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Hello All,

Here is a sample of a letter from Mack (ABATE of Minnesota) to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood...
Also see the CTA below from the MRF...!!!

Honorable Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation

U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood,

I find it disturbing that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration would consider using my tax dollars against law abiding citizens, yet that's exactly what I understand is being proposed in their recent call for grant applications solely aimed against motorcyclists.

I'm one of those law abiding citizens, and I urge you to intervene. Motorcycle only checkpoints, which I consider a violation of my civil rights, are not part of our system of government, nor will they solve any real problems.

There are many issues facing motorcyclists on the road that could and should be addressed - perhaps it's time to work towards broader education, including accident reduction and motorist awareness, rather than motorcycle only checkpoints.

Sincerely,

Mack Backlund
State Coordinator
ABATE of Minnesota
763-226-9195
statecoordinator@abatemn.org

Sent: Mon, June 28, 2010 6:48:04 AM
Subject: The RIBBLE RUMBLE

The 1st RIBBLE RUMBLE

Saturday, June 26th a group of motorcycle enthusiasts from around the 8th Congressional District gathered for a 100 mile ride to show support for Congressional Candidate Reid Ribble.

Men and women, 97 in all, riding on 62 motorcycles made the ride which started and ended with Reid Ribble telling them why he is the best person to represent them in Congress. Lots of Clapping and Hoo-rahs erupted as this common sense, honest man explained why and for who he made the decision to run for office.

The ride ended at Doc's Harley Davidson on Highway 29 in Shawano County where Reid made arrangements with a local Boy Scout Troop who were holding a Brat & Burger fry. Any hungry souls who were on the ride enjoyed something to eat. It says something about the integrity of a man when at a time when every penny is needed to win this race, a man like Reid Ribble will put the needs of of a Boy Scout Troop before himself.

This is the kind of man our District and our Country need. Many of you agree, so please help me get Reid elected by giving up a couple of cups of coffee and making a $5 or more donation through his website: www.RibbleforCongress.com before the end of the month. Contact the Ribble for Congress office for your very own yard sign and where to sign Reid's nomination papers to get on the ballot: (920) 499-4000. Tell your friends and family about Reid Ribble!

Whatever you are thinking about doing in the future to help get Reid elected, please do it now if you can!

Thanks for all that attended the event, you made it a great success and thanks to all of you who are sending in those checks and signing his nomination papers, your support and prayers are appreciated!

Stan Alt
Ribble Rumble Coordinator

PS: A special thank you goes out to Randy Hawkins - Road Captain for the event. Pat Steele, Barb & Lee Piechocki - chase vehicles, all of the CMA and Claudia La Vine - back up for anything that went wrong, for all of their help!

Our sincerest regrets to the entire Biker Community...

Terri Williams-State Secretary TMRA 2

Stephanie Parks-TMRA2 Task Force

Terri Williams

TMRA2 State Secretary

TMRA2.org

Http://Texaspoliticsbikerstyle.com

512-971-1377

Freedom is always unfinished Business!

FYI - Sputnik was also the U.S. Defenders National Legislative Advisor...

Myrtle Beach Helmet Law Overruled: The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously ruled Myrtle Beach 's motorcycle helmet law is invalid because it conflicts with state law and said there is an overriding need for uniform laws across the state. In its ruling, issued June 8, 2010, the court invalidates not only the city’s helmet and eyewear requirement, but also overturned several other municipal ordinances that the city council enacted last year to discourage motorcyclists from attending bike rallies there. The high court decision was in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of 49 riders who were ticketed during a helmet law protest ride on the first day of the new law, being represented by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists attorney Tom McGrath of Virginia. Testifying before the bench, McGrath argued that the ordinance was invalid because it pre-empted state law, which provides that anyone over the age of 21 is not required to wear a helmet. The S.C. Supreme Court agreed, adding that conflicting equipment requirements would “unduly limit a citizen’s freedom of movement” throughout the state; "Were local authorities allowed to enforce individual helmet ordinances, riders would need to familiarize themselves with the various ordinances in advance of a trip, so as to ensure compliance." According to McGrath, the favorable ruling is important because it “sets a precedent by saying that cities, counties and towns cannot supersede state law. Where the state legislature has spoken on an issue, it’s the final word.” Although the ruling dealt specifically with the helmet-eyewear law, the court also found that the city impliedly repealed many of the new laws itself when it repealed its own administrative court ordinance after the court's chief justices opined that the creation of a special courts system was unconstitutional. As a result, “All the civil ordinances got tossed because there is no administrative hearing process to resolve the citations,” explains McGrath. Only the ordinances involving misdemeanor violations remain in effect in Myrtle Beach , but those include an onerous exhaust ordinance that is far stricter than that enacted by the state legislature. Therefore, on Tuesday, June 15, The Law Offices of Tom McGrath filed suit on behalf of several plaintiffs including ABATE of South Carolina , asking the 15th Judicial Circuit Court to find the muffler ordinance to be unconstitutional and therefore invalid. A successful challenge could affect other cities enacting noise laws and exhaust requirements that are not in accordance with existing state laws.

