Biker Republic: BIKERnews Message

Date: October 3rd 2007

Biker Republics, E-news for bikers
Home to The Extreme Activists of the Biker Rights Movement!

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Contents:
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1. Anyone care to send a message to NTSB
2. Top Reasons why every state should pass an all-rider motorcycle helmet law
3. Learn how important it is to report road conditions
4. Veterans disarment bill
5. Abate or Pa. Responds to NTSB
6. Longview Tom went down earlier today
7. MRF Alert, Open position on MRF BOD
8. Drivers test paying by mile instead of gas tax
9. Man charged with trying to steal motorcycle from home
10. CA-Senate blocks mandatory ID implants in employees
11. HERO AND DORK of the week
12. Show your support for the fight.
http://www.bikerrepublic.org

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1. Anyone care to send a message to NTSB
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On September 11, 2007, the NTSB (National Traffic Safety Board) said ALL
states need mandatory DOT enforced motorcycle helmet laws.

The NTSB has only investigated 6 motorcycle crashes in the last 40
years. Who gives them ANY credibility? The news media and "other" safety
nazi's that either put them up to it or will follow ANYONE who says the
words "mandatory helmets".

Below are the members of the Senate Budget Committee and Senate Finance
Committee. THEY hold the purse strings for the NTSB.

So make contact with YOUR Senator's Washington office. In your own
words, ensure you request action on the following points (be polite!):

1) The NTSB is not telling the whole truth by using cherry picked
statistics to further their goals.

2) The NTSB and the NHTSA are obviously working together since the NHTSA
cannot legally lobby.

3) Both of these government agencies are taxpayer funded and are wasting
time and money on an issue that is a small percentage of the total
traffic fatality problem.

4) Begin proceedings to reduce, or eliminate, their budgets and
financial support since they have demonstrated they cannot accept the
responsibility of the intent of said agencies.

Do it now and send to everyone in YOUR state that you know of:

Budget Committee:

Judd Gregg <http://gregg.senate.gov>; (Ranking Member) of New Hampshire
Pete V. Domenici <http://domenici.senate.gov>; of New Mexico
Charles E. Grassley <http://grassley.senate.gov>; of Iowa
Wayne Allard <http://allard.senate.gov>; of Colorado
Michael Enzi <http://enzi.senate.gov>; of Wyoming
Jeff Sessions <http://sessions.senate.gov>; of Alabama
Jim Bunning <http://bunning.senate.gov>; of Kentucky
Mike Crapo <http://crapo.senate.gov>of Idaho
John Ensign <http://ensign.senate.gov>; of Nevada
John Cornyn <http://cornyn.senate.gov>; of Texas
Lindsey Graham <http://lgraham.senate.gov>; of South Carolina Kent Conrad
(Chairman) of North Dakota
Patty Murray of Washington
Ron Wyden of Oregon
Russ Feingold of Wisconsin
Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia
Bill Nelson of Florida
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Robert Menendez of New Jersey
Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey
Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland
Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island

Finance Committee:

MAX BAUCUS, MT
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
KENT CONRAD, ND
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
JOHN F. KERRY, MA
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR
RON WYDEN, OR
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
DEBBIE STABENOW, MI
MARIA CANTWELL, WA
KEN SALAZAR, CO
CHARLES GRASSLEY, IA
ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
TRENT LOTT, MS
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
JON KYL, AZ
GORDON SMITH, OR
JIM BUNNING, KY
MIKE CRAPO, ID
PAT ROBERTS, KS
JOHN ENSIGN, NV

I need to thank Steve Eggleston, Iowa Legislative Officer for letting me
steal some of his wording in order to get this out quickly and in a
timely manner.

No organization has authorized me to do this...I do it on my own as it's
time for action. You can act or not act according to your own thoughts
about this issue.

-Spotman
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2. Top reasons why every state should pass an all rider motorcycle helmet law
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AHAS is telling the following to public decision makers. Study claim number
six below. What have you told your elected officials lately? ~FF

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http://www.saferoads.org/press/press2007/Top%20Ten%20Reasons%20for%20Helmet%20Law%20091107.pdf

TOP REASONS WHY EVERY STATE SHOULD PASS AN ALL-RIDER MOTORCYCLE HELMET LAW

1. HELMET LAWS SAVE LIVES
Death rates from head injuries are twice as high among motorcyclists in states
without all-rider helmet laws. Motorcycle helmets are 37 percent effective in
preventing motorcyclist deaths and 67 percent effective in preventing brain
injuries.

