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Dear two-wheeled friends:
I know that this may be a hot issue for many, but this is one of those issues where, as a co-moderator of this Forum, I've got to make my views plain, and feel I must join Bruce in his courageous stand urging that motorcyclist safety advocacy and bikers rights advocacy are NOT the place for issues such as this which have nothing to do with our political causes. This issue will divide us as bikers, and will have the potential to alienate many of those in Congress with whom we must build relationships to accomplish our worthy biker goals. There are movements in Congress to deal with immigration issues, as we have seen reflected in the various competing immigration bills which have been considered by during past few years. All bikers are also individuals entitled to their personal convictions on anything and everything, and if they are impassioned by this issue, they may wish to join in one or another of the movements to influence Congress on the various competing immigration bills. But this is NOT a bikers rights or motorcyclist safety issue, and should not be a part of our bikers rights or motorcyclists safety advocacy platforms.
On the issue specifically of illegal immigrants and insurance, I also doubt, as Bruce has indicated that he doubts, that uninsured illegal immigrants constitute a significant threat to bikers, any more than do American citizens and legal immagrants, in terms of committing ROW violations; and I would add that I consider the insurance issue just a way to piggyback the inflamatory topic of illegal immigration into a a bikers rights platform. Unlike Bruce, even if it can be demonstrated that "uninsured" illegal immigrants pose a threat to bikers or specifcally to the ability of bikers to obtain compensation for the injuries they sustain in these accidents, I will still not be Cindy's ally, let alone a "stanch ally." Again there are other movements which bikers as individuals may consider joining to obtain legislation to rectify the perceived problem. For example, there are common laws precluding illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers licenses, which also precludes them from obtaining insurance. Those who are actually concerned about illegal immigrants being uninsured, rather than looking just to add an attack on illegal immigration to our biker rights platform, may wish to lobby to overturn the laws precluding illegal immigrants from obtaining drivers licenses so that they can obtain liability insurance. But again this is NOT a motorcyclist safety or bikers rights issue, as laudable as it might be. It is an immigrant insurance issue.
For those who are inclined to throw stones at me for the above comments, I suppose I deserve it for being as frank as I felt I must, but in responding, please keep in mind that this Forum is not the place for racist comments, as has been made plain on numerous occasions. There are also Forums on which racist comments are appropriate, and you may wish to direct your comments there.
Respectfully,
"M-a-d-d Ray" Henke--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Replying to: -----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Arnold [mailto:Bruce@LdrLongDistanceRider.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 6:50 PM
To: 'freweeln@nc.rr.com'
Cc: Kirk "Hardtail" Willard; Jeff Hennie; tigermike7@cox.net
Subject: One of us is off the mark...
Hi Cindy,
In your recent meeting with Congresswoman Myrick, were you speaking in your capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation?
If so, please provide me with the factual basis or political stratagem supporting the MRF's determination that "illegal immigration" is now a motorcyclists' issue:
"When we related to her how many of the ROW violations we know of or hear of are frequently involving illegal immigrants with no insurance, you should have seen her!"
REALLY, Cindy? Just how many ROWVs resulting in the maiming or killing of bikers are in fact attributable to "illegal
immigrants with no insurance"?
If you have reliable data indicating that illegal aliens are a statistically significant threat to American motorcyclists, please share it with me and I will become your staunchest ally. To save time, please understand that propaganda from the KKK, AFR, Rusty Childress or Iowa Congressman Steve King does not qualify as "reliable data".
If, on the other hand, you cannot prove that illegal aliens are a statistically significant threat to American motorcyclists, that does not mean that "illegal immigration" is not a serious issue, and I do not want to discourage you from addressing it.
Just don't waste the MRF's--and other bikers'--limited political capital on issues that have limited biker ROI.
Bruce Arnold
Sustaining Member, Motorcycle Riders Foundation
-----Original Message-----
From: Cindy Hodges [mailto:freweeln@nc.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 3:35 PM
To: info@bikerrepublic.org
Subject: [BR info] Re: [BR info] Tiger Tales
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Tiger, Brothers, and Sisters...
I am still getting my thoughts together to write something up on my
views on CBA/ABATE of NC's recent lobbying trip to DC, and I am sure Doc
Ski is doing the same for a more official report, but I cannot sit by
after reading the section below from Tiger's April Tiger Tales, without
adding something from my corner of the world...
Congresswoman Sue Myrick represents NC's 9th congressional district and
she was my representative for many years. I do not always agree with
her but I sure do most of the time. She has taken a GREAT, Sensible
stand on illegal immigration. Make no bones about it, she is all for
having folks immigrate to our nation and go after the American Dream if
they do it legally. We discussed this some and thanked her for what she
is doing. Sue is very familiar with motorcycling issues and been known
to ride with her son. When we related to her how many of the ROW
violations we know of or hear of are frequently involving illegal
immigrants with no insurance, you should have seen her!
Check this out:
http://www.house.gov/list/press/nc09_myrick/immigrationprogramfeddep020606.html
http://www.suemyrick.com/site/PageServer?pagename=Immigration
Fre
From: "Tiger Mike"
>
> As an aside, we had another motorcycle death Monday
> night involving an orange Road King around NW 10th and
> MacArthur in Oklahoma City. Dale Johnson was killed,
> apparently by a negligent motorist (which is why we
> got Jaggers' Law passed). It appears to be a Right Of
> Way violation (a four-wheeler Left-Turned the bike),
> but the news mentioned alcohol could possibly be
> involved (with no proof or justification mentioned in
> the news piece--that REALLY chaps my hide when that
> happens!). The piece did, however, state the
> importance of watching out for motorcycles with the
> weather getting warmer. PLEASE ride aware out there,
> and watch out for the other guy who isn't watching out
> for you!
>
> What REALLY torqued my jaws about Rogue LV getting
> killed was that Rodrigo Juarez, the guy driving the
> truck (he IS an Illegal Alien, by the way) was allowed
> to bond out of jail last week. I didn't hear anything
> about it until I saw it on Channel 4 News in OKC last
> week. INS or ICE (Immigrations and Customs) weren't
> even brought into it! Fortunately, Rogue LV's family
> and friends raised a stink with both the Oklahoma
> County Sheriff's office and with the media, ICE DID
> get involved, and the guy is now back in the Oklahoma
> County Jail. To be honest, I'm amazed that he didn't
> just skip bail and flee to Mexico, given that he was
> going to leave the scene of the wreck to begin with,
> with LV lying there in the street like Road Kill!
> Incidentally, over 200 bikes turned out for LV's
> funeral, which was exceptionally righteous.
>
> I've heard from a couple of cops already who have been
> frustrated in the past by busting Illegals and having
> them bonded out by their families and sent South
> immediately, to the point where it's not even worth
> doing the paperwork anymore. That's completely
> outrageous--An Illegal who is arrested for a crime
> needs to be prosecuted, serve a just sentence, then
> DEPORTED! I understand that now this unacceptable
> situation is being addressed in the Legislature, but I
> need to see what specifically is coming up in a bill
> before I believe the situation's going to be improved.
> If any of us who are American Citizens committed
> similar crimes, we'd be held to account (maybe even
> get worse treatment as Bikers by some judge looking to
> make an "example" of us!). This damnedable situation
> just reinforces to me the adage that "It's called the
> Criminal Justice System because it's the Criminals
> that get the Justice!"--not the victims.
> |
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