MMA Meeting Talking Points – February 2011



Welcome, Pledge of Allegiance

Fallen Local Brothers/Riders: MOMENT OF SILENCE

• none from March

Membership Announcements and other Information

Donations to MMA of California are not deductible for Federal income tax purposes. However, due and fees may qualify as business expenses and may be deductible in limited circumstances subject to various restrictions imposed by the Internal Revenue Code.

Monthly MMA Membership, Announcements and Events

• June 8-10: Redwood Run, Riverview Ranch. Percy, CA: $120

o Security volunteers sought

o Still looking for vendors - Bobbie Smirl at 916-470-2938 Office or 916-912-0459 Cell or you can e-mail her at bjsmirl@ We accept credit cards.

• June 25-30: Fireworks

• July 1-4: Fireworks

• August 18: Protect Our Rights (POR) Rally

• September 15-16: End of Summer Campout

• October 28: Division 1 Poker Run

• November 24: Toy Run Pre-Party, Sacramento

• November 25: Annual Toy Run, Sacramento

• December 9: Swap Meet

MAY is National Motorcycle Awareness Month

MMA has a planned city to city excursion. There are going to ride to a couple of cities that are not friendly towards motorcycle riders, ending it at a party that night. So bring your audio and video recorders. This event is Saturday May 12th (7am in Old Sac) prior to us attending the Sacramento City Council meeting at the Sac new City Hall at 915 I Street at 6 PM on Tuesday May 15th.

NCOM Convention May 10-13, 2012 at the J W Marriot located at 10 S. West St., Indianapolis, Indiana

• Next COC Meeting: Saturday, May 12 - Vallejo, 6:30PM

Calls to Action - Last 30 days

• 4/31 - US Defenders and C.O.I.R. issued a CTA in support of AB1047 (No funding for Motorcycle Only Checkpoints)

• All MC's, independents and supporters are requested to document all motorcycle traffic stops, arrests, complaints and submit any criminal and civil case numbers to MCANSG or MMA of CA to help support active MC civil lawsuits involving law enforcement and upcoming legislative efforts

Guest Speakers

• ASK for Recommendations from members for upcoming meetings

National News

Legal versus Illegal Events

More evidence that government agencies monitor social networking websites. The California Department of Justice (DOJ) contacted a business that an ABATE of CA local was using as a poker run sign-in location warning the event host with regard to their advertised money payout for high and low hand and how the proceeds would benefit ABATE. ABATE, being a not-for-profit organization, the DOJ was concerned that a benefit was held and ABATE could be "cheated out of its' money". Promoters of a fundraisers must be registered and the "charity" beneficiary must be named. If events are NOT registered, ABATE would have no legal recourse to get the money - charities are supposed to receive 90% of the profits.

Poker Runs can be registered; however, only ONE registered Poker run per year could take place (for the whole State, not each chapter/local/division).

Poker runs for money and 50/50's are NOT LEGAL and SHOULD NOT BE on the flyers, nor conducted at a Not-For-Profit Organization event as it could have serious consequences. It could jeopardize the organization's 501 C status and the local/div/chapter could lose any monies the DOJ determines was collected - as well as any pending litigation.

Therefore, going forward Charity organization in California should not advertise Poker Run hands or 50/50, looking for monetary prizes.

NHTSA Funding for Motorcycle Checkpoints

The MRF recently sat down with the US Dept of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood discuss MOC funding and E-15 blended fuel.

• It was revealed that the only state to apply for the funds was Georgia. No other states expressed any interest in the federal program

• As of now, NHTSA does not have any plans for future funding of these checkpoints

• DOT currently has NO position on E-15

• LaHood is stepping down from the DOT Secretary role at the end of the year

South Dakota Rules that avoiding roadblocks is SUSPICIOUS

The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that avoiding a roadblock is, in effect, sufficient justification for police to pull over a driver, approving the most minor of "suspicious" circumstances to justify pulling over any motorist who does not want to be stopped and interrogated at a checkpoint.

The justices turned to the "totality of circumstances" doctrine to find a number of elements that are not in themselves criminal but lend enough to rationalize the officer's actions in the court's eyes, such as time of day and type of maneuvers used to avoid the roadblock.

MICHIGAN RIDERS WIN HELMET FREEDOM

Governor Rick Snyder signed the bill (SB 291) into law (Public Act #98) that repeals the 37-year old mandatory helmet law. The Michigan legislature overwhelmingly approved the measure with broad bipartisan support, and with Gov. Snyder’s signature on April 12th Michigan now joins 30 other states in amending their mandatory helmet law in favor of adult choice.  “The new law modernizes Michigan's outdated mandatory helmet law, which was a holdover from bygone days leaving Michigan in the minority as one of only 20 states left enforcing an empty federal mandate,”

The proposal to update Michigan’s mandatory helmet law was introduced in the Senate by Senator Phil Pavlov (R) St. Clair. "Every year, millions of dollars leave our state because of Michigan's outdated mandatory helmet law," Pavlov said. "This bipartisan plan will keep our dollars here, attract even more tourists to Michigan and help our state in these tough economic times."

