My time in Fort McMurray - Part One

I don't know how many parts this series will be.  There are SOOOO many stories I want to share with you. Why? Because this riding community stepped up in ways that have me trembling with pride.

The mainstream media, to this point has purposefully ignored acknowledging the efforts of we riders.

Every time I think about the generosity of the people in my community, both Grande Prairie and the Riding community my heart swells with pride and my eyes fill with tears.

I want to start at the very beginning with how I came to decide on heading to Fort Mac.
Wednesday morning, May 4th at 6 am I was watching the news, I had been feeling so impotent and wanted desperately for there to be something I could do.

Darby Allen, the Fire Chief came on and mentioned his front line responders had no food or water and immediately I knew what I could do.

One phone call, two emails and one Facebook post later and we were on the road to Fort McMurray with what would turn out to be the first of many truckload of supplies that were needed.

Lynda Klouth, the contractor who runs the BKC News Bytes, Grande Prairie and Region agreed to drive me up there with her diesel truck and holiday trailer.

Costco kicked in $350 worth of supplies over and above what we paid for and UFA in Grande Prairie and Athabasca made sure we had fuel....

Jeremy Hall from Ruby Ridge Contracting, a rider with the Condemned Ones MC reached out and said he'd be coming up with supplies but he also had a Fire Fighter out of Grovedale who needed a ride up to Fort Mac.

We picked Jessy Kappel - the Firefighter from Grovedale who has 7 of her blood brothers who were working on the front line - all firefighters!

We headed to Fort Mac with Jessy making calls arranging for fuel and other much needed supports, Lynda driving and me building sandwiches as we went.

We hit the Anzac roadblock at 6pm. The fire was jumping the highway and we could not get in, but we started feeding RCMP officers on the highway - many of them explaining that while there was a camp about 10 KMS away, many of them hadn't eaten in 10 and 12 hours.  Sandwiches, water, fruit and veggie trays were passed out and devoured in short order!

At Azac Road Block

We waited at the roadblock for what felt like forever.
Jessy was chomping at the bit to get these supplies and herself up there to do her logistics and firefighting job.

I forget the exact time when Anzac's Command centre went up in smoke. But we saw all of the evacuation buses and the Black plumes of smoke and then the fire - right beside us on the highway.  The RCMP moved us to the opposite side of the highway heading back south to wait out the evacuation measure, so we watched it all.  It was terrifying.

Evacuation buses for ANZAC

At about 11:30 pm on May 4th we were finally escorted into Mac Island to set up our food station.

The very first firefighter we served was a big man who anchored out his rig and got out of the fire truck just vibrating with fatigue from head to toe. He asked if by chance this food was for them and when I old him that yes, we motorcyclists of Alberta were here to serve them he picked me up and crying told me I was his angel, that he hadn't eaten in 62 hours, he'd been surviving on Ritz Crackers and granola bars.

And story after story was the same - OMG Coffee, I haven't had coffee in two days...this sandwich is the best thing in the world - I haven't eaten in two days or 24 hours....

And I made sure that every firefighter, EMT, RCMP officer, truck driver etc knew that BIKERS - RIDERS were responsible for making this happen.

The view at 1 AM from our food station at MAC ISLAND

I worked with Lynda's help, through the night making sandwiches and coffee and doing our best to raise the spirits of our boys and girls. We worked all day Thursday and through into Friday morning Linda headed back to Grande Prairie for another load of supplies late on Thursday. In the mean time, Jeremy Hall from Ruby Ridge Contracting had brought down a load of supplies and Will Skinner - both of them just pitched in and began helping to feed people.

On Thursday morning, Brian Jean opposition leader from the Wild Rose Party and Tany Yao also from the Wild Rose representing Wood Buffalo stopped by - their kind words were deeply appreciate by those of us feeding our fire fighters.

More to follow - but I need to get on the road to Two Hills to present them their trophy and road signs. Then back to Fort Mac with more supplies.

If you are blessed to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider

The good, the bad and the very ugly

Our military is in the headlines this week and it is not a pretty thing.

Here is the link to the Maclean's article preview: http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/our-militarys-disgrace-a-preview-of-our-latest-cover-story/

Rape and violence, these are among the topics of the investigation by L’actuality and their sister publication Maclean's.

