Take Comfort in knowing we have Australia

Maybe it was because I was a big Crocodile Dundee fan. You know the, "Thats not a knife mate, this is a knife!" guy. I fancied myself "back of beyond" with a couple "Sheila's" mining opal's, eating "Barbie" and downing some "Amber Fluid." But I've always been a fan of Australia.

But damn, them Bikers/bikies over there be catching steady hell:

BIKIES INVITED INTO AUSTRIALIAN PARLIAMENT FOR DEBATE
Members of the Gypsy Jokers, Finks and Hells Angels were among guests at Parliament House for a February 8th briefing on new laws being introduced by the State Government to combat outlaw motorcycle clubs, and Democrats MP Sandra Kanck plunged herself into controversy by inviting the “bikies” to participate in the debate.

MP Kanck defended the presence of the outlaw motorcycle club members saying people who are affected by legislation should be consulted before it becomes law. The seminar was organized by Ms Kanck to highlight concerns the legislation will unfairly target people who are not involved in criminal acts, such as bikers who belong to the Longriders Christian Motorcycle Club who’s homes have been raided by police during anti-bikie efforts.

Under the laws, scheduled to be debated soon in the House of Assembly, South Australians who have contact with bikies at least six times a year will face a minimum of five years in jail. The Serious and Organised Crime (Control) Bill 2007 also will enable the Police Commissioner, Mal Hyde, to obtain orders from the Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, declaring bikie gangs illegal.

Anyone involved with the gangs, or who has any contact with them, can then be served with orders restricting their movements based on police intelligence, which must remain secret.

Prominent criminal defense lawyer Craig Caldicott told the gathering that the new laws were an attempt "to use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut."

"They are basically an overkill," Caldicott said. "It is the only piece of legislation in Australia aimed at a group of people who wear leather jackets."Add to Technorati Favorites

New motorcycle can lead to new problems

New motorcycle can lead to new problems
By the Staff of Clutch and Chrome
February 16th, 2008

Experienced riders drastically increase their chances of crashing simply by riding a different motorcycle, an insurance study has found.

Even experienced riders can be pretty wobbly when they hop on an unfamiliar bike, according to data from .

The country's largest motorcycle insurer, Progressive conducted a study of almost 2 million motorcycle policies over a five-year period and found that riders who switch bikes are nearly 70 percent more likely to crash than riders who keep the same bike.

"Most people already know that riding can be especially dangerous for new bikers," said Rick Stern, a Progressive motorcycle product manager who is also a rider. "But our data shows that the less familiar you are with your bike, the more likely you are to be involved in a collision, regardless of your experience."

The study also found cruiser riders who switch to sport bikes are three-and-a-half times more likely to crash. That's more than double the risk they'd have than if they just switched to another cruiser.

Sport bikers, on the other hand, can reduce their risk by more than a third just by switching to a cruiser.

"We want experienced riders to know their risks so they can take extra precautions when they replace their bikes," said Stern. "It's a good idea for riders to take their new bike out for a couple of shake down cruises in a parking lot before hitting the open road."

Even people who have been riding for years can benefit from practicing the basics on their new bike, Stern said, including low-speed riding, turning, shifting and swerving, and higher-speed panic stoppingAdd to Technorati Favorites.

Now You Too can be a Road Captain.

Of late I have noticed that various "Biker" organizations are offering classes so that the "Safety" conscious among us who so choose can now become "Officially Certified Road Captains."

Complete with rocker, patch, button, one or all of the aforementioned and a "certificate" suitable for framing which will look just peachy keen hanging from the wall of your office. Or better yet in your bedroom directly opposite your bed so whilst trying to cop yourself some zzz's you might lull yourself to sleep with the refrain, "I'm a road captain, I'm a road captain. I'm a................."

Why some may even choose to DUCT tape it to the side of their hard bags so whilst engaging in a Freedom action strategy session with a Hooters Girl at the next bike night they might point to their cycle and say with pride, "see, I'm an official road captain".

