Prevent Police Profiling

Here is a disturbing video of a motorcyclist who's arrested for not removing his helmet. The traffic stop is the product of police profiling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yuMenTgDh4

And here is a demonstration video of a Virginia motorcyclists who is taking the most effective action to stop this kind of abuse: Campaign work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQBBEDgURk

Now you might ask yourself, what does one video have to do with the other? They're on opposite sides of the country, and worlds apart as far as what's happening on camera. What's the connection?

The answer is that there's a chain reaction taking place.

When one motorcyclist helps a biker-friendly candidate win, we are one step closer to a legislative majority. And only a legislative majority can repeal the universal helmet law.

With no helmet law, there's nothing to enforce.

That means no probable cause for pulling over, harrassing, and arresting the motorcyclist. No impounding of his bike. And no reason for him to go to court, either.

-RIDE2REPEAL.COM
PS: Thanks to Quite Mike and ABATE of Oregon for sharing the first video.

< LA H-63 > Baton Rouge

ALERT: Louisiana Bikers

The special election date is set for LA House District 63 in Baton Rouge. Candidates must qualify from March 24 to 26. The special election will take place May 1, with a run-off on May 29 if needed.

This vacancy came up when former the State Representative passed away earlier this month. Here's an article about the upcoming race from the local Fox affiliate in New Orleans:

May election to fill vacant House seat
A special election to fill a Baton Rouge-based seat in the state House of Representatives will be held in May...

This election is important for Louisiana bikers because the former incumbent voted against helmet law repeal. Here's a big fat chance to change that, right on a silver platter.

No candidates have announced their intentions yet, but they certainly will as the special election unfolds. When that happens, it will be very important to find out where they stand on helmet laws. That's where you can become part of the solution - eyes and ears are always needed!

In the mean time, I've updated the list of Louisiana Races on the  ELECTIONS  page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM. And I'll update it as fast as anyone sends me info. That way it will be very easy for all interested biker activists to get involved.

Being a special election, turnout will be low, and the race could easily go either way ... depending on which candidate has the best volunteers, of course. But regardless of outcome, there is no better time to lobby legislators than while they're still candidates.

Will Louisiana bikers be a factor in who wins this race?

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

To be, or not to be?

That's a good question ... one that bikers rights activists should ask themselves. Put another way, it's not a matter of what you think ... but what you do.

Do you spend a lot of time figuring out the truth about helmet laws? Digging for data? Searching for that "smoking gun?" And once you reach a new level of understanding, do you try to spread the gospel among the riding masses? Then you are definitely a thinker ... but not necessarily a doer.

If you aready know the truth about helmet laws (they SUCK), you are not alone. So you don't need to preach, to the choir or to anyone else. All you have to do is band together with those who also share your opposition to such an affront.

Forget about the fence-sitters and the stone deaf. No need.

Instead put your energy into the one and only thing that matters most: campaign work. There's no convincing, and no debating. Just delivering votes to the only person who can restore your rights.

When there is a biker-friendly legislature, there is no helmet law. Statistics and anecdotes are meaningless in the face of a legislative majority. Same goes for the court of public opinion. Again, there's no need.

So will you be a part of the solution, or will you keep farting around? You don't have to be Shakespeare to answer that question.

Ready for Action?

To get started, click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. When there's an election near you, you'll be the first to hear about it. And do something about it.

Your anonymous subscription also allows us to put you on the map, showing where biker activists are in your state and around the country. Subscribers show up on the map as blue motorcycles, and experienced campaign volunteers are the green ones. To see how your state is doing, click on the blue  STATE MAPS  tab to see. Or click here for a more localized example.

The most important place to get info is on our  ELECTIONS  page. Scroll down to your state, and every race is listed. Click on a candidate's name to visit their website ... so you can contact them about becoming a campaign volunteer.

Why is campaign work so important? Because ELECTIONS are the key to political power. Show me a king, and I'll show you a kingmaker.

It's how the "Gray Panthers" keep Social Security benefits intact, no matter how bankrupt the system becomes. It's how the entertainment industry keeps royalties flowing from generation to generation, long after Elvis has left the building.

But bikers aren't a majority like the elderly, and we aren't flush with cash like the mega-corporations. Our strength lies in our ability to work ... as campaign volunteers.

