An aide for the Hillary campaign has stated that, according to internal campaign polls, up to 25% of republican females will vote for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a she. I don't know how accurate that number is but I do know that a significant number will do just that and it is no surprise. Anyone remember the 20%+ number of women who voted for Bill Clinton because he was good looking but couldn't cite any of his campaign platforms? Women are emotional creatures and even the polls showed the women would vote based on "the emotional factor" rather than their political views. Kind of a "sisterhood" thing, I suppose. Lte's hold hands, band together and watch the country go down the tubes in the name of sufferage. It's sad to think that otherwise intelligent, rational women would make such a dire choice, one with such far reaching implications and effects, based on emotions and injustices, real or perceived, but they are not alone in their biased balloting.

Also in todays paper was a column by Leonel Martinez about his reasons for wishing to see Bill Richardson in the White House. He says it's because of his vast political experience(because none of the other candidates have that having served as Representatives, Congressmen, Goverenors, etc), but having been an avid, and mostly disagreeing reader of his for years, I know where his loyalties lie no matter what he says and he is not alone in biased views. He is joined by huge numbers of Hispanics who would vote for an Hispanic candidate no matter their actual qualifications just as scads of black voters were ready to toss America under the bus when Jesse jackson ran and are now on the Barak Obama(I WILL say Barak is a FAR superior man in every way to the Reverend) bandwagon. Leonel made the statement that whites could be criticized for the same bias in white candidates, and to some extent he is probably correct. I have stated in prior posts that America's top posts are still reserved, primarily for white gentlemans club members. Be that right or wrong it is simply a fact. I have also stated that many male democrats would vote, secretly, for a conservative male candidate before they would vote for Hillary and I still believe that.

My family is like a box of crayons. We have just about every color going on and certainly many women, so you may say I vote white male because that's what I am, but you'd be wrong. I am a conservative and I am always going to vote that way. Just as in hiring and college admittance practices, I believe the best qualified person should get the spot and that is who I will support. Let's face it. Most major minority or female political candidates are liberals. They won't get my vote based on that fact and not that their skin is a different color than mine or that they are outfitted with different plumbing. I would vote for Condie Rice(were she running)before I voted for a white male liberal(or most white male conservatives for that matter). I just want what I believe is in the best interests of America's long term health to come to pass and I will vote for the person I believe is best qualified to carry out the task of seeing to that.

As a man with such a diverse family and a job in which I am constantly in contact with people of different races I see the biases and double standards of racism at work in many ways and many times the people involved don't even realize they are doing it. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage or your gender, but a person should never make major decisions based solely on either or both. If you truly believe the candidate you support is the best person for the job, stand firm and cast your vote, but if you are doing it for any other reason it is time to check yourself. It is much more important that you vote as an American than as a person of race or gender. We need to elect leaders based on character, foresight, love of country and determination, not on race or gender.

DATELINE: Los Angeles County Raceway, Palmdale, California. May 29th 2000.

Bakersfield Man Injured at Gran Prix Race.

A Bakersfield man was injured Monday morning at LACR during the JB Memorial Gran Prix/Motocross charity event. Mark McGowan, 40, sustained a broken femur, separated shoulder and concussion when he failed to clear the big double jump in muddy conditions. He is currently in serious condition at Antelope Valley Medical Center after undergoing surgery to pin his femur yesterday evening......

OK..That was never in any paper(that I know of), but it would have made pretty good copy! Motorcycles, serious injuries, hospitals..the stuff of interesting stories. Only it wasn't very interesting to me. It sucked..It sucked really bad! It ruined my summer. The summer I was to defend my So Cal AMA Vet class championship(the class for racers between 30 and 39 which I won at 39) while chasing the Senior Class(40-49)title at the same time. It ruined a new pair of Pro Taper Bars, a new pair of FOX pants and a new FOX jersey. It also ruined, as it turned out, my racing career, even if it was only a sportsman career. I haven't raced since.

