Lazarus

After being t-boned by a cage running a red, being knocked off my bike a couple of times by cagers screaming out of driveways, having countless cagers switching lanes without looking or signaling and forced off the highway into the grass meridian once, I have come to the conclusion that all cagers are to be considered to be guilty until proven otherwise. Which pretty much sums up the attitude of most bikers.

I guess you cannot grasp the difference between a pious orthodox Sikh and a non-orthodox Sikh. I've been looking at on line photos of Sikh soldiers and guess what, they are turbaned for the most part. It is one of their commandments that Sikh males not cut their facial or head hair and to keep it clean and turbaned at all times. Actually if you do a study of the Sikh religion, you will find that it has quiet a progressive religion compared to its Hindu roots. They believe in monotheism, equality between the genders and were against the Hindu caste system. And as soldiers, they are almost second to none, especially in the old British Empire armies.

Religious freedom is a hallmark of our society. We all have to right to believe, pray, dress and keep with our religious beliefs if we so wish. If you wish to smear your belly with blue mud in order to stay in good terms with the Great God of Whatchamacallhim, then do so. Same hold true with orthodox Sikhs wearing their turbans. We also have the right to ride, although there more then a few jokers who would love nothing more then to ban bikes. When laws run counter to religious belief, especially with such minor matters, then the laws are amended. It harms no one and makes it fair for all. The only time when the law should run counter to religious belief is when said belief is used cause harm and injury to others. A Sikh riding while wearing a turban will cause about as much harm to others as those who ride while wearing nothing more then a tiny, thin plastic skull cap. At one time in the not so distant past, it was illegal for shops and bars to be open on Sundays because Sunday was the Christian day of pray. This was inherently prejudicial towards non-Christians and that law has since been amended. Laws have to balance both the public good with personal freedom, any law that restricts personal freedom such as the helmet laws are draconian and not needed. The funny thing is, many here how are ranting and raving about this Sikh man fighting for his rights to ride a motorcycle while wearing a turban instead of a helmet are the same people who bitch about their own personal liberties being under attack by the Government and laws. The stink of the hypocrisies is raising towards the heavens.

Within the biking community, those riders are collectively known as SQUIDS or n00Bs and are looked down upon, mainly because they give the rest of us a bad name. Much the same way a radical Muslim or Christian gives their fellow believers a bad name.

Riding is an inherently dangerous sport, and even wearing a full faced helmet and ATGATT does not guarantee that a rider will walk away from an "off" uninjured or even alive. The majority of those killed or badly injured while riding do wear full helmets, but if you get t-boned or have some dumb-assed cager pull out in front you or change lanes without looking, you are going to get hurt, no matter what amount of gear you are wearing. ATGATT does increase your odds of survival and minimalizing the amount of injuries you receive during a crash but it does not make a rider invulnerable in the least. The GF Strong rehab centre is full of people who were ATGATT at the time of their motorcycle crash. But lets be honest here, this whole argument against a Sikh rider wearing a turban as opposed to a helmet is not about motorcycle safety or even the law, but rather its just another shot in the dark against non-white, non-Christian immigrants pure and simple. If it was all about motorcycle rider safety and the medical cost associated with motorcycling cost, then you lot should be ranting and raving against those riders who wear beanie caps, along with shorts, t-shirts and sneakers while riding. As I said before, I am a rider and I enjoy the sport and will ride at every opportunity afforded me, and each time I ride, I put myself at huge risk. I also live in BC where Sikhs are already exempted from the Provincial helmet laws and have a couple of good riding buddies who are Sikhs and you know what? I think I have seen a total of maybe 3 turbaned Sikh riders, mainly old men on small bikes in the 125 cc class, since the law changed. The majority of riders, including Sikhs wear helmets out of personal choice just like the majority of non-Sikh riders. but I cannot tell you how many n00B's and Squids I have seen out on the road wearing next to nothing in the way of gear. Those hundreds of sweet young things (biker bitches) on the back of a HD wearing only a halter top, short shorts, flip-flops and a beanie cap have the potential to cost you the tax payer a lot more in medical costs then the odd turbaned Sikh riders, because there are a hell of lot more of those ditzes on the road then turbaned Sikhs. Road rash may sound funny, but when one of those sweet young things has an off and slides on the unforgiving pavement on her bare skin, it will cost a small fortune in skin graphs to repair her. Same hold true for Squids (aka: SQUirrely kIDS or Stupidly Quick, Under-dressed, Imminently Dead) roaring about on RR 600 or litre sport bikes with nothing in the way of protection then a helmet. There are a hell of a lot more Squids on the road then turbaned Sikhs. And the sad fact of the matter is, the majority of bike crashes are caused by other road users, aka CAGERS who are not paying attention to what is going on about them. I have a 20 minute commute to work and I figure I am lucky if I only see two dumb-assed cagers pulling a dumb-assed stunt, ie talking on their cell phones instead of paying complete attention to the road or changing lanes without checking to see if I am there, or better yet, riding my rear tyre knowing full well that my braking distance is well under half of theirs. Riding is all about freedom, something you CAGERS really don't get. And while I personally think that anyone who rides un-ATGATT is a fool and is playing Russian Roulette with a gun with 5 chambers loaded instead of one, I respect their choice and freedom to make that choice. Same holds true of orthodox Sikhs who wish to ride and wear a turban. Get over yourselves and leave us bikers, be we Sikhs, HD bikers babes, Squids or your neighbor next door alone.

