Hold the bus here....

How many of you have read the news today?

I have and I have got to tell you that my opinion of the police services (in particular the RCMP)in this country falls a little harder each day.

A third RCMP officer charged with impaired driving.
Or should I say the first.
(See our News Headlines at http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/ Under Busted Knuckle News)

From the Globe and Mail.....The newly disclosed case involves Corporal Darren Baker, a 38-year-old school-liaison officer with the North Vancouver RCMP.
Last Dec. 15, he was stopped just before 1 a.m. by members of the West Vancouver Police Department assigned to an integrated road-safety initiative.

"They stopped the vehicle after observing it being driven erratically and, while dealing with the driver, they formed the opinion that the driver's ability to drive a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol," Constable Linteau said.

Based on two samples of his breath, the driver was served with an appearance notice and administrative driving prohibition, she said.

Charges of impaired driving and driving over .08 were approved by the Crown in March of this year, and Cpl. Baker is to face trial on Jan. 27 in Provincial Court. He is also facing a disciplinary hearing next February.

From CBC...Linteau said the RCMP also conducted a code of conduct investigation against Baker, who belonged to a school liaison unit, but has since been placed in administrative duties. He will face a disciplinary hearing on Feb. 25 and 26, she said.

From the Vancouver Sun...New Westminster police spokesman Sgt. Ivan Chu would not release the name of the officer but confirmed she was a secondary school liaison officer. GlobalBC identified her as Tomi Hamner. She was moved to administrative duties following the accident, Chu said.

OK, so now there are three RCMP officers from the lower mainland of BC that have been charged with impaired driving.

Now correct me if I am reading wrong. School Liaison Officer?

Two of them WERE School Liaison officers at the time they were arrested for impaired driving and the other officer allegedly had his kids in the car.

I am detecting THREE very unsettling themes here.

1: 3 RCMP Officers Drinking and Driving - all from the lower mainland of BC
2: A total lack of regard for the children of our communities....
3: RCMP officers and their superiors Serving their own agendas and Protecting their butts.

I may not be the brightest bunny in the bunch but I have a decent memory for an old broad and I recall something my father told me a long time ago and I have heard similar things preached by motivational speakers and people of wisdom...

And that is: A team is only as good as its leader.

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."-Arnold Glasow


"The best leader brings out the best in those he has stewardship over."-
J. Richard Clarke


"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."- William Arthur Ward


Well, something appears to be wrong with the leaders of the RCMP in the Lower Mainland Region of BC - somehow they are not getting the message through to their officers. Its one thing to get down on the individual members involved here. They should know better than to behave the way they have.

But the real question here is - did no one see that these officers were in trouble?
Are the powers that be not paying attention to their people? What kind of leaders don't see that the stress their officers are under is doing them in? Or are the higher ups leading by example and these officers felt it was OK to drink and drive? WHAT is going on?

How do you get kids to have respect for a uniform when this is the kind of conduct they are hearing and seeing? When an officers name is shielded from the same type of media exposure as John Q Citizens...how do you teach our kids?

With the Young Offenders act protecting them and the ones who are supposed to be leading by example committing these kinds of offences....you tell me - how do you convince kids they should show some respect? These three officers make that next to impossible - the message that's being received and perceived by the youth of this country is devastating.

My next question about all of this involves the naming of officers when the are charged.

The normal process as I understand it is:
Step 1: Arrest
Step 2: Charges (informal) laid by police/RCMP - it is here in most cases involving John Q Citizen that names are released to the media
Step 3: Formally charged by judge

But when are the names of Police Officers who have been charged (Step 2) released?

In the case of all three officers the media found out by searching court records - not through any release from the RCMP. Step 2 it appears is only for John Q Citizen - In every release they refused to name the officer.

If you believe B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal - (From the Edmonton Sun) Oppal points out no member of the public is ever named prior to the laying of a charge.
He says because the officer’s name has been reported by several media outlets it could be argued that the Mountie is receiving unfavourable treatment. (Look at the dates of the charges in the other two officers March and October of 2008 something about his comment doesn't ring very true now does it?)

My head is swimming.

I can not wrap my head around all of the dire consequences of the actions of three individual police officers, their commanding officers, the BC Attorney General and the many mixed messages that are being put out there - I can only imagine what a hormonal and angry teen must be thinking - I remember those days.

In an ironic way what's happening to the RCMP's reputation is fitting - it's being damaged by the actions of a few. Just like what happens to OUR community. How many times have people who ride motorcycles been tarred by a brush that wasn't theirs to wear? I know I have been.