Our military has reportedly had these problems for a lot of years.
And sadly, so has our R.C.M.P.

But it's not just about what happens at work.

In the US, this article from the Free Thought Project states that 1 in 4 women is a victim of domestic abuse but that number is 1 in 2 for police officers spouses.

The Canadian Dimension article from October 2015 suggests that domestic abuse in Canada by police officers is handled very badly by the police services:

Begin Quote:
As bad as things are in the U.S., by comparison Canada and other countries are in the Stone Age in taking action or acknowledging the problem. In the Montreal and Halifax police departments, less than one percent of male officers who commit domestic violence may face a criminal charge, according to calculations based on discipline records. The situation is even worse at the RCMP—even after Jocelyn Hotte’s shooting rampage. The RCMP disciplines Mounties more harshly if they steal or make a false statement than if they attack an intimate partner. A male Mountie who assaults his wife or girlfriend may have as little as a one-in-6,500 chance of ever facing a judge for his crime. End Quote

Not surprisingly, the Canadian Military also has it's issues with spousal abuse.
The CBC reported on the issue in 2011.

Police Officers and Combat Military Personnel and Veterans all become broken human beings at some point in their careers.  Some become far more broken than others.

My personal belief is that there are a number of factors at play here.

The very nature of the jobs these people sign up for is centered around violence and dealing with the worst of the worst in humanity.

Some of the people who come to these jobs already have ego issues or anger/aggression issues but are successful at hiding their true nature for a long time, until one day they loose their grip. Others have superiors who turn a blind eye or ship the bad apple out to another detachment or unit to get rid of the administration headaches.

Others are good people who over time become jaded by the filth they have to deal with on a day to day basis, who slowly begin to loose a handle on their own sense of morality and decency.
Their moral compass shifts.

Yet others are plunged into the depths of darkness over a single horrific incident that haunts them.

The darkness and pain has to have somewhere to go and if it is not being dealt with in a constructive way like counselling, things can go off the rails.

From everything I have read, it appears that most of the "offenders" in these rape and violence cases are male. And that does not surprise me.

"Weakness" in the military is frowned upon, the same in the R.C.M.P.  and other police services.
You have to be mentally tough to deal with a lot of the situations these people face.
You have to have your "brother/sister's" back. They need to be able to rely on you and so a sign of cracking under pressure could be a death nell to your job when it comes to your trustworthiness in a crisis situation. Hence showing any humanness means your livelihood becomes jeopardized.

You truly are a cog in the wheel, a piece of machinery and when you break down, when you are going sideways, you run the risk of being discharged and worse.

The stigma attached with "weakness" is a largely a male "issue".
Many men see "weakness" as a flaw.
The system sees "weakness" as a flaw.
And so, they become good at covering up the misery they are in.

Too often no one notices and so no interventions take place.
Due to the fear levels the victims have, often times many are hurt before the "situation" ever comes to light.

The violent, grotesque and often cruel world these people live in while on the job, takes a huge toll on their psyche. The military and police services in particular, are very good at making people into "soldiers", into order followers, into people who turn off the pain, the degradation while on the job, but as the horrors come to them through their mind's eye, in a crowded room or in their dreams, many crack.

Eventually some of them totally crumble. Without help, many become lost.

Many times, the victim becomes a victimizer.

The problem is not with the majority of these human beings, but rather with a system that does little to address the mental health needs of it's people.

If the "management" caught the warning signs and got these people the support, help and tools they need, things wouldn't have to degenerate the way they often seem to.

That is the SHAME GAME.

If they only knew that it's NOT WEAKNESS at all but HUMANNESS.

I don't care how tough you are, how strong you think you are.  If shown enough horror, enough cruelty, at least one of three things will happen, if not all three:

1) You will become so angry, so filled with a sense of impotency that the rage damned near consumes you and you take it out on everyone around you especially your spouse.

2) You commit suicide either physically or career wise. By that I mean, you drink and drive (Self Medicate), you pick fights, you become overtly aggressive - a bully...you become a problem child in other words.

3) You find the right help and support and begin living a better, healthier and more balanced life.

Our soldiers, veterans and police have more than a hurdle or two to overcome.

The New Veterans Charter  still does not provide for them adequately, in spite of the Equitas agreement, for if it did, the bureaucracy would have changed hugely, especially with the high profile cases mentioned below, but it has not.

