JustAL Loqui

Tag: Wisdom

  • 1001, 1002, 1003…

    The time it took for you to read the title of this blog, roughly 3 seconds, is all the time needed to lose your life. A few years ago I was in Rapid City, SD headed to the Black Hills and was setting at an intersection waiting for the light to turn green. A rider passed through the intersection and he looked toward me and nodded his head as if to say, “Hey, how’s it going?” That was all the time needed for the car in front of him to stop and he rode into the back of the car.

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    A brief second of distraction…

    His injuries were minimal, but the bike needed to go to the shop for repair. While waiting on the police to show up we talked and I learned he was a rider with years of experience and this was his first mishap. The split second it took for him to look at me was all the time it took for the convergence of unfortunate circumstances to meld together and result in an accident.

    Riding is risky business and we, as riders, are responsible for reducing that risk as best we can. Most assuredly during those years of riding he had, as we all have, allowed his attention to be diverted for a second or two while acknowledging someone while riding or take a few extra seconds to look at the scenic view to the left or right. But, in previous instances other variables did not enter into the mix, like the car stopping unexpectedly or a deer dashing out to get to the other side of the highway.

    We rely on our riding skill and experience to stay between the ditches and to keep the shiny side of our motorcycle pointed toward the sky while we ride. These are important for sure, but I think attitude and focused attention are more important. Call me rude if you like, but I will never wave at or acknowledge an oncoming rider while I’m in city traffic. I assume every car within 100 feet of me is ready to implement a well-developed plan to run me down and then take a selfie over my lifeless body. We have all had close calls with “cagers” and the only reason we lived through it was because we were 100% focused on the task at hand and evaded the assault. What happens when that “close call” presents itself during that short span of seconds when we are momentarily distracted by some inconsequential thing?

    Stay focused, stay alert and always ride as if everyone is out to get you. It’s a strong bet they are indeed looking for an opportunity for the perfect selfie and your lifeless body would make a fine backdrop. Don’t give them the opportunity.  You can’t expect the “cager” to be focused, they’re too busy talking on their cell.

  • A Jerk – To Be or Not To Be

    Traits like honor, integrity, compassion, and respect are not traits you, all of a sudden, decide to accept as personal traits on a particular day and go forth from that point on as a person worthy of being identified as owning these traits. These traits are developed and honed over time through actions and deeds that demonstrate these traits. It requires an intentional and determined effort. As these traits are practiced they become who we are; like muscle memory of a repeated action they demonstrate themselves without an intentional thought to implement, but rather are implemented out of habit. It is also required that these actions be implemented without thought of personal gain.

    A friend of mine (COL William Galbraith) once wrote, “The leadership philosophy of a senior leader is developed through years of experience and education. A philosophy of leadership is a statement or idea that guides how an individual will lead. If an individual starts to develop a leadership philosophy when appointed as a senior leader then the potential for failure is prevalent. The philosophy we use to lead is not something we can turn on and off like a light switch; it is who we are and those we lead know this. The development of a leadership philosophy is conducted in conjunction with the development of who we are. What motivates a leader on a personal level will, in part, define the leadership philosophy.”

    Likewise, our philosophy defines who we are and who we are defines our philosophy. It’s a given if you lack honor, integrity, compassion, and respect you’re probably a jerk. A jerk cannot just arbitrarily start to be a person of integrity. You cannot, because of guilt felt after an action or deed, decide on Saturday to be a person of honor and compassion starting at sunrise on Sunday on your way to Church. As stated by my friend who is much smarter than I, “…the potential for failure is prevalent.” You are destined to fail and repeated failure will eventually lead you to the belief that you being a person of worth is beyond your capabilities and you’ll go back to being whatever caliber of jerk you were the day before—perhaps worse, because now any lingering doubt about whether or not you were a jerk to begin with has been removed and now you are an angry jerk.

