The GUNNY'S SACK

April 2006 Time is upon me again and again I’ve procrastinated in getting the Sack out for your enjoyment and Sam Hochberg’s relief. He never knows what I’m gonna come up with. Thank heaven he is a good editor. (I’ll say! - Ed.)

EASY NOW: I attended the Easyriders Motorcycle Show here in Portland, Oregon last month. Everything was great and I saw some motorcycle imagination that boggles my mind. They had to follow me around with a mop to pick-up all the drool I was leaving in my wake. I’m glad no one slipped and fell.

RIGHT NOW: Learn more about your rights. If you're gettin' this Sack EARLY enough, and y'got the time, MARK OFF THE TIME to SEE US at our 21st NCOM and AIM CONVENTION, this year, in LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY! That's MAY 11-13th, at the EXECUTIVE INN. At this late date, call AIM for details, at 1-800-0N-A-BIKE, or www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

I'll tell you, every day, I’d be afraid to ride one of those creations on the highway because I’d have to kill anyone who got close enough to touch it or even LOOK too close! There is some really amazing stuff put into bikes nowadays. Makes me wonder where things will end up – and that’s with a big fat Gunny “IF” – that is to say, IF we’re able to continue riding for too many more years, with all the flak coming at us by way of big brother and the EPA.

Every day we hear more and more about freedoms we’re losing, yet the biker community isn’t responding to this in the numbers we need to. Our elected officials and the folks they appoint to regulate our behavior are running amuck. The most common thing I hear from our own people is that “WE can’t do anything about it.” Ask if they’re registered to vote and they say NO. Why? Because “my vote doesn’t count anyhow.” Doesn’t everybody know that’s CRAP? If we don’t get off our tail ends soon, and get busy, get INFORMED (more on THAT later in this Sack), and VOTE, we are going to be a nation LOSING the principles it’s built on: Equality, Justice and Freedom. You may wake up one day and find those things gone forever. Helmet laws then will be the LEAST of our problems. But right NOW, you CAN get involved. Get active and get loud. Not yelling loud, but writing your representatives-loud, writing letters to the editor, and JOINING the organizations working for change, motorcycle-related and otherwise! Go to meetings of the Democans or Republicrats; either way. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but we need to get to our neighbors and friends, and somehow get them to wake up. I don’t want to live in a totalitarian state. Do you? Things are startin’ to smell in that direction.

NEWSBITS ‘N’ PIECES

SUMATRA: Traffic here is just as big a mess as everywhere else. The difference is the motorcycle cabs are being blamed. At the same time they say these vehicles get ya around town faster than any other way and it’s a hell of a ride. Why not, what sumatra you? And I ain’t Java’n you.

FROM The SoLR RIDERS online email list comes this tidbit from a contributor: “The American Flag can be desecrated, spat upon and burnt by the membership and allies of Westboro Baptist Church (very, VERY weird people – these are the folks who “protest” at the funerals of our dead American soldiers, with SIGNS that say “god hates fags,” who somehow rationalize their behavior, because god has “condemned” us all for tolerating any homosexuals - Ed.). The local American Police protect these people.

The GOOD News: A fellow named “Greasy” has had some of his interesting emails posted on the SoLR Bikers listserve. Greasy is a combat Vet biker who helps run a brigade of BIKER VETS, who come to the aid of these families, who are beset upon by these crazies from the Westboro Baptist Church. Greasy’s people SURROUND the crazies, non-violently, so that their bizarre behavior is BLOCKED from the view of the grieving families, AND the cameras, where possible. Why give the Westboro crackpots airtime?

Meanwhile, on that same SoLR list, this Gunny saw that email go on to talk about how the Mexican Flag was removed by being burned off of a flagpole, on down in Apache Junction, Arizona. The young man who torched it got arrested. So far, normal picture; THEN, this young guy’s family gets death threats and they call for the police. Who wouldn’t? But guess what? The police say they will do nothing until the Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who were threatening them are actually ON their property! (THIS is the sorry reality of policing in America today: Police agencies spend HUGE resources to HOUND bikers who’ve committed no crimes, but as to their real purpose, PROTECTING the citizens? They’ll come to your house alright; AFTER you get robbed or killed, and THEN see about finding the criminal. Maybe. Too late for you! Be safe, and Support the 2nd Amendment! – Ed. & Gunny). This is part of what I talk about when I say WE ARE LOSING OUR LIBERTY.