From my personal experience talking with veterans, it hasn't improved for a lot of them.
Their case managers are burnt out and overworked thanks to so many VAC offices closing, which means the bureaucracy is worse than ever.

Some of the policies and procedures are border line cruel when it comes to benefits and supports.

Case in point - Eric Magill - when you read his story in the Trenton Trentonian Newspaper, you will shake your head at the lunacy.

He lives in Trenton Ontario and has been given a wheelchair with California wheels on it, the wrong wheels for his terrain and the brakes don't work. His house is not wheel chair accessible, neither is his vehicle and why? Paperwork issues. Bureaucracy. 14 YEARS WORTH.

And how about the case of veteran Paul Franklin- his legs were left behind in Afghanistan, taken by an suicide bomber and yet every year he is asked if they have grown back.

The degradation of needing support and being treated like an unworthy/manipulative human being is cruel.

If prisoners were treated in this manner, the John Howard Society or someone would be advocating loudly for them.

The Equitas Society was formed to combat the inadequacies in the New Veteran Charter and while an agreement was reached in May of 2015, nothing much has changed.

Psychological supports are even tougher to get than the physical supports like a wheelchair and sadly, I personally know of stories where spouse's of soldiers with PTSD and other mental challenges are told to run far away, take half of everything and go.

No family counselling, no real help. Instead - destroy a family.

I have lost military friends to suicide. The devastation to their families is enormous.

Sadly, I get why these people blow a head gasket and why so much abuse and suicide exists.

The combination of the rigours of the job, the sometimes inhumane treatment at the hands of superiors and bureaucrats becomes too much and voila, the perfect storm.

I admit I am no psychiatrist or psychologist, but I have heard these heart wrenching stories enough to know that I am not too far off in my interpretation of what takes place. At least for some.

It's tragic. But, we can do something to help end some of the degradation of suffering for one man...

I hope those of you who can will join us in Nisku at Blackjack's Roadhouse on May 28th for our Wheels for Our Wounded Poker Run - this year we will be riding to help Eric Magill.

This poker run will be the kick off our national Crowdfunding Campaign that we are launching for him.

With Branch #389 of ANAVETS as our new partner, we are going to be able to provide those who need or wish to have a charitable donation receipt when you donate online or mail cheques.

We are just waiting for the new bank accounts to be opened and the PayPal account for ANAVETS to be set up!

We intend to raise funds through the crowdfunding platform until we have raised all of the money we need to fund the scooter conversion project for Eric.


If you are blessed to be riding these days, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and please consider dressing for the slide and not the ride.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Fundraising - Where the Money has Gone.

For those not up to speed, a number of veterans and military groups are up in arms and are trying to discredit me because of the offence I took over a MEME that was made public by a group called Military Minds.

Now, because I said "Hey - Civilians, this is what Military Minds thinks of you and I"....they are attempting to smear my name and slander me - accusing me of making money off of the backs of our military...this is the meme that I took offence to...

This is not the Vietnam era when friends of mine like Captain Ed Ballinger were being spit on and called disgusting rude names at every turn.

This is 2016, a time when we, the majority of the civilians of the world have an appreciation of our military like never before.

We are more likely to buy a person in uniform a cup of coffee or shake their hand and thank them for the job they do.

We advocate loudly to our MP's, to other civilians to educate them about the New Veteran's Charter and the inadequacies in the veteran's support systems within VAC.  We work hard to fill the voids that are created because no matter how hard our Government may try to be everything to everyone, they fall short.

We fundraise, we proclaim our support at events like the Hero's Highway Ride, Red Friday and oh so many hundreds more.

We work to raise funds for all sorts of military related charities.

Here is my fundraising history - the condensed version.

I have been donating free advertising in my newspaper to the riding clubs and the charities they support for over 13 years, many of them military or veteran. The average ad is worth $85, now multiply that number by an average of 350 events that we sponsor with an average of 4 free ads per event. Now multiply that number by 13 years.

Since day one of my business I promised to pay it forward and I always have.
Corporate events pay for their advertising but the riding clubs and their charities get free marketing.

My efforts on behalf of our veterans and military are many.

The Bikers United in Remembrance Patch sells for $10 - they cost me about $3.60 a piece with shipping, duty, exchange and taxes. My new Canadian supplier charges me about the same when I buy in lots of 50 or 100.  If I am ordering for lots of groups all at once then we can drive the costs down considerably.  We had a good run on them when they first were designed, but now we sell the odd one here or there, but not many.

I have donated monies to several veterans causes and have sold these patches in batches of 100 at my dead cost and below to groups like the CVFR, Paws Fur Thought and other veterans Orgs for them to raise money with.  I have donated and given many of these patches away. I released my artwork under a creative commons license and have given a number of military groups permission to use the art for their fundraising purposes. Ask Smokey from the CVFR Ottawa, ask Jason Mullis, Medric Cousineau, Trapper of the CVFR Calgary....

On My Military Support Conga - we donated a bike to The Canadian Legion of Riders through a contest we hosted with Johnny Pag Canada, my company paid for that bike through contra advertising. I also raised and donated approx $7K that was divided up between Vets Canada, Paws Fur Thought and the Military Police National Relay Ride. At each ride of 20 - 30 bikers, and there were about 20 actual rides, the money that was collected was handled by the local riding club and we donated 25% of whatever we raised at the local ride back to their community. The money was always accounted for by someone local.
I funded 90% of the trip through my company - 92 days on the road in over 80 communities meeting with small groups of 1 - 30 riders, raising awareness. I had huge assistance from CAV, the Military Group I have belonged to for 12 years.

Please feel free to contact Jim Lawther at VETS Canada, Medric Cousineau of Paws Fur Thought and the Lamont French of the Military Police National Relay Ride to verify that donations were made.

Our first ever Wheels for Our Wounded Poker Run saw us donate over $4,000 to Kate MacEachern and the Long Way Home.  After expenses we had $1,600 left over and a ton of swag.

Here is the blog post outlining where we stood last May: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2015/06/wheels-for-our-wounded-inaugural-event.html

Rob Truscott handled all of the money for our Poker Run.  He is a solider who is actively serving.
He can vouch for the accounting and the fact that we did not meet our target of $9,999 to buy the bike. We had a deal for a bike, we had a veteran chosen but we could not get to our goal.

We were unable to purchase the bike from Mountainview Harley Davidson and I had to tell that to Peter Murie and I had to tell Brandie the marketing manager at Edmonton Harley Davidson that we were unable to meet our target and that we wouldn't be needing the riding gear after all. Kate MacEachern was the intended recipient of the bike and she was informed that we were not in a position to donate a bike. It was the hardest thing I have ever done.

We have only had one fundraiser and that was last May.

You see, I ended up with adrenal fatigue cause by tumours on my adrenaline glands in July of last year and was unable to do any other fundraising. I am still recovering from that and am told it could be another year or better before I am back to "normal".

We also had a number of our tee shirts go missing and when they arrived at the Greyhound Station the box was wet, destroyed, in a plastic bag. The contents inside were decimated - full of mildew.
Sadly the shipper did not buy insurance and so we have less swag to sell than we should, but again everything is documented including photos.

We donated swag to Mark Creamer and a group in PEI who held a Wheels for Our Wounded fundraiser last August to help a first responder in PEI to repair his side car. They purchased tee shirts for their event from our supplier and we supplied pins, patches, medallions and challenge coins at no cost to them. They still have swag and tee shirts and raised over $400 profit from their event for their first responder.

Did we do all we wanted to in our first year? NO - but we did something.

We helped two groups with funds.

This year we are raising funds for Eric Magill so that we can have a scooter modified to accept his wheelchair.  Although we will be holding a poker run, we will be fundraising until the scooter is paid for, we will be launching a crowd funding campaign to keep the fundraising going after the event.

We are working with Jon Burman from Classy Chassis in Lakefield Ontario as Eric lives in Trenton.

At our Poker Run this year, Rob Truscott is again our treasurer and he will make sure our paperwork is accurate. Backing him up will be Joey Carothers of the Brunch for Broads Group that is is our key volunteer group. I never handle the money at our charity events, I always put people in place who are stellar human beings to do that job. This way there is transparency.

I am also spearheading a project to build a war monument. It's going to cost between $55 and $70,000 to build.

ANAVETS will be handling the funds - the CAV is supporting us as I am leading this project as a CAV member.

Throughout the years there have been many, many other smaller things that I have done to contribute to the betterment of the world around me. 