    However, the scenario played out in the last paragraph may not be all together true—which means there’s hope for you yet. You can be a person of integrity, honor, compassion and respect, regardless of your caliber of jerk-hood; you just need a strong desire and you need to cater the approach. These traits are developed and applied, not applied fully developed. Let me lead you down a rabbit; bear with me for just a minute. I consider myself a good person, but I also consider myself a failure. I am my own worst critic. People tell me I’m a good person, but they don’t know my secrets. I know that God forgives and I will be eternally grateful for that; and I use the term “eternally” in the most literal of terms. But I have a hard time forgiving myself for past actions. People say, “but you should forgive yourself” because these were done long ago (some not so long ago) and you have been forgiven and hanging on to them will only drag you down. I think the guilt helps me when a desire (or temptation if you will) comes along and prods me to do or say something that defy honor, integrity, compassion or respect. I remember the guilt and often (but sadly not always) the temptation goes away. I remember the feeling I have when I approach God and ask, “Lord, can you forgive me just one more time?” Remembering the guilt is a tool, it’s helpful to me.

    OK, let’s get back on track. You can adopt a desire to do and say the right thing. You can adopt a desire to be a better person. Will you, after accepting this new you, always be a person of honor, integrity, so one and so forth? No. You will fail, but with each successful attempt the failures will dissipate, not completely but a reduction in failure is as good as a win. Will you eventually, after years of trying, get to a point where you will never fail? No. There will always be failures. However, with each failure you can, if you have the foresight to do so, learn a lesson that will come in handy the next time that option presents itself. I might add here if you are at a point in your life where you feel you have mastered the traits of honor, integrity, so on and so forth, then you may not possess any of them; pride trumps them all. Just sayin’.

    jerk

    In full disclosure I must say this will be the hardest thing you will ever do. It is something you will have to “want” with every once of energy. Start small, maybe yield the right of way in traffic and let someone in. Of course I must also say, if this is too hard for you, there is an easier way; just be a jerk your whole life and be remembered as such. Like Bill says, “…what motivates us will define us.” What defines us is who we are.

  • Life Changing 3 Seconds

    I am an avid believer in the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, actually I’m an avid believer of all the Amendments. I have a legally issued Concealed Carry License and pretty much everywhere I go, that allows legal carry, I am armed and I am vigilant. Vigilance, not to be confused with paranoia, is a state of mind, a constant awareness of your surroundings and looking for those things out of place or those actions that might shed light on a potential lethal threat. I take this right, and the responsibility it represents, very seriously.

    The right to carry a concealed weapon is accompanied by a significant expectation of responsibility and associated risks, and by that I am not talking about just the risk associated with someone looking to put a bullet in your nostril. I’m talking about your actions just prior to, during, and after a lethal force encounter. Let’s look at four risks, one at a time; keeping in mind each of these risks would need a 100 page book to adequately explain.

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    1 – Shots on Target: If you are not extremely proficient with your weapon of choice you may open the door to not only serious litigation but also present more of a threat than the initial reason which precipitated you drawing your weapon. If you draw your weapon and expend 5 rounds at the threat and miss, you have endangered the lives of anyone in the vicinity not to mention you have just openly, and with great flare, identified yourself as a prime target to the initial threat. Even if you hit the aggressor 1 out of 5 times and eliminated the threat you have still greatly endangered the lives of innocents; and the courts will make you pay dearly for your lapse in proficiency. If your skills are not sufficient enough to end the threat with expeditious efficiency then you have become a 2nd and equally dangerous threat to innocents within 200 yards of your mussel.  That 3″ shot-group on the range at 30 feet becomes a 6″ shot group during a gun fight; and that increase only jumps 100% if you are really good and have nerves of steel.

    2 – Ammo on Hand: If, after the encounter and after the local Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) has confiscate your weapon (and they will) they find ball ammo in your magazine you could find yourself in serious trouble. Especially if an “innocent” behind the aggressor is hit with your round after it passed through the active shooter. Be mindful of local laws pertaining to the type of ammo that is required, or even suggested. A suggestion on a quiet and uneventful day becomes a requirement during stormy litigation.

