Guardian Angels Can't Ride

    I've always wondered if our guardian angels hate us for riding too fast; after all, if they rode along side us they wouldn't be able to keep our brains from spreading across the road. That long shared motto "Don't ride faster than your guardian angel can fly" is something I always kind of sneered at until it bit me in the ass.

    Mentioned in my blog (An Independents Proclamation), I bought my 2015 Harley Davidson FXDB (Dyna Street Bob) on July 31st, 2015 on a five year commitment. I took off to Riggins, ID off 95 on my new HD to visit my mother whom I rarely get to see anymore, and show her the new horse. It was a good ride and I was excited to show my new responsibility, and the pride it filled me with. Unfortunately, I chose to ride home through McCall off 55 spite knowing they had done a nice long stretch of fresh chip-seal a few weeks prior. About 3 miles north of Rainbow Bridge I entered a 35 mph corner at around 70 mph; not an impossible task, but a stupid one with loose gravel lingering around. I entered the corner practically dragging knee and thankfully at the moment my rear end broke loose on gravel, I was leaning so heavily I entered an immediate slide.


    I can remember the very second I realized I was going down. For some reason I just didn't panic; though the first thought through my head was "well fuck, I'm going to wreck my brand new Harley". As I broke into a slide, I pulled right on the handlebars to keep my front wheel vertical on the pavement which kept my hands clear of being crushed or smeared on the pavement by keeping them in the air. The only damage to my hands was done upon immediate impact as I was adjusting the bars, scarred up my left pinky finger a bit. I yanked my head to the right shoulder to keep from smacking it against the highway upon impact and somehow my left leg cleared the bike before laying it down and I was able to pretty much slide along behind the bike as I held on. Honestly the whole experience reminded me of riding horses on a bad day.

    I've mentioned in previous blogs having been raised in the country life. Riding horses was all I'd really known until later in life. I can remember in 2012 I was riding a horse I wanted to make my own, a mix-bred mustang buckskin named "Spec" who didn't always appreciate a rider. I'd be out riding the pasture to pass the time and all the sudden the bastard would start bucking away! The jerk and jolt of it all was so familiar in laying down my bike that I just went with the punches, right on down to the point of impact; #1 rule being "don't panic".

    Panic is a product of fear, and fear is weakness. If you allow yourself to be overcome with fear and panic, you loose the ability to think clearly and evaluate any given situation. When going down you've only got a split second to evaluate the situation, come to a conclusion, make a decision and act; yet believe it or not, if you stay calm and don't panic, you've generally got enough time to work it out. I laid that bike down wearing absolutely no protective gear at stupid fast speed for the corner and came out with just the scraped pinky and shoulder.


     I can remember the cloud of dirt and dust that bellowed around me as I crashed, it was like someone just set off a stick of dynamite; or at least that's how it felt to me. A couple bikers that I was messing with earlier pulled up immediately to help. One of them later stating online "He'd never seen anyone jump up so fast from a wreck like that jumping up and down like he'd just scored a damned field goal!"; my response simply "Hey man! I was lucky to be alive lol!".

    I waited along side the road for about 5 hours until my family arrived with a trailer. I was just leaning back against my front tire with about 6 empty bottles of water that folks had left with me after checking to see if I was ok. Oddly enough, even after going down and quite literately cheating death, all I could think about was "fuck, now what am I going to ride?". It took about 3 weeks for HD to fix her up again and I even took it home before the new bars arrived, riding with bars bent about 3-4 inches. I worked there, so the bike would be there whenever the bars arrived anyway. I suppose if I'd of ended up dead or in the hospital, I'd second guess whether I'd ever ride again; but honestly who the hell am I kidding? There's just something about bikers like me who are completely consumed with the life and riding. That bike is my identity, it's who I am.

    Lets fast forward a few months into the winter season. I ride year round; rain, sleet, snow, ice, you name it. It started by having no other choice but to ride because my bike is all I own for transportation. But after I'd done it about a month, I just decided "fuck it, if I've got somewhere to be I'm going to ride". I can remember the first time I rode in the snow; I brushed the snow off my bike (no garage at the appt complex) and started her up to warm. It was probably about 10 degrees outside and we'd had about 8 inches of snowfall that night, in addition to quite a bit of ice build up from some sleet and rain we'd had throughout the week. I'd rode on the ice, but it was a bit intimidating now that I couldn't see and predict the grooves in the road made by traffic; I was going to be riding blind on a blanket of white.