That's something our political opponents won't do. And the only way they can beat us is if we won't, either.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

< VA H-41 > Burke (2)

ALERT: VA, MD, & DC Bikers

The special election for VA House District 41 in Burke is coming up soon, on March 2. This vacancy came up after its former delegate won Ken Cuccinelli's old senate seat (by just over 300 votes). Here's an article about the upcoming race from the "All Politics is Local" blog, a very good source of election news:

http://electioninfo.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/march-2-virginias-41st-assembly-district/

No telling where the candidates stand on helmet laws. But feel free to contact either of them via the links under "Virginia Races" (on the  ELECTIONS  page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM). It's pretty easy.

Being a special election, turnout will be low, and the race could easily go either way ... depending on which candidate has the best volunteers, of course. But regardless of outcome, there is no better time to lobby legislators than while they're still candidates.

Thanks for your time and attention.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Rules Are Rules

There are basic rules that apply to all battles. It doesn't matter whether it's hand-to-hand combat, the D-Day invasion, or the fight for our rights. And just like in physics, we can ignore the rules ...

... but they will still be there, just the same.

The fancy name for this example is "force concentration." If we put all our energy into a small area, and apply it to our opponent's weak spot, we inflict the most damage on them. It's like using a magnifying glass to focus the sun's rays on a pinpoint, using a shaped explosive charge, or winding up for a punch.

Same total energy, but concentrated.

So the more we narrow down our time, attention, and effort, the more powerful we become. Conversely, the wider our battle front, the less powerful (and more vulnerable) we are. This becomes even more evident with fewer people in our ranks. And face it, we aren't exactly the Chinese army, with an unlimited supply of troops.

I agree that any affront to our rights is bad. But the way to win isn't by fighting on as many fronts as possible. The exact opposite is true. That's why "special interest groups" are so powerful. Not because they're right, but because they're focused. So from a purely tactical standpoint, we stay right on target.

I prefer winning to fighting.

To get started, click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. When there's an election near you, you'll be the first to hear about it. And do something about it.

Your anonymous subscription also allows us to put you on the map, showing where biker activists are in your state. Subscribers show up on the map as blue motorcycles, and experienced campaign volunteers are the red ones. To see how your state is doing, click on the blue  STATE MAPS  tab to see. Or click here for a more localized example.

The most important place to get info is on our  ELECTIONS  page. Scroll down to your state, and every race is listed. Click on a candidate's name to visit their website ... so you can contact them about becoming a campaign volunteer.

Why is campaign work so important? Because ELECTIONS are the key to political power. Show me a king, and I'll show you a kingmaker.

It's how the "Gray Panthers" keep Social Security benefits intact, no matter how bankrupt the system becomes. It's how the entertainment industry keeps royalties flowing from generation to generation, long after Elvis has left the building.

But bikers aren't a majority like the elderly, and we aren't flush with cash like the mega-corporations. Our strength lies in our ability to work ... as campaign volunteers.

That's something our political opponents won't do. And the only way they can beat us is if we won't, either.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Critical Mass

In the world of physics, put enough radioactive material into a small area, and a nuclear reaction takes place. But take the same amount and spread it across a large area, and you have nothing special.

What works in the world of physics also applies to the world of politics.

Bikers rights activists believe that it takes hundreds of bikers to make a difference. Perhaps thousands. And that's true, if they are scattered in a hundred different directions - doing a hundred different things.

The less effective the effort, the more bikers it will take.

Go off on a tangent, and there are not enough bikers in the world to make a dent. A classic example is looking for statistical "proof" that helmet laws are flawed. Even if you do find proof, it doesn't make a bit of difference. And that's because "proof" will never create a legislative majority.

It's also true that only a few dozen, in the right place and the right time, are more powerful than those hundreds ... or even thousands. That's because the more effective the effort, the less effort it takes.

The only problem is that most bikers rights advocates are really good at doing practically everything except the one thing that matters most:

CAMPAIGN WORK!

If a dozen bikers voluntered in a couple of really competitive races, they would cause a chain reacton.

First, they would be learning the ropes of campaign work. And we learn by doing. While rookies make mistakes, practice makes perfect. That's a spark.