 

Allowing motorcyclists to ride helmet-free could also generate more than $1 billion in direct and indirect revenue, according to a recent Michigan Consultants study.

 

The new law gives Michigan the strictest requirements for riding helmet-free of any state that has modified mandatory helmet laws for adult choice. To ride helmet-free in Michigan, motorcyclists must:

* Be at least 21 years old.

* Have at least two years of riding experience or undergo special safety training.

* Carry at least $20,000 in additional medical insurance.

NEW VIRGINIA LAW ALLOWS MOTORCYCLISTS TO RIDE SIDE-BY-SIDE

Motorcyclists are eager to legally cruise side-by-side now that Governor Bob McDonnell has signed legislation permitting them to ride two abreast in a single driving lane in Virginia.

 

House Bill 97, sponsored by Delegate Tony Wilt (R-Harrisonburg), passed overwhelmingly 87-10 in the House and 38-2 in the Senate, and will now allow two-wheeled motorcycles to drive alongside each other in one lane. State law currently prohibits motorcyclists from riding next to one another, and violators can be charged with reckless driving.

 

“The bill allows riders to use their own judgment in determining when it is appropriate to ride beside someone, but does not require them to do so,” said Del. Wilt. “One goal is to eliminate the harsh punishment placed on riders for doing something as innocent as pulling aside another rider while stopped or taking off together after being stopped.”

 

Virginia will become the 49th state to accommodate two-abreast riding when the new law takes effect July 1. Vermont remains the only state to prohibit the practice.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY ACT BECOMES LAW IN WISCONSIN

Governor Scott Walker signed AB55 into law, reports ABATE of Wisconsin, which not only clarifies penalties for right-of-way violations but also establishes motorcycle awareness training in Drivers-Ed courses.

 

AB55 provides a technical correction for 2006 Wisconsin Act 466, moving the penalty provisions from the courts to an administrative function of the DMV. All right-of-way violators that cause serious injury or death on Wisconsin's roadways will be subject to up to a one thousand dollar fine and up to a nine month license suspension and must complete a DOT approved right-of-way awareness class before being reinstated. Also, AB55 adds a mandatory minimum of thirty minutes of motorcycle awareness training in all drivers' education classrooms throughout the state.

 

DATA SHOWS HIGHEST RISK FOR NEW MOTORCYCLISTS

Safety studies show the most dangerous time for motorcyclists is their first year riding, peaking in the first month. For motorcycle riders, their first 30 days are about four times more risky than their entire second year.  A study by the Highway Loss Data Institute shows 22% of nearly 57,000 collision claims from 2003 to 2007 occurred within 30 days of a new policy taking effect.  The claim rate then dropped by one-third in the second month and by almost two-thirds after six months.

Cops Would Be Liable For Arresting Citizens for Video Taping Them Under New Bill

The Connecticut state senate approved a bill Thursday that would allow citizens to sue police officers who arrest them for recording in public, apparently the first of its kind in the nation.

As it is now, cops act with reckless immunity knowing the worst that can happen is their municipalties (read: taxpayers) would be responsible for shelling out lawsuits.

Senate Bill 245, which was introduced by Democratic Senator Eric Coleman and approved by a co-partisan margin of 42-11, must now go before the House.

The bill, which would go into effect on October 1, 2012 , states the following:

This bill makes peace officers potentially liable for damages for interfering with a person taking a photograph, digital still, or video image of either the officer or a colleague performing his or her job duties. Under the bill, officers cannot be found liable if they reasonably believed that the interference was necessary to (1) lawfully enforce a criminal law or municipal ordinance; (2) protect public safety; (3) preserve the integrity of a crime scene or criminal investigation; (4) safeguard the privacy of a crime victim or other person; or (5) enforce Judicial Branch rules and policies that limit taking photographs, videotaping, or otherwise recording images in branch facilities. Officers found liable of this offense are entitled, under existing law, to indemnification (repayment) from their state or municipal employer if they were acting within their scope of authority and the conduct was not willful, wanton, or reckless.

ANY STATE: If any LEO tell you that the failure to turn off your camera (or recording device) will result in a felony arrest, they are in the wrong! This is the type of action that will make the officer & or their department liable for a civil rights claim under 42 USC 1983.

California Legislation

2012 Agenda

Lane Sharing Bill

In January, there was talk in the Capitol about possible legislation around lane sharing. MMA and ABATE have been keeping a close watch on this. As of 5/1, no lane sharing specific bill was introduced; HOWEVER, bills still have ways of getting introduced. Other bills known as Gut and or Amend and or Spot bills have been used in the past to slip things through. It is still rumored that lane sharing may still be introduced before policy committees in May.

