WooHoo!

I got a response to the letter in the previous post!
I hope I'm not breaking any confidentiality by posting it:

Dear ...:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your strong support for bicycles as a viable mode of transportation. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, one of my top priorities in Congress is to provide Southern California the resources necessary to provide safe roads and routes for all drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

You may be interested to learn that Congress passed a bill that includes provisions to help make bicycling and pedestrian activity safer and more convenient for millions of Americans. Specifically, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), a multi-year bill to reauthorize our nation's transportation programs, provides nearly $4 billion for new bike paths and trails. Of this funding, nearly $2 billion is dedicated for new bike paths, lanes, and safe bike crossings, including over $2.3 million for local bike and pedestrian paths in Whittier and La Habra. In addition, $612 million was included for the Safe Routes to School program that will help communities create safer ways for kids to pedal or walk to school. The Recreational Trails Program, which pays for the construction and repair of trails, will receive $350 million to ensure our communities have the funding necessary to keep bicyclists safe. I am pleased that this funding is available to ensure cyclists can have safe routes to ride in every community.

The Active Community Transportation Act of 2010 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide additional funding and incentives to promote greater activity within communities nationwide. Specifically, H.R. 4722 would establish a $2 billion Department of Transportation grant program to provide convenient and safe access to pedestrian and bike facilities. As this bill moves through the legislative process, you can be assured that I will keep your support in mind.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope you will remain in touch on this and other issues of importance to you.

Sincerely,

GARY G. MILLER
Member of Congress

HR 4722 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4722) looks pretty cool, and I'm excited that Congressman Miller will keep it in mind. It's a shame that all the sponsors are Democrats, though. I hope riding a bicycle does not turn into a partisan issue. Maybe if it passes, Brea could get in on some of the grant money. Hopefully there will be even broader funding for things like this in the future. I'm sure we could save a lot of money with the lower cost of implementation and maintenance for bike infrastructure.

Who do you think you are?

Given my unfortunate jaded-with-everything-except-bike-racing condition I have been in for some time, I think it is extremely promising that I felt compelled to write the letter below. Not only is it naively optimistic for me to think such a measly letter would ever make a difference, but also that a politician, who does have a few splotches on his ethical record, would concern himself much with such a letter. And yet I felt compelled to write it.
Somehow things heal, and hope begins to shine through, however senseless it may be.


Congressman Gary Miller
42nd Congressional District

Dear Congressman Miller:

Ray LaHood, the Secretary of Transportation, has recently started a campaign that has caught my interest: his declaration for support of bicycles and other non-car modes as viable transportation. I understand that the political scene in Washington right now is highly polarized, and some republicans and media outlets are decrying the idea, but please set aside those issues for a moment and consider the idea based on its merits and in the interest of your constituents. I think this is especially important with your position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

I am concerned with how reliant we are on cars in America and especially Orange County, even just to perform simple errands. Although public transportation is available, it's inefficiencies lead it to serve merely as a last resort for most of us. The exception might be Metrolink, but even then, most people still must drive to the station. Unfortunately, the struggle with public transportation is not new for Orange County. What is a new, and in my opinion a very interesting, option cropping up in America is biking.

Biking is an option I would like to have for getting around, and I think it would benefit our community. I don't know how many times I've sat in traffic thinking to myself that I could /walk/ to my destination faster, let alone bike! I think it would be really nice for us to be able to ride our bikes to places such as the Birch Street Promenade. Not only would doing so be a great way to spend a summer evening with friends or family, to see a movie or have something to eat and bike home, it would also:
-get us some exercise (don't we all need it),
-allow us to not go through the hassle of parking (and maybe we wouldn't have to spend so much money and space on parking garages),
-get us out and about with neighbors and thus increase the cohesiveness of our community (it's so easy to see other drivers as obstacles rather than people),
-the money saved from gas could be spent in the local economy (rather than supporting foreign countries and interests)
-and it would reduce traffic for those who do drive (realistically, who really believes building bigger freeways and roads will actually end congestion?).
The current "bike lanes" hardly do the job, though. It seems you need a death wish to ride in the bike lane along birch (I've tried), let alone have a pleasant ride with friends or family. The sidewalk does not work either as there are many obstacles and at many intersections you need to get off the bike and carry it on and off curbs. That certainly does not make for pleasant or easy riding.

Although I could suggest some strategies for easier-to-use bike infrastructure (that unused rail line close to Birch and Associated could be a great biking/walking path at a low cost!), that is beyond the scope of this email. I remember during my Eagle Court of Honor at Troop 801, a representative from your office expounded on the importance of good leadership, of having good character in difficult times, and of being willing to take the lead to address hard problems. Likewise, I hope you can set partisan issues aside and begin to address how we can make our community a better place, and I hope you realize that creating more and healthier options for transportation is one of them.