    3 – The 3 Second Event: Let’s explain this in a hypothetical scenario. You’re at the mall, minding your own business, you hear shots and screams. Being a conscientious minded person who has a legal carry permit and armed, you run toward the commotion, with weapon drawn, to protect innocents. A police office, or armed security guard, hears the same shot and they too run, with gun drawn, toward the sounds of hostility to protect innocents.   Senses are heightened, adrenaline is pumping, and tunnel vision has set in. The LEO sees you running with gun drawn and shouts for you to stop, but the adrenaline in your system, the hysterical screams and shouts, and the plethora of activity associated with an active shooter encounter overload your senses and you do not hear the warning to stop. If you are lucky you only feel the pain of the bullet entering your body after the LEO has stopped what is perceived as the threat. If you are unlucky, meaning the LEO is very proficient, you won’t feel a thing but rather drop to the floor and are dead before you do. Keep this in mind—if you are perceived as someone worth shooting, you are worth shooting twice, or probably three times. The truth is, there’s nothing hypothetical about this; this real life scenario played itself out at a mall in Hoover, Alabama over the Thanksgiving weekend of 2018.

    4 – The Aftermath: If you survive the initial encounter there are significant chances you will be taken into custody. During the investigation, if anything is found to be “questionable” or a statement you make contradicts what others say, the chance of being arrested are high. Let’s say everything was textbook. You saw, you acted, you ended a legitimate threat, and the District Attorney shook your hand as you walked out of the courtroom; all is good with the world. Not really. There will, more often than not, be a civil suit against you from the family members of the person you shot, or the person you shot if your shot was not as precise as you would have liked. Even if found innocent the legal fees along can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. The prospect of being found guilty are too pricey to even contemplate.

    Like I say, each of these four aspects would require a book to fully explain so don’t hound me with, “Well, what about this, and that, and that and this…” Also like to say these are only 4 of probably 227 other risky aspects of lethal force encounters, maybe 228.

    Recommendations:

    1 – Train, train, practice, practice, and practice some more, and when you have done all of that and feel good about your level of proficiency, train and practice some more… and train with a professional, not that old retired Vet at the VFW down the block and around the corner. Do not think a 3” shot group at 30 feet at the range is a measure of your proficiency under high stress.

    2 – Know the law, it can help you or it can bury you. Don’t assume, just because you are in the right, that you are right.  Say nothing to nobody until you have a lawyer at your side.

    3 – If you feel a need to run toward danger, be smart, be aware, and take nothing for granted. You might be the good guy but you might look like a bad guy with a gun.

    4 – Get liability insurance. Costs roughly a dollar a day and many of you spend three times that much each day at Starbucks so don’t not do it because you think it cost too much. The alternative will cost you the price of a Starbucks franchise and then some. You may very well work the rest of your life to support the family of the person who just tried to kill you, and they may possibly laugh all the way to the bank while living in your house. Also, after the encounter, do not say a word (to ANYONE) until you have a good lawyer at your side. I know, I said this before, but it’s worth saying again. Your only initial comment to any LEO on scene should be something along the lines of, “Officer, I fully intend to comply with your instructions and answer all your questions, but I want to call my lawyer first.” Saying ANYTHING other than that to ANYONE may not end well. The dynamics of a lethal force encounter plays tricks on your memory.  Give yourself time to calm down and talk to a lawyer first.  Plus, keep in mind anyone you talk to about the encounter, other than your lawyer, can become a subpoenaed witness against you and what you think you told them may not be what they heard but whatever they think they heard you say is more than enough to be twisted and misquoted ending in you giving your house to a bad guy (or bad guy’s family) and you will live in a cardboard box.

  • “No Brass, No Ammo Sir!”

    I have a great job. I spent 23 years on active duty intermixed with an additional 4 years as a traditional reservist. After I retired from active service I worked as a government contractor for 2 years after which I left contracting for a job with the Department of Defense as a Department of the Army Civilian and I’ve been doing that for 12 years. Barring a few years in the late 70’s and early 80’s I have spent my entire adult life as a soldier or working with soldiers. I’ve been to the four corners, several countries in Europe, Asia, Netherlands, Middle East, Far East, and patches of remote solitude in the Atlantic and the Pacific. I’ve even had the opportunity to fly a P3-Orion a 1000 feet above the Atlantic off the coast of Iceland. Sadly I’ve never been to Africa or Australia. I’ve seen things and done things most cannot comprehend let alone understand with any level of acceptable acuity. Most of it was good and, as those who have walked this path know all too well, some not so good. Regardless, I cannot imagine anything this side of life as better. All in all, it is a life well spent.