2. HELMET LAWS INCREASE USE
Studies show that helmet use approaches 100% in states with all-rider
motorcycle helmet laws. In states without all-rider laws, helmet use was 53%
in 2002 and only 46% in 2005. Age-specific helmet laws are virtually
impossible to enforce and there is no evidence that these laws reduce deaths
and injuries.

3. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Un-helmeted riders have higher health care costs as a result of their crash
injuries and nearly half lack private insurance. The financial burden for
treatment and care of uninsured motorcycle crash victims is placed on the
government and taxpayers. In 2005, Maryland estimated that a repeal of its
all-rider helmet law would increase Medicaid expenditures by $1.2 million in
the first year and annually up to $1.5 million thereafter.

4. FATALITIES AND INJURIES ARE CLIMBING
In 2006, 4,810 motorcycle riders died in crashes. Motorcycle fatalities are at
their highest level in 20 years, and now account for over 10% of all annual
fatalities, even though motorcycles make up less than 2% of all registered
vehicles and only 0.4% of all vehicle miles traveled.

5. THE PUBLIC OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS HELMET LAWS
According to a motor vehicle occupant survey conducted by NHTSA, 81 percent
reported that they favored mandatory helmet use laws for motorcyclists. A 2004
Lou Harris poll commissioned by Advocates yielded the same results.

6. ALTERNATIVES ARE COSTLY AND INEFFECTIVE
There is no scientific evidence that motorcycle rider training reduces crash
risk and is an adequate substitute for an all-rider helmet law. A review
conducted in 1996 by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation concluded that
there is "no compelling evidence that rider training is associated with
reductions in collisions." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also
supports these claims. If elimination of risk exposure is not possible, then
risk management, in the form of a universal helmet law, is the next best option.

7. HELMETS DO NOT INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SPINAL INJURY OR CRASH
Critics of helmet laws often cite a highly disputed study by J.P. Goldstein
indicating the added weight of helmets cause neck and spinal injuries during
crashes. More than a dozen peer reviewed medical studies have refuted this
claim. A study reported in the Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1994 analyzed
1,153 motorcycle crashes in four states and determined that helmets reduce
head injuries without an increased occurrence of spinal injuries in motorcycle
trauma. Studies also show that helmets do not restrict vision, interfere with
hearing, or cause heat discomfort.

(Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatal
Analysis Reporting System, 2005; Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety,
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

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3. Learn how important it is to report road conditions
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Following up on the reports of the hazard on I-5, it's important for fellow riders to know how IMPORTANT IT IS TO REPORT these hazards to the appropriate authority. GRIZZ pointed this out in his posting below. To add to that, if someone goes down due to the condition of the road, IF the hazard had been reported -- particularly if reported as a hazard to bikes -- and it's reported BEFORE a bike wreck, it increases the chances that the injured biker will be able to make a successful claim for his injury.

NOTICE to the gov't agency of the hazard, in other words, is what can COUNT in these cases. So, by reporting these hazards to your state DOT (or other designated gov't agency), you're not just helping AVOID a wreck, but you may ALSO be helping the biker who goes down because the gov't was given notice and failed to take action.

Sam
Oregon AIM


After reading this I called ODOT (Oregon dept of transportation) and talked to rebecca.l.thoreson@odot.state.or.us and she said the public is our eyes and it is our responsibility to report anything they miss-I gave her a list of areas in my neighborhood that need attention-1-888-275-6368 is their ODOT customer service number -grizz -Oregon

BE CAREFUL ON I-5

I've heard similar reports. Thanks to DIESEL DAVE for passing this along.

-- Sam Hochberg
Oregon AIM

Serious motorcycle hazard I-5 construction area mm 189-192
From: Dave ganslein <daveganslein@hotmail.com>;
To:
Bcc: sambikelaw@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 4:10 PM
ATT00001.txt
Subject: Serious motorcycle hazard I-5 construction area mm 189-192
>
>
>
> Spread the word............DANGER for motorcyclist
>
>
>
> DANGER on I-5, forward this to "ALL" motorcyclist that you >know.........NOW!!!!!!
> Doug Peterson
>
> Pres. MSR
>
> This was sent to DOT.... It almost killed me tonight...I have over >150,00 motorcycle miles and this one just about got me tonight.