Sincerely,

...

For progress, harmony, and corrupt public officials

In my quest for fame and excessive amounts of money, I have been searching for what will be the next big google or facebook, and invent it before someone else does. My extensive research has lead me to the ultimate Web 3.0 application for the world's greatest emerging market. As you may know, Web 2.0 brought a revolution of user usability to the world wide web. Web 3.0 in the world's greatest emerging market--China--will occur when China removes all the scofflaws from the internet and finally reaches their long sought-after state of a "harmonious" society (I suspect this will also involve turning Xinjiang into an oil-producing golden-calf and Uighurs into a tourist attraction). When this occurs I will make the official roll-out of my great website: eharmonize.com. It will become a monopoly to the online Chinese dating scene. With the advent of Web 3.0, users will not only have incredibly useful applications at their fingertips, but they will also be required to use and abide by them.

My application has a couple key points that will make it irresistible to the Chinese. First, it will pair people in a scientifically proven manner to maintain China's long-sought-after harmony. Second, as with all dating sites, there are right and wrong answers to questions. Users who answer questions incorrectly will be removed from the system and thus the gene pool (choices are currently designated with the text "removed"). This prevents those people from replicating themselves into more scofflaws.

To demonstrate its usefulness, I've included a few key questions that will be used to generate successful and harmonious matches:

1. On long walks, I like to
a. What!? Who do you think I am!? A peasant? I don't walk. I am a successful business-person and drive wherever I need to go!
b. Look at the stars or sky (when not covered by suffocating pollution levels).
c. Think about how fortunate I am to live in such a great country.

2. I would like to have __ children.
a. 0
b. 1
c. 2 (removed)
d. Many! :) (removed)

3. I would like my suburban house at the end of a culdesac to be painted (assuming china follows the path of America in modernization)
a. brown
b. gray
c. light blue

4. My favorite chairman of the communist party is: (write-in)
Only correct answer: "60% Mao, 40% every other chairman"

Race Report: Banana Belt #1

Despite random pedestrians that walk by and mumble "get 'um registration... put tha bike away," I enjoy my commute. (I am baffled by you, Mr. Pedestrian. Why do you want me off my bike and in a car? If bikers actually were freeloading, wouldn't everyone want to bike? Rather than falsely accuse bikers of freeloading? I can only dream.) I actually do enjoy biking everywhere I can: to work, to the store, with friends, etc., and it sure beats driving places. Given this inherent affinity for biking, it's only natural that I also partake in bike races, which I drive to.

At Banana Belt #1 I served as a corner marshal for the morning races. This conveniently allows me to race free for my afternoon race. Unfortunately, reports trickled in over the radio that detailed multiple crashes, calls for a medic, and even a request for paramedics and a medical transport. As my race approached, I astutely updated my goal from being doused in champagne and smothered by French women to staying alive.

My race started without a hitch, and I even made a pretty hard pull halfway up the first hill. (Afterwards, I talked to a guy who complained how he was dropped on the first hill. I feel bad about that.) The race was a beautiful and relaxing course around a pristine lake and over hills blanketed in fir trees warming in the sun and lending sweet oxygen and a fresh scent that would make any Windex chemist jealous. The only challenging part was an off-camber, downhill, blind corner with stray pebbles that half the field repeatedly overshot.

The race continued in a scenic, but slightly intense manner until the last two miles. Everyone's game face came out, there was constant jostling for position, and... we were neutralized. We all rolled along the fog line in a pleasant leisurely ride watching all our chances to make a break pass by. Finally we were un-neutralized and half the pack blew by on my left. I worked my way to the front 5 where the lead was in a near uphill sprint. He tired, and I followed another racer for a 10 yard lead off the pack, but it was quickly lost. The guy in front fatigued, fell back, and I took the pull. After a minute I also fatigued and fell back a few places. I was breathing hard but recovered just in time at the 600 m mark. I sprinted to the front and went up the final hill fast. I reached the crest in my highest gear with the finish line in sight and the pack behind me. Pouring everything out I descended only to realize my 'cross cassette was not the right tool for the job. I could only pedal so fast down the hill. I needed to shift up, but had no gear to shift up to. Inevitably, behind me I heard "CACHINK CACHINK CACHINK... WWWWHHHHRRRRR". That whir is impossible to describe, but I'll try anyways. It's the sound of a very nice bike shifted into high gear with its wheels spinning very quickly. For me it was the sound of my soul deflating, second in terror only to the sound of a tire deflating. If James Bond ever rode a bicycle, that is the sound it would make. Always. (I think he would also quickly find himself in a chase scene/cyclocross race) If snails made that sound, cars, bicycles, and pedestrians would all yield to them. Needless to say, as I desperately and rapidly spun my legs, I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough, Mr. Fancy Bike rolled by and grabbed first place (including the champagne and French women [Note: OBRA races do not actually end with champagne or podium women {nor podium men for that matter} but in one case do end with cake]) right out from under my nose.