    At present—present as in “on this date that I am writing this”—I am at Fort Lewis, Washington; known today as Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Been here a few days on a temporary assignment and will head back to my normal duty station tomorrow morning. I’m wrapping things up and currently in a “wait-mode” for some final actions to be completed. My attention has been drawn to some activity outside the window. Two busloads of young soldiers are drawing their issue of needed equipment at a warehouse across the street. Most are very young and I suspect they have just arrived at Lewis-McChord after completing their Basic Combat Training (I think they may call it Initial Entry Training now) or maybe they have arrived from a previous duty station after completing their Advanced Individual Training.

    Bantam_jeep_flying

    Their adventure is just beginning. Where they go from here, which unit they will be assigned to, or what their position will be in that unit is unknown to me. But I wish I could go talk to each and every one of them and offer up some hard-learned advice. But I would never do that. I remember what I thought when old retired soldiers came up to me and gave me advice when I was a young soldier just starting out; I had no need of their advice because I already knew everything I needed to know. They were an irritant to me. I see now that was a regrettable mistake; certainly a missed opportunity that could have made my life as a young soldier easier, a bit more accomplished, and much more fulfilling.

    However, I wish I could bestow upon them words of wisdom; perhaps not wisdom but at least that bit of advice that we all need from time to time. I would tell them to pick their friends wisely. Just because a person wears the same uniform and is perhaps in the same unit does not mean they are trustworthy enough to be a trusted friend and confidant; a person you can trust to watch your back and who will run to your aid during times of trouble and hardship. Many are, but the “few” are not. The intent of the few is to deceive and take as much from others as they can by their self-serving interactions, to mislead and misdirect. Sadly, the ability to recognize these “few” comes only after being burned a few times.

    I wish I could bestow upon them words of warning. That every personal action has a reaction and is sometimes emphasized with ill-fated consequences. We all make mistakes but not all have the integrity to “man-up” and take responsibility for our own actions.  Take note and check-fire on an attitude that can lead to that face to face encounter with the Command Sergeant Major.

    I would tell them to take as much time as needed to identify the Warrant Officer, Non-Commissioned Officer, or Commissioned Officer that everyone respects, that everyone goes to when confused or in trouble, and after identifying that person to emulate their actions, their attitude, and their professionalism. By doing this they too will eventually become that person others seek out when dire circumstances warrant. They can be that trusted professional who by words, actions, and deeds, can change the course of a life.

    Yea, that’s some of what I would tell them. But they are young and must learn from their mistakes just like we all did. I wish them luck, I wish them well, and I envy them; their adventure, if they have the foresight to see it as such, is just beginning.

    “No brass, no ammo Sir!”

  • Who Am I?

    Born in Central IL in 1955 I grew up with 4 brothers and two sisters. I joined the Army in 1972 and, barring a short stretch between ’76 and ’82, I have been in the U.S. Army my entire life; first as a soldier then as a DA Civilian for the Department of Defense. I cannot say I have always had a motorcycle. But, for the most part, a ride was always within arm’s reach and utilized on any given opportunity. There was a time, in that stretch between ’76 & ’82, I associated with riders from the “outlaw” side and, after a couple of near miss events, decided to turn 90 degrees and ride away. For years I steered clear of riding groups; regardless of genre.

    Hoka Hey Bike 3

    In 2008 I came across a group called Rescue Riders and, during that encounter, met some of the finest people I have ever met. People who give of themselves and ask nothing in return. This was the type of person I wanted to be. In 2010 I came in contact with information about a long distance endurance ride from Key West Florida to Homer Alaska. At the time I could not fathom such a ride, but got my chance to participate in the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge in 2013. To say it changed my life would be a gross understatement. The impact was so great I was compelled to narrate the event in book form. The ride showed me that I was not the person I thought I was and showed me a glimmer of what I needed to do to strive to become who I wanted and needed to be. Hoka Hey has taught me much and is still instructing me on a daily basis. To put a life in two paragraphs is an impossible task. A personal bio is a narrative of who we are. I learned, through the Challenge, that who I thought I was and who I really was differed greatly. I believe a true metric of a person is best measured by what they do to become someone people deserve. So, who am I? Not sure yet, but my prayer is that with each passing day I will get closer to that person I am supposed to be.