• AB 1047 - Motorcycle Only Checkpoints : Passed in the Assembly and is now referred to the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. The bill may be heard in committee this month (April). Picked up a co-author - Assemblyman Solario. New Hampshire, South Carolina and Virginia have already passed state laws against NHTSA funding and all these efforts should help the MRF pass their congressional efforts banning NHTSA funding in any state.

o Scheduled for May 8th in Senate

• AB 1890 - Toll transponders for motorcycles.

Some toll authorities are requiring motorcycle riders to have their transponders out and visible creating a safety issue. This bill will allow riders to just have them on bikers, displayed or not.

Some of the display options...

• Rider's pocket

• Inside a cycle net that drapes over the gas tank

• Mount on license plate devices provide by the toll operator

o Scheduled for May 8th in Assembly

• AB1535 - Highway signs for Motorcycle OK in HOV lanes. Was put on suspense file. Support letters needed and contacting Assemblywoman Halderman asking her to make this bill her highest priority in suspense file.

• AB2128 - Extending longer yellow warning times at intersections that use red light cameras.

California Assembly Committee Votes for Longer Yellow Times

Legislative committee in California passes bill increasing yellow time by one second at red light camera intersections.

The California Assembly's Transportation Committee yesterday voted unanimously to lengthen yellow warning times at intersections that use red light cameras. The same legislation also reduces the cost of a rolling-right turn automated fine from $500 to $250.

The bill addresses yellow timing in two ways. It corrects the negative impact of a recently adopted law that authorized cities to round down speed limits, and, in effect, shorten yellow times by 0.4 seconds at certain intersections -- both with and without cameras. Minimum yellow times in California are determined by posted speed limits, so a lower limit allows cities to shorten the amount of warning time provided to motorists. Cook's bill requires any city that takes advantage of the rounded-down limit to use the rounded-up speed for the purposes of selecting a yellow time. Cook's bill also follows the lead of Ohio and Georgia by mandating longer yellows at all photo enforced intersections.

"At an intersection at which there is an automated enforcement system in operation, the minimum yellow light change interval shall be established at one second beyond the yellow light change intervals as designated pursuant to the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), or its successor," AB 2128 states.

Tickets would not be valid unless the yellow time was set in accordance with the law. The Texas Transportation Institute concluded in 2004 that adding an additional second to the ITE minimum yellow yielded 53 percent reduction in violations (view report). This is so because the vast majority of violations happen within the first 0.25 seconds after the light changes.

• To be heard in Assembly Appropriations 5/2

SB 1506 - Reducing Penalties for Drug Possession for Personal Use

With an eye towards ending punitive drug policies that have made the United States the world’s largest incarcerator and cost taxpayers billions of dollars a year, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) in February introduced legislation to reduce the penalty for Californians who possess small amounts of drugs for their own personal use. The bill, SB 1506, co-sponsored by the ACLU of California, Drug Policy Alliance, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the California NAACP, changes the penalty for the simple possession of drugs under state law from a felony, which is punishable by up to three years behind bars, to a misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to one year behind bars.

• In Senate Public Safety for third reading

2013-2014 Agenda

BRO: Anti-Motorcycle Profiling Bill Coming Soon!

Senator Huff’s office and into legislation. Senator Huffs District is the twenty ninth Senate District = Orange Co. and San Bernardino.

Biker Rights Organization has drafted writing for a bill to introduce to our legislation to adopt a written policy to condemn and prevent motorcyclist profiling. It will require law enforcement to review and audit their existing procedures, practices and training. This bill will address the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to condemn profiling of people who ride motorcycles as unjust discrimination and unfair treatment under the law and add this as a statement in their training programs.

This Bill will also require police to work with motorcycle clubs in their communities to address the profiling issue

 

This bill will stop bikers from being singled out for police stops without a legitimate reason.

American Bikers are law abiding citizen in his or her community as soon as they put on their riding gear; they are instantly profiled as a lawbreaker. Especially if they have a club patch on their vest or any type of riding paraphernalia. It does not matter if you are a member of the Harley Owners Group, a member of a  Christian Motorcycle Club or a sport bike club or if  you wear a patch from one of our Iconic historical motorcycle clubs born out of the 40’s and 50’s ; you are instantly profiled as a lawbreaker. Profiled and stopped by police to be questioned and searched for no legal reason other than you fit a miss-conceived image, a myth from the 50’s that if you ride a motorcycle you are outside of society.   

 

1. Local law enforcement, California Highway Patrol and all other law enforcement agencies that operate in California shall:

A. Adopt a written policy designed to condemn and prevent motorcycle profiling;

B. Review and audit their existing procedures, practices and training to ensure that they do not enable or foster the practice of motorcycle profiling.

