Folks.... these are distressing times.... the government is stretching and flexing it's muscles and over exceeding it's power!!
In Texas drivers were allegedly voluntarily stopped and asked to submit saliva and/or blood samples. Those that were stopped claim there was nothing "voluntary" about the set up!
Also, in Maryland a man was profiled and targeted at a traffic stop because it was well known that he had a license to carry!!
Also, in Maryland a man was profiled and targeted at a traffic stop because it was well known that he had a license to carry!!
If we don't speak up and fight back against these measures they'll be an every day occurrence and we will have forfeited our right to fight back against these unprecedented policies!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DGkU_Crip4 Driver's pulled over for blood and saliva samples!!! .
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Texas drivers pulled over at random, told to turn over blood, saliva samples
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Texas drivers pulled over at random, told to turn over blood, saliva samples
Dozens of Texas drivers have been stopped at a police road block, where they were then directed into a parking lot and forced into surrendering blood, saliva and breath samples in a study that has upset civil liberties advocates.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admitted it was attempting to conduct a government study meant to determine the number of drunk or drug-impaired drivers on the road at any given time.
“It just doesn’t seem right that you can be forced off the road when you’re not doing anything wrong,” Kim Cope, who said she was forced to the side of the road while making her way to lunch, told NBCDFW.com. “I gestured to the guy in front that I just wanted to go straight, but he wouldn’t let me and forced me into the parking spot.”
The tests were made even more mysterious when reporters, alerted to the situation by concerned drivers, were unable to find any officers in the Fort Worth Police Department who had been involved. The NHTSA only admitted its involvement after local media sought answers.
The department, which says its mission is to “save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce vehicle-related crashes,” maintains that participation in the research was completely voluntary. But Ms. Cope said she felt trapped during what seemed to be an investigation.
“I finally did the breathalyzer test just because I thought it would be the easiest way to leave,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem right that they should be able to do any of it. If it’s voluntary, it’s voluntary, and none of it felt voluntary.”
When pressed, the FWPD said it was “reviewing the actions of all police personnel involved to ensure that FWPD policies and procedures were followed.” The NBC affiliate was able to determine that the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, a government contractor, was hired to conduct the check.
An NHTSA spokesperson admitted similar programs were being conducted in 30 other cities throughout the US. But civil liberties attorney Frank Colosi does not accept the rationale.
“You can’t just be pulled over randomly or for no reason,” he said. “They’re essentially lying to you when they say it’s completely voluntary, because they’re testing you at that moment.”
He added that drivers who refused may have been targeted by police for inadvertently giving the impression they were operating a vehicle under the influence. He also told NBC that fine print on the form told drivers their breath was being tested by “passive alcohol sensor readings before the consent process has been completed.”
This oddity comes just months after Texas state troopers were caught on video conducting vaginal and cavity searches on female drivers at the side of the road. The videos quickly went viral, and attorneys for the women filed federal lawsuits against the troopers.
“It’s ridiculous,” Peter Schulte, a former Texas police officer and prosecutor, told the New York Daily News earlier this year. “I was a law enforcement officer for 16 years and I never saw anything like it.”
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Gunowner Targeted For Traffic Stop
Posted on January 18, 2014 by Conservative Byte
This is just the beginning of this kind of harassment. Check it out:
Jackson said Filippidis ordinarily carries a gun because of the cash he carries for his work.
But when he went on a family trip, he left it locked in a safe in his home.
Reported Jackson, “So there the Filippidises were on New Year’s Eve, southbound on Interstate 95 – John; wife Kally (his Gulf High sweetheart): the 17-year-old twins Nasia and Yianni; and 13-year-old Gina in their 2012 Ford Expedition – just barely out of the Fort McHenry Tunnel into Maryland, blissfully unarmed and minding their own business when they noticed they were being bird-dogged by an unmarked patrol car. It flanked them a while, then pulled ahead of them, then fell in behind them.” Such maneuvers took maybe 10 or 15 minutes, reports said.
Eventually the lights went on, and Filippidis pulled over.
The officer, from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, asked about license and registration details, and returned to his vehicle.
Then he came back, ordering Filippidis out of the vehicle, and to hook his thumbs behind his back and spread his feet.
“You own a gun,” said the officer. “Where is it?”
At home, said Filippidis.
The officer then asked Kally Filippides, who said she didn’t know. Then she added, maybe in the glove box, or in the console – she didn’t know.
The result? The Expedition was emptied of all people, possessions and packages. An hour passed, maybe more. Much later, no weapon found, they resumed their trip.
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MORE BIG BROTHER!!
Michigan Bill Would Take License For Skipping Class
A group of Michigan lawmakers want to take away the right to drive from high school students who skip class. State Representative Andy Schor (D-Lansing) and eight colleagues last week introduced legislation that would impose a six-month driving ban on juveniles accused of being frequently absent from school.
A group of Michigan lawmakers want to take away the right to drive from high school students who skip class. State Representative Andy Schor (D-Lansing) and eight colleagues last week introduced legislation that would impose a six-month driving ban on juveniles accused of being frequently absent from school.
