Texas Motorcycle Rights Association

December ‘09

Lone Star Warrior

IDENTIFICATION STATEMENT The Lone Star Warrior is the state publication of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association (TMRA 2). Published monthly. DISCLAIMER TMRA2 accepts no responsibility for the comments or opinions contained in this publication. Comments or opinions expressed in by-lined text should not be considered official views of the association or its officers. TMRA2 Houston Web Page: www.terry-g.net/sput/ TMRA2 State Web Page: www.tmra2.org OFFICER INFORMATION State Office: TMRA2 275 Old Lexington Rd. Elgin, Texas 78621 512-971-6777 512-971-1377 Chairman Emeritus/State Chair Sputnik 512-971-6777 sputnik@tmra2.org State Secretary/Treasurer: Terri Williams secretary@tmra2.org 512-971-1377 Send membership and donations to Terri Williams, State Secretary at State Office Send Reports and Warrior correspondence to: sputnik@tmra2.org Send Chapter donations to State Office

DISTRICT ADVISORS #01 Karl Ford 903-629-7624 #03 Brian (NoBody) Horn 903-589-0950 Mountainman2672@aol.com #05 Tom Maddux 254-729-3104 tom@lpcycles.com #20 Lupita Velasquez 361-834-1630 lupitatexas@sbcglobal.net #22 Greg Bodovsky 254-582-9291 txhdryder@att.net Cell 254-205-0678 Assistant: Robin (Smiley) Curry 817-573-5891 seabeewarriorforchrist@netzero.net #24 Terri Knight 325-829-8331

tktmra2@yahoo.com

Assistant: Ron Ashmore 325-338-8494 wb5duqron@netzero.net #29 Revvv Any Districts not listed need District Advisors.

Consider becoming an Advisor to improve communication in your district. If you don’t see a Chapter that meets in your local area consider working with us to establish a chapter where you can attend meetings and just generally interact with others who work to improve the Political Climate. You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have while making a difference in all our lives.

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES Letters to the Editor are welcome and greatly encouraged. If you have something to say let the other Warriors know how you feel about a particular issue. That also let’s the state office help make your Newsletter more interesting. Only current paid TMRA II members may submit a ―Letter to the Editor‖; a name and phone number must be included with the letter for Contact/membership verification purposes. Maximum of 150 words except reports. Please do not submit slanderous or accusing letters or profanity. We reserve the right to edit or refuse any submissions for publications that do not meet these standards. LONE STAR WARRIOR MATERIAL DEADLINE

All submissions intended for Warrior publication must be received by the 25th of each month. The monthly Warrior would be much enhanced if each chapter and each Advisor would submit reports so all members would know what was happening all across the state. Please give this a try. CHAPTER MEETINGS BY CITY: Big Country chapter meets the 2nd Tuesday @7 pm the Firehouse Bar&Grill at the corner of South 21st and Butternut. Contact Terri 325-829-8331 or Ron 325- 338-8494 Austin Minutemen chapter meets the 1st Tuesday @ 7:30 p.m. at Moose Lodge on E. M. Franklin St. Contact Bart 512-925-3524 Heart of Texas chapter meets the 2nd Sunday @ 1:00 p.m. at Jim's Cycle Shop, Highway 31, Axtell 76624, (254) 863-5460 Contact: Jim (254)863-5460 D/FW chapter meets the 2nd Wednesday @ 7:30 p.m. at VFW Post 4477, 300 S. Smith St., Dallas 75211, (214) 339-5800 Contact: Elmer (214) 316-3405 El Paso chapter meets the 3rd Wednesday at Gabriel’s, 1270 Giles Rd. @ 7:00 p.m. Contact Aldo

1st Brazoria County chapter meets the 1st Saturday@ 11:00 a.m. at Christy’s, 2610 N. Velasco St., Angleton 77515, (979) 849-4932 Contact: Frank (979) 964-3480 or Roddy Mohler (979) 233-1439 Lake Granbury Liberty Riders chapter meets the 4th Wednesday @ 7:00 p.m. at VFW Post 7835, 3670 W. Hwy. 377, Granbury, 76048, (817) 573-9350 Contact Smiley 817573-5891 Texas Owners Group chapter meets the 1st Sunday at L.P.Cycles on Hwy 164 10 miles East of Groesbeck. Contact Tom (254)729-

2602

Cen-Tex Chapter meets the 2nd Thursday at the Boozefighter MC 78 Clubhouse in Killeen, @ 7:00pm Contact Scott 254-744-5938 Scottkerr422@gmail.com

East Texas Avengers Chapter meets every third Thursday at 7pm at "Lupe's Mexican Restaurant" 517 E. Rusk St. (hwy 79 E.) in Jacksonville, Texas. Contact Nobody 903-589-0950

The "Riders for Rights" chapter will meet the first Sunday of each month at 3:00pm @ Porkchop's Icehouse, 397 Hwy 156 in Pointblank, TX. Contact Adam 936-662-6842 or Midget 936-435-4883 THANKS:

Scott Zimmerman & Patricia Holmes BRONZE Supporter

Los Pirados Bronze Supporter

1st Brazoria County Chapter $ 500

Motorcycle Group of TX-Unit 125398 Supporter Member

Karl & Cheryl Ford Bronze Supporter John Robbins Silver Supporter

TMRA2 SUPPORTER MEMBERS SUPPORTER - $100 or more G & N Scooter Shack 6/10 Beulah Ott 7/09 Gypsy M/C Dayton Chapter 9/09 Kenneth Dewbery – Nina Brack 10/09 David Schnautz 11/09 Mark & Linda Haskovec 7/10 Mary Matteson & Mark Corey 7/10 In Memory of Cyndi & Ezee DANNY PARKS MEMORIAL Neva Jo Martin 8/09 Bob/Jan Walker 8/10 Jim Griffin 8/09 Patricia Holmes 9/10 William Moore 4/10 Walt Mosby 6/10 Jeana Culp 6/10 Richard Lambert 2/ 10 Voyagers M/C 8/10 Borinqueneers M/C 8/10 American Legion Riders 9/10 Anonymous 9/10 Boozefighters M/C Chapter 95 8/10 Davy Crockett Riders 10/10

