Illegal Immigrants or not? USAT election questions?

Well I had earlier posted some stuff about the illegal alien question in Ransom Canyon, with the Canadian Geese not going back North and having their babies here. The demonstrations and honking seemed to subside over the past few months so it seems they will be speaking English, will attend the local schools, gain a social security number, pay their fair share of taxes and be real citizens of our city and state. Now the new problem in the canyons, we have Native American armadillo's and raccoons making big waves in our neighborhoods. The armadillos are eating up our yards in quest of eating those delicious things called "grub" worms, and the raccoons are coming on our porch and in our garage to eat our energy bars(these are delivered each year for our triathlons and are stored in the garage) and even come on to our upper deck and stand at the glass door peaking in agravating Buffman & Squeaky. Of course what can we say or do, they were here first and have all the proper credentials and we actually imposed on them. So, do we insist that they be moved to reservations some where far off into the waste lands of the US and allow them to start up new gambling casinos, or what. This would be kind of a novel idea since there are no casinos in the State of Texas, that I know of, owned by the Native Americans. While this is directly opposite from the rest of the USA. My goal then will be to organize this group into some form or fashion, figure out how they can get millions of dollars in grant money(you don't have to pay this back)and start up the Ransom Canyon Royale Casino! It will be good for the local economy and keep these creatures off of the streets and out of the yards. In addition we will creat a new national association called The Organization of Armadillos-Raccoons of America, acronym TOOARA, pronouced and chanted "Too A Rah", "Too A Rah" in the rythum of the latest Kinky Friedman campaign slogan!!! (we will deal with the foxes, skunks, snakes, rabbits, in other ways) Sounds like a good idea to me, but I must ponder it before taking any drastic actions.

The USAT elections are now entering the fourth week(why is the president of the USA can be elected in a few days and the USAT elections take 60 days?)and the interest is very high. I get at least 2 calls or e-mails a day asking how it is going and questions about the proposal listed on the ballots, etc. This is very encouraging that our voters are that interested to ask questions. I also encourage everyone to consult the web site of USA Triathlon(USATriathlon.org) and get the full poop on the proposals, etc. They explain it very well with pros and cons. After reading this you will have no problems making a decision. I commend USAT for this information in helping the voters to decide how to vote on these issues.

Since I just received a call to conduct a Legal Mediation in Lubbock I must put on my legal mediation face and rush into town. Will have some more stuff on my candidate for Governor, Kinky Friedman, some time today.

greer

Standing in Line, Love Kinky, Some interesting quotes,

Of all the things in the world that I am forced to do, the one I like the least is standing in line. As the population grows the more the lines, the more the lines the more I lose my patience. The funny thing is after you stand in line for so long waiting for whatever "service" you are waiting for, the person on the other side of the counter says, "thank you for your patience." Well I got news for them, I am not patient and the only reason I appear that way is that I need their "service" and I don't have a choice, so I have that appearance. Recently I had the "opportunity" to stand in two lines of "service" and here are some of my observations. The first line was in the main post office in the downtown area of Lubbock, not the one I usually go to but the one that seemed the most conveniant for the "service" I needed. As I went in I noticed a long line and I started to make an about face and go somewhere else; however, my patience got the best of me. So, I got in line and then decided to do a little survey of the line while I waited. What I found out of the 20 people standing in this line there were 18 Latin Americans, 1 African American, and 1 Caucacian or White American(that of course is me and I am not sure if this is a term or not or where I actually fit in the scheme of things, but I do know White American is not a term that can be used, even though that is what I am). In addition I found that there were 6 service booths available for the postal service customers but only two people were manning them, both of these employees were Latin American. Then in a few minutes another postal employee came to the rescue and he was White American(this is my blog site and I will use the term I want)coming off of break. I know he was coming off of break because he still had part of a bean burrito hanging off of his lip. Then one of the Latin American employees took their break and was replaced by an African American. So, after 28 minutes I was able to send my package and leave the building. My conclusion is that the population of Lubbock is very diverse and the postal employees take long breaks, but being the patient one I got my "desired services" and got on my way.

