OFF THE WIRE
TEXAS
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/01/24/bikers_gather_at_capitol_to_lo.html
Motorcyclists gather at Capitol to lobby representatives
By Andrew Kaspar
Monday, January 24, 2011, 02:10 PM
Leather vests, chaps and blue jeans replaced standard business attire up and down the Capitol hallways Monday as motorcyclists from across Texas gathered to speak with their representatives about legislation affecting their freedoms and lifestyle.
At the top of most motorcyclists' agendas: helmet laws, profiling and a proposal to institute roadblocks to catch drunk drivers.
Tom Cross hoped the group's numbers — and perhaps their atypical Capitol attire — would bring their concerns to legislators' attention.
"These are our regular clothes for a lot of us," the Orange-area resident said. "I wear these to church."
Keith Marsland rode more than 300 miles from Vernon to speak in favor of the state's current helmet law - helmets are optional for riders 21 or older - and against DUI checkpoints.
"We think some of that is a little bit over the top," he said. "If you avoid a roadblock, it's a Class A misdemeanor and that's wrong. If a bike sits in traffic and it overheats because we're sitting waiting for people to do breathalyzers, that's just not acceptable."
In the afternoon, the leather-clad filled the galleries of the Capitol's two chambers as legislators gaveled into session.
The bikers, many of them members of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association, gather every two years during the legislative session. Last summer, a leading organizer of group's legislative day named "Sputnik" passed away at the age of 70. Marsland said his death would not deter the bikers from having their voices heard.
"He was one to always say, `Do not allow anyone to stop our movement,'" he said.
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