BRONZE - $250 or more Karl & Cheryl Ford 4/11 Armadillo M/C 8/10 Boozefighters M/C Chapter 17 3/10 Scott Zimmerman & Patricia Holmes 10/10 Los Pirados 11/10

Motorcycle Group of TX-Unit 125398 11/10 SILVER - $500 or more T -Twisters M/C Mad Mike & Brenda NW Texas COC 9/10

John Robbins 11/10 GOLD $1000 or more PLATINUM - $1500 or more East Texas Chopper Guys Alamo City Gypsy M/C 01/10 Lost Prairie Cycles Amigo M/C 3/10

Your name, your club’s name or your

Business name would be a welcome

addition to this page.

The Honda crotch rocket rider was traveling at

approximately 85 mph. The VW driver was

talking on a cell phone when she pulled out

from a side street, apparently not seeing the

motorcycle. The rider’s reaction time was not

sufficient enough to avoid this accident. The

car had two passengers and the bike rider was

found INSIDE the car with them. The

Volkswagen actually flipped over from the

force of impact and landed 20 feet from where

the collision took place.

All three involved (two in the car and the bike

rider) were killed instantly. This graphic

demonstration was placed at the Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department.

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Just Thought You Should Know

I’m sure you have all seen the Email going round that begins like this:

Mamie Eisenhower : 1 paid for personally out of President's salary

Jackie Kennedy: 1

Roseline Carter: 1

Barbara Bush: 1

Hilary Clinton: 3

Laura Bush: 1

Michele Obama: 22

While it is true that 1st Lady Michelle Obama has 22 staff members at a total cost of $ 1,591,200

annually the other numbers are very much in error. Laura Bush had 26 Staff members at the end of

George W. Bush’s last term of office, Lady Bird Johnson had a Staff of 30 with Betty Ford having

the same number. Jacqueline Kennedy topped the list with 40 people on her Staff.

Update on the Motorcycle Safety Coalition

By Terri Williams

On November 4, 2009 The New Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition met again at the Texas

Transportation Institute. Patricia Turner pulled out large quantities of the ―Share the Road‖ bumper

stickers you see here. Our goal is to have every biker in Texas and friends put these stickers on their

cars, trailers, anywhere folks can see them. There is no better way to get your message out than to

have it on your car driving around everywhere. I know some people don’t like to put stickers on their

cars, please make an exception for this one, cause it could save a life. You can contact me for the

stickers at secretary@tmra2.org, or call at 512-971-1377. We along with other motorcycle groups will

be passing them out till there gone.

Our meeting went very well. Sputnik was a special guest sitting in to answer questions. Our

chairman, Troy Walden, opened the meeting and outlined what the coalition should do next to help

reduce injuries on bikes. He deferred to Patricia Turner who stated the Transportation institute is

trying to obtain two more grants for motorcycle safety. This is good news as we need all the funding

we can get to put the word out to watch out for Motorcycles and to drive your bike safely.

The future goals to work on are:

Improve crash report form to collect data on causative factors in motorcycle crashes;

Improve training and awareness law enforcement of motorcycle crash investigation techniques;

Conduct a detailed evaluation of police-reported motorcycle crash investigation techniques;

Conduct a detailed evaluation of police-reported motorcycle crash reports to determine contributing

crash causation factors. Compare findings to existing training and adjust curricula to address the

issues;

Integrate motorcycle safety activities into other crash and injury control programs and other State

supported projects;

Develop a comprehensive State motorcycle strategic plan that addresses key problem areas such as

impaired riding, unlicensed riders, and motorist awareness. Identify goals, strategies, action steps.

And performance measures for key focus areas;

And I am adding Road Engineering and to identify ―problem Roads‖ in Texas that need repair etc..

Like large pot holes, roads not marked properly etc.

The other categories discussed were Operator Licensing, promoting all personal protective gear,

Rider Education and training, motorcycle operation and alcohol or other drugs, rider conspicuity and

Motorist Awareness programs, Roadway Engineering and design. Legislation and regulations,

explore opportunities to STEP funding for enforcement activities to curb aggressive driving

around motorcycles.

In order to achieve these goals, the Coalition will be split into groups to target specific problem areas.

Policy and Bylaws, Legislation, Motorist Awareness, Education, research, resolutions, nominations for

new officers, and roadway/Engineering design.

I brought up an update on what we are seeing as far as police investigation at the scene of

motorcycle accident. I brought up that the Jacksonville police have failed to properly investigate three

different fatality bike accidents all on the same road. There was another case in Bryan, Texas where

a teenage female hit and killed a man head on and she was not investigated for possible criminal

charges. We want to see the police going by what witnesses tell them and charging drivers

accordingly.

If the witnesses say the car was driving recklessly, the driver was text messaging, speeding and

weaving in and out of traffic, we want to see serious charges brought against these kinds of drivers as

they are the ones killing bikers. I reminded everyone the latest federal study said a driver is 23%

more likely to cause an accident while texting than if they were driving drunk . I brought out that the

Austin Police Dept. seems to be doing the best job at going after aggressive and distracted drivers,

and should be used as an example for all law enforcement. On a police report there are three

sections to use. Currently it is up to the officer if he or she documents just contributing factors and

not give any ticket at all, or they can charge the driver with just a ticket like, Failure to Yield right

away, or they can go further with it, and charge the person with what they call a major conviction

and/or criminal charges , which usually results in someone having their drivers license taken away

and jail time on very serious accidents etc.

