Hey ken,
I’d tell you why your commentary on the police union is laughable, but I think you already know.
Let’s try to clean it up and be adults here. Afterall, some folks still depend on the news for insight into facts.

Oh, and just for clarification, a yahoo is defined as the following:

n 1: not very intelligent or interested in culture [syn: yokel, rube, hick, hayseed, bumpkin, chawbacon] 2: one of a race of brutes resembling men but subject to the Houyhnhnms in a novel by Jonathan Swift [syn: Yahoo]

I read the “yahoo” you described is getting his doctorate in theoretical mathematics in a couple weeks. Clearly a bumpkin, hayseed and yokel.

congratulations,
Ben

Hey Ben -
You're right.
I should have qualified: An intelligent yahoo, but then that would be an oxymoron.
Kind of like "responsible critical mass rider."
Ken Schram

Dear Sir,
You are a horrible journalist. Please, do a lot more research on your
stories before writing them. 8th grade journalistic style just doesn't
cut it when you're all grown up.

"When I talked with him, I really wish O'Neill had explained why this
"Critical Mass" group is allowed to freely terrorize drivers and impede
traffic with impunity every month."
If you have done any research on the subject, you would know that the
SPD have a good relationship with the Critical Mass riders. Often they
will escort them, and generally help out with the demonstration. The
simple fact is that they are not "terrorizing" anyone. No one is getting
hurt(unless of course KC Deputies get involved), and occasionally SPD
does give out citations for traffic violations.

"As a police officer, is that what O'Neill would do if a pack of
cyclists blocked his car at a green light in, say, Bellevue? " He would
most likely wait the one to two minutes it would take for the group to
pass and be on their way, which is very little time in Friday
traffic(let alone any day of the week traffic in the Seattle area).

"Every month the group "Critical Mass" swarms Seattle streets on their
bikes as a way of asserting their right to run red lights and ignore
stop signs. " Again, showing your poor journalism skills. Critical mass
isn't about "asserting their right to run red lights and ignore stops
signs". Critical mass is there to bring awareness to the general public
that we have as much right to the roads as they do, like it or not.
However, in Critical mass, stop signs and red lights are not paid
attention to, this is actually for the benefit of the drivers....
Imagine if 200+ bikers stopped at every red light and every stop sign.
It would back traffic up x100.

I really hope you put a lot more effort into your other work, otherwise
I really feel sorry for the saps that suffer reading your drivel.

- Josh McNair

Horrible journalist?
And what are you?
An apologist for critical mass?
I don't care about SPD's "good" relationship with critical mass.
I care that SPD doesn't usually accompany this group on its monthly
outing and by its absence encourages the cyclists to block off
intersections so that vehicles with a green light can't pass, and then
running the red light.
As for "bringing" awareness to the public: BS!
I've witnessed the "awareness" they bring: Spitting on cars, slapping
windows, doors and hoods of cars; cussing out drivers.
And your rationalization about why they run red lights is laughable.
This sap isn't buying your crap.
Ken Schram

AWESOME

I wonder if we should try riding the next mass legally? Two bikes abreast in each lane, keeping a bike's distance forward and back, stopping at each light? Can you imagine how backed up downtown would become, and how quickly?

When I first rode mass a year ago, I loved it. But I also really felt we were crippling our own goals of asserting our right as traffic and raising awareness about cyclists. Don't get me wrong, I love the ideals and I will always love CM, but as we just saw, we're pissing off more people than we are changing minds. If we were to ride legally and block up the city ten times the normal amount, people might actually realize that the current transportation planning does not meet cyclists needs. When we're in our normal, lovable CM pack, it's easy to say, "Those damn kids are breaking traffic laws and THAT'S why traffic is backed up." Now, take the whole pack riding legally, spreading out across the whole city and there's nothing to blame but the actual issue that cars and bikes both have to be flexible to coexist.

I wonder if we should try riding the next mass legally? Two bikes abreast in each lane, keeping a bike's distance forward and back, stopping at each light? Can you imagine how backed up downtown would become, and how quickly?

We were thinking that the Seattle Bike Cops should be invited on the next CM ride. Would be most excellent PR on their part, too.

if they say no....i volunteer to ride lee's police cruiser while wearing a cowboy hat, sherrif's star and chaps!

and no pants?

I wonder if we should try riding the next mass legally? Two bikes abreast in each lane, keeping a bike's distance forward and back, stopping at each light? Can you imagine how backed up downtown would become, and how quickly?


Whaddya say, anyone up for this CM experimental ride?

Graylan

Best Quote: “They’re thugs!” —Council Member Peter Steinbrueck on the K.C. detectives who arrested the Critical Mass bikers last Friday. “Let us take care of our own business.”

But I think the existence of bike-cop patrols should be encouraged -- they are generally much cooler, more aware, and more accessible, than cops that experience only the windshield perspective of the world all day every day.

I finally stopped laughing long enough to send him an email:

Ken,

I laughed out loud when I read your column today; Bicyclists terrorizing the city, law enforcement officers enforcing whatever they want, wherever they want. Who needs such a primitive concept like jurisdictions, anyway?

My co-workers were convinced that you were serious. However, I had to insist that you must be testing the waters as a humorist. You've been at it far too long to write a column like that and expect to be taken seriously.

Thanks for the laugh, I can't wait to see what you come up with tomorrow.


Expectantly,
Forrest Forschmiedt

pardon my dumbness, sekai, but is that RCW in your sig for real?

It'd be cool if it is!

My two cents on inviting the KC bike patrol to CM: LET'S DO IT!
I'm not generallyu against cops. I've had negative run ins with them and think they often over step their bounds (WTO anyone? Mardi Gras? CM?) but also fell that we as a society need them and that most are good people (I've known a few who were customers when I used to sling espresso and they were wonderful people). In short, I am all for building better relations with them.

Let's invite them all. If others agree, I think we can do it in a very public way (the media man in me can't stop) and would volunteer to make that happen.
thoughts? Should we start another thread on that?
Post over on CM?
c

I've explained my objections to CM to some of you. However, I would totally support, ride and promote a CM ride like that.