The Age-Hardened Burns: Part I Reader Feedback

Pass

I think I'll pass on this one. This political stuff is worse than the Sportbikes suck/Cruisers suck BS flame wars.

We all have our political opinions and plenty of places to post them. I majored in Poli-Sci at SDSU and normally love this kind of stuff but motorcycles are an escape from the real world for me and I would prefer to keep it that way.

FWIW JB. I worked in TV journalism for 5 years and the notion that journalists are somehow more educated or understand issues better is laughable. There are some bright ones out there but your average journalists knowledge on things is a mile wide and an inch deep. They dig just deep enough to get the story out and then go on to the next topic.

Hasn't every newspaper story you've ever read about motorcycles been completely idiotic? They are no better with politics believe me.

Come on, folks, face it: despite all the ideological bluster at fundraiser and vote time, when it comes to the actual nuts-and-bolts running of the U.S. government, and the bottom-line collection of monolithic crap that results when career politicos (who have a vested interest in looking busy) spend most of their year writing new rules, Republicans and Democrats are nearly identical. Each applies the same rhetoric, just to their respective choice causes. You can take almost any American politician's speech, change "guns" or "business" to "environment" or "choice", and the verbiage is otherwise identical. Certainly, the overall effect is: we the people wind up with less money and more regulation.



Jefferson, Franklin, et al, are spinning and gnashing wooden teeth in their graves.



Yeah, I've gotten cynical. I know voting Libertarian, for anything other than a local office such as school board or water commissioner, etc. (where a suprising number of Libs have had success, at least partially because the party creed of refusing to take federal matching campaign funds doesn't apply), is almost a complete waste of time other than for its protest value, because, as DEVO used to sing, what most people really want is freedom from choice. (That, and a sad number of Libertarians come across as more than a little nutso.) The average Jack/Jacqueline can't be bothered with thinking about important, brain-hurting stuff because it distracts them from daydreams about getting laid by Rebecca Stamos at 220 beats-per-minutes while installing that titanium Akropovic exhaust. Or being Rebecca Stamos...



But, by god, I can at least vote my conscience.

Re: More Rider, Less Bike

I also recommend Bike and RiDE; RiDE is

my favorite moto mag overall.

As far as the US based mags go, my fav

is Motorcycle Consumer News. It's a bit

more pricey to subscribe to, and it's only

black and white, but they don't accept

advertisements and they have pretty decent

bike reviews. The best part of said reviews

is their estimate for servicing costs. Who'd

a thought that these costs are important

to prospective owners? (grin)

http://www.mcnews.com/mcnews/

-- Michael

Let me get this straight. The "Journalist" who graduated at the top of his or her class has a deeper more well informed understanding of the world. And therefore I should look to this persons wisdom to guide the way for me, the less informed. I don't think so. Top of their class or not, everyone brings their own personality and bias to the job. Some of our more highly educated will tell you, "communisn has never been given a chance to really work", and other such moronic statements.



I agree with many of your points. Well written and so on. Motorcycling was not intended for the masses. Socially unaccepteble! Unless gasoline goes to $5 a gallon most people will cage along lifes roads.



Just don't ask me to accept that someones level of education is licence to preach from on high to the unwashed masses. Speaking as a High School grad I must be honest. Every one of my key employees is a college grad. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I got an example

I have many examples of the media's mostly leftward tilt. Go check the footage of PBS's coverage of the 1992 presidential election. The local Boston PBS affiliate-I can't remember their call sign-did live coverage of the election returns. When Bill Clinton obtained the required votes from the electoral college, the PBS reporters cheered-live.

Peter Jennings is a lefty. You ever heard of a guy by the name of Chris Mathews? He has a show on every night on MSNBC. He was a member of the Carter Administration and an avowed unapologetic liberal. There are many others.

If you want to know why FOX has done so well so quickly, it is because the folks in the middle are tired of the liberal tendencies in the media and are grateful for an outlet that is slightly conservative to moderate. Liberals seem to think they know better than the rest of us and don't take other's views seriously.

To deny that the majority of the national networks are not dominated by liberal types is the height of stupidity.

And the adage that all conservatives are ignorant or stupid is another great one. You liberals underate conservatives at your own peril. Sure worked this last election. Suits me though.

Wheelies

Otay, I will jump on this one. I don't care if the wheeling stunta's are demolishing their bikes. I don't care if they spew their brains all over the street when they wheelie over backwards at 100+ with their bikini clad helmetless girl on the back. This is Darwinism at it's most basic. So long as their antics do not impact my opportunity to ride when and where I choose. Unfortunately none of us ride in a vac*****.

Complained about your insurance premiums lately? How many 24 year olds with clean driving records can afford to carry full coverage insurance on a liter sportbike? Without having to move in with the parents at least. Check with your dealers to find out how many sales this insuarance hurdle kills.

All of us have a debt of gratitude for these guys as well as their ilk that blow down the local roads at trans-sonic speeds. The cops and the public love this stuff. How many of you have gone to Deal's Gap in western NC/eastern TN lately? The local constublary have a regular sting going on there. I have seen the articles in the Los Angeles newspapers and TV reports as well. You guys on the west coast get helicopter and airplane riding cops to monitor bikers now. Rember Senator Danforth's attack on bikes? This was the direct result of a 60 Minutes article on this type of street riding.

So to put those of us who keep this mostly off the public or at least well traveled roads down as being paternalistic is simply wrong. And to lump it in with the left vs right political rhetoric is a hit below the belt.

JB, I like your writing even if I don't always agree with you. But lately, you have gone from being the bitter little man to being a b*tchy and egocentric little man. Give me a break and just a little respect please.

I'm not a Republican,but......



All Republicans are assholes and morons? Including Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt (who started the National Parks system)?

I'm glad to know that all those relatives of mine, who I thought were kind and generous people are actually evil, since they are registered Republicans. Would it make you happier if they quit their charitable acts and instead changed parties? Would they become good people if they gave nothing to charity and instead just voted Democrat? Like Al Gore?

Tell me. Do you deal only with people who think exactly like you?



All Republicans are assholes and morons. Intolerant too I'll bet. Unlike you.