Helmets Stink: Helmet Laws Suck, but new technology can make helmets smelly too! Helmet manufacturers inform buyers that they should replace their helmet every couple of years because miniscule cracks can develop over time rendering them structurally unsound, or to discard a helmet immediately if it is involved in an accident or even dropped. It’s sometimes difficult to determine with the naked eye when a helmet loses its effectiveness, but researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Germany have developed a way for your nose to tell when your lid has outlived its usefulness. When your helmet is getting past its prime, it will start to smell. If it develops any large cracks... well, your nose knows. The secret lies in odoriferous oils, enclosed in formaldehyde resin microcapsules. These microcapsules are in turn added to liquid polypropylene, which is injection-molded to form the shell of the helmet. When the shell breaks, the capsules rupture, and stinking ensues. The Fraunhofer researchers used a computer simulation to calculate the number of capsules needed, then used mechanical testing to check that they would rupture shortly before complete structural failure. “Smell detection is already in use for coated metal components. We are applying the process for the first time to polymer materials,” stated Fraunhofer’s Dr.-Ing. Christof Koplin. “The cycle helmet is being used as a demonstrator. Work on the capsules has finished and we are now completing characterizing tests on individual configurations.” Possible other applications could include pressure hoses, and water and gas pipes.

U.S. Defenders Ask Judge To Send Manslaughter Case To Trial: A state district judge in Texas has rejected a plea bargain that would have placed a blind woman on deferred probation in the traffic death of motorcyclist. Judge Ralph Strother of Waco 's 19th State District Court refused to accept the plea deal in a felony manslaughter case that involves a vision-impaired 39-year-old who was driving without a license and was cited at least twice before for the same offense. The U.S. Defenders, a politically-active arm of the Confederation of Clubs, conducted a “Call to Action” and Judge Strother’s office was inundated with 1,200 letters from motorcycle enthusiasts who urged him not to accept the prosecutor’s recommended plea deal. Trena Evette Mitchell, who is legally blind and had four children in her car when she turned in front of Richard Craig Schroeder’s motorcycle last December as he was returning from a toy run, withdrew her guilty plea and her case is now set to go to trial in mid-August. Mitchell had been scheduled for sentencing in late July, but the judge moved up her case after more than a thousand motorcyclists said they would ride to the courthouse to show support for Schroeder, known as “Hat Trick” to his biker friends. “Last year we worked with the legislature to net a minimum fine for those who injure or kill an innocent party by encroaching on their right of way,” said Sputnik, State Chair for the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association (TMRA-2) and Chairman of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists’ Legislative Task Force (NCOM-LTF). “We did not receive a single no vote in the House or Senate on SB 1967. Unfortunately we did not take into consideration a Plea Bargain where they could be given adjudication and end up not being found guilty. It is apparent that we shall have to return to the bill’s sponsor Senator Carona and reconstruct SB 1967 during the upcoming session to make allowances for such an occurrence.”

ABATE Of Florida Receives State Funding for Motorcycle Safety: As Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed the 2010-2011 Florida Budget (HB 5001) into law on May 28, ABATE of Florida will receive a quarter of a million dollars specifically to promote motorcycle safety and awareness. “The Florida Dept of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recognized ABATE of Florida for our continuing work attempting to make the roadways of Florida safer for all motorcyclists,” said James “Doc” Reichenbach II, President of ABATE of Florida, Inc., and Chairman of the NCOM Board of Directors in a prepared statement. The exact wording from the state budget’s “Contracted Services From Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund” reads; “From the funds in Specific Appropriation 2735, nonrecurring funds in the amount of $250,000 are for the purpose of promoting motorcycle safety awareness through public information and educational campaigns. These funds are provided to the American Bikers Aiming Toward Education of Florida, Inc.” This is not the first time that ABATE of Florida has received state funding from the DHSMV. Over the last few years, the state government has recognized ABATE’s valuable Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Program (MSAP) for saving lives of motorcyclists statewide. ABATE’s MSAP program has been presented to local civic groups, schools and public events by 32 ABATE chapters statewide, and an independent audit is provided to ensure that the funds are utilized to enhance motorcycle safety education.

Survey Reveals Motorcycle Safety Practices: Consumer Report’s latest survey reveals the safety habits of motorcycle and scooter owners across the U.S. A little over half of more than 1,300 respondents said they had taken a formal riding instruction course. Nearly 1 in 4 said they don't always wear a helmet when they ride. Half of the respondents reported regularly wearing protective boots, and less than half said they regularly wear gloves. About 25% said they always wear a leather, or other protective jacket when riding. Fewer than 10% always wear protective pants or clothing in high-visibility colors. Three out of five riders admitted to riding in a short-sleeved shirt, and about a quarter said they rode in shorts.

