The SC legislature is getting busy. Two favorable motorcycle bills are expect to pass soon. One still needs your help. S605 in addition to addressing vertical tags on motorcycles will also address making specialty and WWII tags available to motorcyclists. Please join me in thanking Reb Richardson and Ralph Bell of ABATE of SC for their hard work on these bills and prompt reporting allowing others like you and I to weigh in on these important issues in a timely manner. ~FF
1) SC Red Light Bill S111 Clears Second Reading in House
2) SC Vertical Tag Bill S605 Passes House Committee
3) Senator Vitter To Offer Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment
4) Carrying Guns Soon To Be Legal In National Parks
5) As motorcycle riders age, fatal accidents become common
6) Bikers charged with DUIs after Monday arrests
7) Book about e-mails proves to be perfect survival guide in digital age
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1) SC Red Light Bill S111 Clears Second Reading in House
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http://www.abatesc.com/CallToAction.php
Red Light Bill S111 Clears Second Reading in House
S111 passed second reading on the House floor Wednesday, May 14, 2008. We expect this bill to have a third reading Thursday, May 15, 2008. S111 will address faulty traffic signal devices that fail to detect motorcycles. This bill will clearly increase safety for motorcyclists by reducing the chance of being struck from behind while stranded at a malfunctioning light ...
http://www.abatesc.com/CallToAction.php
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2) SC Vertical Tag Bill S605 Passes House Committee
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http://www.abatesc.com/CallToAction.php
Vertical Tag Bill S605 Passes Committee
House Motor Vehicles and Public Works Subcommittee heard S605 and amended the bill to includes specialty tags prior to voting favorably. Please contact your representative and ask for a yes vote on S605 the Vertical Tag Bill ...
http://www.abatesc.com/CallToAction.php
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3) Senator Vitter To Offer Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment
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http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=11368916
Senator Vitter To Offer Concealed Carry Reciprocity Amendment - Action needed right away!
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place Suite 102
Springfield VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) has filed a pro-gun amendment to HR 980, and it could be voted on as early as tomorrow!
This amendment would protect the right of citizens to carry concealed weapons (outside of their home state) in states that allow concealed carry.
Sen. Vitter explains that his amendment does not violate the rights of states as it "does NOT establish national standards for concealed carry, nor does it provide for a national carry permit."
In other words, the Vitter amendment specifically says that state laws concerning specific types of locations in which firearms may not be carried shall be followed. "My amendment will not federalize concealed carry permits but simply requires concealed carry permits to be recognized in other states that allow concealed carry permits," Vitter said.
This is a real reciprocity provision which grants citizens the "full faith and credit" protection that is guaranteed in Article IV of the Constitution. Section 1 of this article says:
Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records, and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.
Vitter says that this constitutional provision authorizes the Congress to pass legislation forcing each state to recognize the "public Acts" of other states. So if states are not willing to recognize another state's laws, Congress has the authority to pass laws to require recognition of those measures.
It's just like with driver's licenses. If certain states refused to honor the driver's licenses of citizens in other states, Congress could pass legislation (under Article IV) to require every state to honor all licenses.
ACTION: Please urge your Senators to vote for the Vitter amendment to HR 980 to protect the right to carry concealed firearms outside of your home state.
You can use the Take Action feature below to send your Senators a pre-written e-mail message. And, you can call your Senators at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=11368916
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4) Carrying Guns Soon To Be Legal In National Parks
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http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=11344046
Carrying Guns Soon To Be Legal In National Parks - But your help is needed to make sure the right is permanently recognized
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place Suite 102
Springfield VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Bush administration, after more than seven years, has finally issued regulations permitting the carrying of firearms in national parks. Gun owners will soon be able to carry firearms according to the laws of the state in which the park is located.
While not perfect, the proposed regulations, which are likely to take effect at the end of June 2008, represent a sharp contrast with the steadfast refusal to allow for self-defense in national parks.