Catherine Bochat ―Pegasus‖ with the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association said that they are

also having problems with the judges not following through with the charges on serious accidents. So

it looks like that should be addressed as well.

Jude Schexny from DPS mentioned they are having problems with a misinterpretation of SB1967 as

far as requiring bikers to take the motorcycle safety course before they can get the motorcycle

license. Apparently they are telling bikers who are moving here from out of state, that they will have

to take the course, even if they have a ―M‖ license already in their state. Sputnik and I explained, that

was never the intent of the bill and Sputnik said he will get a letter of intent from Senator Carona’s

office immediately .

Update: As of last week, 11-16-09, Sputnik has spoken to Senator Carona’s office who has

arranged a meeting with DPS to complete the letter of intent.

Our chairman, Troy Walden, advised us he is stepping down due to a heavy schedule in his

personal life. David Die will now be moved from Vice Chairman to the Chairman position based on

the Coalition Bylaws. We will miss Troy as our chairman, but he promises to still be involved. And

we all look forward to working with D. Die.

Catherine Bochat ―Pegasus‖ with the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association will be taking

Cappy’s place on the coalition board.

Our next Motorcycle Safety Forum will be on Thursday, February 11th, 2010 . ALL BIKERS ARE

ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND. The meeting will be held somewhere in the Austin area and as soon

as we get more details TMRA2 will broadcast the when and where. We also encourage everyone to

check out the new ―Look, Learn, and Live‖ website that the Transportation institute has put together, it

is awesome. Just pull up looklearnlive.org.

There will be a much more detailed report provided by Patricia Turner that we will broadcast later.

God speed to everyone in Texas who works tirelessly to save bikers lives.

Terri Williams

TMRA2 State Secretary/Treasure

secretary@tmra2.or

tmra2.org

HOWL-O-WEEN BASH 2009

The rain came down but couldn’t dampen the spirit of those intent on the Howl-O-Ween Rally. It just

took a lot more effort on the part of the volunteers to put it all together in a short period of time. Prior

to getting ready the stage was raised four feet and extended four feet across the front. That was

made possible thanks in large part to the Boozefighters M/C Chapter 98. The back of the stage

extension was painted with a Texas Flag on the left, a Rebel Flag on the right and a large Eagle Head

in the center courtesy of Jim Hartman, American Air Brush & Tattoo.

By Thursday evening the grounds were covered with Vendors having anything a rider might wish to

purchase and some attendees had already rolled through the gate despite the intermittent rain

showers. The rain cleared on Friday and things began to get back to normal. Like with any Rally the

first day is just kick tires and tell lies until the evening rolls around. The entertainment kicked off with

Unkle Dallas & Red Rogers Dirty Dogs followed by a wet T-shirt contest. The Electric Blues Crew

rounded out the evening to a smaller than usual crowd.

Saturday morning began with a leisurely Poker Run of 115 miles through the countryside with only 21

riders taking part. J.R. Miller and his crew of volunteers then put on the Bike show and the usual

games. The evening entertainment kicked off with a ―Tribute To Jimi Hendrix‖ by the Marvin Fields

Band. Very well done. Sputnik then handed out the Poker Run money to the winner Oak, Road

captain of the Los Pirados. At that point the entire group came on stage and Oak returned his

winnings to the association. Los Pirados then made a $200 donation with a little change as a joke.

They shall be listed as Bronze Supporters.

We then asked the Sons of The South to come on stage and thanked them for the donation of 25

Trash Barrels for the park. This group of guys are just getting started but are very passionate about

Bikers Rights. They are already planning an event for the association on the 28th of November. The

winning number for the 50/50 was called and the gentleman said give it back to the association. As I

left the stage he told me that was the first time he had ever won and he gave it back. But after

listening to me talk he just couldn’t take the money from the association. I am sorry to say I did not

get the man’s name. If anyone reading this knows the man’s name please contact me. Dr. Shames

Love Circus kicked off the next round of music with their Light Show, followed by another Wet T-shirt

contest. The Tucker Peterson Band rounded out the evening, replacing the Wes Hardin Band who

had to withdraw.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time to make this happen. Special thanks to Tom for the

use of his ranch, to Rodney and to Cricket and her crew who ran the gate and thanks to Robert for

being a Jack of all trades during the event.. Unfortunately we lost money on the Rally and that left us

in a real bind. We were already a few thousand dollars behind on our office expenses and counting

on this Rally to bring us back up. It looks to be a long hard winter ahead but we will get through it

somehow. We always have.

