Greetings Riders,
 
Sorry for the delay in the newsletter this week, I was in Spokane on business and am running a little late. But, as any passionate rider would do, I was sitting in the window seat trying to scope out some new riding roads from the air. I saw one in the Southern part of Idaho that looked really good, but the whole area was covered with snow. Probably the only reason I saw the road was that they had it plowed and it stuck out really well from the air. I will be checking the map on that one. As we came to the Utah/Arizona border, I had a great view of the Grand Canyon with the late afternoon sun shining on the canyon walls. And as always, my camera was not far away. Seeing it from the ground is one thing, but viewing it from 30,000 feet you really get a new perspective of how GRAND it is. I saw nothing that compared with it on the trip. For those of you that have been up that way, I also got a good look of Lake Powell and the Vermillion Cliffs. You might remember me talking about them in my Four Canyons Ride.
 
Some of you might have heard the disturbing news over that last few months of a group led by the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps believes American Soldier deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs that say: thank God for IEDs, Death to Soldiers, God Hates Fags, America is Doomed, Don't Pray for the USA, among many other hurtful slogans. These signs are bad enough no matter where they would be, but to protest and display these signs in front of the funeral a fallen military Soldier is absolutely unacceptable. (I am not going to link to this scum's web site, but if you are inclined to see it you can do a Google search for his name and find it.)
 
So as usual, bikers, many who have served in the armed forces themselves, have come to the rescue and formed a group called the Patriot Guard Riders to attend the funerals of fallen soldiers. The Patriot Guard Riders are invited guests and show up to shield the families from the protesters, and overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue flags. This is a quote from a CNN article by Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain: "The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation cares." "When a total stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement."
 
The CNN article also stated that at least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters, who at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell wrapped themselves in upside-down American flags. They danced and sang impromptu songs peppered with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and soldiers. The Patriot Guard was also there, waving up a ruckus of support for the families across the street. Community members came in the freezing rain to chant "U-S-A, U-S-A" alongside them.
 
"This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn't do in the '70s," said Kurt Mayer, the group's national spokesman. "Whether we agree with why we're over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our freedoms."
 
The Patriot Guard Riders mission statement says this:
We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is.  You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect. Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.
1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.
2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors. We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.
 
I had the honor of joining the Patriot Guard at the beginning of a funeral to honor Corporal Orville Gerena USMC in Glendale Arizona, who gave all on February 6, 2006. The group of about 35 riders gathered about a mile away to line up and ride to the funeral home together. At the funeral home, the bikes with American Flags attached, were staged to escort the family and the fallen Soldier to the cemetery. After a briefing by Bob "Hardbite" Dolan, the Arizona PGR Captain, the riders lined the entry to the funeral home holding American flags as a salute to Corporal Gerena and support for all of our American Troops.
 
The entire tribute was performed with the utmost respect for Corporal Gerena and our country. I already knew this was a good thing that the Patriot Guard Riders were doing, but when I saw the family walking through the bikes while wiping tears as they looked at all the flags and the support of these riders, it really touched my heart as to how much this display of honor for their Son and the show of Patriotism for our Country meant to them.
 
At this point, I had to leave for another meeting, but I left feeling proud to see what bikers can and will do to support our Troops, the Fallen and our Country. Fortunately, none of the "religious wackos" showed up to spew their poison at this funeral. The PGR then escorted the funeral to the National Cemetery on Cave Creek Rd.
 
Hopefully, there will be no more funerals for fallen American Soldiers, but as I read the news from 20 minutes ago, 7 more U.S. Soldiers were killed in Iraq from and IED. So, unfortunately, we might be seeing more from our own State. If you would like to participate with the local Patriot Guard Riders, you can contact the Arizona Captain Bob Dolan at hardbite@k9az.com or go to the website at http://www.patriotguard.org . You may also read the article from Tuesday on CNN.com about the Patriot Guard Riders. Click Here for all photos.
 