    I pulled forward into the parking lot and made my way to the street. Right as I pull out and I'm in mid corner, I caught a bump of ice and lost the rear end *clunk*, of course this was at such a low speed I just basically dropped it and was able to pick it back up and continue. I rode 30 miles into Boise for an appointment with HD about getting my triple tree fixed after the accident which they'd neglected to do. I rode down highway 16 at 65mph with the flow of traffic, the thick layer of snow lingering on the road. It was early enough in the morning that I could look down through the light of my headlight at the road and see these massive waves and bumps in the ice from the traffic melting in odd shapes; there was probably only a quarter inch wide trail that had melted completely through and it was by no means straight. I could feel the bike any time it left that thin trail, gripping and yanking me around; I literately thought in every moment that I'd probably be dead, but didn't much care.


    I made it all the way to Meridian off Ten mile before the thick ice cleared up thanks to regular maintenance. Ironically it was there on ten mile with not a flake of snow remaining on the road that I was cruising at 35 mph when I hit black ice and in an instant the bike fishtailed out of control and laid down again on the left. I broke a tail light and scraped up the primary cover but nothing major. The cars behind me stopped and allowed me time to pick up the bike, hop on and continue on my way.

    I guess the point I'm trying to get across is that it's obvious that riding fast, or in less than optimal conditions is inherently dangerous. But the way I see it, so is stepping out of the damned shower every day, walking to the cage, hell lets not forget driving a cage; you could die eating the very food you eat each day by choking. Virtually everything in life can kill you. Mankind just has a bad habit of dictating which dangers are more probable, thus which to fear more.

    Honestly I fear driving a car more than I fear riding my Harley. In a car, even I am infinitely more tempted by distraction. If someone texts me, I can use one hand to take a look or even respond. In a cage, I can blast my favorite music which in turn makes me virtually deaf to the world around me. In a cage I'm much less likely to hear a siren, or car horn, or even a motorcycle. I can even eat in the car! Driving a car is like a movie theater on wheels. It comes with it's own sound track and Ultra HD big screen right before your eyes. Contrary, riding a motorcycle requires 100% attention and awareness. Every moment that I ride, I'm checking behind me, in front of me, to my 11-2, my 9-3, and my 7-4. I'm slowing down long before I approach the light or stop sign and I have to be aware enough to operate the clutch lever, brake lever, foot brake, and shift lever all simultaneously. Rather than watching the movie in surround sound, I'm in it. And I have to be aware of that dude running the red light or stop sign, I have to be aware of the guy behind me texting and driving who's not going to slow down in time to keep from plowing into me (I've had to blow a red light to avoid being rear ended), on a motorcycle awareness is survival.

   People hate that bikers like me speed, but we look at it as a survival tactic. If I'm doing 10-15 mph faster than everyone else, I can stay ahead of the danger behind me; this allows me to focus forward and eliminates my danger by half. Now all I have to worry about is some texting driver swerving into the shoulder or oncoming traffic (happens dozens of times daily) or that same dumb ass also brakes

for no reason because they "think" they see a car in front of them as they're looking down at their phone; btw there is no car. Lets not forget any potential wildlife. I don't expect you to agree with my philosophy, but then again I don't give a damn; it's about my survival so that I can come home to my 5 year old and my good woman.

    A speeding ticket is far more welcome than death in my eyes, and I've told law enforcement that many, many times and in most cases they actually get it! I don't take unnecessary risks, I might speed, or pass 4 cars at once, but you'll never see me pass on a solid or on a bend, you'll never see me pass on a shoulder unless under emergency conditions (had traffic come to a virtual instant stop once); and you'll never see me doing wheelies down the highway like those dumb asses on YouTube. I value my life for the sake of my family, and I'm considerate of those around me. What you may perceive as "reckless" is actually a well thought out plan of evasion or even prevention. You see me pass doing 75-80, but I saw the two cars now behind you that were tailgating my ass and are now likely tailgating you. You may be ok with a tailgater, but it's a quite different story on two wheels that can literately kill you instantly if someone rear ends your ass. Fuck em, I'm out; trackin?

