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From The GUNNY'S SACK Well folks, here we are again. Right now, it's snowing to beat the band and I'm in Portland, Oregon, fer cryin' out loud! There are around seven inches on the ground right now and doesn't look like it's gonna stop. It's not supposed to snow THIS much here. On top of that we have freezing rain and sleet, and there's a thick layer of ice on the pavement. A whole bunch of us, including myself and our AIM Attorney Sam Hochberg, couldn't get a flight out to attend the NCOM Regional Meeting in Sacramento, California, but I heard it was a good one. Even without our Oregon congregation, the rooms were packed with concerned riders from the region. Good to hear, but I sure wish I coulda been there!
JAKARTA: Looks like the local companies who manufacture motorcycles in Indonesia aren't looking for new investment, even though the demand is rising there, according to this story I saw online from the Jakarta Post. What's the reason? Well, they don't need new investors because they're SELLING damn near THREE MILLION BIKES A YEAR over there! Again I say, why not here? Why is the rest of the world building and riding more and more bikes and all we get is more SUV's? Not to mention NHTSA, EPA and the guverment doing their level best to kick bikes off the roads altogether.
LOS ANGELES: The 2003 BMW R 1150 R Rockster is one of BMW's most stylish and agile scooters. In a new film called "Paycheck", this BIKE will join a cast that includes Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman. The $10,790 BMW moves real fast when things get sticky. Might be a movie to go see. This bike was recently introduced in the USA from Europe and I'm told the thing is quick as scat.
FLANDREAU, S.D.: A few weeks before this writing, Rep. Bill Janklow filed a motion asking that he either be acquitted of second-degree manslaughter or granted a new trial, claiming prosecutors didn't present enough evidence to convict him of manslaughter when he killed a biker because he was speeding and had run through a stop sign. Next is liable to be an appeal. It's time to quit playing games and hold him responsible for his actions. As of Thursday evening Bill Janklow, one of South Dakota's most powerful political figures for most of three decades, will spend the 100 days behind bars in the company of thieves and drunks as punishment for an Aug. 16 accident that killed a Minnesota man. Circuit Court Judge Rodney Steele today sentenced Janklow to serve his time begining in Feb. 7 in the Minnehaha County Jail in Sioux Falls for second-degree manslaughter and three misdemeanors in connection the accident. He will be eligible for work release after 30 days but must spend each night in jail. Janklow also received a suspended imposition of sentence, which means if he completes his jail time and a term of probation the felony conviction will be removed from his record.
NORTH CAROLINA: Lying on the ground with his motorcycle handle bar jammed six inches into his abdomen, Brian Shipwash reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box that was broken and bloody, and asked his sweetie if she would marry him. He'd meant to surprise her at her home but the accident changed things for him. By the way she said YES.
A DOCTORED QUOTE: My boss Sam Hochberg showed me this quote recently. It's the original dedication from Arthur Kinoy's "Disorientation Handbook" for the NLG (National Lawyers Guild), and it reads like this: "The test for a peoples' lawyer is not always the technical winning or losing of the formal proceedings. The real test is the impact of the legal activities on the morale and understanding of the people involved in the struggle." This sure does apply to our AIM Lawyers, guys. Every time I read a press release about what any ONE of them did for biker's rights, or hear about a good settlement for an injured biker, MY morale really IS lifted, and my understanding IS improved. Along with all the other bikers rights warriors out there, THESE folks inspire us all. Now if I wasn't such an OLD fart, I'd be thinking real seriously about going to law school, just because THESE AIM LAWYERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our world. The least I can do is spread the word. For more info, or for a free consultation on any legal issue or injury claims, call the main AIM (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) number, and they'll put you in touch with the AIM attorney for YOUR state. Call 1-800-ON-A-BIKE, or check 'em out on the web at www.ON-A-BIKE.com.
MASS. BIKERS ROAR OVER INSURANCE ISSUES AND FILE SUIT SEEKING RETURN OF $100 MILLION IN EXCESSIVE PREMIUMS & COVER OVERCHARGING: Bikers in Boston are suing the Division of Insurance and Automobile Insurers Bureau saying they've been overcharged more than $100,000,000.00 in premiums. "For two years at public rate hearings we've brought these issues of coverage not available to motorcycle consumers to the Commissioner and the Auto Insurers Bureau (AIB)," said Betsy Lister of Medford, a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association (MMA) and owner of a Medford Insurance agency. "And for two years we've been put off." Now the bikers will be heard I'll betcha. And I'm thinkin' maybe some of the rest of us in other states need to take a look at what those insurers are doing. By the way, besides sitting on the MMA Board, Betsy puts out a great biker e-newsletter! You can subscribe to it by sending an e-mail to Gypsypashn@aol.com.
NEW YORK: The NY Times, that is. So a few months back, our story-scavenger, my boss, Oregon AIM Attorney Sam Hochberg, ran into a good one. The Times ran a Living section cover piece about some of us over-the-hill bikers, or at least over-50 bikers, and our bad backs from years of riding, lifting, trucking, or what-not. The picture showed a biker with his hardtail, and he said he HAD to ride it, as a matter of pride, but he couldn't ride it very LONG anymore. Some guys I know can hardly walk after a good ride! What I'D LIKE TO KNOW is what we can DO about it! Maybe we swallow our pride a little and get a cushier ride. I finally realized some years ago that I didn't have to prove anything to anybody.
Any SACK READERS out there who've found a better way to ride with a lousy back, can e-mail me and Sam at AIMGunny@aol.com and SamBikeLaw@aol.com , or if you don't have a computer, fax it to SAM at (503) 224-3869, and we'll put together a special "Back-Sack" edition if we get some responses! We'll give you credit for it, and we'll even give away an AIM T-Shirt to the best solution. The funny part is the name of the Times' story: "Not So Easy Riders."
PENNSYLVANIA: In February 1999 a child was asphyxiated while wearing a bicycle helmet and playing on playground equipment. Evidently he was caught between two over lapping horizontal platforms when his helmet would not fit through the gap between them where his body had already gone. Pressure on his chest as his lower body dangling prevented him from breathing. Parents, this sort of thing really bothers me. Why in the world would any child need a helmet when playing on playground equipment? It was later found that the gap between the bars on the play equipment was too close together and the helmet would not pass through the opening. There are guidelines about that sort of thing that manufacturers are required to follow now. Nevertheless, I can't say it any stronger, PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE for their kids' safety. Keep the round side on the bottom, --Gunny, Oregon AIM Chief of Staff
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