Thanks Los Pirados Field Events

Thanks Sons of The South The Gate Keepers

Getting The Stage Ready Only thing missing were the Riders

PRESS- MEDIA RELEASE 16th Annual USMC Toys for Tots Toy Run December 12,2009 Well, folks it's just about that time of year again. Now is the time to get your bike out, round up your Christmas decorations, and contact all your buddies about the 16th Annual USMC Toys for Tots Toy Run. Seems as though the problems of the economy has hit everyone really hard this year. We really seem to be struggling with our big sponsors this year. I expect that we will have more children needing something from Santa this year than ever before! So, we need ya'll more than ever this year. We will leave Walter Hall Park in League City, Texas at 10:30 a.m. on December 12 and, with a police escort, lead by none other than Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus, proceed to the Pasadena Rodeo Grounds for a fun filled day for the entire family. This event is for everyone, not just bikers!! The parade is for motorcycles only. Once again the jolly ole fella ,Santa Claus will be there with his elves, with whom the children can get their picture taken, at no cost to them. We have kid games and " The Ever So Famous Train Ride"!! This train ride goes non-stop the whole day long!! We also have a rock climb, bungee jump ,petting zoo, as well as an inflatable obstacle course. Adults will find their own brand of entertainment in the bike games, chili cook-of and something new, a bean cook-off this year. We have a great auction, raffle items, motorcycle show and the 4x4 Show & Shine and CAR CRUNCH again this year. (Wheelers 4 Wishes) . Plenty of vendors will also be on hand for those in need of last minute Christmas shopping ideas. There is much more than just motorcycle items to buy. We also have Toy Run T-Shirt and Koozies for sell. Live entertainment, and great food (G&N Scooter Shack) through-out the day. The day will end with the raffling off of a 2009 Heritage Softtail Classic Harley-Davidson. Raffle tickets are just $20 each Admission to the run is either a $10 cash donation or a new, unwrapped toy. Our Marines looking ever so handsome will be on hand that day to load the toys into their 2-1/2 ton trucks. Please make plans to come out and support this wonderful Toy Run. We can't do it without ya'lls help. It's all for the KIDS!!! Toy Run Headquarters: 713.472.2235 www.toysfortotstoyrun.com usmctoyrun09@yahoo.com

CHAPTER REPORTS (not having a picture of Frank Dietz I have to settle for this one of him in uniform)

1st Brazoria Chapter 07 NOV 2009

Meeting was called to order at 1100am, followed by the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. Minutes from last meeting and treasury report were read and accepted.

It was a quick discussion on the all voted in, Propositions, what are the voters thinking. That was about what was being voted on in this area.

Our meet with Surfside City Counsel was cancelled, due to the Mayor hearing about our request for the motorcycle Safety signs. He went on ahead and ordered the signs, see how easy this is. Looks like we see if Angleton TX will participate in the program.

1st Brazoria held election for new Officers, results are as follows: Frank Dietz, Chairman, Frank Polk and Greg Lambeth are Vice-Chairmen, Larry Lueke treasurer, and Tug Grumbles Sgt of Arms. Voting is over now, some of ya’ll can come back to the meetings now. No, wait we also need a District Advisor.

Our Fund Raiser, our famous ―Hysterical Marker Run‖, turned out pretty good. Everybody had a good time and we made some money. Barroom Olympics were a real hit. Dot, Dot, Dot. Certificates were handed out to the ones who worked to make this happen this year. Well-done and Good work go out to the following members Robin Short, Pam & Cowboy Carr, DuAnn & Bubba Goode, and Michelle Dietz.

Next meeting will be followed up with Christy’s BIKERS FORE BEARS RUN, so plan for a full day. See ya there.

Members voted to send State a $400.00 check this month. Checks in the mail.

Frank Dietz

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Riders for Rights Chapter Report- Well Riders for Rights had our second meeting on Nov. 8, 2009 at Porkchop's Icehouse. We had a total of 25 people attend.16 members and 9 guests. I called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm. We started off by saying the pledge and followed with a prayer, and I want to thank Disciples for Christ- Rev for delivering the prayer, he and his wife Lisa are now members of TMRA 2. I then gave our treasurey report from last month. We then discussed our business from last meeting and a little about how the H.O.T. Rally went. I then brought up H.R. 3845 the Patriot Act Amendments Bill. I spoke about what is in the Patriot Act now from what I've studied and how much of it is nothing but a big government overreach. I also covered how the amendments would help put a stop to some of it. We then had other members discuss and add to it. We had a member bring up Refusal to take a breathalyzer laws and wanted to know more about them. We had a Boozefighter from our area stopped by an officer in the Baytown area for no reason. I'm working on getting

more information on the incident to report it. We discussed the upcoming event on Nov. 21 to help with our Legislative Officer Midget's eye surgery. Rev and the Disciples for Christ are going to be Road Captain and escorts. We discussed the Bikes and Bass Tournament coming up in April and we are going to include biker events and a bike run in this event. Finally we had a 50/50 drawing, the winner was Lisa Deming, winning $58.50 and $58.50 went to the chapter. Thank everybody for the help. I adjourned the meeting at 4:10pm. We signed up 17 new individuals and 1 new couple. I want to give a big thanks to Boozefighter Fat Daddy and Boozefighters Mc 58, Fat Daddy brought in 13 of the new individual membership applications, again thanks. Our meetings from here on out will be the first Sunday of the month at 3:00pm at Porkchop's Icehouse. Looking forward to the next one. Adam Barker =============================================================================

Texas Owners Group

November Minutes

The Texas Owners Group of TMRA2 met on Nov. 8.2009 at 12 noon for lunch and 1:00 pm for the meeting at Lost Prairie Cycles. 19 members were present. Thomas Barber of The CMA led the TMRA2 meeting with an

inspirational prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

October’s minutes were read and accepted.

Current business there was many thanks and applause to The HOT Rally Sponsors for their

support of The 4th Annual HOT Howl-O-Ween Biker Bash. The HOT Rally volunteers were thanked

and applauded for all their hard work and dedicated effort.

New business discussed for The 5th Ann. Texas Independence Day Rally that is only 4

months away. It was decided that we only have 1 vendor in each category. Such as sewers, tattoo

artists, etc. So it would give these vendors a better chance to make money.

Also discussed, The HOT Rally girls would run the front gate and sell The HOT Rally

merchandise for future rallies. Details and money management will be discussed at the December

meeting. Also in new business we had 3 new members join and renew.

In an open floor discussion we talked about the Cash for clunkers program costing the

taxpayers 25,000 per car. Also it was noted that the health insurance bill had passed the House, and

that we all needed to call our Senators to tell them to vote no on this bill.

