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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
"The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are
ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry." It's like a jungle out there for bike riders. And the attack comes from the top and from the bottom... Lions on SUVs*, given to zigzagging around and yapping away on the cell phone, threaten them from the top, and rats from the underworld steal their wheels if not their bike to support their crack addiction. And then you report it, and it goes into oblivion. So it is that cyclists must stay in constant alert for predators, like the monkeys of the jungle. "Have you ever wondered why sport utility vehicle drivers seem like such assholes? Surely it's no coincidence that Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Dem-ocratic National Committee, tours Washington in one of the biggest SUVs on the market, the Cadillac Escalade, or that Jesse Ventura loves the Lincoln Navigator. Well, according to New York Times reporter Keith Bradsher's new book, High and Mighty, the connection between the two isn't a coincidence. Unlike any other vehicle before it, the SUV is the car of choice for the nation's most self-centered people; and the bigger the SUV, the more of a jerk its driver is likely to be." http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/fea....mencimer.html Life in the jungle ain't easy... RIDING A BIKE COSTS PEANUTS OK, since the lion (for whom “peanuts” is not important) refuses to listen to the monkey asking for bike facilities,* let's scrutinize the secrets ($$$) of the political jungle, where “democracy” is the word of choice… "The highest measure of democracy is neither the 'extent of freedom' nor the 'extent of equality', but rather the highest measure of participation" -A. d. Benoist Then I'd assume that 50% of the American public and 80% of the young who don't vote do not live in democracy. Or perhaps they see it as a waste of time --and money. “Remember the Golden Rule: Those with the Gold, Rule” (saying) “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy” (title of book) And this one... "Freedom is when the people can speak, democracy is when the government listens" -Alastair Farrugia Oh, that one was so good. So let's see: The monkey can cry all he wants but he will be ignored. Tough life that of the monkey. Other quotes... "Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth" -Aldous Huxley That one was deep. We all live in the lie (notice the word “lie” in li- on). And look at this one... "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any" -Alice Walker And this would threaten the order in the jungle... "Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers" -Aristotle And here they must be talking about the lion... "The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. He is in front of it" -Axel Munthe Many more quotes to entertain yourself are found at the link below. I hope you use them responsibly and don't start a revolution. http://www.democracy.ru/english/quotes.php *Riding a bike is good for the environment, great for peace, and excellent for your health. We need facilities, though, like BIKE LANES to be safe. WHY THE BANANA REVOLUTION? (T-shirts to help you survive in the jungle, no kidding) http://webspawner.com/users/bananarevolution |
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#2
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
On Apr 25, 1:02 pm, Gunner wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:19:27 -0700 (PDT), ComandanteBanana wrote: So it is that cyclists must stay in constant alert for predators, like the monkeys of the jungle. Monkeys are well known for throwing **** at passers by and making lots of noise. Perhaps that explains some of the posts from bike riders? Perhaps yall may now have some grasp of the thinking of a longtailed cat, in a room full of rocking chairs? Gunner The monkeys --sorry the cyclists-- you are talking about are the ones in lycra. They are much noiser than the commuter type. And don't eat peanuts. |
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
On Apr 25, 1:17 pm, Gunner wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:19:27 -0700 (PDT), ComandanteBanana wrote: *Riding a bike is good for the environment, great for peace, and excellent for your health. We need facilities, though, like BIKE LANES to be safe. Yes Indeed. Btw..we managed to successfully avoid the democracy trap here in the US, fortunately the Founders realized how dangerous a democracy is, and gave us a constitutional republic. I just have a problem with the language "by the people and for the people..." I wonder what the type of democracy they are exporting to Iraq... ??? |
#4
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
On Apr 25, 10:15*am, ComandanteBanana
wrote: "The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry." Bicyclists aren't under attack from all directions. Frankly, no one cares enough to care, let alone attack them. But they are getting a bad reputation from your posts. |
#5
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