Second, they help a biker-friendly candidate win a tight race. That takes us one step closer to a biker-friendly majority. That's a flame.

Third, they earn a reputation as a political force. When it comes to winning elections, legislators will know that bikers make a difference. That's a chain reaction.

Sure, it sounds simple. But the reality is that bikers don't know they have this kind of power in their hands, right here and right now.

Fortunately it does NOT take very many bikers to make this work. A few dozen is more than enough to reach critical mass. Then all it takes is one spark.

You can act right now.

To get started, click on the red  SUBSCRIBE  tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. When there's an election near you, you'll be the first to hear about it. And do something about it.

Your anonymous subscription also allows us to put you on the map, showing where biker activists are in your state. Subscribers show up on the map as blue motorcycles, and experienced campaign volunteers are the red ones. To see how your state is doing, click on the blue  STATE MAPS  tab to see. Or click here for a more localized example.

The most important place to get info is on our  ELECTIONS  page. Scroll down to your state, and every race is listed. Click on a candidate's name to visit their website ... so you can contact them about becoming a campaign volunteer.

Why is campaign work so important? Because ELECTIONS are the key to political power. Show me a king, and I'll show you a kingmaker.

It's how the "Gray Panthers" keep Social Security benefits intact, no matter how bankrupt the system becomes. It's how the entertainment industry keeps royalties flowing from generation to generation, long after Elvis has left the building.

But bikers aren't a majority like the elderly, and we aren't flush with cash like the mega-corporations. Our strength lies in our ability to work ... as campaign volunteers.

That's something our political opponents won't do. And the only way they can beat us is if we won't, either.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Helmet Law-Eating Machine

The RIDE2REPEAL.COM website is only a machine, to be used by any SMRO or biker activist ... a specialized tool for a single task: making helmet laws into the "third rail" of state politics. Everything about the machine is fine-tuned to make it more effective at doing this.

Despite its singular function, fringe benefits come from using this machine. For one thing, SMROs build political power just by using it -- electing biker-friendly legislators as well as earning broad respect across the statehouse. And this respect and power are obviously helpful for all other SMRO legislative goals.

Across the board, pro-repeal legislators are 90% pro-biker, as well as 90% pro-freedom. So put another way, helmet choice is the keystone of a much broader archway. And in seeking higher office, these pro-repeal/biker/freedom legislators will work their way into the highest offices of the land. So there's a lot more to fighting helmet laws than just the helmet law. It's political leverage.

SMRO officers across the country send me updates, and I post them as fast as I can. The only thing I ask is that the red/yellow/green status of candidates is based on their position on helmet laws. That keeps it simple and focused.

As the campaign season unfolds, some races must fall by the wayside. This will be based on our potential impact on who wins the race. We don't bother to list unopposed incumbents, for example, because we can't change the outcome. And when there's a green vs. green (or red vs. red) race, we have nothing to gain -- but a lot to lose.

Campaign volunteers are a precious resource ... and our only resource on the front lines. They have the least impact on races that are lop-sided, e.g., an entrenched incumbent vs. a weak outsider. Conversely, the closer the race -- the greater our impact. So we depend on SMRO officers and campaign veterans to pick the most important out of all races.

When Labor Day comes, we will do well to only list a dozen races -- the very closest ones between candidates on opposite sides of the helmet law. And by winning merely half of these, we make real and lasting gains by upping our side in the legislative balance. It will take no more than two election cycles to put any state over the top ... for good.

RIDE2REPEAL.COM is not for everyone. But it is so efficient, and so effective, we don't need an army of bikers to make it work. Just a dozen will do ... for any state. Of course a hundred would be an overwhelming political force. But that's a couple of years away, since it takes time and practice.

So thanks ... again and again ... for your trust and support. I'll try to earn it -- and keep it -- every day I draw breath.

Nebraska Paddling

It happens in every state, practially every year. Right now it's Nebraska.

With a repeal bill before the state legislature, bikers are paddling as fast as they can to get the repeal bill upstream.

But it doesn't have to be so frantic. With all the papers reporting on this story, I've been plugging the RIDE2REPEAL.COM approach with the following reader comment:

The sooner bikers figure out that doing campaign work is -- by far -- the most convincing argument, the sooner they will get their rights back.