**************************************************************

There is a very very dangerous construction situation for >motorcycles in the construction zone I-5 NB around mm 189-192 or so. Very >shortly after the first sign NB declaring the construction zone there is a >3-4 inch high lane edge that crosses the lane #2 or #3 at an angle. I rode >through there in the dark around 10 PM tonight and I could not see it until >I hit it. You have no choice but to hit this ledge at an angle. When I hit >this ledge at about 55 mph it threw my bike violently and I had to struggle >to stay aboard. This is going to kill a motorcyclist and I was lucky >tonight. Shortly AFTER this angled ledge is the first sign cautioning >motorcyclists. About a mile further north there is another angle ledge that >is similar. A 3-4 inch high ledge crossing the lane without warning is >deadly for motorcyclists. Next weekend is the Oyster Run in Anacortes and >10-15,000 motorcyclist will be headed towards Anacortes up I-5. If this ! >ledge is not fixed someone is >
>
>
> Dwight Holmes
>
> La Conner, Wa 98257
>
> Retired Deputy King County
Sam Hochberg
Attorney at Law
SamBikeLaw@aol.com
www.YourInjuryLawyers.com
Serving all of Oregon & Washington
503-224-1106 or toll-free 800-347-1106



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4. Veterans disarment bill
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Bill on Gun Restrictions Bogged Down
By LAURIE KELLMAN – 4 days ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill inspired by the Virginia Tech shootings is bogged down by objections over funding and who should be barred from buying a firearm.

The bill would tighten requirements for states to share gun purchasers' mental health information with the federal government.

Majority Democrats in the Senate were poised as early as this past Monday to bring the bill to a vote until Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., objected.

Coburn says he has concerns that billions of dollars of new spending in the bill is not paid for by cuts in other programs. And he says the bill does not pay for appeals by veterans or other Americans who feel they have been wrongly barred from buying a gun.

"As Congress prepares to raise the debt limit once again, it is not too much to ask politicians to do the job they were elected to do and make choices," Coburn said Wednesday. "Veterans, or any other American, should not lose their Second Amendment rights if they have been unfairly tagged as having mental health concerns."

Propelled by a rare alliance between the National Rifle Association and majority Democrats, the legislation was passed in similar form by the House and would be the first major gun control law in more than a decade.

"Nothing can bring back the lives tragically lost at Virginia Tech, but this amendment will begin to repair and restore our faith in the (national background check) system and help prevent similar tragedies in the future," said Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who is sponsoring the bill with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"When the NRA and Chuck Schumer agree, that tells you it's something worth doing," Schumer said.

The legislation aims to fix flaws in the national background check system that allowed Seung-Hui Cho, a mentally ill Virginia Tech student, to buy guns and kill 32 people April 16 in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Cho had been ruled a danger to himself during a court commitment hearing in 2005. He had been ordered to undergo outpatient mental health treatment and should have been barred from buying the two guns he used in the rampage. However, the commonwealth of Virginia never forwarded the information to the national background check system.

The legislation clarifies what mental health records should be reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and gives states financial incentives for compliance.

The Senate version of the bill is very similar to the House version, with a few changes.

The Senate authorizes up to $400 million a year over five years in new grant funding for improvements to the information technology and state compliance programs, an increase over the House version's $250 million a year over three years. The Senate version would begin appropriations in 2009, rather than 2008 as in the House-passed version.

It also gives the attorney general discretion to penalize states beginning after three years if they do not meet compliance targets.
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5. Abate or Pa. Responds to NTSB
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A.B.A.T.E. OF PENNSYLVANIA
RESPONSE
TO THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD’S
RECOMMENDATIONS OF 9-11-07
On 9-11 the NTSB issued recommendations to states to require all motorcyclists and their passengers to wear Department of Transportation federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) 218-compliant helmets.
A.B.A.T.E. of Pennsylvania, the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education, has expressed their opposition to the NTSB safety recommendations. Accident prevention saves lives, not federal mandates. Greater penalties for right-of-way violations and stricter laws for inattentive driving would be more effective. Motorist need to pay greater attention to the action of driving. Being behind a wheel of an automobile is NO time to multi-task.

Pennsylvania already has a helmet law.
The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 259 in 2003. That legislation modified the existing mandatory motorcycle helmet law to provide qualified adult motorcycle operators and passengers with the option to decide what is best for themselves. Pennsylvania Senators and Representatives supported a minimum of two year riding experience or successful completion of an approved motorcycle rider education program as condition for optional helmet use by motorcycle operators 21 years of age or older.
While the law does allow freedom of choice in the use of helmets it also contains safeguards for those not yet trained or skilled enough to make an informed decision on helmet safety. Enactment of the freedom of choice bill on helmets represents what our founding fathers intended when they wrote the Constitution….that government works best with the consent of the governed.