"Pat" wrote in message ... On Apr 25, 10:15 am, ComandanteBanana wrote: "The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry." Bicyclists aren't under attack from all directions. Frankly, no one cares enough to care, let alone attack them. But they are getting a bad reputation from your posts. He also seems to do everything he can to be killed by a car just because he thinks he can mix with car traffic and "own the road no matter how much slower he is or how much he tries to cause a car accident to prove his point. He is obviously the attacker, not the other people. His comments on being attacked are pure fantasy in his mind, not reality. You are correct, nobody cares enough to care. They are probably trying to not hit him as he does things that could put them in an accident hitting another car. I know I sometimes have to drive in a way that increases my danger in order to avoid hitting bike riders on narrow mountain roads in the Bay Area. |
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
On Apr 25, 11:08*pm, "Jack May" wrote:
"Pat" wrote in message ... On Apr 25, 10:15 am, ComandanteBanana wrote: * "The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are * ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry." Bicyclists aren't under attack from all directions. *Frankly, no one cares enough to care, let alone attack them. *But they are getting a bad reputation from your posts. He also seems to do everything he can to be killed by a car just because he thinks he can mix with car traffic and "own the road *no matter how much slower he is or how much he tries to cause a car accident to prove his point. *He is obviously the attacker, not the other people. His comments on being attacked are pure fantasy in his mind, not reality. You are correct, nobody cares enough to care. * They are probably trying to not hit him as he does things that could put them in an accident hitting another car. I know I sometimes have to drive in a way that increases my danger in order to avoid hitting bike riders on narrow mountain roads in the Bay Area. I think his mindset comes from a post a week or so ago where he mentioned a situation re his mother where he was in a car with her when she tried to stop someone from running a toll and the person brandished a gun at them -- or something like that. It may have tarnished him for life and given him a twisted perspective on things. It actually makes me feel bad for him. |
#7
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
"Jack May" wrote in message . .. "Pat" wrote in message ... On Apr 25, 10:15 am, ComandanteBanana wrote: "The bicyclist is under attack from all directions - the streets are ragged, the air is poison, and the drivers are angry." Bicyclists aren't under attack from all directions. Frankly, no one cares enough to care, let alone attack them. But they are getting a bad reputation from your posts. He also seems to do everything he can to be killed by a car just because he thinks he can mix with car traffic and "own the road no matter how much slower he is or how much he tries to cause a car accident to prove his point. He is obviously the attacker, not the other people. His comments on being attacked are pure fantasy in his mind, not reality. You are correct, nobody cares enough to care. Then why do you guys spend so much time responding to him? |
#8
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
In article ,
"Amy Blankenship" writes: His comments on being attacked are pure fantasy in his mind, not reality. You are correct, nobody cares enough to care. Then why do you guys spend so much time responding to him? There are people in the world who are on the verge of making the decision to try transportational bicycling. For some folks it might not work out, but for many it would. Those many for whom transportational cycling would work do not need Chicken Little scaring them off before they even give the idea a fair chance. So every time Don QuickOats comes up with his anti-cycling razmatazz, he needs to be refuted. I know it looks idealogical, but it just isn't. /He's/ the screwy, wrong-minded idealogue, and that needs to be pointed-out to incipient transportational bicyclists. The fact is, not getting run-over is pretty easy for anyone with half-decent eyesight. cheers, Tom -- NOTHING is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
#9
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It's like a jungle out there for bike riders
"Tom Keats" wrote in message ... In article , "Amy Blankenship" writes: His comments on being attacked are pure fantasy in his mind, not reality. You are correct, nobody cares enough to care. Then why do you guys spend so much time responding to him? There are people in the world who are on the verge of making the decision to try transportational bicycling. For some folks it might not work out, but for many it would. Those many for whom transportational cycling would work do not need Chicken Little scaring them off before they even give the idea a fair chance. So every time Don QuickOats comes up with his anti-cycling razmatazz, he needs to be refuted. I know it looks idealogical, but it just isn't. /He's/ the screwy, wrong-minded idealogue, and that needs to be pointed-out to incipient transportational bicyclists. The fact is, not getting run-over is pretty easy for anyone with half-decent eyesight. Yeah, but I have a hard time thinking Pat or Jack are motivated by that sentiment. |
#10
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Which Side Are You On, the Lion Or the Monkey?
I'm going to paraphrase from this Ralph Nader email I got, "Which Side
Are You On?"... the Lion or the Monkey, which is to say the SUVs or the bicycles? By the way, is Nader for the cyclists? I don't think any candidate is. Monkeys don't count that much. But I remember Ralph used to be concerned about car safety... Well perhaps he's really for the monkeys... Which Side Are You On? If you believe that the Democratic Party is the answer to what ails us as a nation, then please, be our guest -- give them some more money. If on the other hand, you believe that the Democratic Party is part of the system of corporate control and domination, then there is a clear choice: Support Nader/Gonzalez now. Earlier this month, we wrote that it was "shameful" that progressives like Medea Benjamin were supporting the Democratic Party over Nader/ Gonzalez. Medea posted a response on one of our blogs, saying she was offended by the accusation, and said we should "respect" each other's choices. Medea used the word "respect" three times in one paragraph. One person who was on the receiving end of Medea's "respect" in 2004 was Peter Camejo, Ralph's running mate in 2004. We asked Peter to respond to Medea. Please read Peter's essay carefully. Pass it around. And let us know what you think. If you agree with Peter -- then please help fund our growing alternative voice to the corporate two-party duopoly. Have a safe weekend. Onward. The Nader Team -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Capitulation By Peter Camejo I was stunned to see Medea Benjamin complaining to the Nader/Gonzalez campaign because the campaign had used the word "shameful" in referring to "progressive" Democrats who had supported the pro-war, pro-Patriot Act, anti-labor, and anti-environmental candidate John Kerry in 2004. I have great personal admiration for Medea Benjamin for many of the stands and actions she has taken through the years. But her capitulation to the Democratic Party has been truly disappointing. Medea Benjamin eventually joined the "progressive" Democrats and has become an active supporter of the Democratic Party. Without the Democratic Party's support, Bush's war policies could never have been implemented. The Democrats voted in Congress a resolution that included the phrase, "unequivocal support for George Bush's conduct of the war in Iraq." They have voted for all the funding requests for the war in Iraq. In 2005 at the State of Union address, the entire Congress, with few if any exceptions, gave George Bush 39 standing ovations in one hour. They rose to their feet and applauded every time Bush used the word Iraq even before he finished his sentence. Of course this is nothing new for the Democratic Party. This is the Party of human slavery, of the Jim Crow of 5,000 lynchings, of fighting the right of women to vote, and of imprisoning Japanese Americans in camps. This is the Party that launched a war of mass murder killing two million Vietnamese as the "peace" party in the 1960s. It is the party that has supported the destruction of the trade unions, lowered taxes for the rich -- while raising them for the poor. The Democrats voted 98% in favor of the Patriot Act in the Senate without reading it. Earlier, 100 percent of Senate Democrats voted to confirm the right- winger Antonin Scalia for the Supreme Court. In 2004 the Democrats ran John Kerry for President -- the same John Kerry who said he could implement Bush's war policies better than Bush especially in increasing militarization in America and promoting the war in Iraq. What confuses so many progressively inclined people is they do not really understand that our society is controlled by the corporate power of concentrated money. The corporations and the super rich -- through their domination of the government, the media, and educational institutions and of course the two parties -- run our society. The totalitarian rule of money is a self correcting mechanism. It has flexibility which is part of why it is so powerful. The two-party system allows the appearance of differences and adjustments to public sentiment. It has become the single most successful political form for the rule of a minority over a majority in the history of the world. How this system of control developed, consolidated, and has survived through the years will be studied for years to come. The front line in this denial of democracy is the Democratic Party because it is the instrument that controls, channels and co-opts the forces that otherwise could challenge the rule of concentrated money. It is precisely the "differences" between the two major parties that makes the system effective. And the front line in the battle for the control of money over people are the so-called "progressive" Democrats who talk the talk. They confuse people, prevent free elections, and fight hardest to undermine a Nader/Camejo candidacy or a Nader/Gonzalez candidacy or any other candidacy whose voice for democracy begins to be heard. They may think they are helping move the country toward a more progressive agenda. But in fact, they are deepening the illusion that answers can be found through the Democratic Party. In turn, this reinforces the two-party domination over the United States, making possible the horrendous policies we have seen over the last eight