The bureaucrats responded after a crescendo of congressional activity. Senator Tom Coburn has made efforts to put the matter before the Senate, and would have done so had Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid not broken his word to Coburn to allow him to have a vote on the measure. Also, 47 Senators signed a letter to the Department of the Interior urging that the ban be removed.
In the House, there are now three bills that would open national parks to carrying firearms as regulated by the state in which the park is located.
The most recent bill, and the most comprehensive, is that of GOA Life Member Paul Broun (R-GA), who was elected to Congress in July of last year. Rep. Broun has introduced HR 5646, the "Protecting the Second Amendment and Hunting Rights on Federal Lands Act of 2008."
This is not the time to slack off on our efforts. If congressional activity got the Park Service bureaucrats to finally move, we need to keep the heat on. We need to make sure they follow through.
Moreover, legislation is the more sure way of keeping concealed carry "on the books." Regulations could be changed the first day an anti-gun president takes office.
Finally, Rep. Broun's legislation would go even further than the proposed National Parks regulations. As we mentioned above, they are not perfect. Among other things, it's not clear (in the proposed regs) whether or not an individual will be able to engage in open carry on national park lands for the purpose of self-defense. That would not even be questioned under the Broun bill.
So with all this in mind, we urge you to send an e-mail to your representative urging him to cosponsor Rep. Broun's bill, HR 5646.
ACTION: Please urge your Representative to cosponsor HR 5646. You can use the Take Action feature to send your Representative the pre-written e-mail message below. And, you can call your Representative at 202-225-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=11344046
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5) As motorcycle riders age, fatal accidents become common
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FF Note: According to NHTSA during 2006 North Carolina lost 150 bikers and earned the eighth-highest motorcyclist death tally nationwide. Apparently this is proof the helmet law is useless since only 21 of 50 states have an all rider law such as North Carolina. The majority of free states have a lower death rate than NC.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1067696.html
As motorcycle riders age, fatal accidents become common
Nearly half of those killed in crashes are older than 40
Josh Shaffer, Staff Writer
In October, a truck pulled out in front of Ken "Tiny" Hinnant, knocking him flat off his Harley-Davidson. He cracked four ribs.
He was lucky.
Fatal motorcycle crashes have more than doubled in the past decade, federal statistics show, rising to 4,810 deaths nationwide in 2006. North Carolina had 150 deaths that year -- the eighth-worst rate in the nation.
On Thursday night, two North Carolinians -- 24-year-old Jamal Thomas El-Ferkh of Raleigh and 18-year-old Brittany Custer of Wendell -- died when the motorcycle El-Ferkh was driving and Custer was riding on slammed into a pickup turning left in Johnston County.
For middle-age riders such as Hinnant, a tool and die maker from Raleigh, the motorcycle crash statistics are even more grim.
Ten years ago, middle-age or elderly bikers made up just 29 percent of all motorcycle fatalities. But in 2006, the most recent year examined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half the fatal crashes claimed riders over 40.
On a recent Bike Night at Locked & Loaded, Garner's premier Harley hangout, Hinnant explained why:
"A lot of guys get in a midlife crisis," he said. "A lot of guys buy a bike with no experience and sit up here and drink all afternoon."
Before October, Hinnant had 30 years of wreck-free motorcycle riding and a solemn pledge not to drink on two wheels. He and other seasoned riders attribute the rising mortality of their hobby to a flood of new riders and a changing biker culture that lets aging professionals roll directly from the showroom floor to the streets.
The risk of crashing has always hovered around bikers, and wrecks claim riders of all ages.
Veteran riders talk about driving as though every car were about to merge into their right legs, and about appearing invisible to drivers staring right at them.
"I've had them look right in my eye," said Lonnie Smith, a Raleigh builder who lost half a leg when a car sideswiped his bike. "They can turn and almost touch me with their arm, hit me with a cigarette butt. I'm up past the rear-view mirror and they still pull out. They're just not looking for you."
