The GUNNY'S SACK

June 2000

The good news this month is the annual National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) national Convention in May went off with flying colors. Actually it was INTERNATIONAL, and it was spectacular. Over a THOUSAND BIKERS attended in Millbrae, Cal. I'm happy to report there were a bunch of people from ABATE of Oregon, BikePAC of Oregon, and our Oregon Confederation of Clubs who took the time to find out what it's all about. I think some eyes were opened. ''Thank You'' to those folks and the time they spent looking after liberty, and thanks to RICHARD LESTER and all the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) lawyers from across the country who were there and who helped put the whole shebang on.

We had seminars on bikers rights issues from 8 a.m. until after dinner every night. Oh yeah, and our Oregon AIM Attorney, Sam Hochberg, got himself a real honor down there: The Silver Spoke Award in the legal field. He also gave a talk in a seminar about our victory last year with the 26 bikers in Salem, OR, who were ''stopped for failing to stop,'' as Sam says. We even got our civil rights lawyer, Spencer ''Spike'' Neal, to come down and give a talk. NEXT YEAR: Mark your calendars now for Mother's Day weekend, in Orlando, Florida, May 10-12 at the Marriott Hotel & Resort!

SHOWMAN, the chair of our Confederation of Clubs of Oregon and a true Freedom Fighter, and my wife and I had the opportunity to ride back home together from the conference. He and I have always had great respect for each other and now we have a bond that hopefully will extend to our brothers and sisters who ride.

We both understand how fast our freedoms are being eroded by our lawmakers. Now we can work together getting more of our people paying more attention to what's happening around us and more folks voting.

Liberty is a precious thing, paid for with the blood of our ancestors. Regaining our liberty in this country can only be done by ALL of us standing together. Showman has the drive and desire that I wish we all could have to accomplish this work. Let's get behind him and help.

 

NEWS BITS'N PIECES:

PERTH, Australia: Doctors are treating a New Zealand man who is in danger of losing a hand grafted onto his arm 18 months ago in the world's first hand transplant.

Clint Hallam is being given drugs to combat rejection of the hand transplant. He made international headlines in September 1998 when a team of surgeons in Lyon, France, grafted the hand of a 41-year-old motorcyclist on to his forearm in a 13-hour operation.

Last year, Hallam said he hoped one day to learn to play the piano. He already was performing simple tasks with the hand such as holding a cup of coffee and swimming. Maybe he could stop the rejection if he would get on a bike and make the hand feel more at home.

HELSINKI, FINLAND: The wars are so bad here that they're having a biker trial in a BOMB shelter because of concerns over retaliatory attacks by clubs! There are plans for tons of police protection as well.

The defendants are charged with killing three men and wounding four others in a pizzeria shootout in January during a break in the trial of other bikers.

Since 1994, about 15 people have been killed and 75 injured in feuding between bikers in the Nordic countries that have included car bombs and anti-tank grenade attacks in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

It's another world over there folks. Here in the US of A, things seem to be going in a more peaceful direction, thanks in part to the influence of the many Confederations of Clubs that have formed throughout the nation. That's proof enough to me that the Confederations are a vast improvement over the way things used to be. I have personal memories of the way it was in the 50's and 60's.

PESARO, ITALY: Benelli, a motorcycle and motor scooter manufacturer, has agreed to build a line of scooters for Renault that will bear the French automaker's name. Uh-Oh! A French/Italian mix. Sounds like good wine and spaghetti to me. Probably a good scoot, too.

CHINA: Touring on a bike in China just got easier. Their first international motorcycle tourism fair is set for June 16-21 in Yinchuan, the capitol of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The motorcycle event will publicize the region's tourism resources and is supposed to attract domestic and overseas investors as well as visitors.

I'd like to do that tour, but I still need to get to a few more states in this country first.

SEBASTOPOL, CA: ''ZAPPY'' electric scooters have been winning over new fans daily, some as far away as Kragero, Norway, where the city council has considered making their town ''ZAPPY-friendly.''

The ZAPPY is a folding electric scooter that's ridden while standing. First introduced in 1998, ZAP has delivered more than 20,000 of these electric scooters to commuters and thrill-seekers all over the world. The ZAPPY uses quiet, clean electric power and folds for easy carrying or storage. Sounds like a great Goldwing spare tire of sorts to me.

PHOENIX, AZ: Titan Motorcycle Co. of America announced the grand opening of its new online store at www.titanmotorcycle.com.

Kinda like Harley has done, now Titan enthusiasts can get stuff from a wide range of signature clothing and accessories designed especially for Titan folks. They plan to expand the store's offerings beyond existing products to include exclusive motorcycle accessories, specialty hardware and some components.

They've also added 15 dealers during the first four months of 2000. Combined, the new dealers have produced more than $3 million in sales for the Phoenix custom motorcycle maker.

ENGLAND: The USA isn't the only place with road rage: A biker here died after plowing into the back of a car when its driver slammed on his brakes in a road rage incident. Ian Harvey, 20, left the scene, leaving 22-year-old Gareth Jones fatally injured in the road.

Harvey had been drinking with friends all evening and decided to drive home. His route took him to Winchester where he drove his car at a group of pedestrians and threatened to kill an off-duty soldier. After leaving that scene he happened on Gareth Jones on his motorcycle. He stopped violently in front of Mr. Jones who was unable to avoid the crash. Harvey then left.

Mr. Jones died from his injuries the following day at Southampton General Hospital. Unfortunately, England has no death penalty.

TOKYO, JAPAN: Two men were arrested on suspicion of storing about 60 stolen motorbikes. Get this: The police there found the bikes because there was a device that's normally used for locating missing senile people that was installed in one of the machines! The cops found a warehouse full of stolen bikes.

Investigators also traced and then seized another 28 stolen bikes that were inside a container for export to Hong Kong. The police said they think there's a large-scale organization behind the export of stolen motorcycles in Japan, and they're investigating.

How about that! I think I'll look into one of those devices for me, AND for my bike!

AND A REMINDER: Don't go down! I've said it before, but it's the AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists, and now also ''Incarcerated'' motorcyclists for criminal defense) who make NCOM possible. I wish nobody would get hurt on a motorcycle, but we all know some do, and they might as well use an attorney who puts something BACK into the riding community. AIM lawyers who RIDE are available for FREE consultations nationwide at 1-800-ON-A-BIKE, and now at www.On-A-Bike.com. Speaking of the Internet, you can always reach me at AIMGunny@aol.com, and Sam is SamBikeLaw@aol.com.

Till next time,

Keep the round side on the bottom.
Gunny, Oregon A.I.M. Chief of Staff