I was told I would be down 10 to 12 weeks, but the rod that was placed in my femur at AVMC turned out to be too small in diameter and wasn't allowing my bone to knit properly due to movement, so in January 2001 I had it replaced with a 2mm larger diameter rod. It felt better and began healing quickly but it was another two months, ten months from my injury, before I was able to take my YZ to a track and take some laps. It just wasn't the same. I wasn't afraid, I was in pain. Major pain. Everytime I would put my foot down I seemed to catch a hole. Landing big jumps killed my hip and thigh. I had also sustained a lot of soft tissue damage that took years to fully heal. I took those laps at the Tulare Raceway, loaded up the Bill's Pipes/Boyesen/RG3/ Bakersfield Yamaha sponsored machine and never took another lap on it.

In September of 2001 I ordered my Harley Davidson, got it in January of 2002 and sold the YZ a month later. The guy got a hell of a deal! I still kick myself for dumping the YZ. Yeah..it was a two stroke 250cc machine, but I'm not Ricky Carmichael and I could have still competed at my level with no real problems, I just didn't think I was ever going to feel good on a dirtbike again. I didn't think my leg and hips were ever going to loosen up and feel better..But they did. It took about five years, but I felt great and everytime I saw a pic of me racing I would get nostalgic and remorseful. That bike was paid for and new ones run a cool seven grand by the time you outfit them with necessary accoutriments, another grand for a tuned suspension...you get the picture. On top of that I had given all my gear away to my grandson(the superstar prep and now star college football player), Ryan.

The better I felt, the crappier I would feel about not having a bike. Oh, I could afford one if I REALLY wanted to do it, but the Harley is an expensive and time consuming mistress as it is so I just settled for getting all teary eyed when I watched a race on TV or saw a pickup load of muddy bikes heading home from some track. I walk down sidewalks and hallways pretending I am hitting a set of whoops pinned in fourth gear or hitting that dreaded double at LACR with a vengance. When making left turns from a light I grab the holeshot and pretend I am charging into a first turn, pushing everyone wide and running away with a moto!

I think about motocross all the time. I have since I saw my first motocross race on TV in 1972. I am obsessed with it and I don't care. I know everything about it from it's history to how to go fast on a bike and what makes modern suspensions work. I remember like it was yesterday how it felt when the green flag(this was before starting gates at the local level)dropped on my first race at Dos Rios Raceway outside of Arvin, Cal. I miss it. I miss it terribly. I have never done anything(and that includes sex)so excititing or satisfying. I have played other sports, but there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when you win a race knowing it was all YOU and not twenty other guys. Of course you have nobody to blame but yourself when you don't win, but that's what drives you to ride harder and take chances. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush of almost crashing at speed, but pulling off the pass anyway! I want another dirtbike!

Enter my grandson, Ryan, and his new college career on a full ride at Fresno State. What, you may ask, does that have to do with dirtbikes? Just this. Ryan has a 2006 Kawasaki KX250F and there is no way his Mom or his coaches are going to let him ride a dirtbike while he is playing football. They will not allow him to jeopardize his deal by getting nuts on a bike, and there is no way you cannot go nuts on a nice dirtbike. So, there was this beautiful KX250F sitting in the garage just waiting for someone to pay some attention to it.

Enter ME! I asked Ryan if I could ride it, and possibly, buy it if I like it. I went over and loaded it up today. It was still filthy from his last ride and in desperate need of some care and repairs. I brought it home and unloaded it in the driveway, broke out the hose, Saf-Sol 20 and some rags and cleaned it all up. I took inventory of what it needs partswise and what was loose(almost everything..Ryan isn't much on upkeep obviously!)and rolled it into the garage next to the Harley..well not so close that it might fall on it, but still next to it.

It will be nearly seven years since I swung a leg over a dirtbike when I get it all ready to go and boot it over. It is a four stroke and I have never ridden one of the 250Fs. I wonder what it will be like. I was too big for the old two stroke 125cc bikes, but I am told these 250Fs are something else! It is sleek and beautiful and looks like it's hauling ass when it's just sitting there and I can't wait to try it out. Bev has warned me to take it easy, but she knows it won't be long till I am seeing just what it, and I, can do. I have butterflies already and I haven't even SAT on it. I can't wait!