At the conclusion of the meeting the members present gave Tom Maddux a round of

applause for allowing us to hold the rallies at his place and all the hard work he put into raising money

for TMRA2.

Also announced that there would be another TMRA2 benefit on Nov 28th at the VFW in

Hewitt put on by the Sons of the South. So lets all go to support them.

Next meeting will be The TMRA2 Texas Owners Group Christmas Party on Dec 13th at

Lost Prairie Cycles at 12noon. Meeting was adjourned at 2:30.

Sandra Lynch-Secretary

Texas Owners Group

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DFW Chapter Meeting Minutes November 11th

2009 Constitutional election

2009 Constitutional election is now over. Only about 8% of the people voted in

the state wide election. It’s too bad that only 8% of the voting population

thought our Texas Constitution was worth their time.

HR 3845

TMRA2 has requested its members get in touch with Congress and rally

support for HR 3845. While it does not get rid of the Patriot Act it does make

some reasonably good changes. They have to do something by the end of the

year or several parts of the Act will expire.

Consider this to be a HEADS UP for our WARRIORS to get in touch with your Congressman/woman

and tell (you notice I said Tell) to Co-Sponsor HR 3845 immediately

SD is requesting copies of handlebar tickets from out of state

South Dakota is considering legislation to repeal our handlebar height law. If you know anyone that

was stopped for handlebar height while in South Dakota (no out of state incidents please) please

have them send me:

1. A copy of the citation –or-if not cited their testimonial with a signature that it happened…need

the usual when and where details of course.

2. If possible a photo of the rider and bike as cited

3. If willing, a testimonial about whether this event affected your plans to return to South Dakota

and spend your tourist dollars.

4. The reason you like the bars at that height. We realize this will not be scientific, remember you

will be talking to an intelligent legislator that doesn’t understand your position.

Additionally, we are also trying to build a file on Stop lights that don’t sense motorcyclists. Same

request as above, if you experienced this in South Dakota last year, please let me know.

Please email any responses to: sdimpacchair@yahoo.com

Thanks

Larry Nielson

Legislative Officer ABATE of SD

MRF Rep South Dakota

Senator John Cornyn - Official YouTube Channel

The Senator has a you tube channel. You may want to look at this to see what our senator is saying.

http://www.youtube.com/SenJohnCornyn#p/u/

You can also find some of your legislators on Facebook.

Senate Committee Holds Distracted Driving Hearing

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee recently held a hearing to look into

the dilemma of distracted driving.

Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) opened the hearing with a startling fact; at any given moment, 11

% of all of drivers on the road are holding an electronic device. That’s over 800,000 people, and that’s

only one form of distraction. Rockefeller used this opportunity to unveil some new legislation. He and

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) are introducing a bill that would provide grants to states to be

used in anti-distracted driving efforts.

Some efforts are looking at the blackmail routine to get states to passed tougher driving laws. Other

ideas were to use campaigns to educate people about distracted driving and what it could cost you.

Still one proposal was to wait and see. See what the various states pass and pick up on the ones that

actually do some good.

Fish Fry

The Fish Fry is scheduled for February 28th and if they accept the band is H.O.T.T. (Hand On The

Throttle). A check and request has been put to the commander of the vfw post.

Legislative Workshops

We need to see if we can put some workshops together sometime in February 2010. It’s been a few

years since we have done this and it could help to get more people involved.

Upcoming Dates

The November District Advisor’s meeting was cancelled. It is tentatively scheduled for sometime in

December.

February 28th - Fish Fry 2010

Elmer H. McKeegan

Chapter Coordinator

http://rip.trb.org/browse/dproject.asp?n=24339

Research in Progress

Aggregating VMT Within Predefined Geographic Zones Using a Cellular Network

Record Type: DOT

The current push for vehicles to become more fuel efficient, although good for the environment,

poses a significant problem with the way we pay for our roads. Currently, most of the costs

associated with roadway infrastructure are paid for by revenue collected from the motor fuel use

tax. With new cars expected to use significantly less fuel, or none at all, a new method for assessing

road user fees must be considered. One method that would address this issue would be to charge

road users for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT). By using this approach, fees can be assessed based

on how much each vehicle uses the roads, as opposed to basing fees on an approximation of road

use determined by fuel consumption. There are multiple systems that attempt to achieve this

with varying success. This project focuses on the development and evaluation of a system in which

vehicles' miles can be logged and aggregated by the geographic zone in which a vehicle travels.

What is unique about the system is that it combines data from the vehicle's data bus accessed via the

on board diagnostic port (OBD-II port) with travel zones from a table that relates identified cell base

station codes with geographic zones or their boundaries. The same cellular device that wirelessly

communicates data to the administrative office that handles VMT fee transactions is thus also used to

determine the zone of travel.

This system must provide sufficient resolution to fairly attribute revenue to those jurisdictions in which

the vehicle is traveling, while at the same time registering the same VMT for identical trips. The

device must be accurate enough to properly determine when the vehicle is in a given zone, and the

user must be able to make informed decisions about when and where they choose to drive to

minimize the VMT fees they are assessed. However, the system should not associate any user with

an area so small that their privacy is breached. The question of course from the perspective of the

driver is: At what locating resolution will users feel that their privacy is infringed? The system must

find a balance between correctly allocating VMT to geographic zones (thus maintaining system

accuracy and audit ability) and maintaining privacy.

There are multiple ways to determine the location of a vehicle, however many of these methods

identify specific road segments or capture map coordinates, unnecessary for this application. The

VMT recorded only needs to be linked to a geographic zone. Locating users in "larger" geographic

zones should provide for a solution that is fair to both the jurisdictions collecting revenue as well as to

the road users. The objective of this project is to develop and test the concepts described

above. The scope is to focus on three types of zones: (1) a congested commercial business district

(CBD) usually associated with a "downtown" and skyscraper canyons, (2) a large contiguous

urban/suburban zone surrounding the CBD core, and (3) a rural zone that would only identify

the state in which rural VMT is aggregated.