I am not looking for a hero cookie, nor am I tooting my own horn. I am simply stating the facts and providing you with the names of organizations and people that you can ask - did she ever really donate to you? And you will get your answer.  

Now on to my lawsuit, it is well documented as well.

It was, what is termed a shotgun suit. 7 defendants including the Mayor of Sicamous, the City of Sicamous, Steve Hammer of Summer Stomp, Bernie Aubin of the Headpins, Vince Lewis a land owner and the Sicamous Chamber of Commerce, a non profit plus myself. 

My lawyer termed it a nuisance suit.

The lawsuit was dropped a couple of months ago. We had quit taking donations for my defence after about the first six months. The page still exists for posterity's sake as there is information and documents that may be of assistance to small business and charities. 

That page is in an ARCHIVED STATE.  The lawsuit cost far more than the monies that were raised as we had to force the case to court. I stood for my community, I did everything I could to educate people and I did my investigation thoroughly. That chapter is over.

These are the facts of what I have done to serve my community, veteran, military or civilian, riders all.

I do not get dark humour, that's what my friend Rob Truscott called the Meme that I take offence to. 

But as I expressed to him and others, they are expecting civilians to understand something that they have no context or reference for.

Even I with a military mother and father, a cousin in the 22nd Regiment and uncles retired from the RCMP - had never experienced this "DARK HUMOUR", if this is humour then I am sorry I do not get it.

My saying that I will not support Military Minds Inc if that is how they feel about civilians is just that - MY STAND - I will not support them and not just because of the MEME either - Because when I spoke out about it I was called and continue to be called horrid, horrid names.

I was treated like I was a Vietnam Vet and this was 40 years ago...the dialogue was disgusting and disturbing.

Had they shared this Meme with their members only and not made it public - they could have had their good old laugh at us - we the civilians who try to understand, who try to support...we would have been none the wiser.

But no, they made it public, to civilians who don't understand the ART OF WAR.

It was in my mind ill advised and I will never support the organization called Military Minds Inc., and especially not now that they and their supporters have launched a massive smear campaign against me.  

There are many, many veterans organizations that can use a hand and I will continue to do what I can, where I can, because I can. 

I will put my support where it is wanted.  

After all I am just a civilian and my opinion on a warriors service is not appreciated by Military Minds Inc.

Me, 1963

My mother, far left

My Father at 8 Wing Trenton

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

Common Sense - how common is it?

Meet the New Wave of Female Motorcyclists
The face of modern women's moto is beautiful... and properly badass.

That's the headline and the photo from thedrive.com

My first thought when I read the headline of this article coupled with the photo of a semi nude female rider was "Here we go again", and after reading the article about the photographer and the women she "shot", all I can say is, "Here we go again".

This rant will probably fall on deaf ears, but here I go anyway.

I get it, this is art. And yes all of the women portrayed in the article are beautiful in their own unique way, including Stormy who appears to be transgender. As art, the photos are beautifully done.

The problem in my mind, however, starts with the minds of those who are going to look at this art and then get on a motorcycle wanting to look pretty and sexy instead of being geared up for safety while riding.

I honestly wonder how many 20 somethings are going to think that their physical beauty needs to be displayed in all of it's glory while riding.

I wonder how many will be scraped up off the highway by some poor paramedic, police officer or fire fighter whose PTSD will deepen because of the horrific sight.

I wonder how many families will loose a daughter or have to care for her for weeks, months and years after having gone for a ride without proper gear.

There are issues within the female gender that these images are going to influence.

As a female rider, I have some strong feelings of frustration, concern and yes, even some anger at these photos. Not just because of the gender issue either because I would feel equally disappointed and concerned if these were photos of men riding clad this way.

As I said earlier, some will see these solely as art - I see it as a statement, and I personally don't feel it's a good statement to be making.

What say you?

Then there is this Meme from Military Minds Inc.

Maybe this is my day to be a grumpy old prude, but I am seriously offended by this Meme.

As a civilian who had supported and advocated for our veterans and  serving military, I find this sentiment disturbing and very sad.

What surprised me the most about this Meme was how many military types have liked it and shared it.

Over 750 Likes and 300 Shares and some of the comments that accompany it angered me.