C. Institute training to address the issues related to motorcycle profiling. Officers should be trained in how to better interact with persons they stop so that legitimate police actions are not misperceived as motorcycle profiling.

D. Work with motorcycle groups as in their communities to appropriately address the issue of motorcycle profiling.

E. Our Sheriffs, CHP Commisioner and Police Chiefs shall coordinate with the criminal justice training commission ( California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training) to ensure that issues related to motorcycle profiling are addressed in basic law enforcement training and offered in regional training for in-service law enforcement officers at all levels.

Election Year Information

The deadline for final filling of candidates for the June Primary election was March 15. There are 80 Assembly Districts, 20 State Senate Districts and 53 Congressional Districts. ABATE of CA as well as Repeal Machine are assessing the candidates based on their view of biker rights. ABATE will then create and circulate a voter guide with recommendations on motorcyclist friendly candidates and Repeal Machine will list their candidates on their website.

2012 California Districts

Frisco County

• Assembly - District 19 (West Frisco)

• Assembly - District 17 (East Frisco)

• Senate - District 11 (includes Daly City)

• Congressional District 12

San Mateo County

• Assembly - District 22

• Senate - District 13 (SSF to Sunnyvale)

• Congressional District 14 (South West SF, Daly City down to Menlo Park and HMB)

Alameda County

• Assembly - District 18 (Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro)

• Assembly - District 20 (Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City)

• Assembly - District 25 (Newark, Fremont)

• Senate - District 9 (Rodeo, Richmond, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro)

• Senate - District 10 (Castro Valley, Hayward, Newark, Fremont, Santa Clara)

• Congressional District 13 (Albany, Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, San Leandro)

• Congressional District 15 (Castro Valley, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Union City)

• Congressional District 17 (Fremont, Newark, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino)

Active Judicial Cases in California - Criminal and Civil

California

Police Harassment and Rights Violations

• Monterey Bay COC - Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force

• Henchmen MC San Jose Chapter - San Jose Police Department

• Mayhem MC - Santa Cruz County

Discuss active member and or club traffic stop cases and civil lawsuit cases - Get case numbers for all

Government & Law Enforcement Tools, Misconduct and Abuse

The TSA's mission creep is making the US a police state

Ever since 2010, when the Transportation Security Administration started requiring that travelers in American airports submit to sexually intrusive gropings based on the apparent anti-terrorism principle that "If we can't feel your nipples, they must be a bomb", the agency's craven apologists have shouted down all constitutional or human rights objections with the mantra "If you don't like it, don't fly!"

But now TSA is invading travel by other means, too. No surprise, really: as soon as she established groping in airports, Napolitano expressed her desire to expand TSA jurisdiction over all forms of mass transit. In the past year, TSA's snakelike VIPR (Visual Intermodal Prevention and Response) teams have been slithering into more and more bus and train stations – and even running checkpoints on highways – never in response to actual threats, but apparently more in an attempt to live up to the inspirational motto displayed at the TSA's air marshal training center since the agency's inception: "Dominate. Intimidate. Control."

Examples: Bus stations in Houston, TX, All Federal Highways in TN

Airports, bus terminals, train stations, highways – what's left? If you don't like it, walk. And remember to be respectfully submissive to any TSA agents or police you encounter in your travels, especially now that the US supreme court has ruled mass strip-searches are acceptable for anyone arrested for even the most minor offence in America. If you're rude to any TSA agent or cops, you risk being arrested on some vague catch-all charge like "disorderly conduct". Even if the charges are later dropped, you'll still undergo the ritual humiliation of having to strip, squat, spread 'em and show your various orifices to be empty.

Mandatory ‘Big Brother’ Black Boxes In All New Cars From 2015

A bill already passed by the Senate and set to be rubber stamped by the House would make it mandatory for all new cars in the United States to be fitted with black box data recorders from 2015 onwards.

Section 31406 of Senate Bill 1813 (known as MAP-21), calls for “Mandatory Event Data Recorders” to be installed in all new automobiles and legislates for civil penalties to be imposed against individuals for failing to do so.

“Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall revise part 563 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to require, beginning with model year 2015, that new passenger motor vehicles sold in the United States be equipped with an event data recorder that meets the requirements under that part,” states the bill.

Although the text of legislation states that such data would remain the property of the owner of the vehicle, the government would have the power to access it in a number of circumstances, including by court order, if the owner consents to make it available, and pursuant to an investigation or inspection conducted by the Secretary of Transportation.

Given the innumerable examples of both government and industry illegally using supposedly privacy-protected information to spy on individuals, this represents the slippery slope to total Big Brother surveillance of every American’s transport habits and location data.

The legislation, which has been given the Orwellian title ‘Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act’, sailed through the Senate after being heavily promoted by Democrats Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer and is also expected to pass the Republican-controlled House.

