Nov 06 '05 - 1117 W, 3 I - Vote Good + 18 :: Bad - 15 Freedom To Be, Freedom To Ride
Published Nov. 7th 2005 :: C.I.C.L.E.
By Senator Jim Elliott :: USA
As a rule, authority distrusts innovation and spontaneity, which to my
mind pretty much embodies today’s cycling movement. I was reminded of
this a couple of weeks ago when I watched “Still We Ride”—a
documentary on the mass Critical Mass arrests in New York City during
the 2004 Republican National Convention, and the subsequent harassment
of cyclists and confiscation of unattended bikes.
It angered me to see a group of people targeted for legalized
harassment for doing nothing more than enjoying their civil liberties.
Let me first make something clear; I am not a cyclist, nor do I intend
to become one. In fact, in rural Montana, where I live, I tend to be
more annoyed by cyclists who choose to tour our extremely scenic and
narrow highways than sympathetic. That’s why I was prepared to cast a
jaundiced eye on the plight of the people in “Still We Ride”.
The reason I was moved to side with them was not because I felt that
their particular activity was being singled out by the authorities for
special and unwarranted treatment, but because I have seen this kind of
overreaction on the part of the police and civil authorities for
decades, and enjoyed some personal experiences of my own that have left
an indelible mark.
Be it the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s, the anti Vietnam War
protests of the 1960s and 1970s, or going even further back in American
history to the labor movement in the 1880s, people have had the crap
kicked out of them for standing up for their belief that their opinion
is entitled to respect.
Just so, those people who participate in Critical Mass, whether or not
I agree with them (or whether or not anybody agrees with them) are
being singled out and punished by the authorities for having a
different lifestyle, expressing their beliefs—hell—just exercising
their freedom.
Those who are not directly on the receiving end of the butt kicking
probably don’t pay much attention. Maybe, even though you are a
cyclist, you don’t either. Too bad, because the likelihood is that, in
one way or another, your turn will come. In fact, in light of the
United States’ government’s drive to save our freedom by destroying it,
it may already be your turn; you just haven’t felt it yet.
So I am writing this article to pass along some thoughts that are
important to me. First, freedom is not free; it is never given, it is
always won by struggle. Even the most seemingly absurd, everyday things
were fought for. Thousands of laborers died to secure things that today
we take for granted—the weekend and the eight hour day; many thousands
of Blacks were killed for merely trying to have a say in their own
destiny. It’s a long, long list, and there is little that we take for
granted today that is not on it.
The second point is that all people are engaged in the same struggle to
win or maintain some sort of individual freedom, but they manifest it
in different ways. It is our obligation, as their neighbors in spirit,
to respect their desires and to see that they are not persecuted
because they use legal but, to the authorities, intimidating means to
achieve them.
We don’t have to join them in their struggle—we may not even feel they
are right—but we must be always vigilant in protecting their right to
express themselves without being harassed or brutalized by governmental
authorities. Because, my friends, we need them to be there for us too.
I don’t feel any different about cyclists that I did before I saw
“Still We Ride”. I’m not going to have warm fuzzies when after I round
a
curve I have to go into the ditch as an alternative to head ending a
semi or killing a trio of cyclists riding abreast (yeah, it happened),
but I am going to stand up for anyone who is given a hard time for what
they do or what they stand for, and if those guys happen to be
cyclists, I’ll be there for them both as a neighbor and as a Montana
state senator.
Senator Jim Elliott (D) writes a biweekly column called Montana
Viewpoint that is distributed to newspapers throughout the state. He
sponsored SJ Resolution 19, the most strongly worded criticism of the
Federal Patriot Act in the nation. It was supported by both Democrats
and Republicans and passed both houses of the legislature by an
overwhelmingly margin. Senator Elliott is also suing the Montana
Department of Revenue for release of corporate income tax records to
investigate the extent of corporate tax fraud in Montana. The case is
now in front of the Montana Supreme Court.
SEE RELATED ARTICLES
Whose Streets? Our Streets?
In depth article with time line and interview with a member of
Time's Up, the group that is being sued by the city of New York in
order to squash their free speech right to promote the Critical Mass
bike ride. The lawsuit also had this slipped into it... a requirement
that all parties over 20 would have to file for a permit with the city
(this would mean any group of 20 or more, such as family picnics,
soccer games etc...not just cyclist)
Check out London's CM
The London police are using the same tactics as the NYPD and even the
same wording in their flyers they hand out at the CM meeting place,
threatening to arrest riders if they participate in the ride.
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Excellent! Thank you Mr. Senator.
henree - November 08 '05 - 12:51
Well spoken Senator. The point that rights and freedoms are gained through struggle and maintained through usage is excellent; and the argument for respect for the rights of others, whether or not we are personally inclined toward admiring those others, is in the best tradition of American democracy.Oisin Feeley - November 07 '05 - 20:20
I ride a bike everywhere I go, and as a cyclist and an American I appreciate your being willing to speak out in favor of our freedoms.Julian Brelsford - November 09 '05 - 19:05