immediate need for an improved motorcycle awareness campaign.  That’s not up to the state, or somebody else, that’s up to each one of us to identify a problem, devise a strategy and then make changes.

 

Whenever I think things are going bad for the motorcycle rights movement, I regain perspective from Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II.  I find inspiration in seeing how others handled desperation.  Any day your city isn’t rained upon with “buzz bombs”, the German V-1 rocket, is a sunny day.  Not many people know this, but Churchill found strength and pride in being half American. His mother hailed from Brooklyn , his great grandmother was an Iriquois and he had at least 3 ancestors on the Mayflower.  Churchill’s maternal family tree fought valiantly against the British in the Revolutionary War alongside General George Washington.  If you’re ever looking for a catchy quote to bring you up when you’re down, Churchill is a gold mine.  So, how do I associate the buzz bomb to the Biker's plight? The V-1 rocket was controlled by a simple on/off switch. Killing the engine brought gravity into play. If you heard the sound of the rocket buzzing off into the distance, you pretty much knew you were ok and it would hit somewhere else down the road. However, if the engine suddenly went silent while flying over your village, that's when you knew it was going to fall on you. During the quiet time. That's exactly what's happened to Bikers.

 

Sure, motorcycle rights issues pale in comparison to the bombing of London . The only blood we’ve lost was most likely offered up to the local blood bank as a gesture of goodwill to our community. Yet, many of us see the gradual erosion of liberties as a serious threat to the principles of life in America , in which many blood sacrifices were made.  I see hope for motorcycling through the smoke filled horizon. Adversity has only made us stronger. I’m seeing new faces at meetings and old ones are returning.  ABATE PAC recently banged out an incredible meeting and we’ve got battle plan goals lined up.  We’re in an election year, and if we get involved in local races, we have hope of getting our friends in office, which is ultimately where power begins.  Lines of communication are improving constantly and a campaign to recruit new members will appear in motorcycle magazines soon.  Apathy from California's riding public is about to be vanquished.  The only thing missing from our march to eventual victory is the guy/gal who isn’t reading this article.  For that, we rely upon our most valuable asset; YOU.  I know you’ll drop this Bailing Wire off with a friend when you’re finished reading. You’ll invite folks to a meeting and make things happen.  The adversity has made you stronger as well, steadied your resolve for the battles to come. Churchill said it best, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

 

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." 

 

Tell ya what, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.