The ATV hearing last night at the Cook County court house was well attended with a full house and about 80% being pro ATV. A proposed ordinance is set to be considered at the May 8 county board meeting with two other ordinance committee meetings to be scheduled prior to that. Mr. Harris Mills, a retired DNR ATV safety instructor was added to the ordinance committee.
Mr. Mills, during last nights session, spoke against the present ordinance, against opening roads because, he contends, ATVs are unsafe at high speeds.
Commissioner Jim Johnson reported that had received 128 messages against the proposed changes and 27 in favor.
Of note was the rudeness exhibited by the pro ATV crowd at last night's meeting. Out of character for what the Speak Your Peace folks had hoped to take root in our community, but fully consistent with the general attitude of ATV owners and consistent with the very idea of ATVs.
By the way Rhonda, who's truck was parked in the handicap only parking spot, without the required permit? Certainly not an ATVer's!
Keep in mind that this ordinance is only part of the picture. The DNR and the U. S. Forest Service, working with the ATV riders and the ATV industry are looking to add 257 miles of trails. All of this is intended to provide this vocal minority with a state wide network of interconnected trails.
True will try to pass on all relevant information coming this way regarding this issue. In the meantime, here is a recent news item from the State of Washington. It is an email from a sate senator decrying ATVs, dirt bikes, etc. and the damage they do in the name of "sport".
True
Read on:
Sen. Adam Kline (D-Seattle) became the focus of attention from all sides this week, with a blunt e-mail he sent to a constituent laying out his dislike of off-road vehicles. Here's a copy of Kline's e-mail:
Dear Mr. Helgeson,
I signed on because I have been annoyed, endangered, and angered one too many times by people riding motorized dirt-bikes and other off-road vehiclesthat have no damn business anywhere. To me, this bill is narrow — it doesn't include those "personal watercraft," seemingly jet-powered little missiles whose only apparent purpose is to risk death and dismemberment for boatersand swimmers, for the amusement of spoiled drunk teenagers.
Yes, I am sure there is the occasional responsible person who rides one of these machines on land or water. And yes, like every human being I have been pleasantly surprised to find my stereotypes broken. But why, why, why, do folks insist on motorized "sports"? Those two words are an oxymoron.
There is nothing sporting — athletic, physically demanding — about riding any machine anywhere. And it's a damned annoyance to folks who see the outdoors as a place to go for quiet and solitude and self-exploration. I would be happy to ban the use of the internal combustion engine off-road, by anyone without a handicapped sticker, subject to a stiff fine. Maybe we could call this an anti-obesity measure.
Please circulate this to all motorized sports enthusiasts, so they can remember never to vote for me.
Adam Kline
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7 comments:
If the boors at the meeting are the same boors that will be riding the roads we should know what to expect: boorish behavior, which has no place on the road or anywhere else for that matter. If our commissioners truly had the public good in mind this would not be an issue, instead some commissioners seem swayed by a noisy constituency: if the "silent sports majority" would show up at the next meeting perhaps our numbers could change some minds.
fastjerry
Blessings on Senator Kline. With the obeisty plague that seems intent on destroying the duff-sitters of the US, perhaps ATV could be listed as detrimental to your health. Say no to sitting on your duffs and remind your metabolism it can do a good job if given a foot's chance.
Jim Johnson was the only commissioner to break out the numbers: two-to-one AGAINST the ATV ordinance in the 177 comments he has received by phone, letter and e-mail.
Who is the real silent majority here?
The ATV group could never claim silent majority status, perhaps because they get used to screaming just to be heard over the raucous whine of their smelly engines. Kudos to Jim Johnson, now what can we do to get the rest of them on the path to sanity.
I encourage anyone interested to check out the DVD of the Public Hearing at the Grand Marais Public Library, to see for themselves who was respectful & who wasn't.
Regarding the illegally parked vehicle - a quick call to Cook County Law Enforcement can easily answer the question directed at me. According to Chief Deputy Leif Lunde, who was in attendance at the meeting for Sheriff Mark Falk until he arrived, the vehicle was legally parked. Lunde contacted the Law Enforcement Center which dispatched a deputy, who found the vehicle did have the proper handicapped identification.
What difference does that make anyway? Other than an attempt to slur ATVers...
I will once again try to contain my curiousity and will quit visiting this blog - I'm tired of being tagged rude, boorish, lazy, obese, unfair, selfish, whiny, etc...by people not brave enough to say it to my face.
Maybe ATVers aren’t the only ones who need a "Speak your Peace" session.
Dear Rhonda,
I for one apologize for any personalized comments others have made against you, and I respect your courage to stand up for your convictions.
I love True North with its decidedly liberal bias, but I also stand firm on behalf of civility.
And the dialogue between you and John Haluska was fascinating for me to read. Both of you made your points clearly and honestly, although it did seem to break down into irreconcilabe differences at the end.
My disagreements with your position will, I hope, never degenerate into insulting your integrity.
Weep not for poor Rhonda, and make no apology. She is a "public figure" in every sense of the word, and she has her forum each week in everyones mail. We can write letters in response and she is free not to publish them. It is our right, indeed our obligation in a democratic society, to hold those who are public to the truth, to challenge them at every turn and to be certain that both (or all) sides get a fair public vetting. I have held public office and I expected no less from my constituency, in fact I was disappointed when I was NOT challenged. Poor Rhonda can refuse to read these or other critical comments, but that is her loss: Harry Truman said: "If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen'."
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