Rep. McHenry (NC) (R) (obviously) on bicycles . . .

[taterguy]

Just saw this today. I had no idea that my primary mode of transportation is such a threat to the American way of life. I feel even better about making that choice now, if assholes like this are opposed to it.

Your thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip8nozp7vs8

[zabet]

1. He is a fuggin' idiot. nt

[taterguy]

4. Well I kind of suspected that before I even watched the clip

I'm more interested in your thoughts about this particular issue though.

It seems to me that there is indeed a lot untapped potential in the use of bicycles. It wouldn't solve the energy crisis by itself but it seems like a worthy investment.

And I'm not bitter that my co-workers get free parking places for their cars while I don't get shit. Nosirree Bob.

[charlie]

7. Portland is having a bike boomlet right now

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/us/05bike.html

3.5% of its workforce are bike commuters. There's money to be made (and really, if gas inflation continues apace, bicycles will be a considerable market in every community, it's unavoidable) and quality of life enhancement for any city wise enough to nuture its biking culture.

[gratuitous]

9. Yup, I pedal a smidgen over 7 miles to work

But my job will change soon, and if I get the job I'm hoping for, it will be 8 miles to work and 8 miles home each day. It's faster than taking the bus (45 minutes on the bus versus 32 minutes on the bike), and not all that much slower than driving. Gotta get in shape for the Seattle to Portland trip in July!

Come to think of it, and in light of my post below, I'll bet I could out-pedal Rep. McHenry, too. But then, I'm only pushing 50, not 60.

[charlie]

14. Luckyluckyluckylucky

I'm out in the weeds of west Texas where goatheads and an endless variety of spiny plants pop my tubes once every couple of days. I walk more than I bike, because that's what I wind up doing half the time anyway. And yeah, I'm pushing 50 too and am no specimen, but I know from looking at him I could dust that pasty dweeb myself.

[gratuitous]

15. Just popped a tube last week

First time in several months, though. It's the little cast-off wires from steel-belted tires that puncture my tires, even fully-inflated skinny road tires.

And while the hinterlands of Portland don't feature any goatheads and very few spiny plants, there are enough prickly drivers motoring around. Although I have to say that I haven't encountered too many of them and I ride very defensively, but any brush with death tends to stay with you, even it if hasn't happened for a while.

[AndyTiedye]

20. He'd Probably Keel Over Trying to Keep Up With Any of Us

[charlie]

21. Whoa

Dig that faring and mondo gel recliner, that's style in motion. If that's you, I doff my hat.

[AndyTiedye]

25. I Think There is at Least One In Texas (but Texas is Really, Really Big)

It is a Calfee Stiletto recumbent with an FFM fairing. http://www.calfeedesign.com http://www.easyracers.com
It is as comfortable as it looks, and carbon fiber keeps it light enough to climb mountains (which is important to me because I live on one).

Calfee Design is here in northern California, and the bikes are made here (except for the inevitable Shimano bits).
I think there is at least one in somewhere in Texas (but Texas is Really, Really Big).

[rucky]

22. Have you done the Hood to Coast?

I was training for it before we moved to Ohio :(

[gratuitous]

24. Nah, I'm a fat old man

Barely get my pudgy butt moving up hill, but I'm getting stronger all the time.

[racaulk]

8. (((citizen_jane)))

I'm digging the new avatar. I :loveya: Squidbillies!

:hi:

[zabet]

32. Being from the South,

Squidbillies is funny as heck to me!

"DO NOT touch the trim!!"
:rofl:

:hi:

[charlie]

2. Wooooo

$1 million a year! That IS a MAJOR initiative. You could install an extra urinal in a nuclear plant's restroom with that. Or explore for oil 10 feet below the CA coast. Or pay for a couple of Republican fact-finding junkets to Kuwait. Nothing gets by ol' eagle-eyed Pat.

[Richard Steele]

3. There are a lot of things that make me happy I'm living in NC.

That ignorant shithead is not one of them.

[Warpy]

12. There are reasons I'm sad to have left NC

and people like you constitute the majority of them.

Alas, you are outnumbered, and there are too many shitheads there who elect idiots like this just so they'll go to Washington to piss off the Yankees.

[Richard Steele]

28. I'm only "outnumbered" if you average every NC resident STATEWIDE...

But I don't live "statewide", I live in Durham! And Durham ROCKS, baby!

It's the diverse, lively, affordably-livable HEART of the "triangle" that
every decent person in this state moves to to escape the mouth-breathing
reactionaries who are clinging ever more desperately to their ridiculously
outdated pre-WWII prejudices!

The Repubs LOST this State 2 years ago- they just haven't REALIZED it yet.

Durham is a small city, but I can't walk down the street here without bumping
into someone so "progressive" they make me look like a Nixon voter!
And I'm not talking about the idiot college kids wearing the "Che" t-shirts;
I'm talking about REAL adults who have survived REAL hardships, and they
are coming to Durham to live the PROGRESSIVE American dream!

Y'know the old Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times"?
Well, there's a difference between a curse and a BLESSING, and that
difference is PERSPECTIVE.

My perspective on Durham is that it's absolutely FASCINATING.

I've seen a lot of other places, and lived in several of them...
and I wouldn't trade places with anyone who isn't right here right now.

[Warpy]

31. Raleigh sucked

but I loved Durham and Chapel Hill. I will always miss the area around Asheville.

Unfortunately, one of my most pungent memories of Durham was what it smelled like in early October when the tobacco warehouses were full. I'm talking 40 years ago. Likely, the city has moved that out of town by now.

Still, there are too many outside the more enlightened cities who will still vote for assholes just to piss off the Yankees. That's what kept Jesse Helms in office all those years. He offered very poor representation to the people in the state, but oh boy, did they hate him in New York City!