Motorcycle-Only Checkpoints Challenged: Since 2007, the New York State Police, along with other county and local police departments, have been conducting motorcycle-only police checkpoints on the roadways of New York State , often targeting major motorcycle events. Authorities claim that the purpose of these stops, at which they issue numerous tickets for helmet and exhaust pipe violations, is to advance motorcycle safety. “Being a motorcycle rider myself, as well as the Aid to Injured Motorcyclists Atty for New York State, I was asked by ABATE of New York to contest this infringement on the rights of motorcyclists,” said Mitch Proner, who then advised the State Police and municipal authorities of his intent to file suit on behalf of ABATE and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists if the discriminatory roadblocks continued. “My letter was ignored and consequently, with the help of then-President of ABATE, Robert “Prospector” Boellner, I found class representatives to bring my action against the New York State Police as well as the other municipal agencies and elected officials participating in these stops,” explains Proner. In the first lawsuit of its kind in the United States , the NYC law firm of Proner and Proner is challenging the constitutionality of this unwarranted police action on First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment grounds in the Federal Court for Northern District of New York. “The United States Supreme Court has long recognized that when a motorist is stopped on the roadway, there is a ‘seizure’ under the Constitution,” Proner notes, adding that “Whether or not this ‘seizure’ is unconstitutional depends on whether or not objective facts indicate that society’s legitimate interests warrant the seizure and the degree to which it intrudes on the individual’s personal liberties.” Although the lawsuit is still in the discovery stages, internal memorandum which police have been forced to disclose as result of the lawsuit indicate that members of the NYS gang unit are assigned to work the checkpoints and Proner thinks the Court will agree that the stops are designed primarily for law enforcement purposes as opposed to public safety purposes. “Rather than promoting any legitimate public safety concern, the checkpoints are intended to harass and intimidate motorcyclists attempting to attend motorcycle events thereby depriving them of their First Amendment right to freedom of assembly as well as their Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process, equal protection and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures” he concludes.

Weird News: Woman Fined for “Not Having a Clear Field of Vision”: A woman driver wearing an Islamic face veil was ticketed by French traffic police for not having a clear field of vision. The 31-year-old French citizen was fined euro22 ($29) in early April based on a rule that says drivers should have freedom of movement and a sufficient field of vision, her lawyer Jean-Michel Pollono said. Pollono told reporters that he is protesting the decision, saying a veil is no different from a motorcycle helmet in terms of hindrance to vision; “If the veil is forbidden behind the wheel…then full helmets for motorcyclists should be banned, because you can't see on the sides." Following months of parliamentary discussion and Gov’t talk about banning veils in public, the case has escalated in the media spotlight. The woman’s husband has since been accused of polygamy and fraudulently benefiting from state financial aid for single parents paid to each of his four wives -- all of whom wear veils.

Quotable Quote: “Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”

- Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), Thirteenth President of the United States

THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. For more information, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit us on our website at www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES

Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,

National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES INEXPLICABLY PLUMMET

Following more than a decade of steady increases, motorcycle rider fatalities unaccountably dipped by double-digit proportions last year. Motorcyclist deaths dropped by 16% nationwide through the first three quarters of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008 when fatalities reached their highest level of 5,290.

The study -- sponsored by the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state traffic safety agencies -- is drawn from preliminary fatality data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia . While there is nothing in the data to indicate the cause of the sudden decline, the GHSA asked state safety agencies to speculate on reasons for the decline, and several respondents pointed to the economy and underscored that a significant portion of motorcycling is for recreation rather than transportation.

Other reasons cited in the study for the decline: Fewer beginning motorcyclists; an increase in priority given to state motorcycle safety programs; an increased awareness of motorcycles by other drivers; and colder, wetter weather in some states during the riding season. It doesn't appear helmet laws played a significant role in the decline.

The popularity of motorcycles has surged in the past decade, particularly among aging baby boomers and women, nearly doubling to more than 10 million.

During the nine-month period of the comparison, the District and 38 states reported a drop in motorcycle deaths, and 12 states recorded an increase. California had 133 fewer deaths, Florida had 111 fewer and Ohio had 48 fewer. Only two states -- Hawaii and Rhode Island -- had double-digit increases. Once numbers for the final three months of 2009 are factored in, the report projects, the annual fatality decline will be at least 10%.

AGING RIDERS AT HIGHER RISK

Motorcycle riders across the country are growing older, and the impact of this trend is evident in emergency rooms nationwide as doctors are finding that senior citizens who ride motorcycles are more likely to be involved in accidents and also more likely to be injured or die than their younger counterparts.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that half of all motorcyclists needing emergency treatment in 2005 were over 40, nearly double the number in 1996, which is consistent with demographic data indicating that the average age of motorcycle ownership has rose from 33 years in 1998 to 40 years in 2003. Injury severity, length of stay in the hospital or intensive care unit, and mortality were higher for riders over the age of 40.

In the study, which was published in the March issue of the American Surgeon, researchers using the National Trauma Databank reviewed the records of 61,689 motorcyclists aged 17 to 89 years involved in a motorcycle crash between 1996 and 2005.

Those ages 50-59 were the fastest growing group involved with crashes, and accidents involving riders in that age group were almost twice as likely to be fatal as those involving younger bikers.

"Treating a 60-year-old who has been in a motorcycle accident is very different from treating a 21-year-old who has been in a similar accident -- 60-year-olds bring a lot more medical baggage with them and impact outcomes," Dr. Mark Gestring, director of the trauma program at the Medical Center.

