The post about Rally WV has me very worried. In it there is a link to a radical environmentalist (and very uneducated) petition regarding the use of the National Forest for this rally. If you read through some of the comments of the 211 petition signers, it is really scary to feel so hated.
Mr. Niday, you asked a while ago what SCCA can be doing for ClubRally. I thing that the most important thing that the SCCA could be doing with regard to rally is to get more involved legislatively.
I BEG of you all to look at the model of the American Motorcyclist Association (whose new motto is "rights. riding. racing." ).
http://www.ama-cycle.org/
It serves our two-wheeled counterparts nearly EXACTLY as the SCCA serves us. It sanctions ametuer road-racing (club racing), Pro racing of all sorts (Pro racing), enduro, and cross-country (rallying), motocross (rallycross), and fun road riding get together events with gymkhanas, etc (autocross, conventions, etc.).
Besides event santioning, however, it is VERY in tune with legislative issues regarding motorcycling. As it is the most at risk, off-road trail-based riding/racing in forests make up for the majority of issues being worked on.
Please PLEASE check out this site:
http://www.ama-cycle.org/legisltn/index.asp
Please click on the "AMA Rapid Response Center" link in the left hand column after perusing this page...or the StateWatch and click on your state...or other rally states. You will learn about measures that affect us BEFORE the cards are stacked against us so much that we can't win.
The bikers learned about 25 years ago that in order to maintain a level of sanity in government regarding motorsport, that they had to get involved. If we don't care enough to get involved, we'll lose this sport. Its not fun work. But its necessary. The environmentalist lobby is the fashionable in-crowd for most young Americans looking to get passionate about something and not having a clue what they really believe in. Write your letters, monitor the DNR, DCNR, BLM, DOAg, USDA, or whoever else is controlling YOUR PUBLIC land and stick up for us. Environmentalist radicals don't understand us and don't care to. Motorsports enthusiasts are the minority now. And true environmentalists are leaning more and more radical everyday.
I don't know if the SCCA has the means to offer the same kind of legislative awareness campaign as the AMA, but if they can, that would be one of the greatest values to us as a whole. If not, perhaps we can find other sources (like the AMA) for information that affects us and ally with them or at least benefit from their research and keep our own legislative watch flame going. I doubt we can afford lobbyists in Washington like AMA, but it would be great if we could.
Sincerely,
Eric Burmeister
Mr. Niday, you asked a while ago what SCCA can be doing for ClubRally. I thing that the most important thing that the SCCA could be doing with regard to rally is to get more involved legislatively.
I BEG of you all to look at the model of the American Motorcyclist Association (whose new motto is "rights. riding. racing." ).
http://www.ama-cycle.org/
It serves our two-wheeled counterparts nearly EXACTLY as the SCCA serves us. It sanctions ametuer road-racing (club racing), Pro racing of all sorts (Pro racing), enduro, and cross-country (rallying), motocross (rallycross), and fun road riding get together events with gymkhanas, etc (autocross, conventions, etc.).
Besides event santioning, however, it is VERY in tune with legislative issues regarding motorcycling. As it is the most at risk, off-road trail-based riding/racing in forests make up for the majority of issues being worked on.
Please PLEASE check out this site:
http://www.ama-cycle.org/legisltn/index.asp
Please click on the "AMA Rapid Response Center" link in the left hand column after perusing this page...or the StateWatch and click on your state...or other rally states. You will learn about measures that affect us BEFORE the cards are stacked against us so much that we can't win.
The bikers learned about 25 years ago that in order to maintain a level of sanity in government regarding motorsport, that they had to get involved. If we don't care enough to get involved, we'll lose this sport. Its not fun work. But its necessary. The environmentalist lobby is the fashionable in-crowd for most young Americans looking to get passionate about something and not having a clue what they really believe in. Write your letters, monitor the DNR, DCNR, BLM, DOAg, USDA, or whoever else is controlling YOUR PUBLIC land and stick up for us. Environmentalist radicals don't understand us and don't care to. Motorsports enthusiasts are the minority now. And true environmentalists are leaning more and more radical everyday.
I don't know if the SCCA has the means to offer the same kind of legislative awareness campaign as the AMA, but if they can, that would be one of the greatest values to us as a whole. If not, perhaps we can find other sources (like the AMA) for information that affects us and ally with them or at least benefit from their research and keep our own legislative watch flame going. I doubt we can afford lobbyists in Washington like AMA, but it would be great if we could.
Sincerely,
Eric Burmeister