OHIO CONSIDERS BIKER ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL As Fall comes into full
swing, the legislative staff of the Ohio Motorcyclists Coalition has been
hard at work through the Summer advancing the cause of Equal Access for all
motorcyclists. House Bill 238, which seeks to outlaw discrimination
against motorcyclists, now has the support of at least 24 Ohio
Representatives, and it has passed its first Sponsor's Hearing.

Sponsored by Ohio Rep. Sylvester Patton (D64), HB 238 would prohibit the
denial of access to public accommodations to persons because they ride
motorcycles or wear clothing that displays the name of a motorcycle-related
organization. So while most riders were enjoying a Summer ride, the OMC
lobbying team of Ralph Buss, Michael Stanley and Michael Warren accompanied
OMC Lobbyist Ed Hogan to a face to face meeting with Ohio's Attorney
General, Betty Montgomery, to discuss the need for statutory protections
for bikers.

Ralph Buss, the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) Attorney for Ohio,
Kentucky and West Virginia, initiated the first Biker Anti-Discrimination
Bill in the country in 1994 when it was introduced in the Ohio
Legislature. Since that time, at least 19 states have considered such
legislation, with Minnesota becoming the first state to enact Equal Access
Legislation in 1998. Earlier this year, Texas overwhelmingly passed an
Equal Access bill through their legislature, only to have it vetoed at the
last minute by their governor.

 

U.S. SUPREME COURT APPROVES ROADBLOCKS The U.S. Supreme Court concluded it
is constitutional for law enforcement officers to set up roadblocks to
randomly check motorists and other road users for proper driver's licenses.

Without comment, the justices declined to hear -- and thus let stand -- an
Ohio Supreme Court ruling that concluded roadblocks established by Dayton
police did not violate the U. S. Constitution's ban on unreasonable search
and seizure.

The justices handed a victory to Dayton police who set up roadblocks to
catch unlicensed drivers. Dayton officials argued that the checks took
only a matter of moments and that the city had a compelling reason to
determine whether operators were legally licensed to drive.

With its decision not to hear the case, the justices expanded the reach of
two of their earlier decisions that provided police with broader powers to
establish checkpoints without first obtaining a warrant.

This news should be of particular interest to motorcyclists, who typically
are vociferously opposed to unwarranted stop, question and search methods
as a means of profiling bikers, though such roadblocks would certainly
improve on the high percentage of riders who are unlicensed

 

SMILE, IT'S BIG BROTHER According to the Associated Press, a judge in San
Diego dismissed 290 Red Light camera tickets on September 3rd saying the
camera evidence was inadmissible because of the "private corporation's role
in operation of the system and its per-ticket collection of fees violated
state law."

The National Motorists Association and other organizations have long
questioned the effectiveness of these cameras and instead have campaigned
for increasing the yellow time which has been effective in nearly
eliminating tickets from locations where the red-light cameras have been
installed. You can visit the NMA at www.motorists.org.
BIKER MAGAZINE

 

TARGET PRACTICE A GOOD story deserves a good airing. What follows was
spotted in BIKE magazine, which had spotted it in PILOT magazine. Two
members of the Lothian and Borders traffic police were recently having a
pleasant time out on the Scottish moors, trapping speeding motorists with a
radar gun. Suddenly their equipment went crazy, registering a speed of over
300 miles per hour. It then locked up completely. Seconds later the
startled boys in blue understood why, as a low-flying Harrier jet screamed
over their heads.

Upset that their radar gun had been broken, the policemen put in a
complaint to the Royal Air Force-only to discover that the damage could
easily have been much worse. The RAF informed them that the Harrier's
target-seeker had locked on to what it had interpreted as enemy
radar. This immediately triggered an automatic air-to-surface missile
attack. Fortunately for the two policemen, the Harrier was operating unarmed.

