OLD BLASTARD: The sky ain’t falling, just peeling in places

A little roundup on the state of motorcycling throughout the world:

With international Internet fanfare, the  National Security Council of Ghana lifted the ban on women riding motorcycles in the Bawku Municipality. The ban on the riding of motorcycles by male riders however remains in force.  According to the National Security Coordinator, women SHALL NOT have men ride as passengers.

The men are banned because they may be Okada, commercial riders who ferry the fair for a fare, often lane-splitting and pavement splatting in the crowded, crazy streets.

In Iran, government henchmen on motorcycles are considered government terror squads and are known to jump of the bikes and beat people who have committed the horrible crime of disagreeing with the government.

In Utah, the state police decided to support motorcycle safety by holding a roadblock at which motorcyclists were stopped, their papers checked like some bad World War II movie and, if  no tickets were issued, they were handed a safety-promotion pamphlet. This all on the roadway leading to a major motorcycle rally/race.

Spectators leaving a Superbike World Championship event this weekend as the UHP shut down a lane of traffic to stop only riders. Seemed the feds used a little stimulus money to pay for the Utes to stop riders, get them off their bikes and chat about safety and road awareness for abou 2 minutes, plus give them the pamphlet.

Like the average state trooper knows a damn thing about motorcycles other than they're loud and people fall off of them.

Across the country, police are helping motorcyclists reman safe by running special enforcement projects designed to single out riders for speeding tickets and other types of enforcement. In Long Beach, Calif., for instance, extra officers patrolled areas frequented by motorcyclists to "crack down on traffic violations committed by motorcyclists." Oh, yeah, they'll write tickets for other drivers, too.

Virginia has been a part of that and probably will again.

Hey, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you, either on the street or the squad room.