Legislative Update

#05NR31 - MRF Releases EPA For The Layman - Second Revision

EPA officials recently informed the Motorcycle Riders Foundation of a new interpretation of the "Control of Emissions From Highway Motorcycles" document.

The latest document contains the new 2006 Emissions Regulations for Highway Motorcycles and the new interpretation includes the effective date of two essential provisions in the document.

We have been notified that the effective date for the "one per lifetime" EPA exempt kit motorcycle and the provision for a shop to build 24 EPA exempt custom motorcycles per year was actually March 15, 2004, not January 1, 2006 as originally verified by EPA.

The "EPA for the Layman" paper on the MRF website has been updated to reflect the EPA’s changes and can be found at EPA for the Layman

Lost Prairie Cycles Benefit Rally
November 18-19
Tom Maddux of Lost Prairie Cycles along with his staff and friends held a
Benefit for Sputnik & Gwen to help get their home connected to the
necessary utilities. Cricket, who does one hell of a job tending the gate
at Old Saw Mill Town came down from Joaquin and brought the people to take
charge of the gate. Despite the cold weather 150 Bikers registered thru
the gate by the end of the day Saturday.
There were several Vendors including Midget & Sue who gave Sputnik a place
to sleep out of the weather in their new Motor Home. The arrangements were
quite comfortable and very welcome. There was also a cook team not yet
known by many of those present. They had cooked for an event at Jim's
Cycles in Axtell and agreed to cook for this benefit. Everyone agreed that
the different dishes topped off with their special sauces would be quite
satisfying as a last meal if you have the chance to make that request.
Everything tasted great and was reasonably priced even for the tightest
budget.
There were several bike events, door prizes, an auction, canned music with
two bands on Saturday night. One event was brand new and will become
steady fare at any Rally the TMRA 2 state office has any part of the
planning. Everyone present had a good time and for a first time Rally it
was really fine. There was only one major glitch and that was not the
fault of those doing the planning. The T-shirts intended for sale at the
Rally got hung up in Dallas despite two messages stating they would be
delivered on Friday afternoon and UPS did not get them there for the
weekend. Anyone wishing to buy one of the shirts and help the donation
grow can contact Lost Prairie Cycles at 254-729-3104.
We received a moving message from members of the Christian M/Cs present to
round out a great weekend of caring. Sunday morning after all was finished
well sat down in the home of Tom's mother over coffee and Cocoanut Crème
Pie to count the money. The surprising amount exceeding $4400 brought
tears to Sputnik's eyes. Thanks to all the Clubs represented and the
Independent riders who came to give assistance. Your generosity was much
appreciated. Thanks to everyone who has been willing to lend a hand. You
have proven again there are still some Bikers left in the country.

On another note a few riders did sign up as members for the association.
Sputnik appointed Tom as Advisor for District 5 and a new chapter will be
formed to meet there at the shop We will also be planning to have a Texas
Independence Day Rally at this sane location the 1st weekend of March. Put
the date on your calendar now and watch for the Flyer.

Please check out the website sputnikforgovernor.com

Forward to everyone you can, and post it to your websites.


Thank you,

Draft Sputnik

UPDATE 11/16/05

Just returned from the NCOM Board meeting in Detroit. It was a very informative meeting as usual with the normal workshops. While there we placed Da’Lady’s name in the list for consideration to become a member of NCOM’s Legislative Task Force.

An unusual part of this trip occurred on our way back from Detroit. We flew out from Bush Intercontinental in Houston and everything went smoothly. Upon our return through Detroit Airport it was everything but routine. While passing through the check point we were pulled aside to be checked. The first thing wrong was I had a lighter and it was confiscated.
The TSA agent then said “you are carrying forbidden contraband” and opened my suitcase. Imagine my surprise when he removed a fully loaded pistol clip from my suitcase. Needless to say I was seeing myself disappear into one of those hidden prisons. After about 45 minuets of questions and checks they finally decided I was not a terrorist. They simply said they had to confiscate the contraband and I told them I understood that. I was then allowed to proceed on to my gate.
How did I manage to pass through security in Houston and not Detroit? Gives you some idea just how well this federal security system works.