Age-related factors associated with aging, such as impaired vision, delayed reaction time, and altered balance contribute to motorcycle crashes in this population.

The increase in injury severity for older riders may be related to the reduced capacity to withstand injury as the body ages, including decreases in bone strength and brain size, as well as pre-existing medical conditions.

NATURALISTIC MOTORCYCLE SAFETY STUDY

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has announced that it will partner with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) on the world’s first motorcycle safety study that will use small video recorders and instrumentation mounted on numerous bikes for 6-18 months to gather data about the riders and events that occur.

Termed a "naturalistic" study, VTTI has developed this technology and used it successfully to conduct a 100-car study in 2005 that included 69 crashes and more than 750 near-crashes. According to the MSF, "The method is presently in use by researchers across the globe to target nearly every type of roadway user, with the exception of two-wheeled vehicles. This study, expected to be on the road by early 2011, will greatly advance the understanding of interactions among rider, motorcycle, roadway, other roadway users and the environment."

VTTI Director Tom Dingus added that “We expect the study to be very valuable to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s work, since we also will examine where and how crash avoidance is successful. With so much information bandwidth coming from the cameras and instrumentation on each bike, we’ll be able to examine details for years, and the findings will be relevant for decades."

Naturalistic Method identifies crashes using time-series video and numeric data, reveals factors not detectable through crash investigation, creates its own controls by comparing the crash-involved rider to himself/herself at all other times, and permits quantification of rider performance and behavior in non-critical and critical riding situations.

GLOBAL MARKETS BOOST MOTORCYCLE SALES

While U.S. motorcycle sales continue to drift downward, globally Honda bucked the trend by posting a 30% sales gain for first quarter of 2010, reflecting 2.54 million motorcycles sold outside of Japan .

Sales in the American market dropped 21% during the first quarter of 2010, a less precipitous slip than the previous year's 37% slide, but the rising demand for small displacement bikes in Asian markets helped the juggernaut manufacturer post a $2.68 billion profit for the last fiscal year, a staggering 95.9% increase over the prior year.

We may find consolation in the U.S. market since our sales are sliding less steeply than before, but the evolving global marketplace is not only motivating companies like Volkswagen to purchase one fifth of Suzuki, such international sales figures are also prompting manufacturers like U.S. stalwart Harley-Davidson to divert their efforts into regions like India .

PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS BARRED FROM MINERS MEMORIAL

Many of the 29 West Virginia coal miners who died at the Upper Big Branch mining explosion on April 5th were veterans and some rode motorcycles, so bereaved families had requested the Patriot Guard Riders to attend the memorial service. PGR is an informal group of motorcyclists which exists to make sure that all veterans are given respectful funerals. But they were barred from attending this service by federal officials who labeled them a security threat.

The appearance of the Patriot Guard Riders at the service, at the request of several families, had been cleared in advance by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, who is also a motorcycle rider. But the day before the service, Joe Cumblidge, the West Virginia State Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders e-mailed the men who were scheduled to participate: “Due to circumstances totally and completely beyond the control of the Patriot Guard Riders and Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia, we are regrettably ordering a STAND DOWN for this mission. Specific details will not be posted here but, we’ve been told we are not welcome to participate because of certain high-level dignitaries that are scheduled to be in attendance.”

The “high-level dignitaries” were President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. A Patriot Guard Rider told WSAZ in Charleston that Manchin had been forbidden to allow them to participate “because of overwhelming security concerns with high-ranking federal officials -- it was just not logistically possible for them to be a part of the event.”

Both Obama and Biden managed to escape West Virginia unharmed.

LEGAL CHALLENGES TO MICHIGAN HELMET LAW

Several members of ABATE of Michigan rode to the Lenawee County judicial building on Tuesday, April 20th to show support for a fellow motorcyclist who is challenging a non-compliant helmet ticket. Ryan Hildebrand, 26, is one of nearly a dozen riders ticketed this spring by Adrian police Sgt. Lynn Courington for wearing helmets that the state claims do not meet federal Department of Transportation standards.

Representing the group of ticketed riders is Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) attorney Lawrence “Katman” Katkowsky, who filed an appearance for the helmet defendant. A formal hearing was set for June 29 in district court, and Katkowsky said he will try to consolidate all the helmet infraction cases that are being challenged for the June 29 hearing. “The issues are all the same,” he said.

He is taking on the helmet enforcement issue in Lenawee County on behalf of ABATE of Michigan, which also has a lawsuit pending in United State District Court in Grand Rapids, challenging the state’s DOT helmet rule.

One of the enforcement issues Katkowsky will raise is regarding probable cause to justify a traffic stop on a civil infraction. ABATE claims in the lawsuit that police have to look inside a helmet to determine if it meets DOT standards, and therefore cannot claim plain sight evidence to justify a traffic stop and request to inspect a helmet. No trial date is scheduled.