Given the fact that the same bill also includes a controversial provision that would empower the IRS to revoke passports of citizens merely accused of owing over $50,000 in back taxes, stripping them of their mobility rights, could the mandatory black boxes or a similar technology be used for the same purpose?

 Biometric face-recognition and transdermol sensor technology that prevents an inebriated person from driving a car by disabling the automobile has already been developed, in addition to systems that refuse to allow the vehicle to start if the driver is deemed to be overtired.

The ultimate Big Brother scenario would be a system whereby every driver had to get de facto permission from the state to drive each time they get behind the wheel, once it had been determined from an iris scan that they were good citizens who have paid all their taxes and not misbehaved.

The push to pressure car manufacturers to install black box tracking devices in all new cars has been ongoing for over a decade. In 2006, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration encouraged but did not require automobile manufacturers to install the systems.

However, in February last year NHTSA administrator David Strickland said the government was considering making the technology mandatory in the wake of recalls of millions of Toyota vehicles.

CISPA: A Bigger, Badder SOPA

April 26, 2012 - The House of Representatives changed, then passed, the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, better known as CISPA.

CISPA’s designed to let private business share information about cybersecurity threats with one another and with the U.S. federal government.

If, for example, Microsoft’s cybersecurity team detects a threat that might also have an impact on Facebook, Microsoft’s team could give Facebook’s people a call without worrying about legal barriers to that kind of communication. Microsoft could also give that heads-up to the federal government, and vice-versa.

Why’s CISPA controversial?

Privacy and civil liberties groups argue that CISPA would allow businesses such as Facebook to give the federal government (and the intelligence community) users’ private communications and other sensitive personal data.

The two parts of CISPA these groups consider most offensive are a national security clause and a liability clause. The first, they say, would allow CISPA to be used in any case where national security is deemed at risk — a potentially broad category. The second would protect any business that shares cybersecurity information from lawsuits — including suits from users who think their private information may have been shared without justification.

CISPA’s headed to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where one of two things can happen: The Senate can vote CISPA up or down as it was passed in the House, or they can amend it further.

Privacy groups, such as the Center for Democracy and Technology, are betting the bill can be salvaged in the Senate’s amendment process. If that happens, the House and Senate would have to pass a bill that reconciles the differences between their two concepts. Should reconciliation prove successful, the bill would be sent to the White House for President Obama’s signature — when it would become law.

The debate around the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, was about the balance between protecting intellectual property and preserving free speech, but CISPA is about having cybersecurity while preserving Internet users’ privacy.

Opposition to CISPA has yet to build to SOPA levels, but it’s starting to rise, especially on sites such as Reddit where the anti-SOPA community first came together. Threads advocating another SOPA-style blackout have more than one thousand comments. One anti-CISPA petition already has nearly 800,000 signatures.

Traffic, Safety & Standards

Other/Misc Topics/News

Man Flips Cop Off, Wins $50,000

David Hackbart flipped a cop off and ended up cited for, you guessed it, disorderly conduct.

He didn’t even get arrested and the charge was eventually dropped. But that didn’t stop him from filing a lawsuit against the City of Pittsburgh for violating his First Amendment rights.

The Pittsburgh City Council did not want to take it to trial and agreed this week to dish out a $50,000 settlement.

So anybody who tells you that it is illegal to flip off a cop, I know somebody who will be willing to bet $50,000 that it isn’t.

Presentations / Special Topic / Exercise

Open Discussion and fact gathering – Local Issues (Get forms filled out right there)

o Police Harassment / Profiling

o Discrimination at local business establishments

o Traffic Lights

o Road Conditions

Events

Raffle, 50/50

Close

o Next Month’s Agenda

• Discuss BRO's motorcycle profiling bill

• Discuss topics for the NCOM National Convension

• Discuss any activities related to Motorcycle Awareness Month

o Watch Out for Cops riding out!

Appendix - Details & Info not covered in Meeting

Where to buy American Gas

Gas rationing in the 70's worked even though we grumbled about it.

It might even have been good for us!

Are you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American products? In

addition, they are gouging us on oil prices.

Shouldn't we return the favor?

Can't we take control of our own destiny and let these giant oil importers

know who REALLY generates their profits, their livings?

How about leaving American Dollars in America and reduce the import/export

deficit?

An appealing remedy might be to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up

your car you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia.

Just purchase gas from companies that don't import their oil from the

Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill up my

tank, I'm sending my money to people who I get the impression want me, my

family and my friends dead. The following gas companies import Middle

Eastern oil:

Shell..................................... 205,742,000 barrels

Chevron/Texaco................... 144,332,000 barrels

Exxon/Mobil...................... 130,082,000 barrels

Marathon/Speedway............ 117,740,000 barrels

Amoco................................. 62,231,000 barrels

And CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela whose Dictator Hugo Chavez hates

America and openly avows our economic destruction! (We pay Chavez's regime

nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues!)