The second line I stood in this same week was at the Municipal Court, the place where you go to pay your traffic violations. The good news about this place is that you never have to go there unless you get a traffic violation, which I did for speeding(42 mph in a 35 mph zone, a bit unfair I thought but the officer also informed me that one of my taillights was out, I crossed over into another lane without signaling and I was also speeding. I did, very politely, ask if I did anything right? He politely stated, yes, you have your license and insurance so that is a good thing. Please wait here while I write out your ticket). As I entered the building to pay my fine I noticed the little roped off area that you have to follow before getting to the pay up your fine cages. I call them cages simply because that is what they are, the employee sits behind these vertical bars that are either to keep you out or keep them in, take your choice. But, there happen to be a few things that came to my attention as I entered, one, there was a long line of people ahead of me and after counting them I came up with a grand tally of 23. Since I am very patient about this type of thing(joke) I really wasn't too concerned until I noticed on the clock that it was 1:03 p.m. and I had a conference call at 1:30 p.m. So, I had 26 minutes to get this done and 1 minute to get back to my auto and cell phone. Then my roving eyes begin to search the room and line for something to ease my mind that I was going to get this done in time to get back to my call. After surveying the room I found that there were 5 cages set up for us law breakers to plead our case or pay I fines, but you guessed it, only 2 cages had people in them. Now was the time to survey the people standing in line, which I determined immediately that the people who break the traffic laws in Lubbock are more diverse than the post office line. Out of 23 only 4 were Latin American, 1 was Black American and the rest were White Americans. Seems a little unfair to me, but I didn't try to make a point of this to anyone. One of the things that also caught my attention was a big sign on the wall that said, "No Profanity or Abusive Language Allowed-If you violate this you will be removed from the premises by a uniformed officer of the law." This tells me they have had some kind of a problem in the past with irate ticket payers and this sign was needed to end that kind of problem. At any rate as I now surveyed the line I noticed an extremely good looking young woman standing ahead of me with one person separating us. She was no older than 25, beautiful blond hair, right height, right weight and the right endowments. Not only that but she was extremely gracious in exhibiting her proud cleavage. Needless to say this made the wait in line more enjoyable and tolerable, especially since I had left my "dark" sunglasses on and no one could tell where I was really looking. Even when she had to talk on the cell phone she made all of the assets more available to all of the eyes in the room(not just mine, but it was done in more of a sharing type attitude on her part), so the time went by very fast. At this point though it was approaching 1:20 p.m. and was getting close to my call. But, the good news is that another employee came to the rescue and opened up another cage. At the same time the drama increased since one of the ladies that was ahead of me in the line got to her cage, took out her paper work and found that she left something in the car. Well the nice person working the cage allowed her to go back out to the car to get her stuff and maintain her place in line. Well this really tested my patience, since I think if you leave your place in line you have lost it, "PERIOD." But, while I didn't say anything to anyone it was apparent it ruffled some other feathers in the line. Then to top it all off the same lady came back from her car, pulled out her new papers and she still didn't have all that she needed(how many ways can you bring in a traffic ticket?)The lady behind the cage again allowed her to go back to the car for the second time, while we waited in line. But, she did allow the person in front of me(the blond was now gone)to step up and she started handling her ticket, while waiting for the lady to come back from her car. Then, low and behold, the next cage opened, I showed my ticket, payed my fine and returned to my auto at 1:31 p.m. The conference call was just starting so I was fine. But, my PATIENCE grew very thin. Waiting in line is not a fun thing, PERIOD!! Even with cleavage within eysight range!

My man for Texas Governor, Kinky Friedman, stated over the weekend that if elected he would appoint Willie Nelson as the Energy Czar of Texas. He was very serious since Willie has been very instrumental in developing alternative fuel to the W man's fossil fuel. Kinky also punished his campaign manager for stating some derogatory things about one of his opponents, "Grandma" Strayhorn, by banning him from his favorite bar for two weeks. LONG LIVE KINKY, MY MAN FOR THE AUSTIN DOME!!