 

S.C. SUPREME COURT HEARS TATTOO CASE South Carolina's highest court heard
a challenge to the state's tattooing ban, focusing on whether the practice
is an issue of free speech or public health, reports the ASSOCIATED PRESS.

Ronald White, who was sentenced to five years of probation for illegal
tattooing, says a South Carolina law that allows tattooing only by
physicians violates his First Amendment right of free expression. Oklahoma
is the only other state with a similar law banning tattooing.

"We all have a right to look at a painting, but this law would ban the
artist from painting it," White's lawyer, Jared Newman, told the South
Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 14.

But Charles Richardson of the state attorney general's office said the law
was "not a banning of ideas, but the medium utilized. ... the human body."

"Isn't tattooing a form of artwork?" Chief Justice Jean Toal asked. She
said tattooing was mentioned in literature and throughout history as a form
of expression and that courts have held that activities such as nude
dancing were forms of expression."

Newman said the state allows other forms of so-called body art, such as
piercing. In that case, practitioners must be licensed and regulated,
restrictions that would also eliminate the public health concerns
surrounding tattoos.

State Sen. William Mescher has been trying since 1994 to legalize and
regulate tattooing. His chief opponent has been Rep. Jake Knotts, who has
said that "if the Lord wanted you to have a tattoo, he would have put it on
you."

White, 32, contends that tattooing is older than most of today's religions
and said he has given many illegal tattoos in South Carolina, though he has
stopped tattooing here because it would be a violation of his probation.

As he and other tattoo aficionados await the court's decision, White said
he was encouraged by the justices' line of questioning. "I think they were
educated questions and (the justices) realize they are dealing with an art
form."

Last fall, a Massachusetts trial judge ruled that state's law banning
tattooing violated free speech rights. Another judge kept the ban in effect
for several months so the state could create industry regulations, and
tattoo parlors began operating there legally in February.
PAGE IVEY, AP Writer

 

BIKER FOOTBALL Berlin's "Dynamo" football team was recently purchased by
the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Germany, reports the German newspaper
"BILD". The football club was prepared to file for bankruptcy, but has
been rescued by the local bikers.

The team dominated East German football under the Communists, and went
down-hill dramatically after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is currently
facing relegation to Germany's fifth division.

With debts of $3.5 million, Dynamo Berlin was all set to register its
bankruptcy prior to the bikers' bailout of the team.

 

NEWS OF THE WEIRD: POLICE BAN KNIGHT FROM HIS IRON HORSE A Dutch man
dressed as a knight in shining armor riding on a motorcycle made to look
like a horse has been ordered off the road. Police in Zwijndrecht say the
41-year-old frightened members of the public every time he went shopping.

He dresses as a medieval knight complete with aluminum armor. His
motorcycle has been rebuilt with steel plates in the shape of a horse.

Police have seized the iron steed on the grounds that it is not road worthy
and could be dangerous to other road users.

The 'knight' has now got a warrant to get his 'horse' back but must rebuild
it to its original form.

It is not known why he went shopping disguised as a knight, reports the
Dutch press agency ANP.

 

FREE ITALIAN PIZZA FOR HELMET WEARERS A southern Italian council is
offering a complimentary pizza to young motorcyclists who wear a helmet.

Traffic wardens in Acerra have been told to give vouchers to those seen
wearing helmets entitling them to a free restaurant feed.

Mayor Michelangelo Riemma says he decided on the move to improve road
safety among young motorcyclists.

Although wearing helmets while riding is compulsory in Italy, the rule is
not observed by some people.

TGCOM website reports that Mr Riemma said: "I've had an accident earlier
this year on my Vespa and the helmet saved my life. That is why I'm trying
to do everything I can to get my fellow young citizens wearing a helmet as
well."

 

QUOTABLE QUOTES: "Don't be disquieted in time of adversity. Be firm with
dignity and self-reliant with vigor."
CHIANG KAI-SHEK
(1886-1975) Chinese soldier, statesman