When the going gets tough...

I am reeling after a series of set backs and I am having to re-evaluate everything Belt Drive Betty Media does and how it does it.

I had a major advertiser whose marketing had been all approved and set up cancel their ads for no  reason and with no notice. That advertiser has caused a 5 week delay in the release of our Rider Friendly Phone Book which will finally go to the press room this week once adjustments to the book are made.

This is not a delay I could have foreseen and I deeply apologize to all who have preordered the books which won't start arriving now until the middle of June. We will be releasing the App shortly for the phone book shortly so that will help out those with smart phones.

The ramifications of this advertiser backing out of their agreement will be far reaching in this little company.

This same advertiser was supposed to be a sponsor of the TV show "Ride Like a Local" on Eastlink TV and their cancellations have caused me to cancel the show with Eastlink TV - I do not have enough time to find other advertisers for Eastlink as my schedule is just too full and busy right now. Had this happened 2 months ago, it would not have been an issue but at this late date, there is not a lot I can do except re-group.

I am looking at airing the show on YouTube only for the 2014 season with episodes beginning as soon as I have time to start editing the film footage I already have. In the end this might be a good thing as I will be free to promote the show and make it available to those in regions where Eastlink TV is not an option. It will depend on my remaining sponsors for the show and how our talks go.

So, stay tuned for the decision on "Ride Like a Local" and what form it will take as soon as I can share that with you.

I also have to decide if I am going to take this company to court for breech of contract or just take it up the arse without a whimper.  Considering the physical state my husband is in, I will probably just have to let it go as I cannot put any more stress in his life.

On top of that disappointing news, came some condemnation from a person who feels that I should just not respond to the Sturgis North lawsuit against me and that there can be no fight if I just don't show up for the battle. I was accused of being a bad wife because I know that stress and MS patients do not mix and that sure gave me pause for thought.

My husband has MS and the stress of that lawsuit has caused a flaring of this hideous disease.
This person suggested that I was a bad wife for putting him under such stress and that I should just not respond. This person either does not understand how lawsuits initiated by others work OR they truly think that my fighting for the Freedom of the Press is not a valid fight.

If I was to not respond to the lawsuit, it would mean these people would win by default and that would mean that Belt Drive Betty Media and all of the charity work we do would be forever ceased.
It would also affect other journalists as it would set a legal precedent that is very dangerous.
So I sit here this morning examining my business and my life.

I am asking myself many questions and am hoping to find some inspiration and guidance from the riding community.

The Sturgis North lawsuit was initiated by Ray Sasseville and Joan Hansen to cause me grief, money and to shut me up. It's doing a good job on two out of three fronts.

The organizers of the newly rebranded Sturgis Canada do not appreciate the information I have disseminated to the riding community and they really don't want the truth about the players in the event brought to light.  Although they are suing me for defamation and slander, I have backed everything up I have ever written with evidence and nothing they are suing me for is actionable as it is all from the public domain - this lawsuit is truly a nuisance suit.  I have done my job properly.

I feel awful that my business, my chosen profession is causing my husband to relapse.
And I am now in a quandary - do I accept the offer to settle which sees me with a $250K gag order on me as a journalist and allow the setting of a dangerous legal precedent for all journalists but ends the stress for my husband?

Do I continue to fight for the truth to be fully exposed and my good name as a journalist cleared?
And if I do, at what cost to my husband and marriage?

If ever there was a rock and a hard place this is it.

So, if you were in my boots and you knew you had done nothing wrong, that you had evidence (proof) to back up everything you said and wrote, but the stress of the lawsuit was causing your spouse to relapse, what would you do?

I have talked to my husband at great length about this situation and he is as torn as I am.

I love my job, my business, the riding community and my husband, I can't see my life without any of those elements in it.

I feel like I am in hell right now and I can't see the forest for the trees.
It's hard to take a step back and evaluate everything with so much emotion at play.

Your thoughts on this topic might just help me make a good decision because you might come up with suggestions and ideas that I have been unable to come up with on my own or in discussions with my husband - we are both too close to the situation to see the other alternatives that might be out there.

Your feedback and ideas would be deeply appreciated.

Now to other news:

In Manitoba, a former high ranking member of the Hells Angels MC has been released on early - FULL parole now that he is no longer a member of the club.

In Ontario, there have been two separate motorcycle crashes, the one was a single motorcycle crash where the rider died and the other crash, also a single motorcycle crash saw the rider air lifted to hospital with serious injuries.

In San Francisco, a female only "Outlaw Motorcycle Club" the Devil Dolls Motorcycle Club was barred from vending at a gun club event this past weekend.

There are many more articles in the news feeds which may be of interest to you over on www.beltdrivebetty.com, where our work is keeping you informed.

Have a great day and please remember, ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and if you are blessed enough to be riding today, please consider dressing for the slide and not the ride.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider