A couple months ago I was run off the road by a big, black SUV. I was fortunately not riding very fast. I was making a right turn when out of nowhere the SUV turned in front of me forcing me to make a decision, become a hood ornament or evade and dump my bike. I choose the latter. The last thing I saw as I jumped the curb and plowed into a ditch was a young girl, behind the wheel of the SUV laughing as she texted a friend. Florida needs to pass a law prohibiting cellphone use while driving.
She did not stop. She did not offer assistance. She never slowed down. The girl drove off merrily on her way.
Bruce Rossmeyer, an Icon in the Harley Davidson community, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Bruce was riding to Sturgis, SD with a group of friends when he was run off the road by a pickup truck Thursday. Bruce’s Harley Dealership in Daytona Beach has been a fixture among riders visiting during Daytona Bike Week for years.
The Wyoming State Patrol says Rossmeyer was trying to pass a pickup pulling a trailer about 18 miles east of Farson. Sgt. Stephen Townsend says the truck driven by 73-year-old Robert VanValkenburg of Rock Springs was turning left onto a dirt road when the collision occurred.
Townsend says VanValkenburg had his left-turn signal on. Rossmeyer was thrown from the motorcycle and landed under the trailer. He was not wearing a helmet.
No other motorcycles were involved in the crash. (Source: CBS Channel 4 News)
Not all of our armed forces personnel become heroes on the battlefield or in mortal combat. Sometimes they are save lives by recognizing problems and acting to correct them. Such was the case with Staff Sergeant Bartek Bachleda of the 909th Refueling Squadron. He saw a potentially dangerous situation while on a flight to Kadena, Japan and alerted the pilot and crew.
A fuel leak on a civilian aircraft caught the attention of Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda, 909th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, during a flight from Chicago to Narita airport, Japan. After alerting the pilots and aircrew, the ranking pilot made the decision to divert the flight to San Francisco.
“I noticed the leak on the left side of the aircraft right behind the wing earlier during take-off,” said Sergeant Bachleda. (Source: Air Force Link).
Sergeant Bachleda first brought the leak to the attention of a stewardess. She didn’t take it seriously. Not until the sergeant showed the video he’d been making of the leak. Soon the pilot arrived at his seat and after watching the video and observing it first hand through the window decided to divert the flight to San Francisco.
While conversing with the captain, the sergeant said he was hesitant at first to inform them about the leak, but he knew it was abnormal. The captain said they would have never made it to Japan if it wasn’t for him.
The two Airmen were placed in a hotel overnight and flew back to Japan the next morning. The airline company showed their appreciation by seating them first-class.
These young men used the experience they had gained through their military training to save the lives of not only themselves, but the 300 other passengers aboard. Good job airmen.
Martin Schur was a World War II veteran, widowed and living alone in Bay City, Michigan. He fell behind in his utility payments so the Bay City Electric Company placed a “limiter” on his electric service. The World War II Combat Medic froze to death as a result.
The World War II veteran’s frozen body was found in his home January 17, just four days after a device that regulates how much power he uses — installed because of failure to pay — shut off his power. A medical examiner said the temperature was 32 degrees in the house when Schur’s body was found.
The medical examiner told The Bay City Times that Schur died a “slow, painful death.” “It’s not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they’re burning,” Dr. Kanu Virani told the paper. (Source: CNN)
Nobody deserves to be treated like Mr. Schur was. Those responsible should be held accountable. Since his death the Bay City Electric Company has quit the practice of placing “limiters” on those delenquent in their payments.
Unlike private utilities regulated by the state, Bay City runs and oversees its own utilities and therefore doesn’t fall under Michigan’s public service commission. By law, Michigan requires private companies to prohibit cutting off service to senior citizens between November and April. Seniors must register for the program.
The city has begun questioning whether its rules and procedures for limiting or cutting off power need a major overhaul. The utility has stopped its practice of cutting power to customers who don’t pay their bills.
The utility also has removed all “limiters” on homes. (Source: CNN)
This veteran deserved the respect he earned by not only his service to his country, but also his frugal lifestyle. In his will he left his estate to the local hospital. All $600,000 dollars of it. Shame on Bay City for not looking after this elderly veteran. Someone should be charged with murder, because that is what it was, plain and simple.