ANGRY FRENCH MOTORCYCLISTS SNARL TRAFFIC IN PROTEST

Forty thousand motorcyclists demonstrated all over France in protest of a recent Government announcement to fine any bikers caught filtering through traffic (“lane splitting”), and more than 60 cities saw their roads blocked by hordes of angry riders who said NON to French authorities who propose to treat motorbikes, scooters and mopeds like cars and require them to stay in their lane one behind another.

So, they behaved like cars! On March 13th the La Fédération Française Des Motards en Colère (FFMC - the French Federation of Angry Bikers) urged all motorcyclists to occupy the space of one car in each lane, and within minutes an enormous traffic jam was created that gridlocked the whole of Paris on a busy Saturday afternoon as car drivers were stuck in traffic until late in the evening.

While bikers blocked the roadways above ground, other protestors went underground bringing the subway system to a grinding halt in response to a statement made by French Transport Secretary Jean-Marc Belotti, who said “If they (bikers) are not happy, they can take the metro like everyone else.”

They inconvenience us, we will inconvenience them, responded the FFMC, which set a fine example of civil obedience to demonstrate the impact of motorcycles on traffic flow, good or bad.

WEIRD NEWS: EASY WRITERS TEXT WHILE RIDING

Everyone knows that texting while driving can be dangerous. Now consider this: texting while riding a motorcycle, in heavy traffic! It's not uncommon in Vietnam , where 29 million motorcycles are the primary source of transportation.

Pham Thi Thuy Linh is 21, a college student and -- according to a recent contest sponsored by a mobile phone company -- has the fastest fingers in Vietnam . She can text 160 characters in 25 seconds, though she admits she is “about 20 or 30 percent slower texting on my bike.” She doesn't much care that texting while driving is both illegal and not too smart.

Tran Van Thanh is a senior official in the government's office of traffic safety. He told National Public Radio that understands the concerns about texting while driving, but says peoples’ bad habits will take time to change, and with limited resources it’s impossible to crack down on everyone for everything.

Meanwhile, contest-winner Pham says she can't wait to get one of the new iPhone packages. She says it will enable her to text even faster than she does now, from everywhere -- including her bike.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Senator Barry Goldwater (1909-1998) U.S. Senator from Arizona

May 10th 2010

Obama Tells Patriot Guard To Get Lost

Tue, Apr 27, 2010

There was a memorial service two days ago in Beckley, West Virginia for the 29 coal miners who died at the nearby Upper Big Branch mine April 5th.

Twenty-eight hundred people attended the service. Most of them were there to pay their respects and console the grieving. At least a couple of them were there to

make symbolic, political appearances.

Many of the working class men who died were veterans and some of them rode motorcycles. A source has told this page that “Families of the miners killed in the explosion…

had requested the Patriot Guard Riders attend.” The Patriot Guard Riders is an informal club of veteran motorcyclists which exists to make sure that all veterans

are given respectful funerals. And, they were banned from this service by federal officials because those officials believe the Patriot Guard is a security threat.

Cleared With Governor

The appearance of the Patriot Guard at the service, at the request of at least several families, was cleared by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

Travis Mollohan, a senior aide to the Governor worked with the Patriot Riders to arrange a staging location.

The day before the service, Joe Cumblidge, the West Virginia State Captain of the Patriot Guards emailed the men who were scheduled to participate:

“Due to circumstances totally and completely beyond the control of the Patriot Guard Riders and Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia,

we are regrettably ordering a STAND DOWN for this mission. Specific details will not be posted here but, we’ve been told we are not welcome to participate

because of certain high-level dignitaries that are scheduled to be in attendance.”

The “high-level dignitariesere President Barack Obama and Vice-president Joe Biden. A Patriot Guard Rider named Pat Hanifin told WSAZ in Charleston

that Manchin had been forbidden to allow the Patriot Guard to participate “because of overwhelming security concerns with high-ranking federal officials –

it was just not logistically possible for them to be a part of the event.”

A member of the Patriot Guard who had planned to ride that day told this page, “the reason was because the Secret Service did not want us there

because of the possibility of the President attending. Why? So he can stand there like a fool and disrespect every veteran in attendance with his hands crossed?”

..remember that Homeland Security and the Obama Admin have listed US Veterans on the 'Watch List'... and since much of the Patriot Guard

is made up of US Veterans - you see WHY Obama Admin doesn't want US Vets anywhere around him at a public event.

..'google' it yourself

The Snitch in Your Pocket – Feb 19, 2010 – USA – By Michael Isikoff; Newsweek - Law enforcement is tracking Americans' cell phones in real time—without the benefit of a warrant. Amid all the furor over the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program a few years ago, a mini-revolt was brewing over another type of federal snooping that was getting no public attention at all. Federal prosecutors were seeking what seemed to be unusually sensitive records: internal data from telecommunications companies that showed the locations of their customers' cell phones—sometimes in real time, sometimes after the fact. The prosecutors said they needed the records to trace the movements of suspected drug traffickers, human smugglers, even corrupt public officials. But many federal magistrates—whose job is to sign off on search warrants and handle other routine court duties—were spooked by the requests. Some in New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas balked. Prosecutors "were using the cell phone as a surreptitious tracking device," said Stephen W. Smith, a federal magistrate in Houston. "And I started asking the U.S. Attorney's Office, 'What is the legal authority for this? What is the legal standard for getting this information?’”