Facts not fiction…
Since the helmet modification Pennsylvania has experienced a sharp rise in motorcycle sales and a dramatic increase in biker tourism.
In 2003 there were 263,696 registered motorcycles. In 2006 that number increased to 335,720.
In 2005 there were 205 motorcycle fatalities. In 2006 the fatality rate decreased to 187.
Between 2000 (before helmets were made optional) and 2005 (after), motorcycle registrations in Pennsylvania increased 48.3%. Fatalities in motorcycle crashes also increased, but only 36%.
A study by the State Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in 2006 found an 8.6% decrease in motorcycle fatalities, per 10,000 registrations, from 2000 to 2005.
Most motorcycle fatalities in 2005 involved bikers who wore helmets. Only 42.6% involved known non-helmeted motorcyclists, and the report does not say what portion of them died of something other than head trauma.


Conclusion:
The NTSB implies in its recommendation that thirty state governments have somehow "got it wrong" when it comes to the validity of universal mandatory helmet laws. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most of these states have had, at one time or another, a universal mandatory helmet law, yet considered the results and modified their laws accordingly. A.B.A.T.E. of PA believes that state legislators have more intelligence than the NTSB gives them credit for.
A.B.A.T.E. of Pennsylvania states, “Nothing illustrates individual freedom more than bare-headed bikers, and many federal authorities detest freedom. We believe they will do anything to suppress it. “
The NTSB reached its recommendations with little or no input from the motorcycle community. This is just another incident of bureaucrats in Washington trying to ram regulations down the throats of all fifty states.
We’ll have none of it.


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6. Longview Tom went down earlier today
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I just received a call from my COC Rep for ABATE of Oregon. She informed me that Longview Tom went down earlier today and is currently in OHSU hospital, here in Portland.

He is currently in ICU and no one is allowed to see/visit with him. He has some of his brothers there and we are waiting to hear how he is doing.

There has been no mention in the media, so far, as to what happened. As I find out, I will pass the word to the rest of you.

Tom has been a long-time freedom fighter, in Washington State and our country. Please send a healing thought his way for his recovery.

Thank you.

Randy


http://www.kptv.com/news/14231901/detail.html


Two Motorcyclists Hurt In I-84 Crash

CORBETT, Ore. -- Two motorcyclists were injured after they lost control on Interstate 84 near Rooster Rock on Friday.

State police said a group of eight motorcycles were forced to slow down quickly because of stopped traffic Friday morning. Two of the motorcyclists braked too hard, causing
them to lose control, police said.

Thomas Joseph, of Battle Ground, Wash., was seriously injured and taken to Oregon Health & Science University by a Life Flight helicopter. G. Richard Bogdahn, 59, of Wisconsin, was also hurt, but suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The highway was wet at the time of the crash, police said.

Tom has been ICU for over 24 hours. The hospital has relieved pressure on his brain a couple of times. As of this afternoon, he seems to be holding his own. Information is sketchy, but as I find out things, I will you know.

Thanks to those who have expressed prayers and good wishes for Tom. We are praying for the best.

Randy

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7. MRF Alert, Open position on MRF BOD
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MRF E-MAIL NEWS Motorcycle Riders Foundation
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Suite 510
Washington, DC 20002-4980
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
http://www.mrf.org (website)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Miles France, Director of MRF State Representative Program
miles@mrf.org (e-mail)



MRF Alert, Open position on MRF BOD

Candidacy papers for Sustaining State Motorcyclist Rights Organization
Representative to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation Board of Directors due
by November 15th, 2007. This is a two-year term.

Steve Zimmer, the incumbent, is not running for re-election due to
accepting the position of MRF PAC Director.

The ideal candidate for this position should have experience and knowledge
in the workings of their State Motorcyclist Rights Organization. The
winning candidate must be willing and able to travel to 3 BOD meetings
plus one regional conference each year and be able to communicate with
other BOD and Committee members between meetings by email and telephone.
Basic computer skills and strong communication skills are needed.


==========================================================
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit
http://www.mrf.org/subscribe.php

Ride With The LeadersTM by joining the MRF at http://www.mrf.org/join.php
or call 1-202-546-0983

Registration is easy and secure for MRF Regional and Meeting of the Minds
conferences. Visit our website at http://www.mrf.org/events.php for
further details and registration information.

Send in your nominations and donations for the MRF's Young Activist
Scholarship fund today. For complete details, visit
http://www.mrf.org/yascholarship.php.

