THANK YOU to all the bikers who took a day off to lobby and take part in our scavenger hunt at the state capitol. Your presence and participation on opening day made a difference. ~FF
1) Biker Scavenger Hunt on Opening Day of the Legislature
2) South Carolina Lawmakers Go Back to Work
3) Jesse McDugald's Reply to John Monk's Article
4) KY Senator Pushing Motorcycle Helmet Law
5) IFMA Freestyle Motocross is coming back to the Lowcountry
************************************************************************
1) Biker Scavenger Hunt on Opening Day of the Legislature
************************************************************************
http://www.fastfreds.com/trips/scavengerhunt/index.htm
Biker Scavenger Hunt on Opening Day of the Legislature
Photos and article by FastFred Ruddock
ABATE owned the day; bikers greatly out numbered all other citizens and paid lobbyists combined. Roughly 200 Bikers answered the threats made by paid lobbyists and safety nannies calling for a tougher helmet law. We left no doubt in the minds of the legislators that we strongly oppose any modification of the current South Carolina helmet law. Our current helmet law allows those at least 21 to choose their own safety equipment without artificial consequences created by the state.
This year marked the third anniversary of the legislative scavenger hunt. Bikers set off through out the capitol complex in search of items to win points in a game interwoven with practical purpose. Early in the day the governor requested a photo op with the many bikers present. We also saw the usual folks paid to influence our elected officials but they were few and brought only money to bribe but no votes to deliver.
Safety Sam played by Ralph Bell came to brighten up the day with some street theater. Safety Sam ran about telling all the bikers to go home. You see Safety Sam works for NHSTA and he knows what is best for all us poor bikers: first helmets then an outright ban on motorcycles. Safety Sam warned all the bikers they were wasting tax dollars by making his job harder but he assured us he would not quit trying to pass laws to save us from ourselves. Concerned bikers ejected Safety Sam despite his protests.
Those who actively participated in the scavenger hunt earned a special patch only available those who took part on opening day. Over one hundred bikers earned the 2008 Scavenger Hunt/Lobby Day Patch. Steal this idea to support biker rights at your state capitol. If you need or would like help organizing a scavenger hunt at your SMRO’s opening lobby day please make contact.
See photos at http://fastfreds.com/trips/scavengerhunt/
The scavenger hunt sheet is also available at
http://www.fastfreds.com/trips/scavengerhunt/scavengerhuntsheet.pdf
************************************************************************
2) South Carolina Lawmakers Go Back to Work
************************************************************************
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2008-01-08-0018.html
South Carolina Lawmakers Go Back to Work
Immigration Reform, DUI, spending top agenda
Tuesday, Jan 08, 2008 - 06:07 PM Updated: 06:29 PM
By Robert Kittle
There's no dominant issue facing South Carolina lawmakers this year like property tax relief, video poker, setting up a state lottery or moving the Confederate flag were in previous sessions. But the legislature went back into session at noon Tuesday facing a long agenda of very important issues.
House and Senate Republicans, who hold a majority in both bodies, say addressing illegal immigration is their top priority. There's only so much a state can do, they say, since immigration is a federal issue. But there are still numerous bills already filed, and more about to be, to do what the state can to address the issue.
One bill, sponsored by House Speaker Bobby Harrell of Charleston, would seek an agreement with the federal government to allow local and state police in South Carolina to enforce federal immigration laws. The state would also be reimbursed by Washington for training officers and for detaining illegals. The bill would also make illegal immigrants ineligible to receive most public benefits.
"I think what's particularly good about this year is we'll really be able to settle down and focus on things that are long-term in nature," Speaker Harrell says. "Immigration reform is going to be talked about early on in the session. That's a big deal. The state budget, with the slowdown in revenue coming in, we'll really be able to prioritize what's important, what we need to be focusing on."
Public safety will also be a major topic. The House passed a tougher DUI bill last year that's now in the Senate. Lawmakers will also receive recommendations on how to reduce the state's growing number of motorcyclists dying on our highways. A Motorcycle Safety Task Force has been meeting for months. It will not recommend a mandatory helmet law, but is likely to recommend more training for novice bikers.
If any lawmakers had any questions about motorcycles, they only had to venture into the lobby to find someone to answer them. Motorcyclists from all over the state filled the lobby, as they have for the past several years on the first day of the session.
Fred Ruddock, a member of ABATE from Charleston, organized the trip. ABATE stands for A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments. He wants to see the state find a way to expand motorcycle training programs to cover the 32,000 bikers on our roads who've never been through a course.
"The current training program could not come close to taking care of those 32,000 people if they all wanted training this year, and they all desperately need it, in my opinion, this month. We just don't have enough instructors, enough places to get the courses. That's what needs to be addressed," Ruddock says.
Looming over the entire session, though, will be the fact that this is an election year for all 170 state legislators.
"On the one hand, people want something to go back home and take credit for and run on a record, so there'll be pressure to get some things done on the majority," says Rep. Doug Jennings, D-Bennettsville. "But then, typically, if you look back historically, an election year doesn't tend to be a really productive year at the Statehouse as far as substantive things getting done."
************************************************************************
3) Jesse McDugald's Reply to John Monk's Article
************************************************************************
Mr. Monk,
I recently had an opportunity to read in Fast Fred’s Biker Ezine an article you wrote for The State. Although I moved to Georgia in 2003 I still consider myself a South Carolinian and as founder of ABATE of South Carolina I would like to share with you my perspective on the issues raised in your article.
I’ll start with the comments about “doctors familiar with head injuries resulting from not using helmets . . .” While there may be doctors “familiar” with head injuries from many different sources the fact is there are few doctors that have any expertise in the field of head injuries due to the use or non-use of a helmet. In the more than 40 years history of the mandatory helmet law in South Carolina (passed July 1, 1967) there has never been even one study done on the issue of what effect a helmet may have had if worn or what effect a helmet had due to its use in an accident. Not even one study in over 40 years. Dr. Greenhouse intimated as much when she steered the argument away from the issue of safety by switching to the issue of the so called “public burden.” Phrases such as “hugely expensive” and “It can easily add into the millions . . .” assume that these statements are factual although there is no data to support such claims. If there were supporting evidence o
f huge costs involved in not arresting adults who don’t wear helmets then it should be easy to find with more than 40 years of helmet law experience. And yet the opponents of Liberty never seem to document their preposterous statements. Smoke and mirrors, all of it.
All these arguments about the helmet are designed to distract rather than inform. The helmet law is a simple law with only one stated purpose, to force a motorcyclist to wear a helmet under threat of arrest, incarceration, and / or fine. There is nothing else in the law. There is nothing about accidents, injuries, fatalities, public burden costs, insurance or anything else attributed to it. Since 1967 the penalty for failing to wear a helmet has been $100 and / or 30 days in jail. Prior to amending the law in 1980 I received 6 helmet tickets so I know of what I speak. The adult helmet law, as with the adult seat-belt law, is nothing more than a feel good, wishful thinking law. There is the hope that punishing adults into doing as they are told will have beneficial results. It is only hope and nothing more. It is the same mentality used in the southern states to keep people of color in their place after the War. “Since the bikers won’t do what we want them to do then
we’ll punish them until they submit to our will.” Simplistic, yes, but there can be no other conclusion drawn from our experiences of the past 40 plus years. It has always been a question of power versus Liberty.
Nothing has changed in the 120 years since our Constitution was written. And that is why the opponents of Liberty will argue the device (the helmet) and never argue the law itself. We could argue the pros and cons of helmets (yes there are negative aspects of helmets) all day long and still fail to argue the mandatory helmet law. The reason we were successful in getting our law amended in 1980 was because we argued the law, not the device. Our opponents spent all their energies arguing the device. They had nothing else to stand on because it is difficult (I say impossible) to make a cogent argument that an adult should be arrested, incarcerated and / or fined for exercising his or her judgment when the proponent of such an argument is also an adult. If you revisit this issue I hope you will delve deeper into the question of why adults should be punished into doing what may or may not be a good practice. If you do you will be the first. In my more than 35 years of deal
ing with this one issue I have yet to read one article that addresses the aspects of arrest, incarceration and / or fine as relates to helmet laws. I can assure you that, as a member of the Legislative Task Force of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, I would see to it that it would get national exposure. It would be interesting.