  • The Worth of Truth

    A friend of mine posted a blog titled, “American Genocide and the New World Order.” I call him a friend but we have never actually met. My first introduction to his writing was when I purchased his book, “The Three Meter Zone” which became my “go-to” manual when I was a First Sergeant serving in the U.S. Army. Shortly thereafter I started following his Blog and have garnered a plethora of wisdom from his narratives.

    I enjoy reading his posts. This particular post got me to thinking; sometimes my thinking is a good thing, sometimes not so much. Every word in his post is truth. The kind of truth nobody wants to hear. The kind of truth that, if taken to heart, would bring to light the fact that delusion has taken the place of reason and common sense, that compassion has been overrun by arrogance, and a truth that demonstrates, in no uncertain terms, that integrity and honor have been pushed aside for the sake of expediency and a self-serving agenda.

    I commented on his post stating in part, “…and I have to wonder if we are not just banging our heads against the sidewalk.” I was referring to the daily demonstrated fact that very few want to hear the truth, so why speak it.

    We live in a country that has turned its back on God, has pushed God out of our schools, our homes, our government, our lives, and even out of some of our churches. We live in a country that has willfully, expeditiously, and with a not so hidden sense of glee taken, the lives of millions upon millions of unborn children every year; this is done with no remorse, no sorrow, no regret, and is called “a god given right” to do so. We have taken steps to ensure single parent households are the norm and same sex marriage is not only acceptable but proper and encouraged. The mindset that embraces these callused attributes has been around since Cain and Able but I think in recent decades it has flourished and is driving us headfirst (with eyes wide open) into perdition. In fact it is being taught in our schools as a curriculum, either directly or indirectly.

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    Many will ridicule the Christian faith and claim it infringes on the U.S. Constitution and call it hate speech but at the same time hold Islam up as a bastion of hope. Many claim gun control is the answer and call guns and the people who own them evil… until the time comes when someone breaks into their house and they have no gun to protect themselves. They might have time to call 911 but they would be better served calling a crime scene cleanup crew; that’s all the police will be able to do once they get there, but nobody wants to believe that. Many want open borders and claim there is nothing wrong with illegals… until an illegal injures or kills one of their own. Many believe it is their right to murder an unborn child, but on those occasions when the parent changes their mind their life is enriched by the child, but nobody wants to believe that. Many wish to push aside our Republic and replace it with Socialism knowing full well that socialism, as a government, has never worked; how stupid is that?

    So, what good does it do to tell the truth to people who do not want the truth and who will go so far as to lash out and attack when the truth is spoken. We see the attacks daily. A conservative is shouted down and buildings burned to keep them from speaking in public places, but the left (the progressive, the liberal, the socialist democrat, whatever you want to call them today) is appalled and claim the 1st Amendment as a law that MUST be upheld when they speak. A double standard that only a few enlightened people actually see. Actually, everyone sees it, many just choose to not “see” it.

    So, again, why do we continue to speak truth to those who care not? We do it because there is a hope that some will listen. We do it for that mother who changed her mind. We do it for the families that realize they have been lied to for years and they want (and need) a Godly truth. We do it for that person who grows weary of being spoon feed someone’s agenda and realize they have a mind of their own and they need a renewable energy source for that new thought process. We do it for a teacher in the classroom who is inundated with twisted social experiments from the Department of Education. We do it for those who do not know they are being lied to and are being manipulated and played the fool by the puppet master. We do it for that soldier and police officer who defend the lives of the delusional masses and are hated for it.

    I know very few read my words and that’s OK, some do. Our world is in a spiral dive and I will do all I can for those who seek the truth. I’m not saying every word I say is truth. Sometimes I will fail, sometimes I will get caught up in the foolishness, sometimes I will lash out as well… I am thankful that my salvation is based on God’s grace and is not based on a performance based requirement. A performance based requirement would certainly place me in the pit with the puppet master. When I stand before God I will have to answer for lots of mistakes, both intentional and unintentional. What I do not want to answer for are those things I should have done but chose not to.

    Never let the masses silence the truth.

  • Facebook – Needed a Break.