The U.S. Currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per day from

OPEC. If you do the math at $100 per barrel, that's over $550 million PER

DAY($200 BILLION per year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are

our confirmed enemies!!!!! It won't stop here - oil prices could go to

$200 a barrel or higher if we keep buying their product.

Here are some large companies that do NOT import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco..........................0 barrels

Conoco........................ 0 barrels

Sinclair.........................0 barrels

BP/Phillips...................0 barrels

Hess..............................0 barrels

ARC0...........................0 barrels

Maverick......................0 barrels

Flying J.......................0 barrels

Valero..........................0 barrels

Murphy Oil USA *......0 barrels

*Sold at Wal-Mart, gas is from South Arkansas and fully USA owned and

produced.

*Not only that but they give scholarships to all children in their town who

finish high school and are legal US citizens.

All of this information is available from the U.S. Department of Energy

and each company is required to state where they get their oil and how much

they are importing.

But to have a real impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas

buyers. With the help of the Internet, it's really simple to do.

Now, don't wimp out at this point.... Keep reading and I'll explain how

simple it is to reach millions of people!!

I'm sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to

at only ten more (30 x 10 = 300)... And those 300 send it to at least ten

more (300 x 10 = 3,000).... And so on, by the time the message reaches the

sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION

consumers!!!!!!!

If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each,

then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level

further, you guessed it...THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE-the entire

population of the United States of America !!!!

Again, all you have to do is forward this message to 10 people. How long

would that really take you? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten

more people, within one day all 300 MILLION people could theoretically be

contacted during the next eight days.

Speeding Ticket? Fight Like A Lawyer!

Sometimes you need to challenge a speeding ticket, particularly if it could drive up your insurance rates. Instead of hiring an attorney, try these lawyer-recommended tactics.

You just got hit with a speeding ticket. Now what?

For first-timers, the response could be simple: Pay the fine or take the opportunity many states offer to erase the offense from your record. Odds are, you won't suffer higher car insurance rates.

But with two or more moving violations, you'll find that an additional ticket may endanger your finances. Beyond possible license suspension or revocation, you could be staring at escalating fines and premium hikes in the hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars. An analysis of 32,000 car insurance quotes found that drivers with two violations were offered rates 34% higher than drivers with no violations.

You may want to fight the ticket. A lawyer could cost from $75 to $500, depending on where you live. Or you could go to court on your own. Lawyers specializing in traffic violations offer the following five strategies, which could help:

1. Delay the hearing date if possible

The more time passes, the better the chances the officer who pulled you over may not show, causing the infraction to be dismissed. He or she could be sent to another division. Or the officer could find another job, move to a different city or get sick and be unable to appear.

Over time, the circumstances that caused you to be ticketed may become hazier. Any equivocation on the facts could convince a judge to throw out the ticket. It happens more often than you might think, says Brian S. Laviage, a Houston attorney.

"A very good client of mine got caught going 120 mph (in a 65 mph zone) on the Sam Houston Parkway from a Texas state trooper," Laviage recalls. The man was able to delay his hearing for almost two years due to business obligations.

"When he finally ended up in court, he found that the trooper had been transferred to the Dallas/Fort Worth area," Laviage says. "His case was dismissed."

And here's another tip, courtesy of Mark D. Hauser, a Philadelphia lawyer who often handles speeding cases: If you can, schedule the hearing for summer.

"An officer isn't as likely to appear during his vacation," says Hauser. "There are usually more no-shows during the summer."

2. Remember every detail you can

Information -- specific information -- means everything in court. The more details you can present before a judge that contradict the traffic officer, the greater the likelihood the charge will be thrown out and you'll be able to maintain your affordable car insurance.

Start thinking the moment you see those red lights in the rearview mirror. What are the weather conditions? How heavy is the traffic? What did you ask the officer about the violation, and what did he or she tell you?

Lawyers recommend taking notes right after you get a ticket, right by the side of the road.

"Ask the officer if he remembers what you were wearing, or did you have any passengers, or what was the weather like," advises Laviage. "If he is unable to answer, this takes a major blow at his credibility in the mind" of the judge.

Study the ticket for comments the officer may have written. Then question him or her about them. Again, a judge may be responsive if facts can't be recalled.

3. Use the discovery channel

File a discovery motion with the court clerk to get the officer's notes about your ticket. Officers are encouraged (and required, in some jurisdictions) to list details about why you were stopped. Your defense could be strengthened if the officer's notes are skimpy.

"Your job is to create doubt about whether you committed the violation, and the more often an officer has to say 'I don't remember,' the better," stresses the website FindLaw.

The notes will also provide a peek into what the officer may say in court, allowing you to prepare a defense against it.

Legal experts say you shouldn't be intimidated by the discovery request. It's a common tool allowing court participants to share information. The court clerk should walk you through the process.