Now I understand that some may find the initial tone of this post to be somewhat cynical and/or sarcastic and of course we would never wish to convey that impression. "Au contraire,"
we support safety and often encourage people by saying something along the lines of, "be safe".

However (kinda like saying "but" but prettier), being the somewhat jaded, whacked out, cynical, conspiracy whacko, 9 volt battery addicted, ol bastard that I have been accused of being (and that leaves out the best stuff) I must ask myself, "self" where might all this lead???

Let your mind wander if you will to a Toy Run, or whatever run. After all there are an increasing number of whatever runs now days. So anyway "run" dude goes to get "run" insurance to cover crashes that some enterprising young attorney who has run out of tobacco settlement money will find a way to sue them over.

Well you know don't you, what will come out of insurance dudes mouth. "You got a certified Road Captain running this run?"

Now Run dude is going to answer, "Yepper, sure do!"

O.k. so I been down this road before. I can tell you exactly what the next words from insurance dudes mouth are going to be, "Certified by who?"

Bingo, Now all of a sudden everybody is going to have to get together and create Road Captain standards, then there will have to be a Road Captain Certification Board which will have to be supported by fees and dues. Officially certified Road Captains will at first be scarce and will be able to charge fee's for their services. They will also have a vested interest in making the standards tougher so that they may drive up the fee's that they charge. Of course we all know this will be down in the name of safety.

HOWEVER, then the vicious cycle begins. Road Captain Certification board likes the dues and fee's because now folks what don't have a job can get a job certifying Road Captains.

Now here is my guess, an apprentice road captain classification will evolve whereby one must take a test to become an "Assistant Road Captain" and serve under an officially certified Road captain for so long before becoming a full fledged Road Captain. At a fee of course.

You can see where in the age of specialization (meaning how can we get more money for what we do) this is going to lead can't you?

All sorts of certifications will spring up. Well hell, you will have "Certified Gunners", "Certified Illegal Road blocker's", "Certified Poker stop card bag holder's", why the possibilities are endless. Why we could have a whole plethora (I like that word, sounds icky) of officially certified folk that never before in their lives have ever been certified to do or be a damn thing and didn't even know they had to be. They just rode their bikes and called themselves bikers (well some did earn that classification). Aw but those were the days my friend and they have come to an end while we danced and played, our freedoms went away. Well we were really good at doing what we thought we should how could we knowwww.............................
(sung to the tune of Paul McCartneys "Those were the days") Ride Free my friendsAdd to Technorati Favorites.

Bay County BIkers call for Help- the rest of the story-JUSTICE???

On 2-12 we made the following post in response to a call from Bay County Florida Bikers:Bay County calls for help

Wherein a Mr. Salinas having 16 traffic related convictions was to go to court for violating Larry Noles right of way resulting in the loss of Mr. Noles left leg. This "crash" also cost Mr. Noles his job left him with debt he will likely nver be able to pay off and his family in dire straights.

Well Mr. Salinas has had his day in court: THE INDIVIDUAL WHO HIT LARRY WAS JUDGED GUILTY AND FINED $1,007.00, HAD POINTS ASSESSED TO HIS LICENSE, AND HAD HIS LICENSE SUSPENDED FOR THREE MONTHS. THIS WAS THE MAXIMUM THE JUDGE COULD HAND DOWN BY LAW. Read the story and Mr. Noles comments here).

This was the maximum Florida law could apply??? For a leg and the destruction of a family???

There is a party involved here that is more culpable than the perpetrator of this crime. OUR STATE LAWMAKERS.

They want to pass a law to take your damn bike if your speeding. But take a persons leg, life, family, loved ones. Well HELL, thats O.K. now. After all it's just a biker. They shouldn't be on them damn motorcycles anyway. It's just a Husband supporting a family, a Father raising a child ruined by a dude that should have never been on the road in the FIRST DAMN PLACE.

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS GUILTY!!! PUNISHMENT, each legislator must volunteer a limb of our choosing.

JUSTICE??????????????????

Congratulations to members of Whitesands Chapter of ABATE for showing up in court and offering support to Mr. Noles.Add to Technorati Favorites