As to the question of “inexperience riders,” there will be nothing gained with such changes. Making an inexperienced rider wear a helmet will not make him any safer. Here in Georgia, where everyone is forced to wear a helmet, inexperienced riders are killed or injured every year. The use of a helmet has nothing to mitigate this situation. A more profitable avenue would be stricter enforcement of licenses. Currently anyone can go into almost any motorcycle shop, with the money, buy any motorcycle and ride off. Teaching novice riders that they are “safer” when wearing a helmet is foolish. Accident avoidance should be the primary focus of any safety effort. Training a novice rider that a motorcycle accident is survivable because “you’re wearing a helmet” gives the rider a false sense of security that is not warranted. “The goal is to make sure less experienced motorcyclists wear helmets because they are the ones who get killed more often” is a ludicrous statement.
Bikers get killed or injured because they are involved in accidents, not because they are or aren’t wearing helmets. Teach a person how to avoid an accident and what to do in the event of an accident and you will reap the rewards. Forcing a hat onto a novice and then telling him he’s safe is just plain stupid. Incorporating this “novice” provision will do nothing for motorcycle safety but it will allow our opponents to point the finger at the helmet and say “we told you so.” Mr. Harmon said as much; “As long as the fatalities keep escalating, the helmet issue will keep coming up.” The fact is fatalities will continue to rise as our highways get more and more crowded. A look at the 40 years history of our helmet law makes that clear, whether helmets have been mandatory or not. In the first five years that helmets were mandated in SC the fatality rate went up 500%! Not a statistic publicized at all.
I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you with this lengthy e-mail. It isn’t easy to condense more than 40 years of helmet law experiences. I hope you will revisit this issue in the future. If you do I hope you will contact me for a different perspective. There is so much more to this story.
Some information on me may be of interest. I’m 59 years old (will turn 60 this June) and graduated from the Citadel in 1970. I bought my first motorcycle in 1964. I founded ABATE of South Carolina in1975 and acted as State Coordinator off and on for 20 years. I’m a life member of the American Motorcyclists Association, a member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, member of ABATE of SC, GA, & FL, and a member of the Legislative Task Force of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists. Not that it makes much difference but I also have a masters degree from the Citadel (1995). Although I have been dealing with this issue for many years I’m aware that I don’t know it all. But I do have contacts that can fill in the blanks on the things I’m lacking. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or desire further information.
Jesse D. McDugald, Woodbine, Georgia
************************************************************************
4) KY Senator Pushing Motorcycle Helmet Law
************************************************************************
http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/13570122.html
Online Poll Question:
Should Kentucky enact a helmet law for motorcycles?
Yes, all motorcyclists should wear a helmet.
No, motorcyclists should have the choice to not wear a helmet.
Senator Pushing Motorcycle Helmet Law
Sen. Julian Carroll Says No Helmets In Crashes Creates Higher Health Care Costs
Phil Pendleton
phil.pendleton@wymtnews.com
Senator Julian Carroll, when he was governor decades ago, signed the first helmet law, but in recent years, lawmakers repealed that law. Now he says, because of the rising cost of health care, helmets need to be mandated again.
“Is that once they (riders) get injured, and their chance of survival isn't that great without helmets, but if they survive, the state ends up picking up the bill,” says Sen. Carroll, D-Frankfort.
And, Carroll says many times the taxpayers end up ultimately paying more. But he says passing a helmet law isn't very likely this session, because many lawmakers oppose the bill.
Carroll says some say helmets restrict the ability of riders to turn their heads and see traffic. Others tell him they don't agree with his assessment of higher health costs because crash victims can't pay for their own life long care.
“What I'm talking about is those individuals who end up getting a head injury and it's so significant that they require hospitalization or care the rest of their lives,” says Carroll.