Those questions are now at the core of a constitutional clash between President Obama's Justice Department and civil libertarians alarmed by what they see as the government's relentless intrusion into the private lives of citizens. There are numerous other fronts in the privacy wars—about the content of e-mails, for instance, and access to bank records and credit-card transactions. The Feds now can quietly get all that information. But cell-phone tracking is among the more unsettling forms of government surveillance, conjuring up Orwellian images of Big Brother secretly following your movements through the small device in your pocket.

How many of the owners of the country's 277 million cell phones even know that companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint can track their devices in real time? Most "don't have a clue," says privacy advocate James X. Dempsey. The tracking is possible because either the phones have tiny GPS units inside or each phone call is routed through towers that can be used to pinpoint a phone's location to areas as small as a city block.

For Full Article go to: http://www.newsweek.com

Indica Search Warrants: The Truth Behind This Perverse Abuse of Power � Jan 20, 2010 - U.S.P. Hazelton � By Kevin �Outlaw Spike 1%er� O�Neill - For decades law enforcement has abused indicia search warrants in every conceivable manner. If you are a member or associate of a collective membership, such as a MC, this article may give you the knowledge needed to protect yourself & your group from this bastardized law enforcement tool. What are indicia warrants? Indicia means evidence of distinctive marks, such as patches, vests, jackets, t-shirts, hats & other items bearing the names or logos of a collective membership used by its members to indicate membership in a union, an association, or other organization. Thus, indicia warrants authorize the search of a social club, clubhouse, business or home for �evidence� of membership or association with a targeted group.

Down The Rabbit Hole: In Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act investigations, the targeted group is referred to as an �enterprise.� Under (federal law) Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(c), Congress has made association with an enterprise one element of the RICO offense. Consequently, evidence of the associational element of RICO is often times obtained through an indicia search warrant of a suspect�s property. It is important to note, though, that mere membership or association is not sufficient to prove a person conspired with other members to violate the RICO statute�the federal courts are unanimous on this issue. Continuing on, many states have additionally created laws enhancing sentences if a criminal defendant is a member of an �ongoing organization, association, or group of 3 or more persons ... having a common sign of symbol.� (Quoting Cal.Penal Code Section 186.22). For example, you are a member of a motorcycle club & are employed as a bouncer at a local nightclub. One night a drunk bar patron attacks you during the course of your job & in self-defense you send the person to the hospital, or worse. As a result of your membership in a motorcycle club your name & other personal information already exists in law enforcement computers with its vast network of categorical alerts. You can next expect the local & federal �gang squads� assigned to �disrupt� & �neutralize� your particular club to be immediately notified. And given the fact you are part of an ongoing group of �three or more persons ... having a common ... symbol,� the agents will seek the most serious offense(s) possible & additionally allege the incident was committed to �otherwise further the goals of the enterprise.� (Quoting standard boilerplate rhetoric from a RICO indictment).

Pandora�s Box Opens: Similar to magicians performing feats of misdirection & illusions in the fairy-tale casinos hotels of Las Vegas, cunning agents & obliging prosecutors begin crafting indicia warrants with a mixture of magic buzzwords & linguistic sorcery in an effort to justify the maximum amount of force & intrusion to obtain the so-called �evidence� of membership or association. The more violence, property damage & indicia seized, determines the success of the raid(s).

Once a warrant is rubber�stamped by the court the agents prepare for a commando-type assault on often unoccupied clubhouses and/or homes. In pursuit of the innocuous items of �evidence,� such as vests, patches, jackets, belts, hats, clocks, photos, calendars, correspondence & other things, agents in the raids have:

1) Utilized armored vehicles to ram through fences & buildings;

2) Discharged stun grenades, military tear gas, causing serious & permanent injury in some cases;

3) Shot & killed people & family dogs;

4) Pointed guns inches from the heads of terrified children while shouting obscenities;

5) Maliciously destroyed & defaced property.

Keep in mind that these items are not illegal nor contraband & are eventually returned to the rightful owners, unless of course, the agents themselves steal indicia as trophies or for use in counterintelligence tactics.

The Hidden Agenda: A layperson to indicia warrants might wonder why there is so much force & destruction with a significant risk to human life over the seizure of noncontraband property. For those of you that have yet to figure it out, searching for �evidence� of membership or association is only a ruse to gain entry designed to give off the appearance of justice�cloaking a more sinister & illegal objective. An indicia warrant is one of the means & methods by which the cells & prosecutors �disrupt� & �neutralize� MCs they deem nonconformists. The real purposes behind this investigative tool include but are not limited to:

A) Causing economic hardship;

B) Creating fear, confusion & dissension among the membership & their families;

C) Disrupting & chilling the group�s activities & freedom of association;

D) Stigmatize the membership with its neighbors, employers, co-workers & families;

E) Creating opportunities for new stratagems;

F) Seizing as much lawful property as possible forcing on the group the added economic hardship of legal fees.