Start date: 2009/8/1

End date: 2010/5/31

Status: Active

Secondary Number: CTS-2010053

Total Dollars: $ 31,502

Source Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Date Added: 11/23/2009

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Another side of the story

www.itsinternational.com/news/article.cfm?recordID=16543 Monday 23 November 2009 Warning over Dutch pay-per-mile plans The Raad van State, the Dutch government's highest advisory council, has warned transport minister Camiel Eurlings that he holds too much faith in the role of technology in the enforcement of the road kilometre levy. Eurlings recently confirmed that the kilometre levy for motorists, which will replace existing motor vehicle taxation systems, in the Netherlands will be systematically enforced between 2012 and 2018. The GPS-based pay-per-km levy will initially require the motorist to pay US$0.04 per km, gradually increasing to on average US$1 per km in 2018. According to the Raad van State, such technology is unproven and it has asked the minister to indicate what he will do should satellite technology, which will be used to log the distance a car drives, fail. The Raad van State has also voiced concerns over the punitive measures motorists face should they fail to comply. These include driving license and vehicle confiscation, and even custodial sentences. Eurlings said that there will be a trial in 2010 involving 60,000 motorists and that the strict enforcement of the levy is necessary. Our cell phones and computer systems are already overloaded so I would say this is a viable fear. Where do we go from here? We must come up with a way to fund our highways but once established the money must be used for the intended purpose. Something that seldom happens at any level of government. !@#$%^&*()_+_)(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*()(_)__(*&^%$#@!!#$%^^&&***((())))))(**&*&^%$#@!#$%^&*() www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/bikies-threaten-to-sue-pubs-over-gang-col our-discrimination/story-e6freuy9-1225803949121

Bikies threaten to sue pubs over gang colour 'discrimination' * EXCLUSIVE by Janet Fife-Yeomans * From: The Daily Telegraph * November 26, 2009 12:00AM THEY call themselves outlaws but there's a point at which even the bikies draw a line - and this is it. Don't outlaw them from the pub. Members of at least 21 of the state's bikie gangs are preparing to sue the 53 pubs, clubs, hotels and cocktail bars from Wollongong to The Entrance where they are banned if they turn up for a drink wearing club colours or their trademark bikie jewellery. They claim the bars are breaching the Anti-discrimination Act, the Human Rights Commission Act and probably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which has been adopted by Australia. To coin a phrase, it's the whole vibe of the thing

Barrister Wayne Baffsky, who has drafted legal letters for the banned bikies to present to pubs and clubs on the list, said the law was for everyone. "The whole tenor of the Acts is to prevent people from being discriminated against by virtue of how they look, their disability or their age," Mr. Baffsky said. "How they appear because of their clothes is an extension of how they appear because of their disability or their age." After gauging reaction from the bars, the United Motorcycle Council NSW plans to take action on behalf of all the clubs. The council was formed earlier this year as a reaction to the government clampdown on outlaw motorcycle gangs following the brawl between the Hells Angels and Comanchero at Sydney Airport which left one man dead. Council spokesman Ferret, a member of the Finks, yesterday disputed police claims that the bans were needed because bikies wearing their colours were intimidating and more prone to violence. "If they go somewhere and play up they should be banned but not if they are only going for a drink," Ferret, a teetotaller, said. Black Uhlans life member Webber has been drinking in his local pub for 30 years, 28 of those since he got his colours. "Suddenly out of the blue, they said you can't come here dressed like that. What's the difference?" he asked. NSW Police drug and alcohol co-ordination unit head Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke said police would continue to support licensees who had a condition on their license that prevented bikies wearing their insignia being on their premises. ===================================================================================

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www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/27/2755188.htm?section=australia Thirsty bikers: Police defend forced pub closures Posted Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:37am AEDT Updated 10 hours 18 minutes ago A publican is upset that South Australian police will force him to shut his doors for several hours this weekend because of a motorcyclists' protest ride. The SA Police Commissioner applied to the liquor licensing authority for changes affecting several hotels on Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of riders had planned to visit several pubs as they went through Macclesfield, Meadows and McLaren Vale on their ride to protest against the SA Government's anti-association laws. The director of the Three Brothers Arms Hotel at Macclesfield, Shane Ortis, says he remains keen to stay open. "We're pretty disappointed just for the revenue that we're going to lose but, you know, I can't do anything about it," he said. "We have lost revenue for the day, we have had to shut our restaurant, our front bar, our whole hotel, the licence has been revoked from 1:00pm until 5:00pm." Tom Mackie from the United Motorcyclists Council says the riders would have given a financial boost to the towns. "In a similar fashion that the Tour Down Under and Bay to Birdwood and the Classic Adelaide car rally does - engage the local communities, get the scout groups and the football and the cricket clubs and the Rotary people out with their barbecues and set them up in the stops along the way," he said.The owner of the Macclesfield Hotel, Michael McMahon, says the town will find a way to welcome the bike riders. "They're still going to have sausage sizzle here, so they're not going to stop it," he said.

Safety concern Police say the decision affecting three hotels is aimed at ensuring public safety. Chief Inspector Joanne Shanahan says hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to ride and hotel managers might not be able to control the crowd. "In these circumstances it may be difficult for licensed premises to effectively manage such a large group of people, particularly in relation to parking, security and the responsible serving of alcohol," she said. Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has backed the police decision. He says it is for the publican's [Mr Ortis'] own good. "He may not have a problem but the police have a duty to protect him and if things got out of hand as they well might, he would be among the first complaining if his staff were bashed up and he were robbed," Mr Atkinson said. Mr Atkinson says police are enforcing laws passed in 2008. He says, had the police not taken the decision to force closures, publicans would be upset about not being protected. "We had publicans telling the government of South Australia 'What are you going to do to keep these people out of our hotels?' and that's when we passed the new barring laws which put the onus on police rather than the publicans," he said. "We gave the Hotels Association exactly what they asked for and now the police are exercising that authority." Deputy Opposition leader Vickie Chapman says she supports an increased police presence but closing down pubs is ridiculous. "Small businesses, in this case pubs, should be able to open if they like, that is a choice for them," she said. "The other ridiculous thing about this, frankly, is that tomorrow they could just decide to take a different route and go to different pubs - it is just a nonsense." And we thought we had it bad. Australian Riders catch Hell in that country. But as you can see they don’t take it lying down.

Thanks to Karen of New York for the previous two articles

“About Being A Biker

We recently learned that our Brother Midget needed to have cataract surgery this month.

A Benefit was quickly scheduled to help pay the bill and he was scheduled for the first

operation on November 30th. As you are all aware the Friday prior to Thanksgiving was

solid rain all across the state. I left Austin, went home and picked up my wife and got on the

way to Porkchops Icehouse in Point Blank for the festivities. Despite arriving late (by my

way of thinking) few people were on site. Luckily we managed to secure the cabin when those

who had reserved it didn’t show by the deadline. The high humidity was making it almost

impossible for me to breathe. More riders began to arrive despite the weather and in no time

at all we had a Party going. Diamond Dave the DJ furnished the music for free except for

when the guests showed off their talent during the Karaoke. I finally kicked off the giving by

giving my Bro me “Pot-o-Gold””. I filled a Chili Bowl, covered with Reynolds wrap with

the new Gold Plated Dollar coins and presented it to him. Also gave a Cross made of Gold

plated Nails to ensure that all things went well. Old Midget broke down in tears for the first

of many times that weekend.

It rained all night and the Poker Run was cancelled Saturday morning. Several Riders

still paid their money to not go on a Poker Run and that pretty much set the tone for all day.

There was all you could eat Chili (several kinds) and lots of melt in your mouth Brisket.

There were several fine auction items and the bidding demonstrated the kindness in biker’s

hearts. One vest was bought and sold four times.

Come time for the 50/50 I told my wife when she won it to just give it back to Midget. She

said of course she would if she won it and I assured her she would win. Sure enough Midget

received her share of the 50/50. Everyone had a great time and opened their hearts and their

wallets to be sure a brother had what he needed to improve his way of life. We raised nearly

$2500 of the $3000 needed for the surgery. They can only do one eye at a time and then wait

three weeks so we will have the rest of the money needed by then.

Party Hearty, enjoy good company and help a bro all at the same time. It don’t get no better

than that. We don’t need recognition for giving money to organizations like Jerry’s Kids so he

can take $25 million off the top along with all the other highly paid staff members in the

Muscular Dystrophy Inc. Put your money where it does the most good, that’s what being a

Biker is all about.

Welcome to our New Members for November:

Garry Landers - Thomas Palmer- Richard Minnis - John Raymer - Kevin Schutt - Frank Cowley

J.C. Burroughs - Troy Slinkard - Jeff Smith - Ernie Enloe - Jim Raines - Preston Woods - Mike Noack

Rick Warner - Patrick Tucker - Micahh Forbes - Ronnie Williams - Wayne Coursey - Mark Hanks

Javier Garcia - Carlos Garza - Bobby Robertson - Nathan Baxter -Jimmy Smith - Cynthia Smith

Randy Sherrer - Jack Morris - Jarrett Garrett - Michael Todd - Jay Baber - Larry Garrison

Kenny Caldwell - Larry Pittman - Charlie Overstreet - Katherine Overstreet - Eric Deming - Lisa

Deming - Ron Blansett - Bonnie Gatlin - Jerry Harbour – Eric Davis – Lance Taylor – Gregg Brown –

Harvey Evens – Karl Smith – and Thomas Palmer.

And special thanks to those of you who renewed during the month of November. You keep it going.

Advisor Reports

District 24

Well I spent the weekend in Lubbock and took a stack of applications to the Iron Shamrocks club house.

I took a group shot with them so soon as they start sending in money and we can get that chapter up and

running i'll send in the picture. They have about 12 members and patched in 5 more while I was there.

I also have a chance to talk to one of the Aces and Eights from Lubbock and he explained to me a little

about what had been going on there. I hooked up with two Freedom Riders from Lubbock and rode with

them from Snyder to Lubbock and told them that I was the TMRA2 Advisor. They were super

nice. Lots of bikers in Lubbock and now the word is getting out about TMRA2 in the stages of being

active again so hopefully soon it will be up and running. I will ask the Iron Shamrocks to help me find

a place to hold a meeting and to pass out some apps and flyers to some different places. It was a good trip

:) We are also in Abilene going to look at a few different places to hold meetings. We need some place a

little quieter so we can focus on issues at hand without it being so noisy and disruptive. We will also draw

more in i believe if we are not in a Bar atmosphere. We'll

see how the search goes though. Hopefully after Tuesday

night I will have some good things to add to this.

Terri Knight

Coordinator/District Advisor

Big Country Chapter - TMRA2

tktmra2@yahoo.com

325-829-8331 (Cell)

District 5

"Americans are stupid" says Bill Maher of HBO's Real Time.

What is the great progressive Bill Maher talking about? Maher is talking about a $1 Trillion

government run/controlled healthcare system and for Obama and the majority party to shove it down our

throat because we are to stupid to realize what’s best for us! Is the great progressive Bill Maher right?