4. Go for the gun

If a radar gun or other speed-tracking device was used by the officer, there's more information you may want to gather during discovery.

Laviage says you could ask for all literature provided by the manufacturer on proper use and maintenance of the radar gun or other device. Is there evidence that the equipment has been properly maintained? Ask for maintenance records from the past six months.

You may not get all the information, but what you do get could help your questioning. For example, is the officer's training recent? Does it actively reflect the radar gun maker's requirements?

Could the police be using an older model, one that may not be as accurate? Now you've got a place to start your research. Boring, you say? Not nearly as much of a downer as losing your car insurance discounts.

5. Use a great excuse

Attorneys point out that judges can be sympathetic to a driver who hit the accelerator for safety or because of an emergency. Were you on the way to the hospital? Did you need to get home quickly because of a legitimate crisis?

Or were you speeding to avoid an accident? Hauser offers this scenario: "Because there is a car just to your right, you briefly sped up to avoid being rear-ended by a super-aggressive big rig that is tailgating you," he says. "Once in the clear, you moved to the right and resumed a legal speed."

Tell the truth, of course, and it helps if there is corroborating evidence, such as a passenger or your newborn's birth certificate.

Department of Homeland Security buying up enough ammo to wage sever-year war against the American People

OFF THE WIRE

by Mike Adams

The Health Ranger

Editor of

As we recently reported, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an agency that says its main purpose now is to thwart "homegrown terrorism," has awarded a contract to ammunition manufacturer ATK for acquiring 450 million rounds of .40 caliber hollow point ammo. You can view the announcement of the ammunition purchase at this press release:

Our initial coverage of the story is at:



Many NaturalNews readers may not know this, but "hollow point" ammunition is never purchased for practice or training. This ammunition is purchased for the sole purpose of being used in active fighting. At the same time, it is a violation of the Geneva Convention to use hollow point ammunition on the battle field.

This is crucial to understand. It means the occupying federal government is acquiring this ammunition to be used against the American people. Furthermore, DHS does not fight wars overseas. It is a domestic agency with domestic responsibilities. Its purchase of .40 ammunition is a clear and obvious indication that DHS plans to wage war on the American people.

How big of a war? Here's where this investigation gets really interesting.

A seven-year war with America

How much ammunition is 450 million rounds, exactly? To answer that question, I searched the internet for testimony from U.S. military brass who might give us a glimpse into the number of rounds fired in an active war.

This information was remarkably difficult to find, but I eventually located testimony by Maj. Gen. Buford C. Blount III, given in 2004 before the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. You can read this testimony yourself at this government website:



This testimony reveals that:

• In active battle operations in Iraq, ammunition is expended at the rate of 5.5 million rounds per month.

That's 66 million rounds in a year. The General's testimony states that the "past year" in Iraq "resulted in the expenditure of 72 million rounds," which isn't too far off from 66 million. I'll use 70 million as a rough figure for annual ammo usage in an active war zone.

This is 70 million rounds of all types, including rifle rounds such as 5.56, .308, .50, etc. Pistol rounds most likely include 9mm (the common NATO round) and .45. There isn't much .40 pistol ammo used by soldiers serving overseas, by the way. That round is only popular in the United States. For example, several cops I know prefer to carry the .40 instead of a 9mm. They feel it "stops bad guys" more quickly, meaning it causes more skeletal and tissue damage upon impact.

7+ years of war with the American people?

So if an active shooting WAR between two nations uses roughly 70 million rounds of ammunition a year, if you look at the DHS acquisition of 450 million rounds of .40 ammo, you quickly come to realize this is enough for 6.4 years of active war with the American people. But wait! There's more...

An active war uses a variety of rounds, not just one type. As war is usually fought with rifles, not pistols, rifle rounds (like 5.56) are actually expended at a much higher rate than pistol rounds (.40), meaning that these 450 million rounds of pistol ammo are more than sufficient to provide the pistol ammo needed for a ten-year war against the American people when combined with a supply of rifle rounds, too. Because, you see, there are other contracts out there where the government is purchasing large quantities of rifle ammo such as 5.56, 7.62 and .308. In all, the non-military branches of the federal occupying government are acquiring enough ammo to wage what can only be called a long-term domestic war.

(I use the term "occupying" because our current federal government has been infiltrated and overrun by Goldman Sachs operatives, non-U.S. citizens with falsified citizenship documents, and agents who openly serve foreign interests such as the United Nations.)

Remember, again, that this is all ammo to be used domestically, against the American people. None of this ammo goes into the hands of the military fighting wars overseas.

Arming TSA agents... W.T.F...............

I have no doubt that the ultimate plan here is to arm TSA agents and unleash them across the USA as a new storm trooper force to put in place total tyranny across the country. The military will be kept out of it precisely because most soldiers would refuse to participate in tyranny, as they actually have morals and ethics.