How is this pathetic? You belong to a sect, that sect owns the property and name of the sect, you leave the sect in a snit, you don't get to take the sects property or name when you go, no matter what your past status in said sect was. Same holds true when you work for a company, unless you own title to the company, you have no right to take any of its belongs, goods or assets when you leave, apart from those you negotiated for prior to leaving. Personally, I bet you more pissed at the idea of homosexuals unions being blessed by the church more then anything else, I can smell the impotent and misplaced moral outrage. As Bob Dylon sung, "The times are a-changing", so you best get over yourself.

Many in the motorcycling community see the current helmet laws as an unwanted and unwarranted infringement of our right to choose what we will or wont wear as safety equipment. And as I stated before, there are those that skirt around the existing helmet laws by wearing non-Snell or DOT approved beanie cap, caps so small that they could almost be used as Jewish yarmulka's or as a zucchetto by Catholic priests and popes and provide but as much protection of those religious caps. Personally, I wear a full face helmet and full leathers when riding, but that is my choice not because it is the law. Again, the wearing a turban is not a real safety hazard, the real safety hazard faced by all bikers are cagers who are too engrossed in their cell phones, stereos, coffees or what have you and don't pay attention to what is going on around them on the road.

Unless of course that "cash" becomes completely devalued to the point where you will need to take a wheelbarrow load of C-Notes to the local shop to buy a loaf of bread and a litre of milk.

I am a motorcyclist and am a firm believer in the ATGATT (All the gear, all the time) principle. That being said, I have no problem with an orthodox Sikh wearing a full turban while riding. It a personal religious choice. As for helmet laws, there is a subset of riders, namely HD riders who skirt around the laws by wearing next to useless beanie skull caps held on by an elastic band. In my opinion, a full turban probably offers a hell of a lot more protection and padding to a rider then one of those bloody stupid skull caps. But like I said, I'm a firm believer in ATGATT so am a wee bit biased. Riding a bike is a matter of freedom that most cagers don't understand or relate too. The freedom to ride your style of bike, the type of gear you want to wear and the freedom to be part of a community that transcends race, religion and gender. The only requirement to joining that community is having a bike or being a rider. Now, if you cagers really want to make biking safer, then do us riders a few bloody big favours: 1) open your flippin' eyes 2) stop driving and chatting on your flippin' mobile/cell phones 3) respect our right to be on the road with you 4) stop trying to run up your kill points by forcing us off the road. Bloody cagers are the biggest threat to the health and well being of all riders, be they turbaned or wearing a full faced helmet. PS: a cage is a car/truck and a cager is a driver of said vehicles who does not ride a bike.