I posted on my Facebook Page that I was pissed about this Meme and was told by one person that "Offence was being taken where none was intended" - REALLY?

I am a civilian - I acknowledge and support the military and our vets...and they tell me to go "Fuck my Hat"?

If this was aimed at bureaucrats, desk riders and politicians who make policy or life hell for our military and veterans - then SAY THAT, but don't put all civilians in the same soup pot.

That's like saying all riders are 1% or all riders are loud obnoxious asses...it's just not true or right.

If this was aimed at those who think that soldiers start wars and hate the military - then SAY THAT.

To those in the military, this might be funny, but as a civilian who has worked her ass off to support our troops, I find this meme to be very inappropriate and offensive and I for one will not be supporting Military Minds Inc. anymore - at least not until there is a public apology on their page.

If that is how the support of civilians is appreciated by them, then I'll concentrate my efforts on groups that I know, appreciate what many thousands upon thousands of civilians do to support our military.

Again - I'd love your opinion on these two topics...

In other news voting has come to an end in Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest - the results are unofficial but it appears that we have crowned our first Rider Friendly Community - Two Hills Alberta.

Congratulations to Bob Ross, the man who nominated his community first, the town of Two Hills and all of the people who voted for this community - your efforts have paid off!

Blackjacks Road House in Nisku Alberta is hosting their first ride night of the season tonight and they will have a special guest - Eric Lobo - world traveller.  If you get the chance, stop by Blackjacks Road House, Alberta's Best Bike Bar tonight and say hi!

If you are blessed to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and consider dressing for the slide, not the ride.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Overcoming Writers Block, Anger & Fear - Strong Motivators

Have you ever been so busy, so overwhelmed that you can't think straight?

That's where I am and have been for months.
I have struggled with writing of late, not that there haven't been many a topic that caught my eye, upset me or affected this community of riders.

I sit down at my computer, determined to write and the words just don't come and when they do they are such a mish mash of thoughts that even I can't really follow them.  So I shut down the blogger platform and go to work on one of the hundreds of  other tasks that are pulling at me.

Some of what's been going on with me is that I am tired.

Tired of politics, tired of hatred, strife, sadness, injustice. I have been focusing on the positives and I sure don't find a whole lot positive in the news. Facebook isn't much of a help either unless of course it's funny animal videos. I have been attempting to look forward, to happier times, imagining myself at some of the rallies I want to go to, the time I will get to spend with friends and the places I want to ride and experience. I have been looking for all of the good things to celebrate like sunshine, and spring, riding and loved ones...

Over the last few weeks there have been so many sad, hurtful, desperate situations....
We lost an RCMP Officer on Vancouver Island last week, a tragic and senseless loss.
We have already had numerous motorcycle crashes and fatalities.
Flo Fuhr from the Conga For Breast Cancer died suddenly while in Mexico.
Friends with cancer, heart disease and other critical illnesses that all need help.
Friends loosing their jobs and their sense of purpose.
Attawapiskat First Nation peoples attempting suicide by the hundreds, protests and sit ins taking place.
Bombings in Europe.
The leaders of our nations around the world seem hell bent on destroying it, so do groups like ISIL et al.

My heart and my psyche are aching.

It's hard being a "Journalist" who champions the under dog and takes on controversial topics when you are in the kind of mood I am in - I just really don't want to hear, see or read negative, hurtful or hateful things.  I don't want to be party to adding more of the same into the universe.

It's lead to writers block.

Then I came across something that got my dander up, something so ridiculous and so potentially devastating for our community that I had to speak out:

Westboro Baptist Church intends to protest at Motorcycle Rallies.

According to the article, Westboro Baptist Church spokesperson Lisa Greer is attributed with saying:
“these (motorcycle rallies) are a haven for inappropriate sexual activity and rampant drug use.” Greer explained to Kansas ABC affiliate  reporter Dan Walters, “Several motorcycle clubs across the country support the American soldiers and veterans who blindly fought overseas to provide homosexuals with the right to openly and legally commit sins against Jesus Christ – our mission is to educate.”

According to Greer, the Westboro Baptist Church has already made arrangements to attend the following motorcycle rallies – Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Rolling Thunder, Bikes Blues and BBQ, Love Ride, Laconia Motorcycle Week, Indiana Boogie, Laughlin River Run, Mrytle Beach Bike Week, and the Redwood Run. Greer told reporters that contingent upon budgetary allotments, the organization may also attend additional rallies throughout the year. End Quote

What is wrong with people?