TSA agents, on the other hand, are child porn distributors, pimps, drug runners, child molesters, thieves, felons and perverts. They are the security force that has no moral bounds -- they will do ANYTHING to another person as long as they get a paycheck. These are the pot-bellied government thugs who will happily torture, rape and murder innocent Americans if they are ordered to do so. They are the "Brownshirts" of Amerika. They are the most pathetic human beings working in government today, and in their hearts and minds they are demonic criminals just waiting to be given yet more power so they can sexually molest little children, supermodels and elderly grandmothers.

The next logical step in the downward spiral of oppression is to arm these agents and use them to slap down total police state tyranny across America. At the first opportunity -- probably after a government-staged false flag attack involving a dirty bomb or a bioweapons release -- these TSA goons will be set up on every major road and highway, using their new bulletproof roadway checkpoints and their .40 caliber hollow point ammo to put America into a complete Martial Law clamp down where everybody is considered a possible terrorist, and secret arrests (torture, interrogations, beatings, etc.) are commonplace.

What happens from there is anyone's guess, but I can't help but think such a plan might be deliberately designed to start a shooting war with the American people, because at that point armed TSA agents can be unleashed to just kill and rape anyone they want under the banner of "protecting the homeland." (Hence the name "Homeland Security" which is, of course, intentionally borrowed straight out of Nazi Germany and its term "Heimatland.")

The ten steps to establishing a dictatorship.

Remember, Naomi Wolf talks about all this in her documentary The End of America, where she outlines the 10 steps through which all nations establish a dictatorship.

Those steps are:

1. Create an internal/external threat that terrorizes the populace. This has already been accomplished with Oklahoma City (false flag) and 9/11 (another false flag). Get the film "A Noble Lie" from to learn the truth about Oklahoma City.

2. Create secret prisons, with torture. Obama did this nicely with the NDAA (as well as keeping GITMO open even after promising he would close it).

3. Create a paramilitary force. This is the TSA.

4. Single out ordinary citizens as 'troublesome persons.' This has been accomplished by Janet Napolitano's "if you see something, say something" propaganda campaign.

5. Establish surveillance of citizens' groups and ordinary citizens deemed 'troublesome.' This is already well under way through surveillance of emails, phone calls, vehicle movements and more.

6. Detain and release citizens without formally charging them with any crime. This has been "legalized" under Obama's NDAA. ()

7. Target key individuals who are well known, popular figures. This has already begun and will likely accelerate. Who do you think killed Andrew Breitbart? Congressman Bono?

8. Restrict the press. Already done. The U.S. government, in fact, essentially runs the mainstream media today. White House announcements are simply printed as "fact" with zero journalism and zero fact checking taking place.

9. Redefine dissent as treason. This is already happening with figures like Ted Nugent who was recently "visited" by the Secret Service after his anti-Obama rant. All throughout government speeches today, the criminals at the very top proclaim that anyone who questions government is "anti-American" and might be involved in domestic terrorism. The FBI even warns that people who "stockpile food" might be terrorists! (Even though the government itself stockpiles massive quantities of food, guns, ammunition, communications gear, medical supplies and more...)

10. Subvert the rule of law. Already done. Law has been complete abandoned by the ATF, DEA, FDA, USDA and every other federal agency you can think of. The Attorney General Eric Holder actively plots ways to destroy the Bill of Rights, and the government stages false flag terror attacks to undermine constitutional protections.

See this important speech from Wolf at:



What does it all mean?

In all, this massive purchasing and stockpiling of ammunition by DHS can only be a red alert warning that Janet Napolitano is planning on waging a massive shooting war with the American people. Why else would DHS purchase to much ammo?

As someone who consistently urges a de-escalation of violence, this concerns me greatly. It almost appears as if the government is getting an itchy trigger finger and can't wait to start firing away at crowds of innocent American protesters, like the corrupt government in "Running Man."

That's the obvious target here: Protesters. Because once the financial debt system implodes, protests will be unleashed nationwide whether we like it or not. As Gerald Celente says, "When people lose everything, and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it!"

DHS almost certainly sees this coming. So they are getting locked and cocked for the coming mass slaughter of anyone who tries to exercise their First Amendment right to engage in public protest. After all, we already saw widespread police brutality against the Occupy Wall Street protesters. In many cities, the police are highly militarized and completely out of control. Add 450 million rounds of hollow point ammo to the equation via DHS, and you have nothing less than a recipe for massive bloodshed across America.

I can only hope and pray that those who believe in liberty, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rule of law in a free republic may yet achieve the restoration of liberty in this nation before it devolved into regrettable bloodshed at the hands of the government... a government which is increasingly trying to actually pick a fight with the people. It is the government, of course, that actually sets up and stages all the false flag terror attacks. The FBI has been caught red-handed doing so, as has been widely reported even in the mainstream media! Read this story to learn more:





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