Howdy! Grab a chair an’ a beer! I want to talk to ya about common sense for a minute here. I know yer probably thinkin’, “What’s common sense have to do with bikes an’ bikers?” Well, I’ll tell ya! Sometimes, bikers seem to be the last bastion of common sense left in America. We value our rights an’ our freedom above all else, an’ we’re willing to fight for it when it’s necessary, while most other folks are content to just sit back and let their freedom slip away a little at a time. Ya may not care what sent this thought rattlin’ around in this ol’ head, but it happens to be a recent brush with the lack of common sense in the public school system.
Where do ya go if ya want to change society? Do ya go to the old, grizzled vets who fought for the rights ya want to take away? Do ya go to the folks who are workin’ every day, an’ want to keep some of what they earn? Hell no! Ya go to the kids that haven’t experienced life yet, an’ turn ’em into mindless, spineless robots. Tell me the truth, now… How often have ya asked your kids or grandkids about what they’re learnin’ in school? They’re bein’ taught to accept the loss of freedom, without bein’ taught about the sacrifices that brave men an’ women have made to give ’em that freedom. If they have to fight back against a schoolyard bully instead of running to the office to tattle, they’re automatically suspended no matter who started the fight.
A while back, an honor student an’ Eagle Scout was suspended for havin’ a Boy Scout knife in his car. Now that’s a “Duhhhh” moment if there ever was one! They can’t even have an aspirin at school without bein’ suspended. The fools in charge freak out over inconsequential stuff like that, while the real threats an’ problems are too controversial for ’em to tackle.
We sit around an’ cuss about helmet laws, loud pipes legislation, gun control an’ other losses of freedom, but just think about the next generation, who are bein’ taught to accept these freedom-robbing laws without question. What kind of society are we allowin’ to be cultivated here? Kids graduate now without havin’ the basics they need to succeed in a world market economy, bein’ able to make change for a dollar, find England on a world map, or tell you anything about America’s heritage, our national heroes, or what made us a great nation. Ask yourself: WWJWD? (What Would John Wayne Do?)
I want my grandkids to be able to hop on their bikes an’ ride without silent pipes, safety orange jump suits, an’ a flashin’ warning sign on the back. It’s time to shut off The Simpsons, wake up an’ look around, find out what’s goin’ on, an’ change it!
Awww, OK… I know how fascinated ya are with all this “societal deterioration” stuff, so it’s on ta other subjects before I have ta dodge rocks here.
Have ya heard about Hero Box yet? Their website is www.herobox.org. They send our soldiers the things they need every day, an’ can’t get any other way, while they’re over there fightin’ in that flea-infested, Stone Age part of the world. It’s a great idea, an’ a great organization, so check ’em out, an’ help ’em out, will ya?
Speakin’ of heroes, I want to say thanks to Steve Miller for his service, and for the sacrifice he’s still makin’ due to Agent Orange exposure in ’Nam. His brother Gary is a friend of mine, an’ he’s chronicled his trip to Sturgis this year so Steve could “ride along” with him in spirit, if not body.
I got a call from a guy named Ramzi Vincent this mornin’ about a new website he’s workin’ on. It’s a forum where ya can rent those expensive specialty tools to fix your bike, car, ATV or whatever without shellin’ out a ton of cash for somethin’ you’ll only use once. If you’ve already laid out the cash for that billet muffler bearing installer, here’s your chance to recoup some of your investment by rentin’ it to somebody else. Security deposits will be handled by PayPal, so it’ll come back home to ya without havin’ to go find it in somebody’s garage in Peoria. It sounds like a great idea to me, an’ I’ll talk to him some more about it at the SEMA show. He’s just gettin’ it up an’ runnin’, but you can check it out at their future location: www.automotivespecialtytool.net.
See ya on the road!