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AIM/NCOM NEWSBYTES
NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)
2014 PREDICTED TO BE A BREAKOUT YEAR FOR ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES
Navigant Research recently released a report titled “Electric Vehicles: 10 Predictions for 2014″ in which it is estimated that 700,000 plug-in vehicles will be on the road around the world by the end of this year.
The given justifications? Rebounding economies, better products, battery prices that have come down providing competitive price points for e-motorcycles, a large potential clientele that has already had a positive electric experience via e-bicycles, e-scooters and e-mopeds.
STUDY SHOWS WOMEN WHO RIDE ARE HAPPIER
The old adage that you never see a motorcycle parked outside the psychiatrist’s office may prove more insightful than previously considered, as a new study reveals that the key to happiness for the better half of U.S. is a bike key!
The Harley-Davidson Female Riders Survey, conducted by a leading global insights firm and commissioned by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, shows that women who ride their own motorcycles are noticeably happier, sexier and more confident than women who don't ride. After interviewing 1,013 adult female riders and 1,016 adult female non-riders, the findings make it clear that riding a motorcycle greatly improves a woman's feelings of overall self-worth.
• More than twice as many always feel happy (37% of riders vs. 16% of non-riders)
• Nearly four times as many always feel sexy (27% of riders vs. 7% of non-riders) • Nearly twice as many always feel confident (35% of riders vs. 18% of non-riders)
More than half (53%) of women who ride cite their motorcycle as a key source of happiness, according to the findings, and nearly three in four (74%) believe their lives have improved since they started riding.
When it comes to romance, the market research collected by Kelton Global also shows riding can improve relationships, as female motorcyclists are more content than non-riders with:
• Communication with their significant other (60% of riders vs. 38% of non-riders)
• Physical intimacy (51% of riders vs. 35% of non-riders)
More and more women are, in fact, riding. A 2012 study by the Motorcycle Industry Council found that women accounted for 12% of U.S. motorcyclists -- up from 10.5% in 2009, and Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson is selling more motorcycles to women than all their competitors combined, according to Claudia Garber, Director of Women's Outreach for Harley-Davidson.
LIMIT ON LEARNER’S PERMITS IN PA
Pennsylvanians who perpetually renew their motorcyclist permits to avoid having to take the state's motorcycle safety course will soon have their strategy derailed, as a new law will limit the number of times a motorcycle rider can reapply for a learner's permit to three times in a five-year period. Representative Seth Grove (R-Dover), author of House Bill 892, said some riders have been treating permits like actual licenses since current law allows them to reapply for a permit every year.
"Permits are temporary and their purpose is to get riders to obtain full driver's licenses," said Rep. Grove. "This legislation will enable riders to learn properly while pushing them to actually get their motorcycle licenses."
Under current law, a permit is valid for one year, but some motorcyclists apply for it year after year so they are never required to take the safety course that's required to receive the full four-year license, said Charles Umbenhauer, spokesman for ABATE of Pennsylvania, which supported the measure.
Umbenhauer told the York Dispatch that the legislation is a continuation of other safety measures for which the ABATE organization has pushed. Grove also introduced legislation that, when signed into law last year, required minors who hold motorcycle permits to successfully complete a free 15-hour riding course.
HB 892 passed the House and Senate with little dissent and was signed into law by Governor Tom Corbett.
HELMET USE IN MICHIGAN DROPS AFTER REPEAL, STILL HIGHER THAN NORM
A state survey has found that nearly three-quarters of Michigan motorcyclists wear helmets, down from almost a hundred percent before the state ended mandatory universal helmet use in 2012, letting riders opt out under certain circumstances.
Data for the Wayne State University study was collected over the summer by use of video cameras randomly placed across the state, and shows that 73% of motorcyclists in Michigan wear helmets, down from 99.4% in 2006 when the last statewide observation survey was conducted.
Still, the authors note that Michigan's usage rate is 13% higher than the 60% of U.S. riders spotted wearing helmets in a nationwide survey in 2012. Also interesting to note, the current rate of riders wearing helmets is slightly lower than the 74.7% of helmeted riders involved in motorcycle crashes, according to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, meaning lidless riders have a somewhat better safety record.
The Michigan Department of Highway Safety said that helmet use varies widely among types of riders: 94.5% of people riding sports bikes wore helmets while only 33.3% of riders of choppers and custom bikes did. Female riders and those under 30 and over 60 also wear helmets more frequently.
LOUD MOTORCYCLES TARGETED IN CHICAGO
The city of Chicago is turning a deaf ear to loud motorcycles, so much so that that an alderman has proposed a ten-fold increase in fines for violators, those who change their mufflers to make them louder, according to DNAInfo Chicago.
The alderman is calling it a quality of life issue, and his proposal would increase the maximum fine for violations from $100 to $1,000.
GEORGIA RIDER’S FAMILY QUESTIONS FATAL PURSUIT
A young Georgia man was riding his motorcycle to the gym during rush hour when a Richmond County deputy may have broke department policy and gave chase over invalid plates, ending in a fatal crash.
The deputy was also on a motorcycle, a vehicle that – because of the risk involved – is “strongly discouraged” from initiating or participating in chases in Richmond and Columbia counties unless extenuating circumstances exist, policy states.
According to policy, deputies are justified in beginning a chase even when the only information available is that the suspect hasn’t stopped as ordered, but after a chase has started, policy states that deputies must continuously evaluate the circumstances, such as the initial reason for the pursuit; traffic and weather conditions; time of day; direction of travel; the possible consequences; and most importantly, the safety of the public, the deputy and other law enforcement personnel.
“Pursuits may continue if there are reasonable grounds to believe the suspect presents a clear and immediate threat to the safety of others or if the suspect has committed or is attempting to commit a forcible felony,” policy states.
The family is considering legal options, but a police spokesman stressed that “while it is the deputy who initiates the traffic stop, it is the violator who initiates the pursuit.”
Nationally, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that 6,000 to 8,000 police chases end in crashes each year, with close to 5,000 people being injured and 500 being killed.
ROAD CRASHES #1 KILLER OF AMERICANS ABROAD
Road crashes have been named the leading cause of unnatural death among Americans who travel outside of the country, where they are unfamiliar with local driving rules and customs, and more U.S. citizens die in car or motorcycle accidents than from terrorist events according to a new study from Johns Hopkins University.
Using data from the U.S. State Department that represented 5,417 unnatural deaths between January 2003 and December 2009, the research team calculated the rates of death by dividing the number of unnatural deaths by the number of Americans who visited each country.
"We know that the distribution of road traffic fatalities varies dramatically across different parts of the world," Huseyin Naci, from the London School of Economics and Political Science, told Reuters news service. “While pedestrian deaths are more common in many parts of Africa, motorcycle and bicycle deaths occur more frequently in southeast Asia.”
Out of all the countries deemed unsafe for travel, Thailand ranked first among the most traffic-related deaths with 16.5 deaths per one million visits. Vietnam came in second with 15 deaths per one million visits, Morocco third with 12 deaths per one million visits, and South Africa fourth with 11 deaths per one million visits. Researchers also reported that scooter and motorcycle deaths accounted for a large portion of traffic-related deaths.
MANDATORY HI-VIS REFLECTIVE CLOTHING LEGISLATED
Effective January 1, 2014, it is mandatory for all motorcyclists and passengers to wear reflective jackets or vests when riding in the Republic of Mauritius, an island country in the south west Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.
Road Traffic Regulations passed last fall regarding “Use of High Visibility Clothing” states;
“No person shall drive (or ride as a pillion rider on) a motorcycle or auto cycle, unless he wears high visibility clothing without any covering being worn over it that may cause obstruction to its visibility.”
The regulations even dictate the type of polyester material, size of reflective strips and specific fluorescent colors (lime yellow, red or orange) “intended to provide conspicuity at all times.”
Any person who contravenes these regulations shall commit an offence and shall, on
conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding 1,000 Mauritian Rupees (MUR).
BAN ON MOTORBIKES IMPOSED IN SCOTTISH WOODLANDS
Scottish Police say that members of the pubic visiting Balkello Woods have been left “frustrated and concerned” by the irresponsible and illegal use of motorcycles in the area, both on and off road.
Police Scotland and the Forestry Commission have joined forces in announcing a major crackdown on unauthorized motor vehicles in the woodlands; “Powers granted under Road Traffic and Anti-Social Behaviour legislation allow the police to seize vehicles – including motorcycles and mini-motos – where they have been driven without license or insurance, or, in this scenario, where they are used in an anti-social manner.”
A force spokesman said: “Officers have long focused on reducing the anti-social and illegal use of motorcycles and make full use of Anti-Social and Road Traffic legislation to seize motorcycles that are being used illegally. Following enforcement, many of the vehicles seized are ultimately dismantled and crushed.”
DUCK AND COVER Like ‘em or love 'em, the rift over the redneck Robertson clan from A&E Network's top-rated "Duck Dynasty" showed that America still has a backbone, and Americans can influence change if enough of us stand together. After the network suspended Phil Robertson over anti-gay comments, a grassroots tsunami of people from all walks of life lit up phone lines, email inboxes and fax machines as the surge of incoming communications quickly became so intense, employees of the cable giant reportedly complained that the company was overwhelmed and had all but ground to a halt.
The uproar continued through Christmas until Friday, December 27, when A&E announced it was lifting the suspension and the show will continue.
Millions of citizens -- many who had never taken any kind of action before – had successfully sprang to the defense of a man and his right to speak freely, irrespective of PC. If the Duck Dynasty flap proves anything, it’s that -- when pushed too far -- concerned Americans will rise up in response!
QUOTABLE QUOTE: “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
~ Howard Zinn (1922-2010) American historian & social activist
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