Can't go to NYC for the convention? RIDE WITH THEM IN SOLIDARITYHERE!



R

Robert J. Matter

Guest
CALLING FOR A CRITICAL CRITICAL MASS

Can't go to NYC for the convention? RIDE WITH THEM IN SOLIDARITY HERE!

At the end of this month, while thousands will be flooding the
locked-down streets of NYC in protest of the right-wing, dollar-centric
agenda of the Bushites and the Republican Party, the rest of the world
will still mount up to confront the devastation of car culture and oil
wars these plutocrats have been fueling. While it is important to bring
the message of peace, egalitarianism, and environmental accountability
(and healing) to the convention attendees in NY, it's important that the
same message rattle in all corners of this Earth-To-Be-Reclaimed.

As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold
to put it to an end and create a future of equity, community, and
well-being. Empower yourself. Gather in multitudes to give our statement
a truly global significance.

Most CRITICAL MASS rides happen the last Friday of the month, which is
tomorrow, August 27, 2004. See http://www.critical-mass.org for a ride
near you!

###
 
"Robert J. Matter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> CALLING FOR A CRITICAL CRITICAL MASS
>
> Can't go to NYC for the convention? RIDE WITH THEM IN SOLIDARITY HERE!
>
> At the end of this month, while thousands will be flooding the
> locked-down streets of NYC in protest of the right-wing, dollar-centric
> agenda of the Bushites and the Republican Party, the rest of the world
> will still mount up to confront the devastation of car culture and oil
> wars these plutocrats have been fueling. While it is important to bring
> the message of peace, egalitarianism, and environmental accountability
> (and healing) to the convention attendees in NY, it's important that the
> same message rattle in all corners of this Earth-To-Be-Reclaimed.
>
> As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
> trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold
> to put it to an end and create a future of equity, community, and
> well-being. Empower yourself. Gather in multitudes to give our statement
> a truly global significance.
>
> Most CRITICAL MASS rides happen the last Friday of the month, which is
> tomorrow, August 27, 2004. See http://www.critical-mass.org for a ride
> near you!
>
> ###


Another crazy come's forth, they must be breeding again. I think I'll
get my big Ford truck out and burn a tank of gas, then fill it up in the
heat of the day.
>
>
>
 
On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 21:31:22 +0000, Robert J. Matter wrote:

> As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
> trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold
> to put it to an end and create a future of equity, community, and
> well-being.


You know, sometimes riding a bike is just riding a bike.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass.
_`\(,_ | What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong
(_)/ (_) |
 
"di" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ZmtXc.29301$A91.9805@okepread02...
>
>snip<
> Another crazy come's forth, they must be breeding again. I think I'll
> get my big Ford truck out and burn a tank of gas, then fill it up in the
> heat of the day.
> snip<



yes. they must be...there are so many of them. so many...sigh. CIP see above
^
 
>"Robert J. Matter" [email protected]

wrote in part:

>As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
>trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold
>to put it to an end and create a future of equity, community, and
>well-being.


We all know that? Shame on me then. I've been riding for 30 years just because
I enjoy it so much. I never realized that my rides are supposed to make a
political statement but since you insist-

<clipping in> ---
Demanding that my property taxes be lowered out of the stratosphere.

<turn east from driveway> ---
Demanding that the schools that consume so much of my taxes start producing
graduates that can read and write.

<spinning up to cruising speed> --- Demanding the indictment of former Illinois
governor George Ryan (R) for selling his office.

<tucking in to pass the little old lady in the '63 Valiant> ---
Demanding an investigation into the incredibly successful campaign fundraising
efforts of current Illinois Governor R. Blagojevich (D).

On second thought, I'll just stick to riding because I like it.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
"Hunrobe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
snip> <tucking in to pass the little old lady in the '63 Valiant> --- snip
>>

> Regards,
> Bob Hunt
>

'63? cool. was it a wagon? 2 door post? signet? still /6? i definitely would
have waved to her!
-a
 
"Robert J. Matter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
> trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold


Bla, bla, bla.

People who start sentences with "As we all know" are pretty damned
presumptuous.

Riding a bike is a "symbolic protest", huh?

I hereby vow to ride my bike only after I've taken it someplace on the
rack of my SUV.

How's that, you God-damned field hippie?
 
"Zippy the Pinhead" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> How's that, you God-damned field hippie?


I do agree that RJM is an idiot, but what the heck is a "field hippie"?

Dave
 
"Robert J. Matter" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> CALLING FOR A CRITICAL CRITICAL MASS
>
> Can't go to NYC for the convention? RIDE WITH THEM IN SOLIDARITY HERE!
>
> At the end of this month, while thousands will be flooding the
> locked-down streets of NYC in protest of the right-wing, dollar-centric
> agenda of the Bushites and the Republican Party, the rest of the world
> will still mount up to confront the devastation of car culture and oil
> wars these plutocrats have been fueling.


