nsman said:
A different perspective:
As world population increases and a leveling of the worlds economy continues, enviornmental and consumption issues become ever more pressing.As we struggle through the internal combustion age we know for certain that emissions are doing real and possibly permanent damage to our planet.Pointing the finger at others changes nothing .
Guns...if no one has one, no one needs one.
War...In order to insure peace one must prepare for peace....
Governments...the are guided by the will of the people....we must except that this does not result in many responsible decisions in the short run....its a poor system but its the best we have.
Motorcycles.....fantastic machines that let me feel free and forget about all of the above.
Too bad the genies already outa the bottle on the first two...as they say, when guns (or motorcycles) are outlawed, only outlaws...(you know the rest) And as far as governments being guided by the will of the people, a noble concept, but unfortunately the "Golden Rule" always trumps all others. (ie: Golden Rule = Those with the GOLD get to make the RULES!)
Living in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia, I pay taxes not only to support the endless State bureaucracy, but the Feds, as well as supporting MILLIONS of "un-documented aliens" (read: felons) who exploit every loophole imaginable to obtain free education, medical care etc. The fact that some tin horn legislator with the Sierra club and every other enviro-nazi group lining his/her pockets to prevent me from riding the bikes I own, where and when I want is all the justification I need to do as I please. Call it short sighted, or "putting my head in the sand" but I can/will "game" the system too, and not lose a minutes sleep over it. Ever watch the G.L.B.T. (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender) parade every year on TV here in San Francisco? Each year it is led by the motorcycle contingent "***** on Bikes", and NONE of them are wearing helmets, while riding openly thru the city. If ANYONE else tried that you wouldn't make it 5 minutes without being pulled over, given a $300. citation, a point against your licence, and refusal of letting you ride away from the traffic stop until a DOT certified helmet was worn. Special interest groups ("squeaky wheels") will continue to get legislation that suits their agenda. Unfortunately in America, all we have fighting for motorcyclists rights is the (gag-gag) AMA, who should stick to selling rally pins to the harley riders they cow-tow to and leave racing regulations and government lobbying efforts to someone who has a clue. In otherwords, we're screwed. In Southern Calif. several cities have recently passed laws making it illegal to off road ride ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY! Dirt/offroad bikes, you make the call, street bikes, leave yer licence plate UNDER your seat with one loose bolt still attached to a corner so IF you decide to stop, you can just say, "yeah, I just noticed it coming off, so I put it here till I got back home to fix it sir..." You'd be suprised how liberating it is to ride plateless, I wish EVERYONE did! I know what some of you may think of all this, but in the not too distant future, we will all look back on this as the "golden age" of motorcycles. I can legally own/ride a 150 HP street legal 180 MPH bike that I can buy from a dealer for less than $15,000, (or a 60 HP dirtbike) That my friends will soon be a thing of the past when the environMENTAL and insurance groups get their way, and they will 'cause THEY HAVE THE GOLD. (end of rant, returning to normal programming)
