Brothers
Brothers riding wind
The eagle protects its own
Just acts of nature
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Patriot Act--- CALL TO ACTION....
NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION FOR ALL US DEFENDERS PATRIOT ACT
It was brought to our attention this week by Jerry Rose, TMRA2 Legislative Task Force member and State Vice Chairman, that certain sections of the Patriot Act are due to expire February 28th, 2011. The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act give the government sweeping authority to spy on individuals inside the United States, and in some cases, without any suspicion of wrongdoing.
All three should be allowed to expire with no sunset review at all because the provisions don’t require individual or fact-based suspicion as required by the Constitution and they don’t impose checks and balances. In addition we want to ask Congress to consider reforming the Patriot Act all together.
The Provisions that are set to expire are:
. Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the "thing" pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. Congress must ensure that things collected with this power have a meaningful nexus to suspected terrorist activity or it should be allowed to expire.
. Section 206 of the Patriot Act, also known as "roving John Doe wiretap" provision, permits the government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither the person nor the facility to be tapped. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require government to state with particularity what it seeks to search or seize. Section 206 should be amended to mirror similar and longstanding criminal laws that permit roving wiretaps, but require the naming of a specific target. Otherwise, it should expire.
. Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called "Lone Wolf" provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are not affiliated with a foreign organization. Such an authorization, granted only in secret courts is subject to abuse and threatens our longtime understandings of the limits of the government's investigatory powers within the borders of the United States. This provision has never been used and should be allowed to expire outright
Last year, Congress passed a one-year extension of the three provisions without making much-needed changes to the overly broad surveillance law.
The Patriot Act has been used improperly again and again by law enforcement to invade Americans’ privacy and violate their constitutional rights. Rather than allow these provisions to be rubberstamped in February, Congress should seize this opportunity to make reforming the Patriot Act a priority.” Write your officials in Congress and tell them we are against HR 67 which allows the Sunset review to be extended until 2012 and to let the provisions of the Patriot Act fade into the sunset and expire forever!
Start at the top, work your way down in contacting your Representatives!
http://www.congress.org/
SAMPLE Letter
The Honorable John Cornyn
United States Senate
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4304
In Re: Reauthorization of the Patriot Act- It's Time to Fix the Patriot Act!
Dear Honorable (Your Senator or Congressman),
There's more evidence than ever that the rampant Patriot Act abuse is a real and present danger. Although the original intent was to assist in fighting terrorism, the documentation confirms that this abuse has been used over and over again in Alabama trampling on our fourth amendment written for United States citizens on our Sovereign soil! In Alabama there have been reports of Law Enforcement stopping bikers, photographing their tattoos and patches and putting the information in the Fusion Center data base even if they are not suspected of a crime. What has happened to our Fourth Amendment?
The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act give the government sweeping authority to spy on individuals inside the United States, and in some cases, without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Section 215 . Section 206 . Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 are due to expire Feb. 28th, 2011. I feel all three should be allowed to expire if they are not amended to include privacy protections to protect personal information from government overreach. I am against HR67 which allows another extension on the provisions until 2012, this matter needs to be dealt with now.
I also respectfully request that you promote Patriot Act reform. It is past time for our government to stop violating the rights of non criminal, law abiding everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism. Please tell congressional leaders to include substantive National Security Letter reforms in any bill extending Patriot Act powers.
I look forward to your response on this important matter.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
(Your town or city)
It was brought to our attention this week by Jerry Rose, TMRA2 Legislative Task Force member and State Vice Chairman, that certain sections of the Patriot Act are due to expire February 28th, 2011. The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act give the government sweeping authority to spy on individuals inside the United States, and in some cases, without any suspicion of wrongdoing.
All three should be allowed to expire with no sunset review at all because the provisions don’t require individual or fact-based suspicion as required by the Constitution and they don’t impose checks and balances. In addition we want to ask Congress to consider reforming the Patriot Act all together.
The Provisions that are set to expire are:
. Section 215 of the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain "any tangible thing" relevant to a terrorism investigation, even if there is no showing that the "thing" pertains to suspected terrorists or terrorist activities. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. Congress must ensure that things collected with this power have a meaningful nexus to suspected terrorist activity or it should be allowed to expire.
. Section 206 of the Patriot Act, also known as "roving John Doe wiretap" provision, permits the government to obtain intelligence surveillance orders that identify neither the person nor the facility to be tapped. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure, which require government to state with particularity what it seeks to search or seize. Section 206 should be amended to mirror similar and longstanding criminal laws that permit roving wiretaps, but require the naming of a specific target. Otherwise, it should expire.
. Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, or the so-called "Lone Wolf" provision, permits secret intelligence surveillance of non-US persons who are not affiliated with a foreign organization. Such an authorization, granted only in secret courts is subject to abuse and threatens our longtime understandings of the limits of the government's investigatory powers within the borders of the United States. This provision has never been used and should be allowed to expire outright
Last year, Congress passed a one-year extension of the three provisions without making much-needed changes to the overly broad surveillance law.
The Patriot Act has been used improperly again and again by law enforcement to invade Americans’ privacy and violate their constitutional rights. Rather than allow these provisions to be rubberstamped in February, Congress should seize this opportunity to make reforming the Patriot Act a priority.” Write your officials in Congress and tell them we are against HR 67 which allows the Sunset review to be extended until 2012 and to let the provisions of the Patriot Act fade into the sunset and expire forever!
Start at the top, work your way down in contacting your Representatives!
http://www.congress.org/
SAMPLE Letter
The Honorable John Cornyn
United States Senate
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4304
In Re: Reauthorization of the Patriot Act- It's Time to Fix the Patriot Act!
Dear Honorable (Your Senator or Congressman),
There's more evidence than ever that the rampant Patriot Act abuse is a real and present danger. Although the original intent was to assist in fighting terrorism, the documentation confirms that this abuse has been used over and over again in Alabama trampling on our fourth amendment written for United States citizens on our Sovereign soil! In Alabama there have been reports of Law Enforcement stopping bikers, photographing their tattoos and patches and putting the information in the Fusion Center data base even if they are not suspected of a crime. What has happened to our Fourth Amendment?
The three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act give the government sweeping authority to spy on individuals inside the United States, and in some cases, without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Section 215 . Section 206 . Section 6001 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 are due to expire Feb. 28th, 2011. I feel all three should be allowed to expire if they are not amended to include privacy protections to protect personal information from government overreach. I am against HR67 which allows another extension on the provisions until 2012, this matter needs to be dealt with now.
I also respectfully request that you promote Patriot Act reform. It is past time for our government to stop violating the rights of non criminal, law abiding everyday people who have nothing to do with terrorism. Please tell congressional leaders to include substantive National Security Letter reforms in any bill extending Patriot Act powers.
I look forward to your response on this important matter.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
(Your town or city)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
My Friend, Dragon
I lost a friend this month and this is my letter to him, since I never got to say goodbye.
My Friend, Dragon
Doug, you are greatly missed. I received my last e-mail from you on the third of December. I didn’t see it until the fifth. I never knew when I hit that respond button that you would never see it. On the sixth, I received your final letter to me. It took me over a week to find your remains and I tried to give you a decent send off, but apparently your uncle stepped in from nowhere and had you cremated with no ceremony. You deserved better, though, I believe this is the way you would have chosen to be sent off, with no pomp and circumstance. I truly hope you know how many lives you touched with your generosity and knowledge.
You took the time to teach so many virtual strangers, people you never met in person, about so many different topics. You always had time for your friends and our stupid questions, which you always answered patiently and thoroughly. You always had a word of encouragement and advice for a wayward friend. I wish I would have listened more. I am truly grateful to have known you and to be among the few that you called friend. You were among the very few, outside of my club, that I consider my brother. I wish the I would of known the last time I saw you would be the last.
Even in your death, you have managed to help me. You have brought me a couple of new friends, men that you trusted, which is enough for me. You have put me in touch with old friends that I have not seen or talked to in ages. I have no doubts; you knew what you were doing and you had a reason to ensure I was in touch with Doc and the others.
Doug, you took on the awesome responsibility of both of your parents when they fell ill. Neither even knew who you were towards the end of their lives, but you kept on, determined you were the only one that would properly care for them. You eventually sold your collection of motorcycles and parts just to keep a roof over your comatose mother’s head long after your father had passed on. You went above and beyond what anybody could have ever expected any man to do.
Brother, you have brought me hope for an afterlife, something I never put much thought into. I hope that one day we can ride together in the hereafter, where there is no pain and no worries. I hope you are finally riding that old panhead again. My old chopper is just about back together and I would be honored, if you are able, if you would ride beside me once in a while. Until then, know you are loved and greatly missed
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Barbers Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Alabama, hosts an amazing Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet every year. People come from all over the nation to attend. I was there this weekend. There were some incredible motorcycles there and some surprisingly good deals to be had. I hope you enjoy the pictures at least half as much I enjoyed taking them. Here is the link, you can hit slidesow at top left or view them individually.