Sign up today for the MRF's new roadside assistance program by visiting
http://www.mrf.org/mrfroadside.php The program is available to MRF members
and non-MRF members.

(c)All Information contained in this release is copyrighted. Reproduction
permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated
in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights
organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists'
rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC,
the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted
exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early
1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause
of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the
very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading
members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and
regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public
awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights
organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional
and national educational seminars for motorcyclists rights activists, as
well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.
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8. Drivers test paying by mile instead of gas tax
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www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-20-roads_N.htm

Drivers test paying by mile instead of gas tax
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

Beginning early next year, drivers in six states will begin testing a
new way to pay for roads and transit: Commuters will be charged for the
miles they drive rather than paying taxes on gasoline purchased.

Researchers from the University of Iowa Public Policy Center will
install computers and satellite equipment in the vehicles of 2,700
volunteers — 450 each from Austin, Baltimore, Boise, San Diego, eastern
Iowa and the Research Triangle region of North Carolina.

Over the next two years, the drivers will get sample monthly bills for
the number of miles they've driven. They can compare what they now pay
in gasoline taxes with what they would have paid in per-mile fees.

"We want to assess the public's attitudes and acceptance toward a system
like this," says Jon Kuhl, principal investigator on the $16.5 million
Road User Charge Study and chairman of the University of Iowa Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The nation is reassessing the way it pays for roads and transit. Since
1956, the Highway Trust Fund, financed by the federal tax on gasoline,
has been a primary source of money for highway projects. But the
National Governors Association and other groups and planners involved in
road building have concluded that this method, supplemented by state
gasoline taxes, no longer is adequate.

Americans are driving cars that get better mileage, and more are driving
vehicles that use fuels taxed at lower rates than gasoline, such as
ethanol, or making their own fuel and not being taxed. That means gas
tax revenue isn't growing nearly as fast as the number of miles driven.

In addition, the costs of road construction materials have skyrocketed
because of heavy demand from India and China. Congress and many state
legislatures are reluctant to increase gas taxes, especially at a time
of high prices at the pump. The federal gas tax of 18.4 cents a gallon
has not been increased since 1993; 24 states have not raised their gas
taxes since 1997, according to the American Road & Transportation
Builders Association.
That has made a mileage fee more attractive to some agencies. The
University of Iowa study is funded by the Federal Highway Administration
and 15 state departments of transportation.

Elsewhere:
•Oregon this year finished a year-long experiment that tested a "virtual
tollway" system that could eventually replace the state gas tax with a
road-user fee. Volunteers drove vehicles equipped with state-installed
Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and odometers that kept track of
the miles they drove. When they gassed up, the drivers paid for their
gas as well as 1.2 cents for each mile driven since their last fill-up;
they did not pay the 24-cents-a-gallon state gas tax.

•Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says part of his state's plan for dealing
with declining gas tax revenues is a mileage tax or fee. He wants a test
project this year.

•Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter appointed a 32-member commission in March to
explore long-term options, including mileage fees.
Some transportation experts believe that mileage fees will replace the
gas tax within the next 15-20 years. "At some point, in some metro
areas, market-based pricing using the latest technology will supplant
the fuel tax revenues," says Joseph Giglio, a professor at Northeastern
University who has written extensively on transportation financing.
Privacy advocates worry about the use of satellite navigation technology
to track drivers' movements. "Where you go is something that, for the
most part, people consider private," says Lee Tien, an attorney who
specializes in privacy issues for the San Francisco-based Electronic
Frontier Foundation. "The second point is, it's the sort of thing we do
to the bad guys. Where do you hear a lot about GPS tracking? It's for
prisoners or people who are out on probation."

James Whitty, who headed the Oregon experiment, says some of the 260
volunteers initially had privacy concerns, but those worries faded. He
says that 91% of those surveyed said they would pay a mileage fee if the
program were expanded statewide.

Leroy Younglove, a participant in the Oregon study, says he had no
privacy concerns and that the mileage fee is fairer than the gas tax. "I
thought it was an interesting alternative to the method we have now and
one that might have ways of obtaining tax revenues as different types of
fuel options become available," says Younglove, 63, who manages real
estate.
"It's not a question of if this is viable," says Iowa's Kuhl. "It's a
question of when it becomes politically and socially viable to make such
a large-scale shift."
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9 Man charged with trying to steal motorcycle from home
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Man charged with trying to steal motorcycle from home
By TERRI SANGINITI, The News Journal
Posted Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 2:59 pm

http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070904/NEWS/70904059

A 36-year-old New Castle-area man was arrested early today after a police officer spotted him coasting down a Greenville driveway on a motorcycle he allegedly stole out of a resident’s garage.