Arrived home on Sunday and had to report for Jury duty on Monday. Tuesday all 14 cases scheduled for trial settled for plea bargain. Got today off but have to do it again on Thursday. Hopefully it will not last beyond that.

With the passage of Proposition #1 the voters have removed the constitutional requirement that government must operate on a balanced budget. This tricky little Proposition was passed by just 14.5% of the registered voters in Texas taking the time to vote. That means that just 11% of the registered voters in Texas gave the politicians the right to go into debt without figuring it into the budget. Texas is getting more like the Federal government every year.

There seems to be a little confusion on the request from Greg to Draft Sputnik for Governor. We are asking riders in each Senate or Representative district who has a person running unopposed and does not share our beliefs in government to put together a team and run for that office. Get the necessary 500 signatures set up a team and get on the Ballot. You must have the paper work done by January 2nd. I have always believed you lead by example so when Greg suggested I should run for governor I agreed if he could raise the 5000 signatures necessary then I would do that. Anyone interested in doing your part in this effort contact me or your Advisor and they can give you a list of unopposed races for this election.
“Be certain you let anyone you ask to sign a petition know that they can not vote in another Party’s Primary if they sign your petition.” They can of course vote any way they wish in November. For more information contact your district Advisor or Sputnik if you don’t have a district Advisor.

Grants Paper

Attached is a one page brief on the nuts and bolts of the grant program in
SAFE TEA LU, essentially its just the language in the bill boiled down to
non lawyer speak. Feel free to send, post or do whatever you is you want to
do with this information.



Jeff Hennie
Vice President of Government Relations
Motorcycle Riders Foundation

News Article

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The state's highest court on Thursday upheld Bill
Janklow's conviction for a 2003 crash that killed a motorcyclist,
rejecting the former congressman's argument that there wasn't enough
evidence for a guilty verdict.

Ruling unanimously, the South Dakota Supreme Court also found that
Janklow had received a fair trial.


Janklow, 65, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and reckless
driving for killing 55-year-old motorcyclist Randy Scott in August 2003 on a
rural highway near Trent.

Authorities said Janklow sped through a stop sign. Janklow has said he was
in a diabetic stupor and remembers nothing about the crash.

Janklow declined to discuss the ruling Thursday. "I haven't commented on it
since this all started, the date of my accident, and I'm not going to start
talking about it now," he said.

Janklow, a political power in South Dakota who also served four terms as
governor, resigned from the House in January 2004, a month after his
conviction.

He completed a 100-day jail sentence but had hoped to use the appeal to
clear the felony from his record.

The appeal was heard by five circuit judges after all five Supreme Court
justices disqualified themselves from the case because Janklow had appointed
four of them and had named the fifth justice earlier as a circuit judge.

Janklow had acknowledged that he was speeding but argued that the state
proved only that he ran the stop sign. The prosecution said he disregarded a
substantial risk by speeding through a blind intersection.

"There was sufficient evidence from which the jury could conclude that
Janklow was aware of, yet disregarded, the risk of an accident occurring as
a result of his conduct," Circuit Judge Glen Severson wrote.

The high court also said the trial judge did not commit a reversible error
when he allowed jurors to hear about two other close calls Janklow
apparently had in traffic.

"To prove recklessness as an element of second-degree manslaughter, the
state had the burden of showing that Janklow consciously disregarded a
substantial risk," Severson wrote.

Congratulations to the new Mayor of Lancaster, PA.!

Under the new administration I am confident no speeding tickets will be issued...and loud pipes will be tolerated as "freedom of expression".

Congrats Rick!


Election Returns - - Totals
Lancaster City Mayor 4 Yr
100% of Districts returned
2 Candidates

Candidate Votes
Gray Rick 5033
Smithgall Charlie 3710
Write-In 0

AMA Report

To see the statewide results of the Constitutional elections click on the link below.

State Wide Results

To look at specific county and propositions click on this link.

County by County Results

The time has come for some of our warrriors to step up and proceed onto step 5 (Run for Office).
The only way we will continue to be relevant in this state is to take the fight to the next level. Too many of our legislators have no opposition when running for office. Those same legislators oppose our bills and some threaten to put a stop to our dangerous way of living.
We need to send them a message. That message is that you either get on board with us or become a non factor in the legislative process.
However in order to do that we need you to step up and run for office. We know you don't have much money and we don't want you to spend a lot of money running for office. You can run and win with little or no money if you follow the directions in the document below.

Run for Office and Win


To take a look at the offices up for re-election and the ones who oppose us that we need to target.

House Races Unopposed

If you see a position you can run for or just need more info then call your district advisor.

District Advisors

If you have no district advisor then call the state office and talk to someone there about what you can do. (512-281-0537)

Remember we need to do this in order for us to convince our legislators that we are willing to take the final step and take their jobs away.

How low can we go?

Cheney pushes senators for exemption to CIA torture ban
WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney made an unusual personal appeal to Republican senators this week to allow CIA exemptions to a proposed ban on the torture of terror suspects in U.S. custody, according to participants in a closed-door session.
Cheney told his audience the United States doesn't engage in torture, these participants added, even though he said the administration needed an exemption from any legislation banning "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment in case the president decided one was necessary to prevent a terrorist attack.
The vice president made his comments at a regular weekly private meeting of Senate Republican senators, according to several lawmakers who attended. Cheney often attends the meetings, a chance for the rank-and-file to discuss legislative strategy, but he rarely speaks.
In this case, the room was cleared of aides before the vice president began his remarks, said by one senator to include a reference to classified material. The officials who disclosed the events spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the confidential nature of the discussion.
"The vice president's office doesn't have any comment on a private meeting with members of the Senate," Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for Cheney, said on Friday.
The vice president drew support from at least one lawmaker, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, while Arizona Sen. John McCain dissented, officials said.
McCain, who was tortured while held as a prisoner during the Vietnam War, is the chief Senate sponsor of an anti-torture provision that has twice cleared the Senate and triggered veto threats from the White House.
Cheney's decision to speak at the meeting underscored both his role as White House point man on the contentious issue and the importance the administration attaches to it.
The vice president made his appeal at a time Congress is struggling with the torture issue in light of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and allegations of mistreatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The United States houses about 500 detainees at the naval base there, many of them captured in Afghanistan.
Additionally, human rights organizations contend the United States turns detainees over to other countries that it knows will use torture to try and extract intelligence information.
Cheney's appeal came two days before a former senior State Department official claimed in an interview with National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" that he had traced paperwork back to Cheney's office that he believes led to U.S. troops abusing prisoners in Iraq.
"It was clear to me there that there was a visible audit trail from the vice president's office through the secretary of defense down to the commanders in the field," Lawrence Wilkerson, a former colonel who was Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff during President Bush's first term, said Thursday.
Wilkerson said the view of Cheney's office was put in "carefully couched" terms but that to a soldier in the field it meant sometimes using interrogation techniques that "were not in accordance with the spirit of the Geneva Conventions and the law of war." He said he no longer has access to the paperwork.
Cheney spokeswoman Jennifer Mayfield declined to comment on Wilkerson's remarks.
The Senate recently approved a provision banning the "cruel, inhuman or degrading" treatment of detainees in U.S. custody. The vote was 90-9, and an identical provision was added to a second measure on a voice vote on Friday.
Comparable House legislation does not include a similar provision, and it is not clear whether anti-torture language will be included in either of two large defense measures Congress hopes to send to Bush's desk later this year.
The White House initially tried to kill the anti-torture provision while it was pending in the Senate, then switched course to lobby for an exemption in cases of "clandestine counterterrorism operations conducted abroad, with respect to terrorists who are not citizens of the United States." The president would have to approve the exemption, and Defense Department personnel could not be involved. In addition, any activity would have to be consistent with the Constitution, federal law and U.S. treaty obligations, according to draft changes in the exemption the White House is seeking.
Cheney also has met several times with McCain, including one session that CIA Director Porter Goss attended in a secure room in the Capitol.
--
Sputnik
State Chair

Don't forget the Advisor meeting at 1:00pm Saturday

SOUTHERN CROSS CONFERENCE
We attended the first Southern Cross Conference this past weekend in Charleston. Dad attended to represent Texas ABATE Confederation. The concept of the conference was to get all federal legislators on the same page concerning issues of importance to the southern states. Bikers of course will spearhead that effort.
The conference brought out a lot of new riders from several states and the workshops were brand new from any you normally get at these type conferences. All seminars were very well prepared and were backed by volumes of written material. All were aimed at who the southern legislators are, their voting records and how to contact them. A female State Rep from SC started off by addressing the Conference. I believe someone should have given her some guidelines prior to her address. She stated that when bikers venture into the world of politics they should dress the part. She stated that when she went to bikers for their support she wore jeans and T-shirt into their world. She further stated that when we come into her world we should dress the part.
This old man was sitting up front on the chair for speakers and I was about to scream. (but didn't) She was giving the impression that she dressed down for us and we should dress up for her. I wasn't the only one who was getting that impression. When she finished I immediately told her if she would sit down now I would tell her how it really worked as I was the next speaker. She left.
The banquet consisted of a fine variety of food and was very plentiful. The evening speaker was the SC Lt. Governor and his talk was a 180 degree turnaround from that previously offered by the Rep. Everything about his talk was positive.
The Hospitality Room while being a place to party and enjoy snacks were primarily used as a place to discuss each political view espoused by each person present. It was several round table discussions and moving from one table to the next brought several points front and center. Despite a few glitches the concept was very well accepted by all present. The next conference will be held in Kentucky the last weekend of July. There will be a National Conference of Legislators held on that weekend. Plans are to hold the Southern Cross Conference in a hotel directly across the street from their conference.
The Hospitality Room will be open to the legislators and Kentucky Legislature Mitch McConnell will host a Hospitality Room in the Legislator's hotel at which bikers will be welcome. Should be a whole new experience in bikers rights and you are urged to attend if at all possible.

CIA SECRET UNDERGROUND PRISONS
It has been revealed that the CIA has secret underground prisons scattered around the world where they are holding prisoners without charges being filed and apparently those prisoners are being tortured. Remember the revelation that FEMA has been using their budget to build concentration camps in this country as well as other purposes? Are these secret prisons also being built out of that budget?

MSNBC
The Senate has passed an Amendment (by senator John McCain) to the Defense Appropriations Act to prevent the CIA from using torture on those being held by that agency. President Bush reportedly is opposed to that Amendment and has said he would use his veto power for the first time. The House version does not have that Amendment in their Appropriations Bill and the Bill is currently in Conference Committee. We have contacted senator Huchison's office and they have verified the basic contents of the MSNBC Report. They did say the President opposes the Amendment but would not Veto the Appropriation Bill.
If you believe that our country should not sink to the depths that we so loudly protest being employed by other countries against our citizens it is time to contact your congressman and let them know you support Senate Amendment # 1977 to the Defense Appropriations Act. This whole revelation demonstrates how low our federal leaders have sunk in the past few years.

GOVERNOR SAYS FEMA NOT DOING THEIR JOB
Governor Perry has gone on record condemning FEMA for not furnishing housing for those displaced by the storms. He says about 28% of those in temporary housing will be evicted by Christmas because the motels have not received rent payments. Christmas is no time to be putting those people out in the street.
The head of FEMA says this is just grandstanding. Records indicate that each person placed in these motels was given enough money to pay several months of rent but have not used the money as intended. This is like the $2000 emergency checks that ended up being spent on extravagant shopping sprees and in topless bars.
Foot in mouth again.

--
Sputnik
State Chair

A new Calendar has been implemented on the events page. The old calendar couldn't handle all the events over a year here in Texas. The new calendar should be able to do this.
No logon is required, go ahead and add your events.
Just right click on the Day and select Add an event.
Should you need to modify or delete your event just right click on the event and select edit, clone, or delete.

Here is the link to the new calendar.

http://www.tmra2.org/cgi-bin/calendar/plans.cgi