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| Barber's Motorsports Vintage Motorcycle Swapmeet |
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
To my followers
Sorry, I haven't been on for a while. I know I need to tighten up and I will. I've been busy as hell with life, club, school, blown engine on my scoot.
"The Lifestyle"
Bikes were a lot more fun when they were 'exclusively' ridden by angry, violent, intoxicated, anti-social, poorly groomed, heavily tattooed MANIACS.
I found this quote while reading Backtalk on Ironcross.net. Thanks, L.J.
This pretty well sums up my feelings most days any more. I spend a lot of time on a motorcycle, but I avoid most major motorcycle rallies because I don’t fit there. I make much less than a hundred grand a year and I put a ton of miles on my motorcycles rather quickly. Anymore, when I walk into a Harley dealership, they look at me like I am scum, yet when I pull into a gas station, I’m approached by some clown wearing brand new Harley Davidson leathers to protect him from a possible latte spill while he plows down the road in his escalade, narrowly missing motorcycles that are paying enough attention to get out of his way. He, is no doubt on his way to the Local HOG meeting, because he just spent thirty thousand or more dollars to buy a “lifestyle.” He got ripped off.
These people have single handedly brought Harley to their knees and it is not their fault, it is Harley’s. There are dealerships going bankrupt and shutting down everywhere. Production has almost come to a screeching halt. Because they turned their back on the people that kept them going through the rough times to cater to a fad, they are failing. They don’t carry the parts to fix any of the Harleys I’ve ever owned anymore because the RUBs buy more trinkets and sixty dollar shirts. That’s fine by me, I’ll just support the independent shops and the huge aftermarket supply.
Has Harley opened their eyes to what’s happening? Unfortunately, they have not. I went into the two local dealerships this past Monday, because the yuppies are finally starting to give up their garage furniture (can’t call it a motorcycle when it’s used as a decoration , a status symbol, and never ridden) a lot cheaper than this time last year, due to the depression we have been in for a while. Guess what? The fad’s over. My thoughts, which seemed rational enough to me, were that the dealers may have come to their senses and started offering reasonable prices on their used inventory. I was badly mistaken. They were offering the used motorcycles for two to three thousand over the MSRP of a new bike of the same model. The new bikes are about the same price of the used. I actually had a “salesman” tell me, when I asked him why it was so much higher than MSRP, “You have to pay to ride.” My reply was “I’ll rebuild my Ironhead and Harley can shove these twin cams up their collective ass.” All of this is in the midst of many, many dealerships shutting down across the country. Harley Davidson is dying a slow, painful death again, but I’m not sure they can come back from this one. The CEO’s will no doubt get their bail out before this use to be great icon disappears from the American landscape.
The question is, “Can we rebuild our true lifestyle, can we get back to the real?” Peter Fonda in “Wild Angels,” said “We just want to be free to ride our machines and not be hassled by the man…and we want to get loaded…..and we want to have a good time.” What happened to this attitude? This is exactly how I live my life. I’ve smartened up a little over the years. I don’t ride my scoot loaded anymore and I don’t recommend it, but this life used to be about our personal freedom from society’s rules, yet we’ve allowed ourselves to be drug down by them. All the major functions are invaded by the police and becoming more politically correct every year. When’s the last time a major party was thrown in a pasture on private property, without inviting the cops? When did poker runs become the answer to everybody’s financial windfall? When’s the last time you saw a “run” that said “Donate what you can and ride with us.”? When’s the last time you got on your scoot, just to see where she leads you, with no clue where you’re heading or when you will return? This is what we need to return to, our roots. To hell with the major bike rallies like Sturgis, Myrtle Beach, etc. To hell with "no colors, no drugs, no attitudes" signs, let the yuppies have them. We need to create our own motorcycle rally, put our signs up that say "colors welcome, RUBS are not."
I will be so happy when bikers are looked at as scum again and not the OCC ass clowns these RUBS seem to worship.
I found this quote while reading Backtalk on Ironcross.net. Thanks, L.J.
This pretty well sums up my feelings most days any more. I spend a lot of time on a motorcycle, but I avoid most major motorcycle rallies because I don’t fit there. I make much less than a hundred grand a year and I put a ton of miles on my motorcycles rather quickly. Anymore, when I walk into a Harley dealership, they look at me like I am scum, yet when I pull into a gas station, I’m approached by some clown wearing brand new Harley Davidson leathers to protect him from a possible latte spill while he plows down the road in his escalade, narrowly missing motorcycles that are paying enough attention to get out of his way. He, is no doubt on his way to the Local HOG meeting, because he just spent thirty thousand or more dollars to buy a “lifestyle.” He got ripped off.
