OZARK MOUNTAIN TRIKERS FORUM

Jim, the email address for Carl and me in the BTW database is wrong.  So if that is where you are sending your message, I will never get it.  The numbers in the email address are transposed. Where it reads 381, it should read 318.  That is actually Carl's email address.

You can resend it to that address with the correction or you can send it directly to me at leelu922@hotmail.com or leelu@rollanet.org and I will get it directly.  Thanks.  Marie

Jim, if you sent me an email message, I never received it.

Marie

Dear Jim and Lady, and everyone else who has read the latest OMT Newsletter.
It was not, and is not, my intent to express in the newsletter any opinion or viewpoint that represents BTW in any way that would be received negatively. However, I failed to remember that everything we do or say as members of BTW reflects back on the organization and its members. For forgetting to consider that, I apologize sincerely. At the very least I should have included a BTW/OMT disclaimer statement. I did include a box, sort of a disclaimer for myself, I guess, that I thought would explain that the articles only represented someone else’s viewpoint and were just for information. One was from a health care professional, one from a motorcycle rights organization and one from a news media reporting on the legislature’s discussion. I stated that I was not expressing my personal opinion…and I should have stated that I was not speaking for BTW.
I am also aware that this little newsletter has limited distribution; it’s not a national or even community publication and I did think that OMT members are intelligent, thinking individuals who already had their own opinion about the matter and would not be swayed by the information. I just thought people might be interested in reading what was being said out there in the other world. (If you noticed a magazine or newspaper with a headline of an article related to the helmet law in Missouri, would you not want to read it?) Anyway, I DO apologize for any negative reflection that may result on BTW and OMT.
Having said that, I’d like to address what else you said in your note. I agree with everything you said. The issue is not about helmets, but about government incroachment into our personal lives. The issue is the gradual loss of personal freedom, and the greedy and/or stupid people in power who are succumbing to lobbyists and allowing judges to make decisions. My father immigrated to America at age 17 and loved this country with a passion seldom seen today, especially by the young. That passion was instilled in me as well. I have even been criticized for the depth of my patriotism. Freedom is our most precious and priceless strength in this country. The more we lose, the weaker we become. There’s no need for me to elaborate any more on that; you’ve stated it quite well, and I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Finally, I would like to address the part of your note that implied a disrespect for the sacrifice of our veterans. Nothing could be further from my intent or my heart. I grew up during WW-II; two of my mother’s brothers served in that war, one in Asia and one in Europe. They were there for years; at that time they were drafted into service "for the duration plus six months." Neither of them would talk much about it when they came home, but they no longer went hunting. Nobody understood anything about PTSD then; they used the term "shell-shocked."
I have a friend who spent two terms in Vietnam. He has four children, two conceived before he went and two conceived after his tours. His two older children are normal. His two younger children (now adult age) are physically and mentally disabled to the point of needing to be fed, diapered, lifted, carried, unable to talk or walk and one is blind as well; they are totally dependant on other’s care. He believes it is a result of exposure to chemicals in Nam. He also suffers from PTSD with flashbacks.
My husband spent 11 years in the Army, serving in Korea, Germany & France. My brother served in the Navy in Japan. My cousin served in Korea and his younger brother in Vietnam and is now suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.
I worked for 14 years as a civilian employee of the Army, working side by side daily with military people of all ranks. When I retired I received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, the third highest award given to civilian employees. I am well aware that the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy—and sometimes take for granted—have been bought and protected by our soldiers and veterans. Never would I knowingly say or do anything that would show disrespect for our veterans and their sacrifice.
I extend my apologies to anyone who was offended by that newsletter.

Respectfully,
Marie