[gratuitous]

5. Patrick looks like he could stand 45 minutes on a bike

Lookin' a little chunky there, Mr. McHenry. I wonder if he talked to Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon before he went down into the well to spout such ignorant nonsense? Earl's pushing 60, but I'll bet he could ride the 32-year-old Patrick's ass into the ground on a bicycle.

[taterguy]

11. I think the Blood Sweat and Gears ride is just north of his district

100 miles in the mountains of Watauga County.

Something tells me he doesn't participate.

[AndyTiedye]

18. Is McHenry Really Only 32? That Evil Sh$t They're Doing Must Age Them Fast!

[pscot]

27. I think he's disabled. Just sayin'

I saw him on Cspan, and he appears to have a crooked spine or hip. I doubt he could ride a bike.

[blogslut]

6. Hey, Pat!

Bikes are good enuff for president peddles. Why do you hate the president?

[KamaAina]

10. Y'know, Pat, a bike just might come in handy...

...if the cops come around asking questions about a double murder and suicide in Florida.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2285805&mesg_id=2285805

"The North Carolina Conservative first reported last week that Congressman Patrick McHenry had ties to persons involved in a double murder/suicide in Florida. Sources told us that one of the men killed was Ralph Gonzalez, a gay Republican political consultant, an associate of McHenry who “helped on his campaign.” The same source told us that the shooter, Robert Drake who is reportedly connected with a gay escort service and another murder in Virginia, was “tight with McHenry and ran elections for him.” McHenry’s office has reportedly admitted that the congressman had an unspecified relationship with Drake."

<snip>

According to reporter/blogger/pundit: Howie Klein:

"As we mentioned yesterday, Drake, a former marine, also is alleged to have a strong relationship-- both intimate and business/political-- with right-wing Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC). When I spoke to McHenry's office about this they at first insisted they never heard of Drake then, confronted with specifics, admitted they know him. They refused to put Congressman McHenry on the phone. There is every indication that McHenry may have been one of the Republican elected officials who was using the services of the gay prostitution agency connected to Drake. Our pals over at the BradBlog points out the connections between Florida's ultra-corrupt, vote-tampering congressman, Tom Feeney, and Gonzalez and reports the threat to expose the list of Republican elected officials who were using the gay escort service."

See, with the bike, you could pedal away before they haul your sorry ass in for questioning.

[taterguy]

13. The use of bicycles to avoid arrest has nothing to do with this thread

I don't believe in using the Alert button but I don't appreciate the thread-jack either.

It might be an important issue but start your own thread about it.

[ladjf]

16. In many situations, the bicycle would be a viable alternate

to using the automobile. Further, electric bicycles that cruise at 20mpg and go 40 miles on a charge that costs pennies makes some sense. The Dems weren't recommending bicycle use as "THE" answer, but rather, one possible thing that could be done to help.

Did you notice how many of the right-wing Hanity, Limbaugh cliches he used? On of the favorites,"Folks, I can't make this stuff up".

Now so far as the comment "... a 19th century invention for a 21s century problem", I offer that over 2 billion years ago, oceanic bacteria literally developed the process of photosynthesis, the most import innovation in history. They showed us the ultimate way to obtain energy and this from the sun.

Hopefully, Mc Henry will be a mere pimple on the footnote of history when he is voted out.

[marmar]

17. If there's a bigger (little) asshole than McHenry, I'd like to know whom.

I cannot stand this little prick.

[AndyTiedye]

19. Make Sure Every Cyclist in NC Sees This Video

Have some voter registration forms handy.

[taterguy]

29. There's lots of cyclists in NC but relatively few of them use their bikes for transportation

In my town 1,000 folks will turn out for 90 mile charity rides, but balk at riding their bikes a couple miles to work.

I do think that financial incentives would help. Yesterday I drove to work for no good reason. There was no bad weather and it's only a couple miles to my office. I just didn't feel like riding my bike. The prospect of more money in my pocket would have changed my mind. Really.

[Blackhatjack]

23. Every time McHenry speaks I cringe.... He does a lot of damage to NC's reputation...

I thought his connections to the Florida Murder/Suicide principals would lead him to resign, but we are still waiting....

Before that he was stashing young men at his home and allowing them to list his home as their address to violate voter registration laws.

He has made a fortune on real estate deals since he was elected to Congress, which I understand were assisted by Congressional action. Imagine that?

Please... somebody come forward and release us from the misery of having McHenry running around on Capitol Hill claiming he represents North Carolinians.

[GoneOffShore]

26. You did notice that comments are off for that video

And the rest of the stuff that that "Americanservative" posts is cheerleading for McHenry.

What a schmuck!

[timtom]

30. I think bikes are a GREAT idea!

The only reason I haven't done it yet is the horrendous attitudes and traffic skills on our city streets and roads.

And as for McHenry -- well, he is a major wanker and a wheeze. And stupid, too.

It would be predictable but moderately interesting to hear what HIS 21st century solutions are...

[taterguy]

33. It's natural to afraid of something new

But I promise you, it's possible to get used to traffic.

Start out easy: Go to a local bike shop and ask what roads are good to ride on. From there progress to roads with more and more traffic.

I'm almost never scared on a bike and I ride on roads that a lot of motorists avoid. Just use sound defensive principles and you'll be fine. Probably. :)

[timtom]

34. I had a bike in Berkeley

in the early 70's.

It's not exactly new -- it's just that the traffic here is so much worse than it was in the Bay Area -- believe it or not.

[taterguy]

35. Back in the 70s cars had loud engines and you always knew what was behind you

Now we have all those fucking Hybrids in stealth mode

If you're that concerned about saving gas get off your lazy ass and ride a bike