Bay City Electric Light & Power put a “limiter” on Marvin Schur’s home because he hadn’t paid his bill but never spoke to him face to face about it. Instead they put a notice on his door, which the old man either didn’t see or didn’t understand. When the limiter popped his breaker, his furnace apparently went out and Schur died a slow, painful death.
As one Bay Cityian put it: “This man served his country and he survived Hitler, but he couldn’t survive Bay City (Electric) Light & Power.”
As much as I agree with that sentiment and as outraged as I am, we ought to hold back our anger just a little. The city says Schur had a gas furnace, not an electric one, and it may have malfunctioned. An investigation is ongoing. (Source: The Flint Journal)
Lets see what the investigation uncovers. This is not over yet.
While automobile deaths fell dramatically last year in the Sunshine State, motorcycle deaths have more than doubled in the last eight years. Without a doubt the spreaders of FUD are going to start claiming it is due to the state relaxing the helmet laws. You know, blame the bikers.
Sgt. Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol said Florida’s lax helmet law — riders over the age of 21 with more than $10,000 in medical insurance don’t need to wear one — and an increase in demand for gas-efficient transportation have contributed to the trend. (Source: St. Petersburg Times)
The article says that the failing economy is forcing more people to seek alternative means of transportation. As gas prices have risen motorcycles and scooters have become more appealing to many people. But what this brings into the motorcycle community is more and more people with very limited experience on two wheels. That compounded by the boom in DWS (Driving While Stupid), cell phone in one hand, latte in the other while the cager watches his Tom-Tom, tunes his satellite radio and reads the paper just might have something to do with it too.
An alarming number of Marines are dying in motorcycle deaths. The trend has become of great concern to the Corps commanders. Now the top brass is looking into the reasons behind the problem.
Twenty-five Marines have died in motorcycle crashes since last November — all but one of them involving sport bikes that can reach speeds of well over 100 mph, according to Marine officials. In that same period, 20 Marines have been killed in action in Iraq.
The 25 deaths are the highest motorcycle death toll ever for the Marine Corps.
Gen. James Amos, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, told CNN that commanders are trying to drill down on what “we need to do to help our Marines survive on these sport bikes.” (Source: CNN)
Is it the choice of bikes that is causing this alarming increase? Or is it the need for adrenalin rushing speed that makes these veterans turn to motorcycles for their fix?
After World War II thousands of veterans returned home and sought out Harley Davidsons and Indians to ride. The freedom of the road and the rush of speed lured many into the biker lifestyle. Many of the oldest motorcycle clubs in this country were formed by returning veterans. Lets just hope this new generation of biker/veterans survive the transitions from active duty to road warriors.
Meanwhile the Marines are requiring that its members who ride attend safety courses. This is a good idea. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has been offering courses in safe handling and riding practices for a long time. No matter how new or how long a person has been riding they come away from these courses with life saving techniques for survival on the road.
Military officials say they’re not sure why the deaths are on the rise. They initially believed the accidents might involve mostly young Marines and sailors around 18 or 19 years old. But Navy statistics show that five of the victims were 25, the most prevalent of any age involved in the crashes. And two 40-year-old sailors were killed in motorcycle crashes.
Gen. Amos said the Marines have seen a similar trend.
But he says the new training seems to be working: Of the 300 young men and women who have gone through the sport-bike course, only three have had accidents.
The safety course instructors said some Marines who go through the training decide the sport bike is not for them. (Source: CNN)
The fatalities aren’t confined to just the Marines either. The trend is up in the Navy also. Lets hope that the measures taken by the military brass will save some lives.
A motorcyclist was shot on the freeway near Glendale last night. Information is sketchy right now, but the victim may have been a member of the Mongols M/C. Tensions between rival motorcycle clubs have been rising since the shooting of Hells Angel member “Papa” Guardado last month.
They’re investigating the possibility that someone fired shots at the man, causing him to crash his motorcycle.
Also at the scene was a shirtless motorcyclist with a large tattoo on his back that said “Mongols” — likely referring to the Mongols Motorcycle Club, a motorcycle gang founded in Montebello in the 1970s.
He was seen talking to officers, however, it was not immediately known what connection — if any — had had to the incident. (Source: KTLA)
There are rumors of war between the two clubs at this time. There has been bad blood between them for a long time. Now it looks like the clubs may be taking care of business.