Who says the dust is in the air in Lubbock? A recent survey from Men's Health magazine ranked Lubbock's air quality index number 7 in the nation among 100 cities, and number 2 in the state of Texas. Corpus Christi was number 1 for the state.

Quotes: "Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."--Lillian Carter(mother of Jimmy Carter). "I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalong: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall."--Eleanor Roosevelt. "The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible."--George Burns. "By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher."--Socrates

Some health secrets later this week,

greer

Sturgis, SD, 2006, WOW!!

Way back in 1951 a.d. when I was riding my first Hog, I never dreamed that someday I would be riding(for the third time) to the largest motorcycle(mostly Harley's, probably 98%)rally in the world. With over 500,000 bikes this is a wonder to see and participate in. My Hog back in the old days was not what I ride now and the only resemblance is that it was black and loud, beyond that it weighed probably 300 pounds less than the current day Heritage and sure didn't look as good. But it was a good experience and guided me into my love for riding the ironhorse. The decision to ride to Sturgis for me is based on the love to ride, so trailering to South Dakota as some do is not an option for me. But what I did do this year is make a deal with Steve Locke to meet me there. He would be coming from the North(North Dakota, 600 miles from Sturgis) and I would be coming from the South(approximately 950 miles(. This was going to be interesting since Steve and I had taken some other trips together, i.e. St. Peterburg Russia, for the Triathlon Goodwill Games, and the famous Inidanapolis 500 race, both in 1994. So, this would give us a unique time to ride and enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills and see the wonders of this famous motrorcycle rally. To think it was started in 1938 with the idea from some local motorcycle riders to just "get together at Sturgis," is totally amazing. Now this town of 6600 people goes from a small quiet burg to a loud, busy, metropolis, overnight.

After arriving in Deadwood(yes the famous Deadwood from the TV series),SD,with no prostitutes that we knew of) we checked into our hotel and started preparing to ride the rally trails. Our hotel of choice is the Cedar Wood Inn, a small family owned, Gordon & Audrey Mack are the owners, establishment described by me as an oasis in this legendary town. This is my third year to stay here and it is like going home. The accomodations are perfect and the location is the same. Whether it be the simple act of sitting out in front watching the motorcycles go by or sipping coffee and eating the rolls in the early morning, it is just a delight to stay here.

The first day of riding has to take you to the downtown street of Sturgis. With thousands of motorcycles parked on this main street, with one lane up and back it is a marvel to see. Plus the testosterone level would make Landis look like a school boy. It is flowing through the streets and soaking through the leather so bad you can hardly keep your bike up. But, that is what the ironhorse is all about. Slap some slick, black leather on a two day old bearded bank president, sitting on top of one of these 800 pound Hogs and you have an exciting sight of real toughness. He will sip a few suds and roar the engines to the point the one percenters(early bad boys of motorcycle riding)will walk away in in sheer horror that they might get run over. Upon entering the very busy and loud bar on the corner(can't remember the name of it, but most bars in Sturgis are called something like Gear Driven Delight, or Spoked Delight, or Tank UP, or Full Throttle) we ordered our first and only suds for the day(well nearly the only one)and took in the music and sights. You ask, sights inside a bar? Good question but it can only be answered by saying that some well endowed women in Sturgis use body paint instead of clothing on the top portion of their bodies. So, one of these loose womean were sitting at the bar all dressed out in her upper body paint. Obviously she demanded lots of attention and seemed to be enjoying it. While she wasn't the only woman in the bar, she was the only woman in the bar that had gone to the local paint shop for her body cover. Needless to say we all enjoyed the sights(two really big ones) and even though we didn't have a camera many were having their photos made with this popular woman. From this local establishment we traveled out 4 or 5 miles to the "Full Throttle" biker bar and hell raiser point of fun and relaxation. Please remember that this is what you do when you ride motorcycles, you ride to some place so you can turn around and ride back to where you came from. There is no purpose really of going where you are going or coming back from where you have been other than to just "ride baby ride." Upon entering the Full Throttle parking area it was apparent there had been an overflow of testosterone and it was hard to get the bikes parked and make our space. But, after getting this done I looked around and felt I was in a Mad Max movie. The bar is built in kind of an outdoor arena layout with the motorcycles parked in the middle. Then the bars, stage for the band, vendors, etc.,are in an elevated position,in a circle around the parked machines. With great rock music and cold brews it was a sight to behold. At one point we heard this loud roar of two motorcycles and the screeching of tires against the pavement, then yelling and clapping in approval of what was going on. After investigation what we found what is called the "burn out" area, for two motorcycles. What got our attention was when we heard the loud bang of a blowout on both the motorcyle rear tires, then everyone cheering! What kind of insanity was this, destroying your rear tires and then getting applauded for it? After asking one of the "event staff" what was going on, he said,"hey man this is Sturgis, anything goes!" He further stated that you could bring your motorcyle into this area, butt your front wheel up to the head wall, then spin out on the pavement to your hearts delight, and never get pulled over by the police or harassed in anyway. This was legal tender inside the confines of the "Full Throttle" and baby move over. I encouraged Steve to pull his new, black, machine into the pit and show us his stuff. He refused to do it on the grounds he didn't think destroying $180.00 tires was much sport. When challenged to do it I agreed with him. Now we got back on the machines and headed back, remember you go somewhere with little purpose, but you have to return, to Deadwood.