    So yea, Guardian Angels can't ride, but they can fly. Not riding faster than they can fly is simply using your brain; you can ride fast, but do it at the right time under the right conditions or pay the price. Don't risk your life, or the lives of others for your adrenaline kick. Because being inconsiderate doesn't make you a bad ass, it makes you a dumb ass and I don't care who you are or what cut you wear, you'll get little respect from me for it. I'll be the first to do 120 down the straight racing a buddy or testing our courage, but I won't pass oncoming traffic that fast or blow through an intersection just to feel like my balls are bigger than the guys next to me.

    Keep the shiny side up, use your head, and say a bikers prayer before each ride.

MLH&R
Ziptie

 

Freedom of the Vigilante

    There is a mindset that has come over this nation that the Police and Government officials are there to protect us; though not a false statement as that is what these entities are for, one must question capability. Add into the equation that there are just as many bad police and government officials as there are non-authority figures and you've got no choice but to consider self responsibility.

   vig·i·lan·te
   ˌvijəˈlan(t)ē/
noun
    a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate.

    Vigilante justice isn't some sort of individual based belief between right or wrong and self enforcement. Vigilante justice is the enforcement of undeniable truth, not opinion. Take for example a local narcotics dealer seen daily exchanging his product not but 20-30 feet from a playground full of children in the hood. Police ask residents to report these activities but take so incredibly long to show up that by the time they do arrive, the perps are long gone. Then the resident is requested to "fill out a report", which only labels them a snitch in the eyes of the criminals, putting the individual and their family in danger of personal and/or property damage.

   There is no denying that the dealers actions are not only wrong, but very much illegal. Law enforcement will never be on time to intervene, and if they were they would arrest the individual only to let them out on bail or lack of evidence a few days later, and the perp would return the next day for his daily run. Yet the police want to help the community? Nah, its about that bail money, its about the income of repetitively charging people for reoccurring crimes. Criminals mean profit.

    Vigilante justice would handle the situation accordingly by means that would intimidate an offender straight, and on rare occasion if the offender continued to put our children and neighborhood in danger, a more permanent solution may be considered. Natural selection.

    At what point will society acknowledge that a slap on the wrist will never make our neighborhoods safer? Nobody of sane and sound mind likes violence, but a soldier doesn't go to war out of desire but rather of duty. Sometimes you have to do what is necessary in order to ensure the safety of your friends and family, because those appointed over us for "protection and service" will rarely ever be able to stop an act of crime in the moment; in all honesty only if the crime is committed in the presence of LEO's will they ever be able to aid or assist. Think of LEO's as an aftermath clean up crew. Its not their fault they can't be everywhere at once, but the fact of the matter is that LEO's will only arrive during/after an incident and the only thing they can do at that point is write down witness accounts and attempt following any leads towards a suspect. Bound by political restrictions which virtually render them paralyzed; figuratively speaking.

    To make matters worse, not only are LEO's incapable of handling anything but crime aftermath, they will not hesitate locking up an individual for taking matters into their own hands. If a good person were to take it upon themselves to beat the living shit out of their neighborhood crack dealer, or God forbid it come to homicide, the individual defending his family, neighbors, and community would be sent off to prison for life convicted of assault or murder. Law enforcement and government say they're here to help us and some do the best they can; while others choose to manipulate life circumstance for profit, even to the extent of incarcerating a public hero to ensure continued profits. Vigilantes are not good for business because they actually do something about the criminal element.

   This blog may not seem "biker" related, but truth be known that most 1%ers feel this way about life. Its common in the 1% culture to believe that society would be just fine handling their own. We don't believe that an ungoverned nation would spiral into a chaotic war zone. This train of thought is not exclusive to 1% biker culture, this is merely an example of one single culture and community within the world that feels this way.

   Imagine this. Today's world relies on state and government agencies for "protection and service", virtually giving up their very rights to defend themselves against those who would seek to harm them, their family, or their community. Today's world displays high levels of crime including but not limited to, violence and high use of dangerous narcotics. Criminals know that the general public relies almost exclusively on these "official" entities for justice and protection, and the criminal element are aware of these officials shortcomings brought forth by political insecurities and considerations. A world where the good guys never break the political rules and regulations is a world where criminals run free.