I know that you have free speech but seriously there are times when just because you can say it doesn't mean it should be said.

Just because you can do it, doesn't mean you should.

What in heaven's name are these protestors, these so called "religious" people thinking?
How many soldiers funerals have they protested at? How many lives has their venom touched?

And what will the reaction be from the motorcycle community?

These people are doing to our community what so many reporters, police officers, politicians and naive riders do to our community - they are tarring us with a brush that is not ours to wear. They are profiling us, judging us, finding us guilty of a perceived "sin".

I pray that my brothers and sisters who decide to attend these events ignore Westboro - don't feed them any anger, hate, hurt or other emotion. Don't give them any power or ammunition or PRESS by reacting to them.

IGNORE THEM - PLEASE for the sake of everyone in our community - IGNORE THEM.

WE DON'T NEED anymore bad press.  We don't need lives destroyed over narrow minded, bigoted people. DO NOT GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. ATTENTION.

I need some time on Doc and soon, riding always soothes my soul and allows my thoughts to settle down. I am looking forward to riding with Eric Lobo and doing an interview with him. Hopefully that will happen sooner than later!

Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest, presented by Community Futures of Alberta, is almost at it's end and we find out the official word on April 21st about which community is is going to be crowned "Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community of 2015 - Two Hills Alberta or Moncton New Brunswick... Please check out all of the wonderful sponsors that are making Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest a reality and give them some LOVE!
Visit www.riderfriendlycontest.ca

My Beaver Mascot - Road Trip Rita is holding a contest called Beaver Shots.
So, what are Beaver Shots you ask? Surely Rita couldn't be suggesting anything inappropriate could she?

NO, calm down...here's what she's looking for...

If you take the time to stop, snap a picture and share it with Road Trip Rita, you could earn yourself a GAS CARD!

Visit: www.beltdrivebetty.com/BeaverShots  - to enter your photo....you must be a registered member of www.beltdrivebetty.com to enter - but hey, it's free to be a member.  Apparently our contest link is broken - we'll have it fixed shortly!

Until next time, please, dress for the slide and not the ride, ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you and brush up on those skills...let's have a safer rider season that what it's started out as.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

5 artists, 4 Ural Motorcycles and Adventure

What do you get when you take 5 people in the 30 year old age range (29-32), all artists sharing a similar dream and vision?

You get an adventure that involves four, 650CC Ural motorcycles with sidecars from the 80's, a trek across some of the most challenging terrain in the world, all in the name of learning the truth about culture, language, hospitality, differences.

These young people all wanted to learn what it was really like in places like Kazakhstan  Mongolia, Eastern Russia, Georgia and more...they wanted unfiltered truth seen through their eyes, their perceptions not that of some media person.

These people are artists. They are not from a motorcycling background.

They became riders, mechanics and through their free spirited souls they became expanded beings who view problems and challenges in a different way than they did when they first left the safety and security of their studios.

Their journey so far has put them in situations where they had to go without food, chase a floating motorcycle down a river, express their needs to people they couldn't communicate with in any normal fashion, experience the foods and cultures first hand away from the tourism industry.

Their ingenuity, their resolve is enlightening, inspiring and uplifting.

Their journey is far from over. Two years, 25,000 KM's on very old Ural Motorcycles (1980's) with sidecars, is behind them, but the third and final phase is ahead of them...

Right now they are in Vancouver BC and getting ready for the most challenging and difficult portion of their journey.

These young people are planning to put pontoons on all of their motorcycles and float down the Kolyma river to reach Chersky.  Below is their prototype in action.

Crazy? Brilliant?  Would you do it?

These young people are looking for sponsorship and support.  They were late 20's when they started this thing, think about that.  They come from a generation with an entitlement attitude and yet, here they are, challenging themselves, learning, growing and through their writings, photography, video and sculptures, they have the opportunity to teach many about respect, self reliance, community, creativity, ingenuity - resilience and LIVING.

For information on sponsorship/partnering opportunities you can contact Efy directly at info@leavinghomefunktion.com – or by telephone at  1 +49) 172 5726976  or visit the SUPPORT section of their website.