On day two, we decided to ride West to Hulett, WY(about 45 miles)and take in "No Panties Wednesday," and see just exactly what that meant. Now I realize that this is somewhat contridictory since I have said, more than once, that you ride with little purpose or reason other than to "just ride baby ride." But give me a break here, "No Panties Wednesday?" Who could resist this tempting sounding day of activity, with the men and women of steel? On the way we went through Beulah, WY population 50, then made a pit stop in Aladdin, WY, population 15(please understand I give these populations because I am a population inquisitive type person, I like to know the population of the towns or cities I go to. That is the first thing I ask someone when I travel to different places. I do not care about the elevation, which is now placed on many city limit signs, I want to know how many people live there). So, with that being said we now headed to Hulett, WY, population 400 normally but on this Wednesday it would swell to 30,000 with over a $1 million in economic impact. But, with the billing "No Panties Wednesday" why wouldn't it swell and be popular? What we found when we got there was lots of motorcyles already, lots of vendors selling T-Shirts and things, lots of greasy food, a band actually playing on a stage set up on the church front yard,(how bad could they be?) etc. But inquiring minds are now wondering, what about the "No Panties Wednesday?"(your could even buy bikini panties with "No Panties Wednesday" written on them(got mine on right now as I write). Well boy did they fool us! As far as we know everyone in town that day didn't have any panties on, since everyone we saw was wearing jeans and how could you really tell? No one was walking around like the painted ladies with painted panties on, or if they were we wouldn't know it because everyone we saw were fully dressed. So, the joke was on us, and after enjoying the sights of the town(the painted ladies did arrive on two Hogs before we left so that was interesting except we still didn't know if they had on panties or not)we mounted the ironhorses and left town, as the population started to really grow. It is possible that after it got dark around this sleepy little town town it because possible to know if Wednesday was really "No Panties Wednesday!!"

After nearly 3 days of this madness it is now time to ride and ride far, Steve departed back to the North country and I headed West, to Colorado. Now, it is just pure riding and no side tracks. I ended up in the Vail, CO area and spent some time there riding to and from nowhere. It was very beautiful riding and then on day 7 it was time to girt up and hit the road big time back to Ransom Canyon. The trip to Ransom from Vail is around 700 miles so I decided to make it in one day. I was tired of the hotels and needed to dust it out. Because of early morning rain I left about 9:30 a.m. Mountain time, headed to Denver, then Colorado Springs, then hit lots of rain in Walsburg, CO, that stayed with me for 300 miles. Finally when hitting Dumas, TX I could take my rain suit off. I pulled into the driveway at Ransom at 9:30 p.m. Central time and felt great. I accomplished what I wanted to do, ride somewhere for no real reason and turn around and come back, again just to "ride baby ride."

Is this nuts or what?

greer