    Not long ago I got thoroughly disgusted with Facebook. I got so tired of the hate and divide and I decided no longer wanted to be a part of it; at the very least I needed a break. I was good, for the most part, at ignoring the “white privilege” crap and the “I hate Trump” posts and the “if you don’t think like me you’re evil” posts. I also got burned out on all the pictures of what people were having for dinner. But I found myself commenting on the really ignorant memes and that never ends well. So, rather than let the Puppet Master use me I suspended my account.

    I’m not saying the Puppet Master is an actual person or a cabal of sinister minded board of directors but I do believe the Puppet Master is real. I see the Puppet Master as a compilation of “group think” types who, for some reason, entertain themselves or are entertained by division and hate. Regardless of who or what the Puppet Master is, I find the concept repulsive.

    Contrary to social thought there are no Facebook withdrawal shakes or tremors when you pull the plug.  These past two weeks have been rather productive.  But will admit I missed some of my friends and family.

    Facebook has some good points. I got reconnected with old friends, found new ones and certainly Facebook is a great tool to use if you need help, want to help, want to share insight, or share pictures of loved ones who have accomplished great or small things. I even got my high school class ring returned after being lost for over 15 years; how cool is that? Anyway, after two weeks of being off of Facebook I ponder on the wisdom of my action.

    I miss the interaction with those I cherish and will admit I miss the pictures that accompany many of the comments made by those I cherish. I resolved to return but return with a new set of rules. Rules that, if followed, will return me to what I have always hoped was the original intent of Facebook. Well, actually the original intent of Facebook can be traced to the currently taboo practice of body-shaming. The original Facebook (called Facemash) was shut down a few days after it went on line by Harvard executives and Zuckerberg faced expulsion from Harvard University for breach of security, violating copyrights, and individual privacy. He, Zuckerberg, launched a new site called TheFacebook but found himself again in trouble when some Harvard seniors claimed he had stolen their idea for a social networking site. That claim was settled out of court. There’s more to the story but suspect if you want to know more you will dig into it on your own, you don’t need me for that.

    OK, where was I? Bit of a rabbit hole there. I’ll crawl out of the “rabbit hole” with a final comment on this sidebar subject; Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard.

    So, the ”original” original intent is not my intent, not interested in body-shaming. In my mind I see the original intent as bringing people closer together. It has failed at that but only because we have allowed it to fail at that.

    I will endeavor to abide by my new set of rules and hopefully will not suffer an abundance of setbacks. Feel free to call me out if you see my strings tugged by the Puppet Master. But do it nicely, sometimes I don’t play well with others. We all have good days and bad days. I won’t make light of your bad days if you don’t make light of mine.

  • Mary Poppins is a Racist

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    Mary Poppins; Racist Movie

    Mary Poppins is apparently a racist movie; who knew? According to an op-ed in The New York Times the scene where Mary Poppins popped out of a chimney with black soot on her face was not actually black soot collected while climbing up a chimney but rather a racial remark to denigrate all people of color.   I wonder, are all coal miners racist?

    Bigotry will always be with us no matter how hard we try to eradicate it. Just like there will always be thieves, cheaters, liars, and con artist. Some people are just that way (and these people represent a very, [VERY] small percentage of the population). But to find bigotry in every whip-stitch is nothing more than a way to keep racism alive and well and is a tool used by the puppet master to expand hate and expand the divide.

    You need to get a grip on reality and stop being used.

  • One Hundred and Forty Characters

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    This picture of a Nun standing next to a horse in a barn was found in a box of old negatives at my Mom’s house. I have no background on the picture at all, no idea why it was taken, who the Nun was or who owned the horse or barn, or the circumstances that came to pass that brought this horse and Nun together. Regardless, the picture holds great interest to me. At present I find it interesting because, based on today’s mainstream society, it cannot be explained using 140 characters or less. Indulge me for just a moment (or however long it takes to read the following 1467 characters).