As long as it's a debate in the court of public opinion, where most people don't know how to ride, don't know squat about motorcycles, and don't have to deal with helmets day in and day out, the bikers will lose.

But passive opinion can never beat organized action. As long as that action is in the form of campaign work, bikers cannot be stopped. But without it, they cannot win.

I hope the repeal bill passes. And I'm doing what's asked when the Call to Action comes out -- to respond to reader polls, write an email or two to legislators, etc. There's no excuse for doing otherwise.

Fortunately for Nebraska bikers, ABATE of Nebraska has done their homework. For years they've worked to develop a good working relationship with their legislators. Not just during the sessions, either. They have been helping biker-friendly legislators get elected -- and reelected -- for years. Other states can learn from their successes, both on the campaign trail and during the session.

It will be nice when bikers in every state can sit back and relax during the legislative sessions. But until the idea of working ahead -- with campaign work -- becomes part of our culture, we can only keep paddling madly against the current.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Volunteers for Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day, a day that inspired the movie in which Bill Murray keeps re-living the same day, over and over ... until he gets it right.

With that in mind, I'm asking for your help ... so we as activists can set ourselves on the right path, and make some real and lasting progress this year.

For 18 out of 20 states that have helmet laws, 2010 is an election year. So I'm looking for 18 volunteers, one from each of these states, to lend a hand during the upcoming campaign season.

What's involved? Three important tasks:

1. Finding out which state senate and house (or assembly) seats will be up for election
2. Finding out who (if anyone) is running for these open seats
3. Finding out where the candidates stand on the helmet law

While this sounds like a lot of work (and it is) it's actually pretty manageable -- if it's done in bite-size chunks. It's also a project that can be done over the course of several months. We're just trying to get a good head start.

Fortunately, bikers from three (3) of these states have already stepped up, completing the first task of identifying the open seats. If you check out the ELECTIONS page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM, you'll see a complete list of open seats for Massachusetts, Oregon, and West Virginia. That didn't happen by itself. These three activists took the time to look it all up and send it in, and we all owe them our thanks for taking the initiative.

But speaking of bite-size, there is no way we can stay on top of every single race in each of the 18 states. Manpower wise, I only have the capacity to support another two or three states this year. But beyond that, the work load will start to become unmanageable ... and I don't intend to start getting sloppy when it comes to supporting my fellow activists.

So while I'm extending this invitation to all bikers, by necessity some of those 18 states will have to wait until 2012 for any meaningful support from RIDE2REPEAL.COM.

Personally, I'll be happy to give my full effort to the three states that we already do have on board. But just the same, I welcome any and all comers who are ready to bump up the number of biker-friendly legislators in their state capitals.

Please reply if you're ready for us to help you change your election results this year.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

PS: Thanks to Jimi for the catching the numbers mistake. My bad.

West Virginia Mountaineer

It looks like West Virginia will make a lot of progress this year, thanks to a hard working biker activist named Celeste. If you are involved with bikers rights in WV, or you subscribe to the West Virginia Biker Bulletin email list, you know she's as active as anyone can possibly be.

We are lucky to have her on board. She's given us a list of all the legislative races coming up in 2010, and we have them all listed now on the ELECTIONS page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM. As more information becomes available we'll update the page accordingly.

For now, the West Virginia Races comprise the districts, names of candidates, links to their campaign websites, and a Google map application that gives you driving directions to that district.

When more info comes in, we can color-code the candidates' names based on their stance on repeal. For incumbents, it's ideally their voting record. Otherwise we have to ask them ... and usually they say so.

The final step in making it work comes down to you. All this ground work is for one purpose: to get campaign volunteers into the closest races, working for biker-friendly candidates. That gives us political power ... far more than talking to legislators could ever do.

According to the West Virginia map, we don't have many campaign volunteers available. So if you are interested in getting your rights back with the least amount of effort, the greatest impact, and the quickest lasting results, come join us.

Click on the SUBSCRIBE tab at the top of RIDE2REPEAL.COM. All we need is your ZIP code and your email address. That will put you on the map as a blue motorcycle (Subscriber). And if you've worked as a campaign volunteer, we'll change it to a red bike once you let us know.

If you want to take action and restore your rights the ball is now in your court.