WRONG! The rest of the world will be driving their cars.
Business as usual. Fill 'er up!


> While it is important to bring
> the message of peace, egalitarianism, and environmental accountability
> (and healing) to the convention attendees in NY, it's important that the
> same message rattle in all corners of this Earth-To-Be-Reclaimed.


The only healing will be some hippies head after it's hit with
a police baton.

>
> As we all know, riding bikes is a symbolic protest of the irresponsible
> trashing of our resources, and a celebration of the power we still hold
> to put it to an end and create a future of equity, community, and
> well-being. Empower yourself. Gather in multitudes to give our statement
> a truly global significance.


Nope. Riding my bike is simply basic transportation that makes ME feel
good. Leave it to some pablum puking, left wing nut job to try and rape
the true meaning of riding a bike.
 
"Zippy the Pinhead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> People who start sentences with "As we all know" are pretty damned
> presumptuous.


As we all know.
 
Sat, 28 Aug 2004 07:43:17 -0700, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

>5,000 participants, eh? (and 250+ arrests.)
>Pretty good turnout.


Last night's CM in Vancouver drew ~100 participants including three
tall bikes, a hand cranked bent trike, a trio of whacko long-boarders
and one veloraptor. There were no arrests. Tthe cops figured we could
handle our own corking.

The neatest rig was a recumbent unicycle. Its single 20" wheel is
driven and steered. It was built for attaching to a wheelchair to make
into a delta trike.
--
zk
 
On Sat, 28 Aug 2004, Zoot Katz <[email protected]> wrote:

>Last night's CM in Vancouver drew ~100 participants including three
>tall bikes, a hand cranked bent trike, a trio of whacko long-boarders
>and one veloraptor. There were no arrests. Tthe cops figured we could
>handle our own corking.


What I find interesting about the reports on NYC's CM is the cops were down
on the corking. In the past the cops in NYC, if they were present at all,
helped cork. I would think with 1500 bicyclists (a more plausible count for
a large NYC ride) stopping for all lights would end up with mayhem all over
the place.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.
 
Sat, 28 Aug 2004 23:14:45 -0400,
<[email protected]>,
Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote:

>What I find interesting about the reports on NYC's CM is the cops were down
>on the corking. In the past the cops in NYC, if they were present at all,
>helped cork. I would think with 1500 bicyclists (a more plausible count for
>a large NYC ride) stopping for all lights would end up with mayhem all over
>the place.


We've had police escorts and corking at three masses I've attended.
Once when the IOC was in town they were paranoid about us disrupting
those nazi ******* fukwads and thieves.

Two other rides (the largest) when we had close to 1000 bikes.

The VPD is pretty cool about CM since they're not sure there won't be
city councillors riding along. I think they're also smart enough to
recognise that we're not causing any untoward delays or making
trouble. Their intervention would undermine that. Vancouver's rides
endeavour to remain non-confrontational and generally hit the street
at about 18:30. Most of the rush is done by that time.
--
zk
 
>Don Wiss donwiss@no_spam.com

wrote:

>What I find interesting about the reports on NYC's CM is the cops were down
>on the corking. In the past the cops in NYC, if they were present at all,
>helped cork. I would think with 1500 bicyclists (a more plausible count for
>a large NYC ride) stopping for all lights would end up with mayhem all over
>the place.


Leaving aside the obvious distinction between blocking an intersection to
disrupt traffic and blocking an intersection to try to minimize disruption,
what's so "interesting" about it? According to the link provided in this thread
the protesters were told ahead of time that if they blocked intersections they
would be arrested. They did and then were. As for corking to facilitate traffic
versus blocking intersections to disrupt traffic, two things:
First, this was a political protest, right? So which of the above do you really
think was happening?
Second, the practice of corking seems to me anyway to be antithetical to the
proposition "We are traffic". *Parades* cork. Traffic doesn't.
Same rights = same rules.

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Hunrobe) writes in part:

*Parades* cork. Traffic doesn't.

Actually, many's the time I've seen car traffic cork here
during the evening rush hour. A line of slowed-up cars will
accumulate several blocks long. Drivers in the lineup will
roll into intersections to close the gap in front of them.
But the lineup ahead of them is stopped, they're in the
middle of the intersection, the traffic light turns red on
them, and any cross traffic can't go through. Except maybe
risk-taking cyclists who trust them to stay stopped, and
hope nothing's coming the other way, but they can't see around
that cube van or whatever to know for sure.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
Sat, 28 Aug 2004 22:43:31 -0700, <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:

>Actually, many's the time I've seen car traffic cork here
>during the evening rush hour. A line of slowed-up cars will
>accumulate several blocks long. Drivers in the lineup will
>roll into intersections to close the gap in front of them.
>But the lineup ahead of them is stopped, they're in the
>middle of the intersection, the traffic light turns red on
>them, and any cross traffic can't go through.