years. You -- Medea Benjamin -- are now one of those on the front lines defending the two-party domination, and as a direct result, defending the rule of concentrated money and other illegalities and injustices of our present system. You can't have it both ways. In 2004, the Democrats went further than just supporting Bush's policies. They led a massive campaign to silence the only well known candidacy that opposed Bush's policies. They did this by manipulation. They sent representatives into the Nader/Camejo campaign to disrupt it, to seek to prevent his supporters from getting Nader/Camejo on the ballot. They actively sought to prevent those who disagreed -- and favored peace, social justice and democracy -- to have a voice. They harassed people trying to petition for Nader/Camejo. They brought at one time over twenty lawsuits to try to block Nader/Camejo's campaign from state ballots. They spent tens of millions of dollars in their battle against free elections and against voter choice. Even today they are trying to "fine" Nader/Camejo tens of thousands of dollars for merely seeking ballot access in the State of Pennsylvania. I personally had to pay them $20,000 not to have a lien put on my home for having been Ralph Nader's Vice Presidential candidate. The Democrats, especially the people you, Media Benjamin, call "progressives," were the most vicious in their endless diatribes against Nader calling him "crazy," "ego maniacal," "stupid," and "agent of Bush." Media Benjamin you are now shocked that the Nader/Gonzalez campaign used the term "shameful." Where was Medea Benjamin during the Democrats hate campaign against democracy in 2004? You were campaigning for a pro-war candidate and supporting the vicious anti-Nader/Camejo campaign. Medea Benjamin in her effort to support John Kerry helped successfully to manipulate within the Green Party support for David Cobb, the anti- Nader pro-voting Democrat candidate who favored US occupation of Iraq in two public debates with me. She worked to get the Green Party convention to prevent Nader/Camejo from being endorsed after Nader/Camejo representatives won a number of Green Party primaries and state conventions, including California. During the 2004 campaign, there was a letter on David Cobb's web site titled "Vote Kerry and Cobb." And it was signed by Medea Benjamin, among others. If you are going to seek fairness and oppose "trashing," why don't you start with all your friends whose extreme public attacks on Nader/ Camejo you never protested? Why not promote among your Democratic friends the publishing of ads apologizing to Nader and the American people for the twenty-four harassing lawsuits in twelve weeks filed by Republican corporate law firms like Reed Smith and Kirkland & Ellis and abuses they committed in 2004 against the rights of the American people to have free elections and voter choice? Yes Medea Benjamin you have the right -- like so many before you -- to seek to reform the Democratic Party. The truth is, however, that what you actually achieve is to give cover for this pro-war anti-labor political organization. Millions upon millions have tried to reform the Democratic Party for decades. The AFL-CIO went in to reform the Democrats with millions upon millions of supporters only to be reduced from 33% of the work force to 12% -- a submissively controlled force ineffective in defending even their own existence -- unable to even get the Democratic Party to repeal the notorious anti-labor Taft Hartley law of 1947. The generation of progressive "leaders" that capitulate in 2004 will have to be replaced by a new generation that will stand by principles like the early abolitionists of the Liberty Party, the Populists who led the uprising of 1890s, the Debsian socialists and Women's Party activists of the early twentieth century -- and yes like Ralph Nader who refuses to capitulate to a Democratic Party that has and is selling out the American people. Making personal attacks on Ralph Nader is starting to get a little old. Maybe it's time for your Democratic Party friends to end their political bigotry against Nader/Gonzalez. Yes we should all work together on issues we agree on. Yes we should try to get people regardless of what party they are registered with to support specific objectives. That is how the most massive peace demonstrations ever were organized in the 1960s and 1970s or the millions who marched together for immigrant rights just a couple of years ago. Of course none of those actions were ever supported by your Party, the Democrats. The ranks of the Democratic Party are desperately seeking change. In time they will see that the Democratic Party cannot be and will not be the agency through which peace, social justice and saving our environment will come. On this issue you and I remain divided. On the debate about this issue Nader and those supporting him have been saints in their language in comparison to your friends in the Democratic Party. The Nader/Gonzalez campaign has nothing to apologize for. Nader has been one of the most beautiful examples of showing respect for all including those who disagree with him. It is time for you and your Democratic Party associates to show respect and apologize to Ralph Nader. |
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