New Castle County police charged James Hoffmaster, of the 200 block of S. Du Pont Highway, with burglary and two counts of felony theft. He was committed to the Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $5,000 bail.

County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said about 12:15 a.m., Officer Michael George was on patrol on Faulkland Road when he saw a man on a 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle, coasting it down a driveway.

When George investigated, he discovered the man, identified as Hoffmaster, did not have the keys to the motorcycle and took him into custo
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10. CA-Senate blocks mandatory ID implants in employees
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www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-scan31aug31,0,2715647.story?coll=la-hom
e-center

Senate blocks mandatory ID implants in employees
The bill would prevent employers in the state from requiring workers to
have the devices.
By Patrick McGreevy
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 31, 2007

Tackling a dilemma right out of a science fiction novel, the state
Senate passed legislation Thursday that would bar employers from
requiring workers to have identification devices implanted under their
skin.

State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) proposed the measure after at
least one company began marketing radio frequency identification devices
for use in humans.

The devices, as small as a grain of rice, can be used by employers to
identify workers. A scanner passing over a body part implanted with one
can instantly identify the person.

"RFID is a minor miracle, with all sorts of good uses," Simitian said.
"But we shouldn't condone forced 'tagging' of humans. It's the ultimate
invasion of privacy."

Simitian said he fears that the devices could be compromised by persons
with unauthorized scanners, facilitating identity theft and improper
tracking and surveillance.

The bill has been approved by the state Assembly and now goes to the
governor.

Nine senators opposed the measure, including Bob Margett (R-Arcadia),
who said it is premature to legislate technology that has not yet proved
to be a problem. "It sounded like it was a solution looking for a
problem," Margett said. "It didn't seem like it was necessary."

One company, VeriChip, has been licensed by the Food and Drug
Administration to sell implanted identification devices, and about 2,000
people have had them implanted, Simitian said. A representative of the
firm did not return calls seeking comment Thursday.

CityWatcher.com, a Cincinnati video surveillance company, has required
employees who work in its secure data center to have a microchip
implanted in an arm.

Similar technology has been used for years to help identify lost pets.

Meanwhile, the Assembly approved a bill that would allow Los Angeles
County Sheriff Lee Baca and other law enforcement officials to put
thousands of inmates on detention in their homes, with electronic
monitoring equipment attached to their ankles.

Baca sought the legislation to help relieve overcrowding in L.A. County
jails and said he would assign about 2,000 inmates with low-level
offenses to involuntary home detention if the governor signs the bill.
Currently, inmates must volunteer for home detention. The Senate has
passed the bill.

In other legislative action Thursday:

* The Senate passed SB 655, previously approved by the Assembly, which
allows a $1,000 fine for county jail inmates found possessing a
cellphone, as well as a $250 fine for inmates found with tobacco in
county jails where possession is outlawed. Baca sponsored the measure.

* The Senate gave final approval to SB 924, which would place a measure on the February ballot asking voters whether they support the immediate and orderly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The governor has not taken a public position on the bill.

* The Senate gave final approval to SB 33, which prohibits people younger than 18 from using cellphones or text message devices while driving. The governor has not taken a public position on the measure.

* The Assembly Appropriations Committee recommended passage of SB 974, which allows a $60 fee on each filled 40-foot container in the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland to pay for programs to relieve traffic congestion and air pollution caused by port activity.

The committee amended the bill, which now goes to the full Assembly, to allow a local panel of officials to decide how to spend the 50% of the revenues that would go to traffic congestion relief. It did not adopt an amendment sought by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that would have allowed some of the money to be spent on the replacement of two large bridges.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

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11. HERO AND DORK of the week
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HERO
A lost Freedom Fighter -Quig
For those of you so inclined.

http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=GB000094632608

DORK
Bruce Arnold
Specializing in destroying what grassroots MRO’s took years to build.
http://www.ldrlongdistancerider.com/

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The Biker Republic has formed to fight the overbearing government intrusion into our lives. Our primary is the fight for biker rights. These two fights are intertwined and cannot be compromised. The average citizen is now aware our liberties are steadily being whittled away. We are working to stop this erosion of liberty and while simultaneously working to restore lost liberties. To this end we are active in the political, legislative, and judicial arenas. Our only charity is to help our fellow bikers and restore liberty. We are dedicated to returning to the roots of the motorcycle rights movement. We are the premier news and information source for biker rights activists.