THINGS THAT USED TO HAPPEN AND NEED TO CONTINUE: Youth Meets Truth Summer Camp. During America's founding era, people valued virtues and principles such as honesty, integrity, industry, limited government, and independence. These virtues and principles, sometimes called "Americanism," were once taught in every schoolhouse and campus in America. Today, youth around the nation are still learning about the core principles of Americanism while having the time of their lives at “Youth Meets Truth Summer Camps.” These guys have been at this for over thirty years managing these camps. These camps sure sound like a great place for youth to spend a week of their summer vacation. Go online and Google ‘em up, or try emailing hawk@solriders.com for the info or website. See for yourself.

FEED YOUR HEAD: HAWK, by the way, RUNS this SoLR BIKERS E-LIST – if you’re online, you’re missing out of you don’t go and GRAB FREE BIKER RESOURCES, and I have 3 dandies for ya. FIRST, ask Hawk about the biker email listserve he runs, sponsored by the Sons of Liberty Riders, the SoLR. Next, y’GOTTA know that this SACK can come straight to your email INBOX every month, long before you see this in print. If you’ll just send an email to BILL BISH at NCOM (National Coalition of Motorcyclists), he’ll get you BOTH this Gunny’s Sack, AND the NCOM News Bytes, compiled by Bill for NCOM, every month. Drop Bill a quick line at NCOMBish@aol.com, and you will have your choice of INFORMATION, one of our most powerful weapons for our Freedoms. And, by the way, thank you Hawk for also maintaining our AIM/NCOM Motorcycle E-News list and our Aid to Injured Motorcyclists & National Coalition of Motorcyclists website.

NEW DELHI: About 4,500 contract workers at two-wheeler major Hero Honda's Gurgaon plant have gone on strike demanding regularization of services. Raises hell with production at the plant. Guess that proves this country isn’t the only place there are labor disputes HUH!

DOES YUR HELMET FIT? Most heads are not perfectly round; mine sure isn’t. Finding the perfect-fit helmet is almost impossible. This is because the best-fitting helmet relies on several factors. It is not simply a matter of choosing the right size, color and material. An IMPERFECT FIT can sometimes kill ya’ too, or so I’ve heard from Sam Hochberg. Several years ago now, one of our East Coast AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Attorneys got about a four MILLION dollar award for a kid made into a quadriplegic, all because of a “one-size-fits-all helmet.” THEY DON’T! Some might call me irresponsible, but I’d rather wear NOTHING than wear a helmet that fits that badly.

YOUR best fit depends on a lot of things. It should fit snugly but not choke ya. What color ya need? What shape? Just be sure ya try the thing on before you buy it. I wouldn’t mail-order one I never wore. Poor fit is a big part of why I hate helmet laws to start with, and a lot of ‘em are still too heavy, on top of it all. I think people would be MORE willing to wear the things if they really served a good purpose, AND if they weren’t such a pain in the HEAD, comfort-wise! But, that’s just your crabby ole’ Gunny, who had the privilege of growin’ up WITHOUT LID LAWS!
TEXAS: A world-renowned motorcycle safety expert from Squirrel Hill was killed recently in a motorcycle accident in Texas. Larry Grodsky, 55, owner of Stayin' Safe Motorcycle Training, died after a deer ran in front of his bike in Fort Stockton, Texas. Grodsky had a decades-long love affair with motorcycles and trained celebrities including Ted Koppel and Mike Tyson on safe-driving techniques. He traveled the country attending rider training and safety seminars, and was returning home from a conference in California when the accident happened. Just goes to prove that even the most safety-minded of us all can lose it all, in an instant. Grodsky will be missed by his friends and those of us that ride wherever we are. Our profound condolences go out to his family. Deer advice? They can cross your road ANY time, but I know Sam says his rule is this: He won’t ride out in the countryside near dusk or dawn or very much at night! I guess that boy’s seen a lot of hurt biker folks; so maybe he knows something!


GUNNY AGAIN: As I said at the beginning of these pearls, Sam Hochberg, our AIM attorney for Oregon is the editor-in-chief of this column (and he’s gettin’ a little frisky in these parentheses in this last-minute Sack! – Ed.). Just a small part of the effort our AIM attorneys around the country put out in our behalf. Countless FREE hours that are donated for our welfare. If you find yourself in a bike wreck, or ANY injury accident, don’t fool around. Those insurance adjusters know how to wrap you clean around their fingers, but y’know, I don’t like where they put those fingers! Call your nearest AIM attorney and they will at the very least give you FREE advice as to how to handle the situation. Sam, here in Oregon is available at 1-800-347-1106 toll free or 503-224-1106 in the Portland area. Anywhere else in the country check the phone book or call 1-800-531-2424 and get directed to your guy. You can reach me at: AIMGunny@aol.com.