   Now imagine a world where instead of relying on state and government officials for protection and service, we relied on each other; our neighbors, our communities. You watch your neighbors back, and they watch yours. A neighborhood takes note of a drug deal or pedophile presence and handles it accordingly based solely on human judgement. Now granted, mankind has a nasty habit of acting on emotion, and at first the world may seem like a war-zone. But take into consideration the effect of a communities brute force against crime and violence. Eventually criminals would realize that with a community of "neighbor hood ass kickers", there would be no shadows to hide in, no time of day that would provide them with windows of opportunity. In time, the criminal element would be decreased and pushed out. This is not to say that crime would never happen, but it is to say that immediate support would be readily available 24/7. And in turn, LEO's would be able to do what they do best anyway, fine people for driving to fast and running that read light down town.

   If LEO's spent less time concerning themselves with victim-less crimes and more time with the criminal element, they would truly live up to their defined purpose. But unfortunately like reoccurring offenses, victim-less crimes are also a cash cow for these said offices and agencies. Our world has welcomed with open arms the "what if" and "could have" factors and method of consequence.

"Sir, do you know why I pulled you over today?" an officer asks a driver on a lonely rural highway, "The only thing I can think of is that I may have been speeding" a driver responds; "You are correct, do you have any idea how fast you were going?" the harassing banter continues. "Well, I clocked you on the radar doing 65 in a 50, may I have your license, registration and proof of insurance please.", note I ended that request with a period as its not a sincere question but rather a demand. At the end of the encounter, an innocent driver who caused a victim-less "crime" that left no one hurt, is fined a heavy sum of money merely because he/she "could have hurt/killed" someone.

    The "what if" or "could have" barometer is a fear tactic used to convince people that these laws are "good" for you. Because a speed limit "might" save somebody. Nobody considers the fact that only a small portion of the population ever actually drive that "required" (insert speed limit) sign while the rest know they can generally get away with going about 10mph over the speed limit without LEO's harassing them. Laws like these are put into motion using fear tactics to pad the wallets of these offices and agencies as if our tax dollars aren't enough. They're not put into effect for your "safety", but rather cleverly presented to a community of sheep in a deceitful way to make them more open to the idea. So while criminals hide in the shadows and in today's world even in plain sight doing their dealings, LEO spends more time handing out speeding and parking violations, noise complaint violations, ticketing broken down vehicles along side the road as if it's some how the owners fault they've been struck by poor circumstance, all in the name of "what if " or "could have".

"Your broken down car is a safety hazard "what if" someone hit it?"; well I guess they shouldn't have been texting and driving, or talking on the phone, or doing whatever it was that distracted them from seeing a large inanimate object on the side of the road. #logic?

    This blog is not to undermine the purpose of these offices and agencies as they all have a designated purpose. The problem is that in today's world they've been consumed with the greed for power. They realized that if manipulated properly, society will endorse any action in the name of "safety" and seeming comfort. They realized that a community will forget the departments inabilities and shortcomings to make a sincere difference if they hand us a piece of paper, or fill out a statement form to make us feel like they're doing their part to make a difference. The process of paperwork some how mysteriously tricks the mind into forgetting that they haven't actually done anything to help the situation and you can look forward to it reoccurring in the near future.

    In addition to the manipulation of society for the sake of profit under the guise of "what if" and "could have", you've got virtually little more than an organized crime syndicate playing every bodies best friend. Though nobody of sound mind would consider someone willing to lie their way into getting a confession or information as a "friend" let alone a protector. How do they even justify the credibility of information gained through the use of dishonesty? A topic for another time I suppose.

   I end in saying this. We live in a time where personal responsibility is our last hope. We must consider the two enemies at bay and the consequences of our good intentions. Is it worth going to court and fighting a corrupt system if it means sending a message to criminals the world over? Is it worth loosing your freedom to ensure that a child doesn't grow up being molested and abused? Is it worth your life to protect and serve those you love? I leave it up to you to conclude.

Until next time, stay vigilant. Our enemies are everywhere, and only you can do something about it.

MLH&R
Ziptie