In reality, the cells of federal & state counterintelligence partisans assigned to investigate motorcycle clubs already retain the �evidence� of membership or association within their files. Indeed, thousands of photos & countless hours of video surveillance is taken by the cells of agents annually of the clubs & their respective members wearing the indicia at funerals, public motorcycling events, bars, restaurants, concerts, campgrounds, motels, parties & even at their private homes. Many members are accosted on public streets & are forced at gun point by police to submit to shirtless upper-body photos for �evidence� of club-related tattoos (this happened to me & many others on Main Street in Daytona Beach at the height of the annual Bike Week rally numerous times).

Countering the Counterintelligence Agents: A search warrant is supported by a sworn affidavit & submitted under the penalty of perjury. Knowingly omitting the fact the agents possess in their files the very �evidence� sought by the indicia warrant is a felony crime under 18 U.S.C. Section 1623, punishable by a fine �or imprisoned not more than five years or both.� Id. Unfortunately, though, the prosecutors control the machinery of a Section 1623 prosecution for filing a materially false declaration & routinely ignore or even assist counterintelligence agents in serious criminal activities. Anyone who doubts this need only read the numerous civil suits flooding the federal District of Massachusetts this past decade of FBI-aided murders & cover-ups. Judges assigned to these law suits were stunned repeatedly by the Dick Nixon-like defenses asserted by the U.S. Department of Justice attorneys in the face of unrefutable evidence of the criminal activities by the FBI. One judge found that �[i]t is difficult to imagine conduct more outrageous, more removed from what this country stands for, than the conduct alleged here.� Quoting Limone v. United States, 336 F.Supp.2d 18, 45 (D.Mass.2004); see also Bennett Ex Rel. Estate of Bennett v. FBI, 278 F.Supp.2d 104, 118 (D.Mass.2003) (�there remains another twist in the decades-long story of official cover-ups: [the court] find[s] that the FBI fraudulently concealed evidence of its own involvement in William Bennet�s death when Bennett, Jr., began to make inquiries ...�). Most of you blindly trust what lawyers tell you. The fact is, there are very few attorneys that have the innovation or the courage to challenge the rampant expansion of power of those acting under the color of state or federal law. And then there are the people that are just plain afraid to do anything about these burglars with badges literally stealing truckloads of your club�s regalia�knowing�they already possess the necessary �evidence.� If you have had your club property seized and/or know your picture has been taken by law enforcement as a result of your membership or association in a particular club, there is something you can do within your ability. The law governing the return of property seized in a warranted search comes down to this: �[R]easonableness under all of the circumstances must be the test when a person seeks to obtain the return of property. If the United States has a need for the property in an investigation or prosecution, its retention of the property generally is reasonable. But if the United States� legitimate interests can be satisfied even if the property is returned, continued retention of the property would be unreasonable.� Quoting Committee Note to 1989 Amendments to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41 (emphasis added). You can satisfy the Govt�s legitimate interests by stipulating to membership by a declaration submitted under the penalty of perjury to the local office of the U.S. Attorney via Certified Mail. Thus, the government has the necessary �evidence� making the continued retention of your club property unreasonable.� This idea came to me while litigating the return of truckloads of property seized from a clubhouse in Oklahoma City. Once the government realized I was attempting to expose its colossal abuse of indicia warrants they couldn�t return the property fast enough to avoid a ruling on this point by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado. See United States v. Nelson, 2006 U.S. App. LEXIS 20549 (10th Cir., Aug. 8, 2006)(opinion by Circuit Judge Terrance L. O�Brien). For those of you that have had just your picture taken wearing the �evidence� of membership, put the Gov�t on notice by submitting a declaration once again to the U.S. Atty�s office in your area. In the event the agencies they supervise apply for indicia warrants at a later date you now retain the �evidence� they committed perjury in the supporting affidavit. Of course, though, the facts & the circumstances vary when drafting a proper declaration. For those interested I will demonstrate in a future posting.

Article URL: http://fedsgonebad.blogspot.com/2010/01/indicia-search-warrants-truth-behind_23.html

Indicia Warrant From Hell � Feb 2, 2010 � USA � By The Aging Rebel - Kevin O�Neill, a member of the American Outlaws Association currently confined to a cage, recently posted a nice piece on Indicia Search Warrants. If you have not yet read it yet you can find O�Neill�s essay at fedsgonebad.blogspot.com. Indicia (pronounced in-DISH-hee-uh) is a legal term that means �signs� or �indications� & it is the pretext for most of the search warrants executed against members of motorcycle clubs. It is a crime to belong to a racket. When the police are allowed to begin an investigation with the conclusion that a motorcycle club is a racket then they may legally search for evidence of membership in that club. The residence of every patch holder, prospect & most hang-arounds will contain if not a patch then at least a bandanna, buckle, support shirt, or a wall calendar.