Simple really. In civilian courts it's; "The defendant shall rise". In military courts it's; "MARCH THE GUILTY BASTARD IN!!!!!!". May sound funny, but its not all that far removed from the truth.

My two bits (that's 27 cents American ). Obama is too green and would be eaten alive if he actually gets the nod and wins in November, which is probably why the GOP hopes he gets the nod if they were to lose in November. It would be like having the Assistant Night Manager of a McDonalds outlet suddenly being promoted to CEO of the entire McDonalds Corporation. And I would wonder how much control and pressure the Kennedy clan would be able to exert on him, you can bet their endorsements didn't come free. Hillery does have experience on her side. She was Bill's First Lady for eight years and was not a passive member of his team. She was very active in both the domestic and international political scene during those years. She knows how the game is played and who the players are. She is also a known commodity within the international playing field, where as Obama is not. Best bet for the Dems, Hillery as POTUS with Obama getting some experience and seasoning as her VEEP. As for the McCain/Huckabee ticket, I wonder if Romney hasn't cut the Huckster off at the pass today. Romney is currently in second place behind McCain has over 200 pledged delegates and has suspended his bid for the GOP nomination today. Wonder if he has cut a deal with McCain to be his running mate in return for the support of those delegates?

I say screw Afghanistan, screw the US and screw NATO. It's long past time for Canada to tell the rest of the world to look after their own messes. Ever since the Boer War, Canadians have stepped up to the plate, paid the price in blood and treasure for basically S.F.A. in return. And it's well past the time to bring our lads and lasses home and let Uncle Sugar carry the can. Afghanistan is America's mess, they broke it, they can bloody well fix it. The Liberals got us into this mess and the Conservatives under Harper have just compounded it. The only good thing is Harper was not in power when Shrub launch Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) later renamed Operation Iraqi Freedom. Had Harper had his way back then, Canadian troops would also be dying in the killing fields of Iraq. Canada's military is small in numbers, yet highly skilled and motivated. It's a fucking disgrace that it and its members are being wasted and sacrificed for some Stars and Stripes adventure into imperialism. So fuck the US, fuck NATO and fuck Afghanistan, bring the troops home. Lazarus CAF ret. Date of service 1978 to 1988

Tick Tock, Tick Tock......and the clock advances......Tick Tock, Tick Tock........

I'm from BC and when I read this in the Province today, I thought what an f'ing bunch of whiners we have here. So we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of its establishment as a British Crown colony? Big haired arsed deal. To be honest this was the first I heard of BC anniversary. But still, whining about getting nothing from Ottawa for an anniversary the majority of BC'er don't know about, an anniversary that our own Provincial Government is pretty mum on, is just Ottawa bashing at its lowest. Now if were the bi-centennial or the 250th anniversary, then we would have something to really bitch about.

At age 15, I l gladly lost my cherry to a girl of 18. At age 16, I earned the right to drive and was considered to mature enough and had enough mental capacity to make the judgment calls required to operate 2000 lbs of potential automotive destruction on the public streets. At age 17 years and six months, I enlisted in the Naval Reserves while still in High School, (had to get mom's written permission of course). Five months later I graduated for GMTII at HMSC Patriot (NRTC Albert Head) and was aboard the minesweeper HMCS Chigneto learning to become a Boatswain. My 18th birthday was spent being violently seasick for the first time in my life. At 18 after a year in the Naval Reserves, I was accepted in the Regular Forces. Each one of these major life altering decisions I made on my own, knowing full well both the benefits and consequences of my actions. Basically what I am saying here is, teens of 15 years old and upwards are fully capable of making informed and rational decisions on their own and should be held accountable for them. This includes those that commit criminal acts or decided to accept a teachers offer of extra-curricular physical/biological education. So in my book, the first case in this story really is a non-runner. However, the second case is different on a number of levels, including the age of the victim at the time the abuse started. That case was a true abuse of trust.