Wow

I love riding my motorcycle, and I've had close calls on the road - but nothing like this...

No More Helmet Law in Michigan!

No more helmet law, that is, if Governor Granholm signs the bill. Of course, she has threatened to veto it.

Let's face it - most of the momentum for the helmet repeal is emotional. We riders don't want the government nanny looking over our shoulders as we go down the road. I am part of that group.

I won't go out riding without a helmet on, for several reasons - including the obvious crash issue. But helmets won't protect you from death in a crash. That's right - helemts will not protect you from death in an accident, but if the accident is survivable, they will protect you from becoming a vegetable.

I personally like helmets for other reasons, including protecting me from the amount of road debris thrown in my face or at my head during the average trip, and for shielding against nasty critters like yellow jackets and bumble bees - of which I seem to hit a few times a trip.

Anyways, I think it is foolish to ride without a helmet - but I agree with bikers throughout the state - it should be a matter of personal choice, not government intrusion.

Sadly, Patriot Guard Rides Again in Michigan

Unfortunately, the Patriot Guard is riding once again here in Michigan. Spc. Andrew Waits of Waterford died on April 13, 2006.

Spc. Waits was killed by an improvised explosive device that detonated near his HMMWV. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Comabt Team, 101st Airborne Divison (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

The Patriot Guard will be taking care of sanitation duties if the standard riff-raff tries to interrupt as planned.

For further info, please see their website. For information specific to Spc. Waits funeral, click here.

This is the itinerary for the Patriot Guard Mission to honor Spc. Andrew Waits who gave all on 04-13-06. It is a go and all contacts have been made.

Services will be held at the St. Perpetuas Church at 134 Airport Rd. in Waterford at 1100 Hrs. on Saturday April 22nd.

STAGING: Staging will start at 9:15 A.M. at the old Franks Nursery Parking Lot located at 5919 Highland Rd. (M-59) in Waterford. We will leave the staging area no later than 10:15 A.M. Parking is going to be a major concern so please plan on the possibility of having to park some distance away.

The lead Ride Captain will be Zach Chandler (Thor). He can be reached at (586) 321-3173 if you must get in touch with him. Other Ride Captains will be present.

The weather forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy with a high of 66 degrees.

Please remember that our mission is to respect and honor this fallen soldier and his family. Bring your flags and display them proudly.

IMPORTANT: Please remember to monitor this website for any last minute changes that may occur.

Bill Kaledas
PGR Michigan State Captain.

Tags: Patriot Guard

Patriot Guard to the Rescue in Michigan

I have a policy of not swearing on this blog, so I can't truly and accurately describe how I feel when some idiot group protests at a military funeral and shouts things like "God hates your son... He's glad your son died...your son is in hell." I know a certain church in Topeka, Kansas are satan-worshippers disguised as Christians, and I won't say any more than that.

But I can sing the praises of the Patriot Guard.

Michigan resident, Army Cpl. Nyle Yates III, died in Iraq. He gave his life for the cause of freedom - both for those of us here at home, and for a people in a land far away.

While a certain group of satan-worshippers from Kansas tried to make a stink at the funeral, the Patriot Guard honored our fallen hero.

...their words were drowned out by 300 people standing shoulder to shoulder with their backs to the protesters, forming a human shield, holding hundreds of flags so the Yates family would not have to see or hear the protesters.

"God bless Cpl. Yates!" the group chanted. "God bless Cpl. Yates!"

The funeral turned into a scene that has played out more than 100 times across the country, including three times in Michigan in the last month. Most of the supporters were members of the Patriot Guard, a motorcycle group with nearly 22,000 members formed in October to shield families from protesters and to honor fallen soldiers.

The Patriots are a motorcycle group, a patriotic group of men and women who shouldn't be crossed.

"We are Patriots," said Larry (Grumpy) Helser, a Vietnam veteran from Holt who organized the event for the Patriot Guard with the edge of a man who used to be in charge of 120 combat Marines.

"This is a fallen hero. We are here to respect the family of the fallen."

Unfortunately,

A heavy police presence kept the two sides from anything more than an intense verbal battle, although they stood less than 30 feet apart.

One uniformed soldier took a few steps toward the protesters with the intention of attacking one of them, but he was stopped by a police officer. The solider cooled off and walked away.

These protesters do NOT have any First Amendment rights to disturb a private affair such as a funeral. Nowhere in the Constitution is this allowed, period.

I thank God for the men and women like Cpl. Yates, who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I thank God for the men and women who served, who gave of themselves, at any time during our country's history. And I thank God that there are people like the Patriot Guard who protect the dignity of our nations heroes when satan-worshipping hate-mongers come to protest.

Patriot Guard

Time to Ride

The long winter is ending. Time to pull the motorcycle out, dust it off, prep it, and RIDE!