    I’m wondering if social media has hampered our attention spam. Memes are the main form of communication and even that, more often than not, are the words of others. You saw it on Facebook, liked what it said and decided it said what you wanted to say. Back in the day when people actually read books the headlines on a newspaper was meant to grab your attention. The follow-up article gave you all the details. We now limit ourselves to the headlines and care not for the details. The headlines tell us all we want to know. Details provided by cable news outlets are based on the opinion of others and we have relied on the opinion of others for so long we are no longer able to form our own. We claim our opinion is our own but it really is not… record your opinion and play it back, then listen to your favorite news outlet—you may be surprised at what you hear.

    We have also lost our ability to debate. We’ve all heard the old adage, “Never discuss politics or religion.” Two of the most important topics and we are unable to discuss them because we can no longer allow our ears to hear an opinion that might demonstrate that one of us is wrong. We see it daily—family members turning their backs on other family members because they disagree with a political view. Lines are drawn in the sand, words are said, and neither side will back down because both are convinced they are right and the other is dead wrong; so wrong in fact we will cut all ties.

    We have reduced our attention span to 140 characters or less, and of course we need a picture to catch anyone’s attention. We are giving control over to a puppet master. At what point are we going to realize we are both right and we are both wrong, and we both have something the other needs—a realization the puppet master wishes kept in the dark.

  • Is Riding a Motorcycle Dangerous?

    Before I start I will say I am an avid rider and have been for years so it’s possible this collection of thoughts are biased. I’ll answer the question up front.  Is riding a motorcycle dangerous?  The answer is yes, but, if you ride you already knew that.

    To prepare for this little narrative I did a considerable amount of research to determine the number and type of accidents and the cumulative nature of sustained injuries. Oddly enough each report I read contradicted the one before so, lucky for you, this chronicle will contain very few statistical facts, but will contain real data based on my years of riding experience.

    There are a number of variables that make riding dangerous. The environment, road conditions, wildlife, other occupants on the highways, rider attitude and the attitude and driving habits of cagers to name a few.  An occurrence that will not blip on the radar screen of a cager will get the full attention of a rider.  For the benefit of all, a “cager” is any person in a car or truck; pretty much anything that is not a motorcycle—the car is your cage.

    From a rider’s perspective the biggest danger is the distracted cager. You can dispute that if you like but the fact remains, from our perspective cagers are the most looming hazard to our riding experience.  If a rider wizzes by you on the street it is not because they want to go faster or show off, well, maybe for some, but for most of us it is because we want to get out of your blind spot; what we refer to as “the kill zone.”  We want to be as far away from you as possible because we know, right after you hit us, the first words out of your mouth will be, “But officer, I didn’t see’em!”

    Most cagers, who is not a rider, will look around as they drive and acknowledge other cagers. Their brain is not geared to register a motorcycle; even if they look straight at it.  I’ve seen it time and time again.  I’ve had cagers look right at me, or at least in my direction, and pull right out in front of me.  They looked, but they did not see.  I cannot count the number of times a cager has pulled into my lane when I am right beside their window and surely within their peripheral vision.  They looked but they did not see.  I cannot count the number of times a cager in opposing traffic has turned left in front me.  They looked but they did not see.  You will drive and not notice other cagers talking/texting on the phone.  When I ride I know who is talking on the phone and they get my attention real fast because I know they have no concept of the danger they are inflicting on those around them.  It’s not your fault, you’re cagers and you can’t help it.  Well, actually you can.  You all know someone who rides whether it be a family member, friend or co-worker.  From this fact alone you should be able to surmise that, while in your cage, your family member, friend or co-worker is out there riding the same streets so take an extra second to really look, focus not only on other cagers but on motorcycles too.

    texting

    Yes, there are reckless riders out there, but there are reckless cagers too. The bad attitude that plagues some riders is the same attitude held by some cagers.  We are often our worst enemy.  But, it does not have to be that way.  Here’s a little game that will help us all.

    While driving, count the number of motorcycles you see and give yourself points for each one. For every ten points you get, treat yourself to something you would otherwise deny yourself—like one of your favorite cookies.  When you reach 100 points then buy yourself that new thing you have been eyeing for weeks—or eat a whole box of cookies.  Do this for a week or two and your brain will be attune to motorcycles and you will never find yourself in a position to say, “But Officer, I didn’t see’em!”  The one you “don’t see” just before you hit them may be a family member, a friend or a co-worker.  The alternative is not something you will want to live with.