The same riders also talk more about the explosion of new bikers, most of them 50-ish types who can afford a new $20,000 Harley. Nationwide, ridership has increased 74 percent in the past decade, rising from 3.8 million registered motorcycles to 6.6 million.
Along with that rise, riding has grown more deadly. In 1996, 55 riders out of every 100,000 died. In 2006, that number grew to 71.
"A lot of guys are riding for the first time over 40," said Mike Kemmeries, a 44-year-old Raleigh fireman who founded a local chapter of No Rules Riders. "Before, they'd just buy muscle cars."
In April, 49-year-old Michael Steven White of Fuquay-Varina died after colliding with a car on Interstate 40.
The same month, 63-year-old Willie Junior Adams of Clayton died when a sport utility vehicle crossed his path outside Smithfield.
Raleigh lawyer Rick Davis can remember buying his first Harley in the late '90s, when a new model might take six months to arrive. Now, they can be bought right off the showroom floor.
Growing sales
The sales department at Ray Price Harley Davidson confirms that demand outpaced supply even five years ago.
It's the same for sport bikes, the leaner, faster Suzukis and Kawasakis more popular with younger riders. Salesmen at Barnett's Suzuki in Raleigh said it's hard to gauge demand because so many new dealers keep popping up. Barnett's has been around for 37 years and now competes with two other dealers within a 16-mile radius.
Davis Harley-Davidson in Burlington recently expanded. Harley-Davidson of Greensboro has dealerships in High Point and Reidsville -- the last one open only about a year.
"It's not the rough person's hobby anymore," said Davis, who also founded a No Rules group in North Raleigh. "Those people riding are not as much the hard-core people."
More than 300,000 people in North Carolina have motorcycle licenses, which require passing a road test. Many dealers and community colleges offer safety courses, but the state does not require them. "Not yet," said Marge Howell, a DMV spokeswoman.
Spend a night at any of the Triangle's biker-friendly bars and it's clear the culture has changed. No flying chairs. No broken-bottle fights. Not even very much leather.
Iron Horse Bar in Apex holds a poker night on Wednesdays, and you won't see a single bike parked outside.
Locked & Loaded sits next to an Office Max in Garner, and it inhabits a square brick building complete with a drive-through lane that looks like it might have once housed an Applebee's franchise.
Most of those clustered around the bar look about 25, and aside from Chinese characters tattooed on a few necks, they aren't menacing in the same way that, say, Marlon Brando was in "The Wild One."
You wouldn't exactly call them Hell's Angels, either.
But "you wouldn't want to call them yuppies, necessarily," said Kemmeries, the No Rules rider.
Inside Locked & Loaded, Tiny Hinnant is one of a few patrons who looks like a classic Harley rider. Long white beard. Confederate flag bandanna. He lived through wilder days and plans on riding through many more.
"Knock on wood," he said, rapping his forehead.
jshaffer@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4818
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6) Bikers charged with DUIs after Monday arrests
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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/449584.html
Bikers charged with DUIs after Monday arrests
By Kurt Knapek - kknapek@thesunnews.com
Two out-of-state motorcyclists were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in separate incidents Monday.
Jonathan Sklar, 26, of Butler, Pa., was charged with felony driving under the influence with great bodily injury after a crash Monday in Garden City Beach, according to an arrest warrant.
Michael Lee Sexton, 51, of Peru, Ind., was charged with driving under the influence after police arrested him Monday during a traffic stop in Myrtle Beach, according to a warrant. Sexton also was charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
Sklar was traveling on U.S. 17 Bypass about 11:30 p.m. Monday and attempted to turn onto Atlantic Avenue, the warrant says. Sklar failed to yield the right of way and crashed into another motorcyclist, the report said.
Sklar is being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center, according to a jail official. His bail was set at $35,000.
The names of those injured in the crash and their conditions have not been released, said Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins of the S.C. Highway Patrol.