Bill Maher and the progressive movement hates America and Americans! I am telling you now, if

the US government controls our medical system, it will collapse! 45% of doctors polled say if the

government controls health care, THEY QUIT! Yet, our government representatives want to

add 45 million people to the healthcare system? Logic says, if you add more people to the system and

almost half the doctors quit, the system will collapse!

America is $12 Trillion or $106 Trillion in debt, depending on which set of books you look at! The

USA Debt http://www.usdebtclock.org/ shows real time numbers on our debt! This is insane and our

government wants to add just a few Trillion more!

WAKE UP AMERICANS, ITS TIME TO ORGANIZE!

If we organize we might save America! If we DO NOT organize we will lose America!

Is Bill Maher correct or will we organize and educate ourselves and save America?

What will YOU do, will you go to the best organized Motorcycle Rights Organization in your state,

Texas Motorcycle Rights Association meetings or will you sit on your butt and lose America? The

ball is in your court!

Our next meeting in the Texas Senate District 5 is December the 13th at 12 noon at Lost Prairie

Cycles! This is our Christmas meeting, be here and celebrate the season and freedom while we still can!

God Bless America,

Tom Maddux

Texas Senate District 5 Advisor - Texas Motorcycle Rights Association

Lost Prairie Cycles

5544 Hwy 164 East

Groesbeck,Tx.76642

254-729-3104 http://www.LPCycles.com

http://www.TheHOTRally.com

BUMPER STICKERS $2 each or 3 for $5

Thankful For Plenty Blessings: Thanksgiving, as we all learned in school, was about Native Americans and Pilgrims feasting together in friendship to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. The truth, as is often the case, is quite different.

We've all heard about how the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth after a perilous overseas trip — and how they nearly starved until Native Americans, including the English-speaking Squanto and Wampanoag Chief Massasoit, helped them to survive by teaching them about native foods and cultivation.

There's some truth to that. The Indians did help out. But a bigger reason for why they survived to give thanks — and one that gets short shrift today — can be summed up in one word: capitalism.

After reaching land in 1620, the Pilgrims — led by Gov. William Bradford — set about organizing their society along communal lines. Each would give according to his ability, and each would receive according to his needs — a kind of primitive communism.

Profiteering would not be allowed. All land and production would be publicly owned. It was an ugly disaster from the start.

Strong men ceased working hard when it became clear others weren't pulling their weight. Frustrated at being unable to better their own lot in life, some even resorted to theft.

Within months, people were starving. Literally. Nearly half the colony of 106 died in the first awful winter of 1621. The winter of 1622 was little better. Paradise had turned into a death camp.

Gov. Bradford later wrote that the colony was beset by "confusion and discontent." Something had to change. But what?

Desperate, Bradford and the other elders abandoned the colony's cherished communalism, instead allowing settlers to "set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land." Basic agrarian capitalism, in short.

As Bradford wrote in his "History of Plymouth Plantation," "This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been ... . (Instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many."

By 1623, the bounty produced by the colony's privately owned farm parcels was substantial. Famine no longer stalked the people, and survival was no longer in doubt. That year, the first real Thanksgiving was held.

Today, in an era of bailouts and massive government spending, capitalism has come under sustained and withering criticism. Perhaps some of that criticism is deserved.

Yet we'd do well to remember it's the one system that reliably produces plenty. It lets us realize our true potential and rise above the circumstances of our birth. And it unleashes humankind's awesome creativity, making possible the material blessings we have.

Like the Pilgrims, we should be thankful for all this. Despite the mess we find our country in today……

Hopefully you had a HAPPY THANKSGIVINGand may your

CHRISTMAS BE EVEN BETTER!

This is how one Jacksonville family eulogized a family member killed by an inattentive driver. I understand the sign company has agreed to leave it up as long as no one wishes to rent the space. This is a hard hitting reminder not just to the driver who perpetrated the act but to any driver who sees it to watch for motorcycles.

Our condolences to Chips family and Thanks for the constant reminder to those in Jacksonville that we are out there.

Sputnik

Thanks to our Advertisers.

Thanks Sons of The South M/C

If you want something done right just do it your self. One of the newest Clubs in the

state did just that. Sons of The South M/C joined Texas Motorcycle Rights

Association and became members of the Cen-Tex Chapter. When they needed a

permanent Coordinator Scott stepped forward and took on that position. When they

learned we were in need of Trash Barrels for the Howl-o-ween Rally at Tom’s ranch

they donated 25 barrels to help out. While attending and helping out at the Rally we

were informed they were doing a TMRA 2 fundraiser in Hewitt on the 28th and

asked to attend. What a PARTY!!!

Being so close to Thanksgiving you would expect turnout to be nil but the respect

area riders held for this Club and TMRA 2 made for a winning combination. There

was a Poker Run, Bike Games, Fried Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings along

with Brownies and cookies for desert. There was an unbelievable assortment of Door

Prizes along with Raffle and Auction Items. Terri won a lot of the Raffle items and

as usual I bought my share of auction items. The Leather Recliner with Ottoman

required some planning for the trip to the office and I still have to figure it out from

there. That baby is going to my house!

My hat is off to these Sons of The South how they could alternate between bike

games and auction and keep things rolling so smoothly. But how they did it is not

nearly as important as why. There is no question they believe in the Rights

Movement. They are members of TMRA 2, COC and the Defender Program to a man.

They talk the talk and Walk the walk. This M/C is truly a class act. When it was

time to call it a night they assured us that this was just the first of many Events they

would be hosting for the Association. I find no reason to doubt them and I’m certain

they will each be something to talk about. Again we say Thanks to the Sons Of

The South M/C . May your future be long and bright.

Thanks to those Riders who came out and made this Event a success.