************************************************************************
5) IFMA Freestyle Motocross is coming back to the Lowcountry
************************************************************************
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jan/10/cover27101/
IFMA Freestyle Motocross is coming back to the Lowcountry
By Cara Jordan
If you go
Who: IFMA Freestyle Motocross.
When: Friday and Saturday 7:30 p.m., doors at 6:30 p.m. (January 11th & 12th)
Where: The North Charleston Coliseum, 5000 Coliseum Drive.
Cost: Children, $5; adults, $17 (adult seats increase $2 on the day of the event).
Tickets: At the coliseum box office, call 554-6060 or go online to www.ticketmaster.com.
Info: Visit www.coliseumpac.com or call 529-5000.
Extra: A pit party will precede Saturday night's competition, and fans will be able to walk the track, meet the competitors and get autographs.
Adrenaline junkies rejoice!
Sure to induce vigorous heart palpitations in the Lowcountry's adrenaline junkies, the IFMA Freestyle Motocross competition, hosted by the North Charleston Coliseum, will take Charleston by storm this weekend when riders compete to see who can pull off the biggest and best tricks.
Unlike its racing counterpart, motocross, freestyle motocross (FMX for short) brings riders together in an acrobatic display of aerial jumps and stunts, where participants launch themselves atop their motorcycles from custom-built ramps and travel a distance of 70 or more feet while soaring in excess of 30 feet in the air. Judges evaluate the skill, technique and difficulty of each trick performed and then rank each contestant on a point scale ranging from 0-100.
Shawn Connors, a 24-year-old FMX competitor, spoke of his passion for FMX when Preview caught up with him after practice last week.
A freestyle rider for four years, Connors has been riding motorcycles since he got his first bike 10 years ago.
"I bugged my dad to let me get a bike, and then I started racing. Motocross was always a passion for me," he said.
Connors said he got into freestyle when a friend in his home state of Vermont built a ramp and asked him to try it out. "I made my first jump on that ramp, met the right people, and now I'm doing what I love," he recalled. "The jumping part came easy. The tricks take practice and patience. Some of them are so gnarly, so you definitely have to work up to them."
During the show, spectators can expect to see a variety of aptly titled tricks, including the Superman Seat Grab, Cliff Hanger, Rock Solid and Connors' best "Dead Body," in which he arches his body over the front of the handlebars while looking backward with his arms extended.
Once considered impossible, the back flip is one of the most dangerous tricks in freestyle and was not successfully completed until 2001.
Now, the trick and many of its variations are commonplace in freestyle competition and, in 2006, Travis Pastrana completed the first double back flip.
Following in the footsteps of his FMX predecessors, Connors attempted to perform a back flip last August, but was injured when his landing came up short. Now, he sports a metal plate and five screws in his left arm. "I don't recommend that," he said with a chuckle. He's also suffered a broken collarbone and foot in his freestyle career.
"I know that getting hurt is part of what I do, but if I wasn't doing this, I would be a miserable person," said Connors. "It's what I love."
Ironically enough, freestyle riding is not nearly as hard on the bike as it is on the body, nor is it as costly as racing. Connors said he spends far less money in maintenance costs on his Suzuki RM 250 than he did in his racing days, which leaves him much more time to practice. This year, he says, will be the year he lands his back flip, again.
"I definitely just want to keep progressing," he said. "I'm looking to gain some more recognition, but I don't want to put any undue pressure on myself because I don't ever want to get burned out. Really, I just want everyone to have a safe and fun tour because we are all such good friends. Everyone behind the scenes is like a big family."
The coliseum will host two consecutive nights of FMX on Jan. 11-12 at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. A pit party will precede Saturday night's competition and give fans the ability to walk the track, meet the competitors (including Connors) and get autographs.
"Knowing that the crowd is excited about what we do is the most rewarding thing to me," said Connors. "It just really gets me pumped."
Pit passes are free at local participating Southeast Toyota Dealers but must be accompanied by a valid Saturday event ticket. All other tickets are $5 for children and $17 for adults. Adult tickets increase by $2 on event days.
Tickets are available at the North Charleston Coliseum box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 554-6060.
************************************************************************
)