Sexton was arrested at 11:30 p.m. Monday by Myrtle Beach police after a traffic stop on 28th Avenue North and North Kings Highway, according to a warrant.
Police found a Bryco Arms .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun in his motorcycle and learned he did not have a concealed weapons permit, the warrant states.
A Myrtle Beach City Court judge set Sexton's bail at $992 on Tuesday morning. Sexton posted bond Tuesday and was released.
Judge Clifford Welsh issued Sexton a personal recognizance bond on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.
Sexton told the judge he is in town this week for the Harley-Davidson spring rally.
Contact KURT KNAPEK at 626-0258.
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7) Book about e-mails proves to be perfect survival guide in digital age
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http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880512085&source=nletter-news
WCU book review: Book about e-mails proves to be perfect survival guide in digital age
Mary Anne Nixon
Have you ever clicked on “send” and instantly regretted it? Have you sent someone an e-mail expecting a reply and received nothing in response? Are you insulted if someone receives and responds to a text message while having lunch with you?
“Send” is a seven-chapter, quick-and-easy read that describes and gives examples of the ways in which we have begun to use (and misuse) the various forms of communication technology that have emerged and grown in popularity in the last decade.
The introduction — “Why Do We E-mail So Badly?” — recounts some disastrous e-mails that never should have been sent. It also reminds us that technology lulls us into false thinking, for several reasons:
Unless we consciously insert “tone” into a message, the reader can project his own fears, anxieties and prejudices into our messages.
E-mails can lull us into thinking something is happening when nothing is actually taking place other than the exchange of messages.
E-mails can encourage us to respond with not enough sympathy or too much anger or gossip.
We often forget e-mail leaves an “indelible electronic record.”
The first chapter, “When Should We E-mail?,” gives excellent lists of reasons to love e-mail and to hate it. It explains when it’s better to telephone instead of e-mail and distinguishes between instant messaging and text messages. It also lists “Five Reasons to IM and Text Instead of E-mail” and gives examples of combining multiple forms of communication in appropriate hybrid strategies.
The second chapter, “How to Write (the Perfect) E-mail,” gives practical suggestions on choosing the right words, the appropriate length of e-mail messages, and the importance of spelling, grammar and punctuation (with a special warning on the dangers of missing punctuation).
The authors also provide additional information in sidebars within each chapter, such as “How E-mail Works” and “Big Moments in E-mail History” (did you know Britney Spears dumped her husband via a Blackberry message in 2006?). Other topics covered include the proper hierarchy of multiple names in the “to” and “cc” fields, the importance of wording in the subject line and “Eleven Most Common Types of Attachments” (a quick reference to the differences between .dat, .pdf and nine other file extensions).
Chapter 5, “Emotional E-mails,” gives excellent examples of e-mails expressing anger and sarcasm, flaming, using loaded phrases and rhetorical questions and just being mean. The authors’ final word of advice is excellent: “If you wouldn’t make the comment to the other person’s face and stick around for the response, you probably shouldn’t put it in an e-mail.”
The last chapter, “The E-mail That Can Land You in Jail,” mentions inappropriate jokes, sharing e-mails that shouldn’t be shared, e-mails that ask questions that come back to haunt you, privacy, metadata and a sidebar titled “Stupid (and Real) E-mail Phrases that Wound Up in Court.”
This reviewer agrees with the description inside the book jacket: “‘Send’ is nothing short of a survival guide for the digital age — wise, brimming with good humor and filled with helpful lessons from the authors’ own e-mail experiences (and mistakes).”
This is the opinion of Mary Anne Nixon is a professor of project management at Western Carolina University’s College of Business in the totally online master’s of project management degree program. For previously reviewed books, visit www.wcu.edu.cob.
FF Note: Many folks on various ABATE discussion lists really need this book... especially Mrs. S. aka Dan, Jim, and Mike.
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