A Personal Request from Barry:
 
There are still over 100,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan that still VERY MUCH need our support. A good way to show your support and directly help our troops in combat would be to attend the Cyclerides.com Hearts To Heroes Ride on March 25th to benefit Packages From Home. This is an event that I started last year that is a great tribute to our Soldiers of all branches that are in combat and is your chance to contribute to their comfort by bringing needed goods and donations that will be shipped to them. The ride will be similar to last year in that it will begin inside the 3500 seat Christ's Church of the Valley, located at 67th Ave. and Happy Valley Rd. Sign in is from 8-11am. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided by CCV. We will start with a 40 minute tribute to our Armed Services including an Honor Guard presentation of our Colors, Singing, Video Tributes, Interviews and a closing by Pastor Don Wilson.
 
We will then be escorted by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to the football stadium at Glendale Community College where we have words from Troops recently home from Iraq, Congressmen, Family members of Troops and music. Food vendors will be available at the end location. So strap your flags to your bikes and plan to attend the Cyclerides.com Hearts to Heroes ride on March 25th. No matter what you feel about our reasons for being there, we need to show support for our troops. A good way for you to do that is to attend this event so that they can see that you care. It is a very moving and Patriotic event that you won't want to miss. Click Here for the flyer to print and pass out at your place of work, post to your bulletin boards or give to your riding groups. In next weeks letter I will have a list of items that are needed by our troops. CLICK HERE for the story, pictures and video from last year's event.
 
Thank you for your support of this event and our troops.
 

Highlights This Week 

Next Week 

Saturday, March 4th
Ride For Hope. Your support will benefit the Employees Assisting Cancer Patients Committee at Chandler Regional Hospital to raise funds for our community's cancer patients in crisis, allowing them to provide resources and assistance that aren't readily available enabling them to improve their welfare and overall quality of life. The Rally starts at East Valley Regional Center at 8:00 am, located at 1875 W. Frye Rd. in Chandler. The scenic route that will be taken finishes at thee Monastery located at 4810 E. McKellips in Mesa, where there will be food, entertainment and raffles. $30 per rider includes a registration includes lunch. First 100 registrants receive a free T-Shirt. More info at 480-728-3931.
 
Saturday, March 4th
Run To The Sun Poker Run. Sponsored by the Sober Riders M.C. Sign in at the Steel Horse Saloon located at 1768 W. Bell Rd. in Phoenix from 10am to 1pm. $15 Single, $25 couple. Raffle Prizes, Run Shirts, Vendors, 50/50. Cash prizes for High and Low hands.
 
Sunday, March 5th
Miracle In The Desert 11th Annual Benefit Run. This run is to benefit the Sunshine Acres Children's Home. Registration begins at 9:00AM at Sunshine Acres located at 3405 N. Higley Rd. in Mesa. The cost is $10 each or $15 per couple. Includes entry, BBQ, Entry into Bike Show, Beverages will be available. There will be a special blessing of the bikes and bikers. ABATE, Desert Thunder, CMA and others are working together to make this happen for the kids. Sponsored by ABATE, Desert Thunder, CMA and Others working together to make this happen for the kids. 

Upcoming Events 

Saturday, March 11th
6th Annual Arizona Diamondbacks Line Drive For Kids. Space is limited and always sells out! So polish up your hog and get ready to hit the road with the Active 20-30 Club of Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun 20-30 Club for the 7th Annual LineDrive for Kids in association with the Arizona Diamondbacks Charities. Join our fully police-escorted motorcycle ride from Tempe to Tucson Electric Park to see the Diamondbacks-Padres spring training game on Saturday, March 11th 2006. For only $30, each rider receives breakfast at the Claim Jumper restaurant in Tempe, a special ride-shirt, commemorative ride-pin, a ticket to the Spring Training game, and lunch courtesy of the AZ Diamondbacks. The ride always sells out quickly, so REGISTER NOW while tickets are still available! 

Extras 

Ray Huston, a lobbyist with MMA, shared with me a story about how through the efforts of support by riders that they were able to save the Motorcycle Safety Fund legislation that they had been trying to pass. As most of you know, motorcyclists contribute to this fund through their motorcycle registration each year by paying an extra one dollar. This was established several years ago and the money has been collected and most of the money has not gone for motorcycle safety and awareness. As of December 31, 2005, there was over $193,000 in the fund. Click Here for the rest of the story and see how you can help.
 
Here is a funny video from one of those security cameras. This guy must have wanted a picture of his back side pretty bad. Click Here to view.
 
For those of you that are into flying. This is a way to live vicariously through an RC F-15. Pretty cool video. If I were to try and land this they would have to sweep it up. Click Here to view.