Please, if you can in any way help these young artists see this life altering journey through, I encourage you to reach out to them. Individual gift, business support - they could surely use it all.

At the very least, please follow their progress via their website and their Facebook page.

Have a blessed day and get out there and LIVE your passion, your dream...LIVE IT.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

When does Humour go too far?

Lately we have begun seeing a commercial from the Canadian Real Estate Association that depicts a bunch of "motorcycle club" members from the Satan's Undertakers who ride up to a house just purchased by a couple who didn't use a Realtor.

Here is the commercial:

While funny on the face of things, this commercial perpetuates the stereo type that "Bikers" are bad neighbours. 

Now the vests these guys are wearing all have a 1% diamond on them, and you and I who ride, know the difference between a 1% club, a traditional outlaw MC and a riding club  - RIGHT?

But does Joe Q Citizen know the difference? To be honest, I doubt it...most riders don't know the difference anymore.

And there in lies the problem. How many people who are already intimidated by motorcyclists thanks to the main stream media, the 1% clubs and the police services and the way the 1% clubs are portrayed and spoken about - how many are going to watch this and have their fears further entrenched?.

To me, commercials like these are ill advised. Though they may be funny on the surface, the underlying message is not so funny and it hurts all who ride as it perpetuates the outdated image of our community.

Commercials like this add to the social barriers and the stigma that can accompany riding a motorcycle.

I was doubly surprised by this commercial because of the fact that the Realtors host their own charity rides. Lots of Realtors ride.  Here is the link to but one of them: Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation Motorcycle Ride for Charity

So I reached out to the association, and had an email conversation if you can call it that, with a man named Pierre Leduc.

Here is my email to him:
Dear Pierre Leduc,

I am writing about your unfortunate parody commercial that shows a Bike Gang - see attached video.
For an organization that has a charity fundraising ride involving Realtors who ride, I am quite surprised that you would choose to use the Biking Community as an example of bad neighbours.  While on the face of it, it is funny, it is commercials like this that stereotype our community and enforce the social barriers we currently face.

Can you please tell me why you did this? Why would you hurt our community in this way?

Here is is answer to me:

Ms. Charbonneau,

Thank you for reaching out.

This particular advertisement fits in with an ongoing series of commercials, using humour to highlight some of the potential pitfalls of not using a REALTOR® when buying a property. Over the past few years, we’ve had new owners woken up in the middle of the night by a SWAT team, another couple having to stay in a seedy hotel due to closing date mix-up, while another couple discovered they had purchased a haunted house when a bus tour stops out front as they’re moving in.

Our ads have been recognized by the advertising industry, and have won a number of awards.

You may be surprised to discover that many REALTORS® and CREA staffers are also riders. For example, we use our website and blog to promote the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation Motorcycle Ride for Charity.

I am pleased that you do see the humour in the ad. Rest assured that we are not using the biking community as an example of bad neighbours. We were sure that by having the gang wear ‘colours’ with the gang name ‘Satan’s Undertakers’ that it was clear (at least to us) that this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill neighbor who likes to ride a Harley, but rather some organized criminal enterprise.

I hope you find this explanation addresses your concerns.

Warm regards,

Pierre Leduc

Pierre Leduc
Media Relations / Relations auprés des médiaspleduc@crea.ca

The Canadian Real Estate Association / L'Association canadienne de l'immeuble
200 Catherine Street, 6th Floor / 200, rue Catherine, 6e étage    Ottawa, ON K2P 2K9
Tel/Tél: +1 (613) 237-7111    Fax/Téléc: +1 (613) 234-2567

www.crea.ca     www.REALTOR.ca     www.REALTORSCare.ca    

I asked for further dialogue and was shut down completely.

I am disappointed with the interaction with the Canadian Real Estate Association.

I do not think that they truly understand how damaging to the riding community commercials like this can be. I think the commercial is short sighted and derogatory.

Is the commercial funny? Yeah, on some levels, is it the smartest or funniest commercial in their series? No.  Is this commercial ill advised? I think so.

And that's how I see it - what say you?

In other News, Two Hills Alberta and Moncton New Brunswick will be duking it out for the title of Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community, 2015 - final voting begins at 11:59:59 MST on April 1.

www.riderfriendlycontest.ca is the place to cast your vote.

Have a blessed day and if you are fortunate enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider