Date: 3-15-08
From: sudsfxstc@aol.com
My name's Suds and I'm an independent rider in the Great State of Texas. I wanna talk about our constitutional rights and the need to protect them. We all, as motorcyclists, enjoy our freedom to ride the open roads of this great state, and in doing so are exercising our constitutional right of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
As it would seem though, these liberties are under constant attack. Maybe there are those who can’t stand to see someone having that much fun. With some of us, our motorcycles are a way of life. To some, it’s a hobby. Others, it may just be an economical mode of transportation. Everybody who rides knows the issues of helmet laws vs. no helmet laws. I believe it’s not whether we wear a helmet or not that’s at stake, but the freedom of choice. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
There are many more civil rights being violated every day. Someone recognized this early on and a few like-minded people got together and started what are known as Motorcycle Rights Organizations (MRO’s). They have done an excellent job of helping preserve the many freedoms we still enjoy today. All too often, when you approach someone about joining an MRO, the answer is "I don’t wanna get involved in politics, I just wanna ride". Which is cool, because that’s what freedom is all about. The thing is, that MRO’s can only do so much without the support of everyone they can get.
Traditional motorcycle clubs are organized and can function as one voice. The concerns of independents on the other hand, may or may not be taken seriously because as an individual, we are but one tiny voice that can be ignored.
To combat this being ignored there is an organization that I am proud to be a part of called the Texas Defenders. I got the luck of the draw and was chosen to head up the Coalition of Independent Riders or COIR Division. I see a vast opportunity here as an organized voice to assist a call to action from an MRO in letter writing, making phone calls, or flooding an office with black leather and blue jeans if necessary in order to be heard.
The Texas Defenders program is not and MRO, but a manpower organization to fill in the gaps or a reinforcement when areas are weak and need shored up when congress or somebody gets the bright idea that they know how to take care of us better than we do.
The COIR division will be made up of members and supporters on an all-volunteer basis. This way, you don’t have to make a commitment and attend regular meetings and so forth. There are no obligations, just do what you can when you can. No one should ever concentrate on what they can’t do, rather focus on the things they can.
The Texas Defenders program falls under the Texas Confederation of Clubs, where independents and clubs alike are working toward a common goal. What we have done so far is a drop in the bucket, but never the less, the longest journey begins with a single footstep. We have done a few classes in the Austin area to teach letter writing skills and how to get them to congressmen and women. A phone call can be ignored, but handwritten letters generally are not. Just incase they are, we are compiling records of copied letters just so we can take them down on a dolly if necessary and say, "Hey, What about all these? Now tell me you didn’t hear from anybody in your area". Is that brilliant or what? Total simplicity.
The Austin area is really getting their COIR division off the ground. Soon every COC region in the state will induct the Texas Defenders program. I am looking fwd to the COIR division, because we as independents can make a difference, just as the militia did when Texas fought for independence and won.
The MRO’s need us, and we need each other. Think of the COIR division as the mortar that holds the bricks together and fills in the gaps. We can accomplish great things when we work together. Texas Defenders will be more than a political movement. With our communication networks, we stand at the ready to support a call to action or assist in community emergency situations up to and including Amber alerts, search parties, etc, to the general public. Some members may wish to take on a more active role, and these men and women will be known as COIR Texas Defenders. If anybody is interested or needs more information, please e-mail me at (sudsfxstc@aol.com). I have info on membership and support packages. I’m looking forward to it. Truth, Honor and Dignity.
Respect,
~Suds
Texas Defenders Undersecretary/COIR division
----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
Info provided by Suds & bttrfly Newsletter
Events Page
http://sudsandbutterfly.homestead.com/Events.htmlwebsite
http://sudsandbutterfly.homestead.com/Newsletter signup
http://sudsandbutterfly.homestead.com/NewsletterSignUp.html
Report
As with all Caucus Meetings in Texas we were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers that took part. From 10-15 attendees we went to nearly 300 during the after hours meeting. We lacked the necessary paperwork to sign up everyone. I served as Temporary Chair for two Precincts. We got a permanent chair and secretary for the one Precinct, then I became the permanent chair and we elected a permanent secretary for my precinct. We barely had the room to separate into precincts let alone separate into Clinton and Obama Groups. But we got it done as best we could and it will be easier during the County Convention. The Republicans had six people present at their caucus. They could easily have made their unused space available to us but chose instead to complain about the noise we generated.