“These boys have been feuding since at least 1977,” said John R. Schlim, a former Oakland cop who now consults on biker gangs for police departments across the country. “Just the fact that your victim is a Mongol you have to look at the Hells Angels. They certainly can carry a grudge.”
No doubt, Hells Angels have not forgotten how the upstart Mongols essentially seized control of Southern California from the Hells Angels in the 1980s.
Or, in recent years, the very public explosion of violence between the two clubs at a Laughlin, Nev., casino in 2002. More than 70 bikers joined the frenzy, guns blazing and knives slashing, leaving two Hells Angels dead. An hour later, a third Hells Angel was found shot dead on a nearby highway. (Source: Mercury News)
Meanwhile the motorcyclist who was shot has been identified. He was Manuel Martin, 30, of Venice.
Police did not know if Martin belonged to the Mongols, Lorenz said. The Montebello-based gang has several chapters in California and has recently been feuding with the Hells Angel’s motorcycle gang, authorities said.
“We won’t be able to make any determination as to whether he was a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang,” he said. “We don’t know if he was targeted. We don’t know if this was a road-rage incident.” (Source: Pasadena Star-News)
Mesothelioma is a serious threat. Many of our Navy Veterans were exposed to Asbestos during their tours of duty. Samantha Catalano of the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center submitted the following information to draw this threat to our attention.
There are a variety of health issues unique to veterans – the issue of post-traumatic stress and concerns related to veteran healthcare costs, for instance, are just two of many. However, there is another issue of increasing concern for military veterans, and that is the issue of asbestos exposure and subsequent health implications, including the development of asbestos cancer, also known as mesothelioma.
Veterans may have been exposed to asbestos in various locations while serving the U.S. military. Asbestos was primarily found within insulation, and was used on naval ships, military aircraft, inside military housing, in armories, on military transportation vehicles and even in certain models of artillery. If asbestos was disturbed or damaged, tiny asbestos fibers could be released into the air, putting military personnel at risk of inhalation. If inhaled, the fibers could cling to the pleural lining of the lungs for decades before an individual may begin to suffer from common mesothelioma cancer symptoms.
Because mesothelioma has a latent period of between 20 and 50 years, many veterans, especially WWII vets, found themselves diagnosed with this fatal type of cancer years after they had retired. Upon diagnosis, the great majority of mesothelioma patients will lose their battle with this aggressive disease in less than 2 years. There are various mesothelioma treatment options, but there is no cure.
Any veteran who suspects that they may have been exposed to asbestos while serving our country should speak with a doctor to assess their risk of one day developing mesothelioma cancer.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s leading resource for information related to veterans & asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. Please visit www.maacenter.org for further information.
To quote Jack Cafferty, “things are getting ugly out there.”
This is all from the straight talk express. What an asshat, I think everyone is really about fed up with all this negative bullshit. Why don’t they address the problems we face and quit ripping each other to shreds. Oh, I forgot, McInsane is just another four years of McBush. We’ll never get a straight answer from any of these guys.
Remember this John?
There is a new drive in Florida to change bikers riding habits. The FHP would like to see a dress code for bikers. Their recommendation, bright, neon clothing so drivers can see them better. What a waste of breath and tax payer money this move is.
The Florida Highway Patrol never expected that its “Ride Proud. Dress Loud” safety campaign would persuade all bikers to adorn themselves in brightly colored chaps. But the patrol says one of the greatest dangers to bikers is other motorists who don’t see them. (Source: St Petersburg Times
Hey, we’ve been riding loud for years and the cagers either can’t hear us or they complain that they can hear their cell phones over our engines. Until these drivers hang up and pay attention to what they are doing it is going to continue to be a blood bath for bikers out there.
Naturally when you read the article take note of the comments. There are a lot of people out there who simply hate bikers. They are the ones who run us off the road, soak us on wet roads and generally think the road is theirs and nobody else has a right to use it. Of course they bring out the old saw, “helmets should be mandatory.” Well for once I agree. Everybody driving a cage should be required to wear one. Then maybe they’d get of the phone and pay attention.
While the FHP wants to impose the dress code why don’t they heed their own advice. They should all be required to wear hot pink uniforms while they are on motorcycle duty. But wait, then they couldn’t hide behind billboards with impunity anymore.