The advantages of global warming

It seems like it's almost summer already. With a few exceptions, it has been a really mild winter. This is probably a very good thing for Portlanders. Every time the city gets more than 1 inch of snow, utter chaos erupts (except for the postal service, they are quick with chains and plow through anything).

Just last month there was a few inches of snow one evening and you would have thought a zombie apocalypse had started. Freeways were jammed, no cars could move, people were abandoning their cars on the road in search of shelter, the buses and light rail shut down, and so much more (the bikers seemed to not mind too much, though). Last year we got three feet of snow, and the following week the entire city shut down as Portland's one snow plow (and one? deicer at the airport) went into over time. The only people who could move were those on skis. That was dubbed snowpocalypse, which DC seemed to steal from us, although I'm sure we stole it from somewhere else.

Although there are videos like this around (you would think for being such a biking city, people would consider not using cars) that effectively illustrate the incompetence (and this is a so cal native here), the sole image that will last with me to represent Portland in snow was my observation of a Prius struggling to get up a hill with chains on its rear tires. It really drives home the character of Portland in so many ways.

End the war in Iraq! War not peace!

Look at the deaths! Absolutely unacceptable!

I should only include American deaths, though. We are actually doing those countries a favor by saving them from the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

As you can see, the human costs of these wars are unacceptably high. We need to pull out immediately to stop the senseless death and destruction.

Now I know some people may say "Those charts are biased, if they were true, terrorists would not fly planes into the world trade center, they would create cheap and affordable cars." Those people are right, cars are only the greatest killer of Americans aged 3-34 (2006 statistics). The best way to kill Americans is not to create Asian car companies, it is to create corn-syrup factories and fast-food chains. Apparently we already have taken these jobs from terrorists, though. Not only that, but we ensure those jobs stay in America through government subsidies and taxpayer money. There is no room for terrorists to even compete with us in killing Americans!

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811226.PDF
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/deaths.htm
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Paxfatal.htm
http://www.icasualties.org/OEF/index.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/10/29/wtc.deaths/
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811172.PDF

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq

Where have all the cowboys protestors gone?

It was a typical California day. The sun was high with only a few clouds aimlessly meandering towards the horizon. The warmth beamed down from the blue sky, warming the skins of the students gathered in Sproul Plaza. There was a turbulence building among the students that the weather was oblivious to. The grass now lay empty, with the thought of students basking in the sun's endless love left to a time of relaxation. Today there was thunder rolling in from the South, like waves of suffering spreading over shores.

The crowd was in a chaotic murmur. Everyone knew something must be done, but no one knew what. The slightest spark finally occurred as a young man calmly pulled off his shoes. He felt the warmth of the concrete trickle into his exposed feet. He took a step. Now cold steel began to suck the heat back out. He took a few more steps and felt the salty air brush his hair back.

The murmuring went silent. Anyone there will tell you it was not a silence of peace. It was the silence of opening a lid on hot coals. The brief silence as Oxygen rushes in, just before the coals explode into flames. Flames that would not be extinguished by any amount of water, and that would not be for a lack of effort. These flames would continue until the fuel is gone once-and-for-all.

The silent and expectant eyes peered towards Mario Savio, barefoot on the roof of a police cruiser. They watched expectantly as his mouth opened. He took in a breath, and began to speak.

----------

Years later there was a small crowd gathered at Pioneer Square. A painted cardboard box with "vote-bot" written on the front sat awkwardly on a young man as he wandered from person to person. The crowd's mind was on the number 350. A group of high school students layed down in the shape of that number on the sidewalk, to show the number to the sky, to the gasses that were warming with the passing of each year.

Pigeons stood guard on a large white tent. Its occupants were soothed by the hum of electricity pouring into and out-of speakers. The elaborate sound system broadcast a fluent river of words spoken by a lady placed comfortably behind a sophisticated podium. Her soft breath rasped into a microphone. She told the crowd the drama they already knew but wanted to hear anyways. The world is getting warmer. A crisis of global proportions is on the horizon unless we immediately change our ways. People moved their ears in to hear as a bus indifferently roared by, marked by a trail of warm air, leaked from the comfortable-but-empty, heated interior, and enough gasses and chemicals to keep a chemist busy for weeks.

Internet postings declared the importance of the people scheduled to speak today. The postings encouraged people to come to Pioneer Square at 1 pm, and stay until 3 pm, but as a distant clock chimed 2, the crowd was small and more people began to walk away. It was a Saturday, after all. There was shopping to be done, houses to clean, and friends to meet.