NEWS::
The Feds have used the Homeland Security Act to bypass the will of Texans on Road Blocks. Last week the US Coast Guard set up a Roadblock at the Lynchburg Ferry identifying and searching everyone attempting to board the ferry. This is a small ferry that is easily circumvented and has no chance whatsoever to become a terrorist target. This entire waste of taxpayer money and citizens time resulted in 28 arrests. All 28 arrests were for very minor traffic violations and minute amounts of marijuana possession. Is this the best use we have for the United States Coast Guard? How about having them patrol the Rio Grande with their little boats where there is definitely a problem.
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices has finally recognized the problems motorcyclists face on the streets and highways of the country. They address metal plates on bridges, grooved pavement, highway construction and other problems that should be specially marked as dangerous for motorcycle traffic. The manual is pretty straight forward about highway safety and how to improve it with proper signage and safe construction especially where motorcycles are concerned. FINALLY we are recognized as legal users of the road.
Washington Road Riders Association has really been making some headway in the political arena since their inception. The assoc. was founded based in part on our organization. One of the Founders and current Legislative Officer is none other than TMRA 2 Warrior "Texas" Larry Walker. Larry’s job sent him to Washington but he stays in touch, pays his membership dues and flies a Texas Flag in his yard. It is great to be kept in the loop by a man who would be a District Advisor for us if he could have stayed here. They are currently working on a signal light Bill.
Tom went to Daytona after the Rally and Terri went to Florida to spend a week with her mother. I am staying in the office trying to keep track of what happens in the Political arena and catch up on all the Emails that have gone unanswered for a while. For anyone that doesn't know what our secretary does with her time, I can tell you I will be damned glad when she gets back Saturday. I am working 16-20 hours each day keeping up with my job and hers also. I'm too old for this.
The most important thing going on right now is the Democrat Party’s willingness to change the rules in the middle of the game to allow the two states that broke the rules to vote now. They knew the rules, they knew the penalty and still they broke the rules. If the Democrats can’t even abide by their own rules how can they be expected to govern by the constitution. Of course neither Party has paid attention to the constitution for many years but the Democrats are supposed to be offering change that they would have us believe means honest government. I fear this time we don’t even have a lesser of the two evils to choose from. Hopefully we can take the shell of our once great country and make real change at the end of these four years. We had probably better pay attention to saving our state this election and hope for the best.
I will be going to the IJMS Conference in California on the 17th. I will chair one Panel and be a responder on two others. While reading one of the Papers I will be responding to I was astounded at how riders in other countries see the Patriot Act. This particular Presenter is from Australia and this is just one comparison, from his point of view of the two countries.
He Says: Unlike the United States, Australia never was successfully able to revolt against Britain, thus cementing in stone the United States people's fundamental belief in challenging authority unjustly administered. Our legal structure compared to yours, reflects significant differences. We have no Bill of Rights, we have very few of the privileges you enjoyed prior to fear consuming middle America and the subsequent passing of the Patriot Act. Imagine that. He has the same thoughts on the Patriot Act as I do.
We sent Tony a check for the last three Warriors of 2007. He has been very patient with us and it was a real relief to send him that $2000 check. We paid the back taxes for 2006 and the last Quarter of 2007 today. We will pay off the Credit Card when the Bill comes in Thanks to everyone who has remained true and helped pull us through. Thanks to LP Cycles and everyone who helped pull off these Rallies and those who attended and our Sponsors. The added income has just about enabled us to break even for the first time in several years.
The Feds have given a $ 200 Billion loan to the banks because of all the home mortgage forclosures. WOW! Finally the Feds take notice of the problem and come up with a way to help those taxpayers who got caught up in a home lending scam perpetrated by the money hungry, greedy lenders. Sound good? It’s intended to but the exact opposite is true. The Feds are giving a $200 Billion gift to lenders in exchange for some of the bad loans they made in their haste to suck out every penny they could in the housing market. This money will be used to make new loans to corporations that suffered a loss because of their own greed and high CEO wages. This will not, nor was it intended to save anyone’s home. Another waste of Taxpayer money by a government run by Wall Street.
Sputnik
ONE WILD WEEKEND
WHAT A DAY (week)
First I want to thank everyone who came out and helped during the event this year. They are too numerous to mention by name, or rather I kept running so hard I couldn’t find time to write the names down. Of course the dingy Blonde and her protector were once again at the gate. It just wouldn’t be a Rally without them there. They also brought along a gorgeous helper and I forgot to bring her home with me.
Terri and Sherri were there to get our "HOT RALLY GIRLS" off on the right footing and Terri helped decorate the stage and decorated the VIP Table. Anna and Tanya didn’t require much coaching. These ladies are drop dead gorgeous with a personality to make anyone feel at home. We are proud of you as our Good Will Ambassadors girls. We will ring in another helper for you next Rally. The girls were really a breath of fresh air and they will become a trademark of the Rallies at Lost Prairie Cycles Ranch.
J.R. conducted the Bike games for us again. Thanks Bro, we will give you a shout when we are ready to go again. There is nothing better than having a Professional of the game to give of their services just for the love of the association.
WE can’t say enough to Five Star Graphics for knocking out a shirt order for us on such a short notice. We ran out on Rally shirts on Friday and he stayed up past midnight making another order. Damned if we didn’t sell them off early Saturday and he quickly threw together another batch Thanks so much.
That Tom, he has friends in all walks of life and they all understand and live the life. And they can be called on quickly when he gets in a bind. Thanks to these friends, Joe & Laurie, Devin & Beverley and Lin Dale we were able to have water and electricity lines all across the ranch this time. They also set up the canopies, and did anything else they were called on for to make this a successful event. We will have hot showers in time for the next attempt. I heard Tom say something about "THUNDER IN THE HEARTLAND" for the next shot. Get ready to rumble!!!
The Bike games were well orchestrated the riders were ready to give it all they had. There burnout contest produced some very wild sounds that elicited even louder cheers from the delighted onlookers. There will be all new Bike games for the next run. The Run-N-Gun brought forth the old west spirit you can always count on when you put a pistol in a Texan’s hand and give them something to fire at. One participant had six aces while three others had five aces. Of course he had to throw one back because you can only keep five cards when playing seven card stud. A one shot Tie breaker gave the winner $234.00. The Gypsy M/C of Area A won the $1000 for most represented club. Uno Mas came on stage to accept the money then donated it back to the Rights Association. Thanks Guys and Gals.
And finally thanks to the staff who work for L. P. Cycles. They went way beyond the call of duty to lend a helping hand when needed.
To say this was our most successful event yet would be a gross understatement. Everyone we spoke with praised the ease with which everything was handled this time and they emphatically stated they would be back next time. There will be several changes next time and they will all be for the better. We had great media coverage for this event. There was the ever faithful staff from Clubhouse Magazine seen everywhere doing what they do best. They were taking pictures and talking to the crowds. As well as being the number one magazine to give their readers blow by blow descriptions of events of interest they also are especially strong supporters of Texas Motorcycle Rights Association. Thanks guys. Rogue, a free lance writer for Easy Riders Magazine was also present to give his breakdown on how things played out.
After everyone had left Sunday, Tom cooked up a couple of beautiful Sirloin Steaks to perfection. After my first bite I almost felt ashamed to eat it, I wanted to take it home for a souvenir of perfection. Note I said almost, I gobbled that sucker right down and enjoyed every bite. After the meal we sat down and discussed the weekend and plans for next time. The full tally is not in but I left there with over $15,000 and there will be more once all the bills are paid. We will finally be able to pay all our outstanding bills and get into the black side of the ledger. Now all you riders who didn’t attend join the association - if you are already a member get out and sign up a new member. Let’s stay in the black so I don’t have to use my wife’s credit card any more.
If I left anyone out please forgive me.
THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL WHO MADE THIS RALLY GREAT
Sputnik
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
HIPPA Resolution
INSURANCE COVERAGE RESOLUTION
Precinct #_____________ County_____________________________
Whereas Congress has passed the Health Insurance Portability andAffordability Act (HIPAA) and;
Whereas this Act states that Group Policies cannot be withheld fromemployees based on legal lifestyle, and;
Whereas Insurance companies now sell the policy but refuse to payclaims if you are engaged in any non-work related activity theyconsider to be dangerous, and;
Whereas the Federal government has said this should be addressed atthe state level and;
Whereas Texas Riders are required to have medical coverage to complywith the Helmet exemption, Therefore be it,
RESOLVED: A medical insurance policy sold in Texas cannot refusepayment to any covered individual for injuries received while engagedin any lawful activity except for public demonstrations, sanctionedraces, and other professional or semi-professional competitions
Here is a link to a pdf file of this resolution.
http://www.tmra2.org/images/Resolution-INSURANCE-COVERAGE-RESOLUTION.pdf
Archives
