France is still a window to our future.
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/france-massive-motorcycle-protes...
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The French motorcycle riders are angry, again. We've always been a wonderful cash-cow for successive governments, with biker rights being trampled upon.
Now, a new law that comes into effect in April, will allow any LEOLaw Enforcement Officer - any kind of Police Officer: municipal, state, federal or national., based on only a suspicion, to take away your motorcycle, have it towed (at your expense) to a garage, and have a technical person check out your motorcycle for nonconformity.
The law does not stipulate that the person checking out your motorcycle needs to be technical proficient with motorcycles; any car mechanic is allowed to do the job!
After you have "repaired" your motorcycle to put it into a "legal" state, you will need to have it verified again by the so-called experts. You will need to pay for everything, the towing, the initial expert review, the repairs and the validation by the experts. If your motorcycle is towed, and found to be conform, too bad for you, you still need to pay!
Click for bigger version of Protest ride
Open image in a new window
The French government is doing this, according to them, to ensure that the motorcycles are in good working condition. But official statistics have shown that less than 1% of all motorcycle accidents are caused because the motorcycle was not properly maintained (source: MAIDS Open link in a new window).
So why bother if it's not to generate money. After all, we bikers aren't enough voters to really count, and we have the money to pay ... apparently. Thumb Up Smiley
So on the weekend of 21 and 22 March, the FFMCFederation Francaise des Motards en Colere - Angry French Biker Association, an association of bikers fighting for the rights of motorcycle riders is organizing a massive protest ride all over France. They demand that the law gets changed to exclude motorcycle (the way it was before), or at the very least, have motorcycle experts look over the motorcycle in question, and only after the insurance company makes the request (ie after an accident).
Let's see if the protest rides will result in anything. Having 1000's of bikers close down Paris usually does have some results....
I wish them luck. If we
I wish them luck.
If we continue to run into generations of the young and old just bowing down we will end up in a state like those we are supposed to be championing into "democracy".
****Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but, rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Shit....What a ride!!!"****
Ahh . .funny . .say "Military
Ahh . .funny . .say "Military & Intelligence" is an oxymoron, everyone gets it.
Say "Strong government & free thriving society" is an oxymoron and these kids look at you like you are an alien . . they don't seam to get it . ."government" is always oppressive, "societies and people thrive in absence of strong government, strong governments thrive at the expense of the people. To me it seems simple, but schools still let your read the constitution when I was a kid. LoL
Had a friend at work YELL at me because I don't support this bail out stuff. . . took me 15 minutes of just asking questions to calm her down, and I had to bring the bill up on the computer and SHOW HER this stuff I was talking about really is in it. She just thought I should be "surportive" of the new presadent. Why? Because he is a demacrt . .please, he is a polatition, and about to put my kids into what . . . $3000 worth of debt on this one bill alone, thats on top of the $2600 or so Bush slaped them with just a few months ago! I remember Carter. . .we are going to feel this. Inflation is next, can't print money this fast without it . . . grrr . .need to stop before I am jumping up and down on my key board. LoL All us vs them . . not enough simple questioning of individual actions and intent. Seems so few people attempt any real critical thinking . .and think through what they LOSE when they allow these huge package not just full of spending, but full of LAWS. Seen what is it it for health care yet?? Grrrrr
Soooo sad. Way to many sheep these days, not enough wolves. (-:
Next press conference, maybe someone can ask "Mr Sacrifice" . . why is it WE THE PEOPLE in all our forms are expected to pull in our belts and ride it out and due with less, our business are expected not to make ""excessive"" profits, YOU think you have a right to reach in and decide what OUR time is worth . . why are tax cheats promoted in government, but pursued without mercy when it is a privet citizen?
Yet YOU are going to SPEND 100 times what our last drunken sailor spent!!
This is about power and ethics . . not even politics. Congress looks more like the mafia to me these days than any kind of representatives of the people. LoL
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Amen my friend
I believe that this nation has become an " American Idol " group of people. If it sounds and looks good ,They'll take it. Our voters need to start doing their homework and I if that was done there would no longer be Pelosi's, Reid's, or Obama's to threaten our way of life. I just don't think we will ever see that day come again, and that is SAD. Hang in there and educate all you can, I'm doing my part with my kids and co-workers. God bless, Jon D.
side comment: Doing homework
side comment: Doing homework means to me not running to the polls and doing a straight party ticket. I shut down conversations usually at my shop about politics when I hear, democrat this, republican that, liberals are everywhere and destroying everything..etc etc. Come to me as an individual with your own thoughts not party preference.
Personally I think our system would work better with adjustments made 1) Parties...not debate but parties get removed 2) Politicians remember the "For the People by the People" part and 3) Force the politicians into so called "private" or now recently coined "main street" activities daily. Not lobbyist luncheons.
****Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but, rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Shit....What a ride!!!"****
Understood
I am not a straight party line ticket either, however I will check on the history and voting patterns elected officials currently have. Google their name and follow links. It will give you insight as to which direction they desire to go. I believe that many start out with good intentions and then get more concerned with re-election, party politics, campaign contributors, and the feeling of power. Don't know, just seems politics corrupts good people. Wish reps and sens had term limits and a lot of this nonsense would stop. Just my opinion. Take care, Jon
I am so with you on the term
I am so with you on the term limits.
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
You know whats interesting
You know whats interesting about the conversations today . .they are left vs right. But . . .usually that is just a conversation about WHAT KIND of laws and power they want.
The founding fathers used a different measure. They knew then there were extremes and tried to set the government up to keep them from having the ability to consolidate.They did that not by debating the "form" of government, but the measure of its power.
For them they saw on one side Monarchy / Tyranny, and on the other side Anarchy / zero government. The brilliance of the constitution that is being shredded today is that it was designed to force the federal government to live in a place between these to extremes of power.
They believed any top down government, another words, a strong federal government or leader solving problems from the top down would always in the end consolidate power and result in ternary . .and history does bare that out.
The solution was to use a bottom up power structure . . placing the problem solving powers first in the hands of the people, the local representatives, the city, then state . .and LAST the federal government. The constitution states specific and limited powers for the federal, and is limitless in its responsibility given to the state and local government.
In reality . . Jefferson would consider the things being done by this administration criminal in nature as they directly contradict THAT most important part of out government . .the bottom up structure that limits the power of the federal branch of the government. He made it clear in his writings that was the overriding responsibility of all our leaders to protect the constitution, and the effort to change the balance of those powers would be seen as treason. When you read his work, and many others . .they considered that to be inflexible to the extreme. It is the very foundation that made the system work. Without it we will still, to this day revert back to authoritarian government and ternary . . its human nature. A strong federal government always consolidates power sooner or later . .and it is ALWAYS bad. Power hungry people are the ones who seek power after all. That is why the "base of power" was placed at the bottom of the pyramid with the people.
If you have never read it . .there is a book called the 5000 year leap. It is one of the better books written about the principles of our government . . well, of the framework of its intent . .not necessarily its execution these days. (-:
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store
Follow up
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/france-bikers-1-government-0.htm
Cant help but wander if I see a wolf in sheep's clothing . .revisit all the laws? Hmmm
In any case, always good to see a battle won. (-:
2006 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide
Sales, Peterson's North Miami Store