Some downtown streets were blocked with wake boarding festivities and
advertising venues. The traffic mayhem getting to the Art Gallery for
17:30 was intermittently grid locked, even with the police directing
traffic. I opted for lane splitting to get around stopped buses.

Anyway, in case I wasn't clear about the recumbent unicycle attached
to the wheelchair making a delta trike - I'm going to solicit some
pics as I didn't inspect the rig carefully and don't want to type a
bunch of inaccurate details.

It became a tandem trike with the "captain" doing all the pedalling.

If the "rear admiral" doesn't like his piloting she could leave him to
walk home since the unit can't be ridden as an actual unicycle.

The wheel chair remains fully functional once it's disconnected.

Looks like that makes for easier storage or transport than other
passenger carrying trikes.

It was a cool machine and I haven't found anything like it on the web.
--
zk
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Zoot Katz <[email protected]> writes:
> Sat, 28 Aug 2004 07:43:17 -0700, <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Tom Keats) wrote:
>
>>5,000 participants, eh? (and 250+ arrests.)
>>Pretty good turnout.

>
> Last night's CM in Vancouver drew ~100 participants including three
> tall bikes, a hand cranked bent trike, a trio of whacko long-boarders
> and one veloraptor. There were no arrests.


There was no WTO convention in town either.

I would have liked to check it out. As it was, I was trundling home
from my new manual labour construction dogsbody job, in work boots
with killer hot spots in the soles. It sometimes felt like abcessed
teeth in my feet, and I just wanted to get home, eat something, and
flop. The little hump up 37th from Marguerite to Granville should be
trivial, but for some reason it always kills me. More so this time.
But, hey -- screw the labour temp agency who originally set me up with
my new employer who likes my work. I'm enjoying picking up tar paper
cuttings and used re-bar and cut-off 2x4 ends, as opposed to explaining
how touse tcgetattr/tcsetattr to enter stuff without having to press
'Enter', vertical development, and making SleepyCat b-tree databases run
better, tighter, slimmer and faster than Oracle. Computer programming
as an art has choked on its own vomit, just like television and
Jimi Hendrix. But real work that fills a person's chest and broadens
their shoulders is still needed. I feel pretty good.

> The cops figured we could
> handle our own corking.


I figure If our CM rides really wanted to do some ****-disturbing,
they'd do it at commuter-outflow intersections like 12th & Kingsway,
or 1st & Rupert, or Granville & Broadway. But they don't. A lot of
people talk as if they did, though. Probably they're mostly commuters
who live in the 'burbs. But I know our CM rides are quite mild.
And they've mellowed over time. Maybe to the point of mummery.

> The neatest rig was a recumbent unicycle. Its single 20" wheel is
> driven and steered. It was built for attaching to a wheelchair to make
> into a delta trike.


That would be interesting to take onto rapid transit that has
restrictions or prohibitions about bicycles on-board.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
>[email protected] (Tom Keats)

wrote:

>Actually, many's the time I've seen car traffic cork here
>during the evening rush hour. A line of slowed-up cars will
>accumulate several blocks long. Drivers in the lineup will
>roll into intersections to close the gap in front of them.
>But the lineup ahead of them is stopped, they're in the
>middle of the intersection, the traffic light turns red on
>them, and any cross traffic can't go through. Except maybe
>risk-taking cyclists who trust them to stay stopped, and
>hope nothing's coming the other way, but they can't see around
>that cube van or whatever to know for sure.


What you describe isn't corking. It is called gridlock and it is caused by
selfish idiots disobeying a traffic law- it is unlawful to enter an
intersection even if the light facing you is green unless there is adequate
space for you to clear that intersection- because that law inconveniences them.

Hmmm, on second thought you are right. That *is* corking. <g>

Regards,
Bob Hunt
 
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Hunrobe) writes:

> What you describe isn't corking. It is called gridlock and it is caused by
> selfish idiots disobeying a traffic law- it is unlawful to enter an
> intersection even if the light facing you is green unless there is adequate
> space for you to clear that intersection- because that law inconveniences them.


Hey, I know that, and you know that. And we both know these
'selfish idiots' are, with their behaviour, undermining their
right to complain.

> Hmmm, on second thought you are right. That *is* corking. <g>


Of course it is. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the
smaller, lighter and more mobile pheasant. Heck, saskatoon
berry sauce is nice with goose, while raspberry sauce is
good with pheasant. Anyhow, two wrongs don't make a right.
But three or four lefts do.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca