In "Gone With the Wind," a climax was the turning point of the Civil War; the Battle of Gettysburg. In it, many of Scarlett's childhood friends were killed in Cobb's Legion.
“Crowds formed at the depot, hoping for news from incoming trains, at the telegraph office, in front of the harried headquarters, before the locked doors of the newspapers…They all waited to hear the news that death had come to their homes. They expected death. They did not expect defeat.”
And, so, in the cycling world it is once again. A great event is in the early stages of unfolding. Links are here and here.
Let us pray it is not a defeat. I'd really LIKE to see another cyclist riding safely and legally on my way to work someday. Just one. I hope that isn't too ambitious.
I saw the news from LAB today. Yes, I do think it is a positive move. I hope it works out.
ReplyDeletePaz :)
Did you see the report from College Station about the driver that ran down 2 bike cops? The driver was charged with DUI and using a vehicle to evade arrest, but nothing for hitting two bike cops/
ReplyDeleteConsolidation can go either way. Is it because three large masses are coalescing into an even larger and more potent one or because the overall mass made up of three organizations is shrinking into one small one like a receding glacier? Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteJust because something is good and sensible does not mean it has more political power than something senseless and destructive. The opposite appears to be true. Lobbying efforts on behalf of cycling will never end and will always have to scrounge for funding. The less spent on administrative costs the more can be spent on influence.
Some will ask the first order question. Should LAB be a lobbying organization?
ReplyDelete@Khal: Yes. Every other activity has lobbying groups that not only advance their cause but can negatively impact other activities by direct or indirect action. The bike industry can't be trusted to look out for the interests of all cyclists, particularly road cyclists. The industry just wants to sell bikes. When it looked like mountain bikes were going to virtually wipe out road riding the industry did little or nothing to resist until consumer interest started swinging back toward the road on its own. User groups like LAB pass information between riders and government and vice versa. The fact that they are annoying and often unresponsive to rank and file members is just an unfortunate quirk.
ReplyDeleteKhal, is lobbying in the interest of members for AARP or the NRA to lobby? The Sierra Club has a special donation category that specifically addresses actions that are NOT tax deductible. The LAB Legal Defense Fund. Where do I sign up?
ReplyDeleteOnce you agree LAB should lobby, then the followup question is how to do it most effectively. I still want to know what happened to the LAB-LDF and will send Andy an email asking.
ReplyDeleteAS to LAB it seems that they get shot at from every side
ReplyDeleteI was supportive of LAB Reform but that, as a movement, seems to be dead in the water
I had a chance to visit with Clarke privately when he was in OK late last year and found him friendly, open, and more importantly, quite candid
I would like to see (may have missed it) the results of the survey that attempted to elicit expectation/concerns/recomendationsof the LAB membership
There has been two relativley examples that show how important energized and focused organizations and their leadership are are at the state level as to how to deal with issues
LAB and Texas are never going to hear the end of the ChipSeal fiasco and nor will ALL the facts as to who said what ever be made public (Steve was the sole source of most of what I beleive to be "credible")
On the other hand is the Blackhawk case wherein the Colorado group told LAB "we have it under control and thanks for the offer" (that's esentially what Clarke told me)
At the national level and big picure I have no problem with what LAB is doing or partnering with
I have little quarrel with Chuck's points. As for LABReform, I was asked if I was a member by our LCI Seminar leader. I am not. A LR member whose opinion I respect has commented on this post. He is not the only one I highly respect. But some are far less credible.
ReplyDeleteShould have included IMO at the end of the previous comment.
ReplyDelete