Bastardized Law Enforcement: O�Neill calls such warrants a �bastardized law enforcement tool� & only a Bolshevik would argue with him. By definition, a patch holder will be holding a patch in his home so an indicia warrant provides an excuse to search any patch holder�s home at any time if you simply remember to accuse his club of being a racket first. And, since these warrants are served on bikers they are always served by a SWAT Team in full, flamingly flamboyant costume. Last fall, a member of the Pagan�s MC named James Hicks was gunned down in front of his wife Cathy in his own kitchen during the service of an indicia warrant. Because even good citizens who abhor the idea of motorcycle clubs would be appalled to know what got James Hicks killed that warrant has never been made public. This page has seen the warrant & it lists as �Items to be seized� from Hicks� home �PMC members� colors & club memorabilia such as patches, shirts, cuts, jewelry, belts, wristbands, wallets, walking sticks, posters, glassware, statues, plaques, business cards or club cards & the PMC constitution or any document containing PMC membership information or PMC rules.� The items actually seized from Hicks� home included a �shotgun, a bank statement, assorted photos, (2) motorcycle helmets, MC Club patches, 2 Pagan walking sticks, camera, Samsung video camera� & �assorted ammunition.�

Happy New Year: Last New Year�s Eve the less tragic victims of an indicia warrant were members of O�Neill�s old club, the Outlaws. Sheriff J.J. Jones of Knox County, Tennessee, which surrounds Knoxville, decided to wreck the sedate celebration at the AOA clubhouse there. The raid, Sheriff Jones candidly admitted, was because the Outlaws deserved it. �These guys are a menace to society,� Jones told the Knoxville News Sentinel. �Everything they stand for is illegal.� �They�re involved in every illegal activity known to man,� Jones then told television station WLVT. �Prostitution, methamphetamine.� Probably if he had been less tongue tied from being on television, Jones could have gone on to list exotic bird smuggling & stock fraud. The one, particular, illegal thing about a dozen people were doing at 9 pm when the local SWAT attacked the clubhouse with concussion grenades, was they were eating a platter of cold cuts. �They totally destroyed the house, they took everything out of there,� Mark Lester, a regional officer of the club & 1 of 2 men actually arrested that night, told the News Sentinel this week. �They took all our TVs, our microwaves. � It was just really crazy stuff. All they found was some alcohol & sandwich platters.�

Desperadoes: Lester & the local chapter President, Kenneth Foster, were charged with aggravated robbery & aggravated kidnapping. Lester, has three previous convictions. He was a �disorderly person� in 1984, he ran a stop sign ten years later & he was charged with reckless driving a year after that. Foster was arrested twice in 1984 for misdemeanor drug possession. Lester told the Knoxville paper that �the most painful loss was that of a group of stone monuments in the clubhouse yard that had been set up to memorialize fallen Outlaws.� �The stones in the front yard for brothers who have died over the last 15 years, they dug those up & took them,� Lester said. �It was just ridiculous.� The pretense for the raid was a search for indicia. The stone markers in the front yard were seized because they are indicia. The microwave was probably seized because it had a �Support Your Local Outlaws� sticker on it. Still there was one specific piece of Outlaws indicia that was not found.

The Hero: At the time of the official police pillaging the usual news media were advised & reported that the raid was the culmination of a 14-month-long �undercover investigation.� The �investigation� was carried out by a guy named Joseph Linger who was widely indentified as an �undercover officer� but who appears more to have actually been a paid confidential informant or an opportunist. Linger, once worked as a small town cop in Alaska, eventually rose to become a Knox County jail employee & as recently as sixteen months ago, when he began hanging around the Knoxville Outlaws, he was working as a bouncer at a nightclub in Gatlinburg. Presumably, he now has a financial arrangement with the Knox County Sheriff that includes the honorary title �undercover officer.� The raid was based on an 18-page affidavit sworn & attested to by Linger. And, like many tales told by many confidential informants it is a sordid & colorful mix of drugs, sex, illegal weapons, & a �propensity for violence.� Linger explains that last December 23rd Lester & Foster somehow discovered that he was working for the local police & demanded that he surrender his colors, get out & never come back. Linger charges that the 2 AOA officers took the vest from him at gun point. Lester & Foster maintain that they did not need a gun. The New Year�s Eve was all about that vest. The alleged robbery was the confiscation of Linger�s vest. The kidnapping was presumably the time it took to pull the colors off the informant�s back. The vest was not located during the raid. Police are still searching for it. So there may be more SWAT raids. Maybe on Valentine�s Day. Whatever you do, don�t buy your old lady flowers in your club�s colors.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release December 17, 2009

Executive Order -- Amending Executive Order 12425

EXECUTIVE ORDER
- - - - - - -
AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER 12425 DESIGNATING INTERPOL AS A PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ENTITLED TO ENJOY CERTAIN PRIVILEGES, EXEMPTIONS, AND IMMUNITIES

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288), and in order to extend the appropriate privileges, exemptions, and immunities to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12425 of June 16, 1983, as amended, is further amended by deleting from the first sentence the words "except those provided by Section 2(c), Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act" and the semicolon that immediately precedes them.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 16, 2009.

of Motorcycle ClubsTM

May 10th 2010

Executive Order -- Amending Executive Order 12425

May 10th 2010

Obama Tells Patriot Guard To Get Lost