These people have single handedly brought Harley to their knees and it is not their fault, it is Harley’s. There are dealerships going bankrupt and shutting down everywhere. Production has almost come to a screeching halt. Because they turned their back on the people that kept them going through the rough times to cater to a fad, they are failing. They don’t carry the parts to fix any of the Harleys I’ve ever owned anymore because the RUBs buy more trinkets and sixty dollar shirts. That’s fine by me, I’ll just support the independent shops and the huge aftermarket supply.
Has Harley opened their eyes to what’s happening? Unfortunately, they have not. I went into the two local dealerships this past Monday, because the yuppies are finally starting to give up their garage furniture (can’t call it a motorcycle when it’s used as a decoration , a status symbol, and never ridden) a lot cheaper than this time last year, due to the depression we have been in for a while. Guess what? The fad’s over. My thoughts, which seemed rational enough to me, were that the dealers may have come to their senses and started offering reasonable prices on their used inventory. I was badly mistaken. They were offering the used motorcycles for two to three thousand over the MSRP of a new bike of the same model. The new bikes are about the same price of the used. I actually had a “salesman” tell me, when I asked him why it was so much higher than MSRP, “You have to pay to ride.” My reply was “I’ll rebuild my Ironhead and Harley can shove these twin cams up their collective ass.” All of this is in the midst of many, many dealerships shutting down across the country. Harley Davidson is dying a slow, painful death again, but I’m not sure they can come back from this one. The CEO’s will no doubt get their bail out before this use to be great icon disappears from the American landscape.
The question is, “Can we rebuild our true lifestyle, can we get back to the real?” Peter Fonda in “Wild Angels,” said “We just want to be free to ride our machines and not be hassled by the man…and we want to get loaded…..and we want to have a good time.” What happened to this attitude? This is exactly how I live my life. I’ve smartened up a little over the years. I don’t ride my scoot loaded anymore and I don’t recommend it, but this life used to be about our personal freedom from society’s rules, yet we’ve allowed ourselves to be drug down by them. All the major functions are invaded by the police and becoming more politically correct every year. When’s the last time a major party was thrown in a pasture on private property, without inviting the cops? When did poker runs become the answer to everybody’s financial windfall? When’s the last time you saw a “run” that said “Donate what you can and ride with us.”? When’s the last time you got on your scoot, just to see where she leads you, with no clue where you’re heading or when you will return? This is what we need to return to, our roots. To hell with the major bike rallies like Sturgis, Myrtle Beach, etc. To hell with "no colors, no drugs, no attitudes" signs, let the yuppies have them. We need to create our own motorcycle rally, put our signs up that say "colors welcome, RUBS are not."
I will be so happy when bikers are looked at as scum again and not the OCC ass clowns these RUBS seem to worship.
Monday, August 2, 2010
An open letter to Central Alabama Motor Speedway
To whom it should concern,
I came to your race Saturday night in support of my brother who has been running your track since he was thirteen. It was some great racing and could of been a great time, but the disrespect I witnessed towards our troops and our veterans dumbfounded me.
Let me start by telling you I am a disabled veteran of the USMC after almost nine years of service. I appreciate you taking the time to play the national anthem, however while it was being played, I happened to be in front of your concession stand planning to spend more money. As I stood at attention and saluted our flag during the National Anthem, as I always do, sales continued as usual. Apparently, selling a hot dog was much more important than stopping for three minutes to think about our men and women that were serving our country right at that moment. This is complete and utter disrespect for our my brothers in arms and our war dead that died so you could sell your hot dogs.
I paid $24 for the honor of witnessing this disrespect and it will be the last dime you will ever see from me. I will be sure to, as you said, let all my friends know about what a wonderful time I had.
Thank you,
Brad Hilyer
I came to your race Saturday night in support of my brother who has been running your track since he was thirteen. It was some great racing and could of been a great time, but the disrespect I witnessed towards our troops and our veterans dumbfounded me.
Let me start by telling you I am a disabled veteran of the USMC after almost nine years of service. I appreciate you taking the time to play the national anthem, however while it was being played, I happened to be in front of your concession stand planning to spend more money. As I stood at attention and saluted our flag during the National Anthem, as I always do, sales continued as usual. Apparently, selling a hot dog was much more important than stopping for three minutes to think about our men and women that were serving our country right at that moment. This is complete and utter disrespect for our my brothers in arms and our war dead that died so you could sell your hot dogs.
I paid $24 for the honor of witnessing this disrespect and it will be the last dime you will ever see from me. I will be sure to, as you said, let all my friends know about what a wonderful time I had.
Thank you,
Brad Hilyer
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