If one applied the tactics and logic the RCMP as a whole appears to use when dealing with "Bikers" and "Motorcycle Event Coordinators" then one could, if one chooses to, tar all RCMP officers with the brush of drunken, disrespectful, self serving, authority abusing oafs.

Paybacks are a bitch and sometimes very humbling. And I for one love Poetic Justice.

My father, who was filled with many tidbits and truisms, once said on the subject of dealing with jerks, liars and bullies - "Give them enough rope - they'll hang themselves - you don't need to do anything - they'll do it to themselves." Guess what - he was right.

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - PLEASE ride like they are out to get you.

Belt Drive Betty

And some more of the same...

Last week an RCMP officer was involved in a drunk driving crash that took the life of a 21 year old man. Now come reports of a female officer from the New Westminster BC department was involved in a drinking and driving accident resulting in charges. The accident occurred October 16th.

Is there something going on with the police services that we should know as motorists?
It can't be Christmas parties yet, so what is going on in the lower mainland of BC?

It does make one wonder - someone who hears the preaching every day of the dangers of drunk driving, someone who sees and knows the carnage and devastating results - why? What causes them to do it? I'm not sure anyone really knows. But I do know this....you and I, Joe Q motorist - if we get caught, we are not getting a break. The officer who allegedly killed the 21 year old - he's been suspended with pay. I suspect the female officer will get the same treatment.

I am not quite sure why the tax payer is made to pay the wages of someone who can't or isn't allowed to do his/her job because of his/her conduct. They have been caught - red handed. One it appears took a life needlessly (actually 2 if you count the taser incident he was involved in) and the other wiped out a sign in a police van.

When you choose a career to Serve and Protect - you know going in, that you are to be held to a higher standard. That's the reality of becoming a cop. Yet every day I see, from this unique chair I sit in, many police officers being charged with crimes ranging from drunk driving to theft, rape, assault...there are many who become as bad as the bad guys/gals they are supposed to be protecting the rest of us from.

I know they are human, I know they will make mistakes and missteps. I try to look past the clothing to the person. But answer me this....does it appear to you that the caliber of people the police services are attracting these days is less than stellar? It appears to me that just like many businesses that are finding it hard to attract quality people so too do the police services or perhaps there is something wrong in the screening process.

Whatever the cause for the conduct of these people, their conduct makes it hard for kids to learn about respect and responsibility, it makes it hard for people to trust the police services as a whole. I have never envied anyone who chose to be a police officer. I think out of all of the jobs there are in the world that it has got to be the toughest.

Having 2 uncles who have served in the RCMP, I know how hard the job is and how hard it can be to walk the tight rope of humanity. They see the worst of humanity everyday, they live on adrenaline - tight and tense much of the time.

Still - the officers involved in the 2 separate drunk driving incidents knew going in that they would be held to a higher standard because of the uniform they chose to wear.

I am conflicted - on one hand I want to see them have the book thrown at them - on the other hand - they too are human - and therefore fallible. When we make mistakes we want compassion. Do these officers deserve compassion? I don't know.

I only know that there is a family who is grieving the loss of their son. Someone young and full of promise. There is another family that officer Montgomery Robinson touched in a devastating way as he was one of the four officers involved in the tasering incident of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski.

The other thing I know about officer Robinson is that by all accounts - he had his children in the Jeep with him and he fled the scene of an accident to shield his kids from the grossness of the scene.

Put all of that together and I am having a hard time mustering up any sympathy for the man.

The female officer, well she got off lucky in that her crime did not involve her children and no innocent person lost their life - no family is grieving over her actions save her own....the crime is the same as that of officer Robinson - only the consequences are different.

In other news we had a setting in our new forums that was causing about 170 of our members to inundated with emails from the forum. The problem has been rectified and I apologize for the inconvenience that caused.

Our friend Sean O from New Brunswick wrote me that his blog will be back up and running today - he had computer challenges that had him out of commission for a few days.

Speaking of which - I still have blogs and news feeds to finish going through before I can get on with the rest of the work day so...

Please, if you are still riding - STAY SAFE.
Ride like they are out to get you.

Belt Drive Betty

What kind of crap is this?

The news both yesterday and today disgusts me.

On one hand you have an RCMP officer who kills a rider with his Jeep - while impaired. Not only does he kill the rider but the idiot has his kids in the Jeep with him. He flees the scene to remove his children from seeing the"Gross" scene.

He wanted to protect HIS kids - what about the one he had just killed?

Then there is the lovely province of Ontario - what are these idiots thinking?

They want to ban kids under 14 from being passengers on highway motorcycles.

What the HE double hockey sticks is going on? I can not believe the stupidity of these people who hold public office. Is it a prerequisite to loose any semblance of common sense the minute you get into office?

I'm not sure about the rest of you - but these two situations DISGUST me - Completely...

It's time for riders to start uniting their voices against this kind of crap - seriously people.

The RCMP officer who took a life drunk driving had best be getting life in prison - that is the maximum penalty under the law and it MUST be applied to him. He should not be on the payroll - he should be fired and jailed. (Serve and Protect - yah I think that stands for - Serve your own interests and Protect your Ass)

And the politicians in Ontario - they should be locked in a room and not let to touch pen to paper again - these people are out to lunch and so out of touch with reality its not even remotely funny.

People - it's time to start writing some serious letters. We need - as a community from coast to coast to get the message out that we are Fed Up Riders and we are NOT going to take it anymore.

The on line petition for the Ontario Ban on kids under 14 being passengers on a motorcycle is: http://www.gopetition.com/online/22916.html

The RCMP Commissioner William J.S. Elliott can be reached via:
RCMP Public Affairs and Communications Services
Headquarters Bldg.
1200 Vanier Parkway
Ottawa, Ont. K1A 0R2

General Inquiries: 613-993-7267
Fax: 613-993-0260

It's time to send some serious messages people....

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - PLEASE ride safe people...
Between drunken cops, careless drivers and rider error you could find yourself as a statistic and I want you around for a long time...so please ride like they are out to get you.

Belt Drive Betty

Keeping up the pace....

Gang, I gotta tell yah, I need your help.

I need two things - your involvement in the newspaper and the web site- www.beltdrivebetty.com/Motorcycle_Media - I want to see tons of stories submitted on your riding clubs, your events, your businesses and your people. Why? I want to know where to go when I visit your area and so do other riders.

I need a book keeper/office administrator in the worlds worst way. If you live in Grande Prairie, know Quick books and have at least 6 hours a week to devote, please call me.

Either that or I need at least 2 more sales people.

If you are interested in some good part time money, and enjoy sales. Call me. Where you live doesn't really matter for this position if you have a computer and reasonable skill with it.

Customer service stories - where is the good customer service in PEI. Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec - Manitoba - does anyone have any knowledge to share? Come on guys - you are Canadian too - Come on people - we need those great stories....

What was your favorite event of 2009? Why would I want to go? Come on, tell me!

I want to continue what I am doing - show casing every one's back yard - but I can't do that with out your help. Submit your group or club stories and events to us at bdbetty@gmail.com for stories and arlene.bdbadmin@gmail.com for events.
Here's hoping to hear from more of you....because when you write the paper for me by submitting articles and stories - I can put more effort into the layout process and promoting this community. Time is no more my friend than it is yours.....

Help me - help our community! Get INVOLVED!

I am NOT alone in needing your help.

The Bernice MacNaughton High School Bike Klub MUST Sell 300 more tickets on the Betty Bobber to even come close to this thing being a success for them. Help them to become more self sufficient by buying a ticket today - the Draw is November 1st so ACT NOW!!!!!
Get a hold of the teacher who runs the program:
Marc Mazerolle
Teacher/Bike Club Manager
Bernice MacNaughton High School
999 St George Blvd. Moncton, New Brunswick Canada E1E 2C9
Phone: 506-856-3469 (school)
Phone: 506-856-6014 (home)

or go on their web site: www.bmhsbikeclub.zoomshare.com
To buy online the ticket price is $51.75

Come On People - PLEASE - Help these kids out - I have my ticket.

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - PLEASE
Ride like they are out to get you, because they are!

Belt Drive Betty

A memorial

Last night my husband and I along with AIM-Can National president Cliff Hammond from Prince George, attended the memorial for Sylvie Dorant (Day)

When we arrived at the Masonic Lodge at 5:30pm the place was already pretty much filled to capacity.

There was a core group of Mark's friends - Lorrie, Brenda, Gaylee and others who organized the function and a core group from Peace Country AIM-Can (Brendan, Kellee, Sharon and Larry) that worked the phones to let the AIM-Can membership know about the memorial and the fund raising that needed to be done as Sylvie died with no life insurance.

The people who make up the community here in the GP area are generous, kind and loving and they all rallied around a friend, colleague and brother.

It is times like this, when a person is hurting, raw and wounded that they need their friends and community the most - and as usual, the community here did not disappoint - they came through with their usual flying colors.

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - ride like they are out to get you - because they are....

Belt Drive Betty

Out with the Old and in with the NEW

In a couple of days we bid farewell to the old www.beltdrivebetty.com

Ali almost has our new forums done, the

new BDB Groups area for those who want a place to host their group forum for free.
We still have the classifieds and job listings to pull over, but other than that, we are there!

We still have small tweaks and fine tuning to do on the new site, but we are slowly working out the kinks. In all I am very please with the results!

I need a sports editor, someone who is interested in sifting through the feeds and posting the articles and links in our sports section.

I need moderators for our own BDB Forum.

If anyone is interested in giving me a hand, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a safe day - ride like they are out to get you - because, they are.

Belt Drive Betty

Rights - what rights?

The chair I sit in at work everyday is an interesting one.
It provides me a vantage point on what's going on in the world of motorcycles that few have.

I get to see it all from road racing, motocross and drag racing news to the politics of being a cruiser/touring rider.

Off road riders are constantly fighting to keep places to ride, street bikes are always subject to extra police services scrutiny and if you ride with a club anything that happens with 1% clubs has the potential to disrupt your riding life....

Like most people who ride a motorcycle I just want to ride.

I really don't care about what the supposed good guys and bad guys get up to....but and there is always a but....if you do keep an eye on what's going on, if you keep yourself educated and informed you can prevent yourself a world of frustration.

In the US right now the Mongols MC - a 1% MC, is under siege in a way that has a potential to affect the rights of others....what do I mean?

Well....a judge in the US has decided to grant Federal Prosecutors the rights to the "gang's" name and all associated imagery.

Intellectual Property is now under attack.

And I quote:
“U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper on Wednesday granted an injunction that prohibits gang members, their family members and associates from wearing, licensing, selling or distributing the logo, which typically depicts the profile of a Mongolian warrior wearing sunglasses. ……That way, federal authorities say, they could outlaw the gang in part by preventing them from using the name and imagery, and by seizing property and assets that carry it, including clubhouses, motorcycles and even gang members' clothing. This would allow any police officer "who sees a Mongol wearing this patch ... to stop that gang member and literally take the jacket right off his back," U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien told Reuters."

I guess that means that if these guys wear their logo as a tattoo that the authorities can either peel the hide off of them or confiscate the person wearing the tattoo....

Now you ask; how does this order affect the ordinary rider….

And I further quote:
"The judge initially issued an injunction Tuesday, but that order was limited to barring the sale or distribution of the logo. New language was added, saying the gang members and their affiliates "shall surrender for seizure all products, clothing, vehicles, motorcycles ... or other materials bearing the Mongols trademark, upon presentation of a copy of this order."

You can be sure that Canadian authorities are going to watch closely what happens with this newest twist in the "fight against crime" south of the border and will be looking for ways that they can implement the same strategy here.

When that strategy is implemented here in Canada - not if it is implemented but WHEN - if you have certain paraphernalia/intellectual property on you or your machine, on your tool box or the wall of your home or garage - the government may actually lay claim to it...because they would own the trademarks and the intellectual properties.

Think of the sweeping ramifications - books, pictures, posters, stickers, tee shirts, jewellery, tattoos and art work- all of these items are covered under intellectual property.

Here's a scene that has played out in my head, you tell me if you can see it happening:

You have a "Support XYZ MC" Sticker on your bike- you bought it because you either thought it was cool or you support freedom of expression. You have been at an event where a 1% MC has attended. (Remember - These gents are always followed to events by their ever faithful watchdogs, undercover officers - who photograph and catalogue everything including license plates.)

You are stopped by an officer who doesn't particularly care for you, he sees the sticker, he confiscates your bike and a case is built against you that you are a "Known Associate/Affiliate" because you, your bike and plate were photographed at an event with 1% ers present.....it costs you a filthy fortune to prove your bike is yours courtesy of hard work - Extreme? Perhaps - but is it possible? YUP as long as police officers are human - it’s possible...

Everything 1% clubs do affects the rest of us who wear black leather BECAUSE of the Police Services and governments of all levels - in my humble opinion, who don't exercise much in the way of common sense at times and their knee jerk reactions to situations often gives us laws that frankly are ridiculous and some are down right scary.

If you look at Myrtle Beach SC and the fact that they as a municipality have decided to super cede State law by introducing their own helmet law....

Look at my own bike show in Olds AB - the police services used the 1% clubs potential for attendance at the event to create fear in the municipal government and to extract $10K out of me for enhanced policing and they put so many restrictions on the event that I almost ended up in jail and lost $100K.

To educate yourself as to the latest in the saga I recommend you read:

http://www.newsone.ca/ottawarecorder/stories1/index.php?action=fullnews&id=42919

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/GAM.20081023.INGRAM23/TPStory/TPComment

If you are lucky enough to still be riding - please ride like they are out to get you....

Belt Drive Betty