Yes it's a Ducati. No you can't ride it.

We seem to have forgotten

2009-06-26T07:07:00.006-04:00

It's been a while, school and all, but in watching Barack Obama of late I got to thinking about why he is apologizing to other countries for his perceived problems with America. I will not deny that it could be construed by some that the U.S. seemingly at times inserts itself into other countries business, but I know that it always is in the name of freedom and/or democracy. How are those two things bad? His kowtowing to muslim countries is especially bothersome to me. While I do not for a moment think that all muslims want to see the downfall of western culture, there are some that do and frankly the ones that do not have not given me the impression by word or deed, that they are prepared to help us in locating the ones that do. In this I want to repost something that I read the day after 9-11 and I encourage everyone to remember the souls we lost that fateful day and that we did not start this fight.Published Wednesday, September 12, 2001 Leonard Pitts, Jr., Miami Herald

We'll go forward from this moment

It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering. You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.

IN PAIN

Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future. In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined.

THE STEEL IN US

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn.

This is really annoying!!

2009-01-07T08:51:00.003-05:00

It has been a long time since I posted I know so I went in and typed up this lengthy diatribe on my life and all that is happening right now and POOF it went away when I went to get a link to another webpage to share. Now I am really miffed since I can only be clever once on any given subject and now it will just sound like boring rhetoric when I say it again but I will give it a go.

A lot has happened since I last posted. In this current economy I was unable to find a job suiting my rather meager skills, well that is not entirely true, there was the one but I would have to carry a gun again and go to Afghanistan, I politely declined to say the least. So I need to do something else to fill the time, school seemed like a reasonably good idea so last month I started at MEDVANCE Institute in their X-Ray tech program. I will graduate in 2 years and hopefully be marketable again. Life will suck for the next 2 years though. They manage to cram 88 hours into 2 years so not many breaks over a day in length but I like it and the kids, and I do mean KIDS in my class are nice to the couple of old folks in the class.

Unfortunatley school means no trips on the scooter anytime soon but when I am done I will be going on a long one, probably the TransAmerica trail. It should take something like 6 weeks if my reckoning is correct. So instead I have broken the mountain bike back out and am riding some with my brother Charley. He is an animal, a much better rider and a whole lot more fit but he is nice enough to wait for me when we do occassionally ride together. If you want to read a very interesting account of a 24 hour mountain bike race he did then give this page a looksee:

http://charleyrome.blogspot.com/2009/01/24-hours-of-clear-springs.html

I was going to get into a whole rant about the bailouts and politics but frankly I have no faith in any of it any more. All I know is that the founding fathers put the 2nd ammendment in the Constitution because they had the wisdom to forsee that what had happened before could happen again and that at some point we would need to protect ourself from the government gone wild. For anyone that thinks that the President-Elect is going to bring about his 'Change' you are naive beyond belief, he is a politician like all of them. He is not even in office yet and he has scandals hanging over his head. Someone recently said to me we should shoot them all in the head and pile the bodies in the streets so we can start over. It seemed a little excessive at the time but it may be the best option.

Ok, enough for now, remember to 'Be excellent to each Other!'

Nothing Heavy Today

2008-08-10T17:32:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I am not feeling like I want to add anything important to the discussion today, I guess I could bust on politicians or something but since nothing ever seems to change then it seems a little pointless, and don't tell me that Barrack Hussen Obama is going to change anything because he isn't.

Since I don't feel like having that talk today so I will just leave ya'll with this seriously kewl video that I came across on Youtube. I swear that I could spend all day skipping around on that sight and not get bored. There are some really weird folks out their that post some even weirder crap that should remian hidden forever but since they post, like a train wreck, I have to watch it.

Enjoy, Later!

Edit: Well Youtube pulled the video off their site so I decided to go another route, frickin bastages!! Try it here, I had it saved on my .puter.

http://s426.photobucket.com/albums/pp350/jwrome/?action=view&current=descente.flv

The Monster Is No More, Long Live The 848!!

2008-08-09T08:51:00.003-04:00

It has been a long time I know, a lot has happened since my last post. I retired from the military, crashed a motorcycle, bought another motorcycle, and moved to another state. Yep that pretty well sums it up.

Due to some moron in south Florida pulling out in front of me and $6500 worth of damage to my scooter, the Monster is no more. I am still a little sad about it but it is a fact of life if you ride motorcycles. To replace it I bought a baby Superbike from Ducati called an 848. It makes about 40 more horsepower at 134 and weighs about 5 kilos less. I know a dangerous combination to be sure but OH MY GOD is it FUN. In all of the high performance vehicles I have ever driven or ridden it is like nothing I have ever experienced. To say that it is fast is ridiculous so I cannot imagine what its big brother the 1098 is like with 26 more horsepower in stock form or the R model with a total of 180. That thing must be a complete animal. At $72K we will not even discuss the DESMOSEDICI RR, but it makes over 200HP, basically a street legal race bike but if you can write the check and have previously owned a Ducati Superbike then you can buy one.

I could go on and on about how much is changed but lots of things are still in flux so I hate to prattle when I don't really know what the future holds. I am looking for another job so if anyone knows of anything, please do tell, other than that, crap who knows what today brings, much less tomorrow so I will live for now and see what happens, besides I have to head off to help the my brother break his car some more! See ya soon Chuck.

The wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt

2008-03-25T00:37:00.003-04:00

I have been doing some reading lately about Teddy Roosevelt, while I can't say I would agree with all his policies, we could certainly use someone of such leadership in our country right now, I find his views about immigration especially poignant considering how long ago he penned them and how relevant they continue to be.

"In the first place we should insist that the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equity with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming an American and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the American Defense Society in 1919.

"Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools."

“We can have no "50-50" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.”

I think that he said it better than I ever could have so I will leave it at that.

Funny Stuff

2008-03-05T21:29:00.002-05:00

Well my brother Charley has his won blog with all humor removed, I on the other hand am not quite that fatalistic in my view so for your enjoyment I came across this.

28

I sort of feel bad about it, bit not really.

For some reason the link did not turn out right but click on the number, it will all make sense then.

I hate Soccer Moms and all you other idiot drivers!

2008-02-25T19:17:00.004-05:00

I feel certain that this is going to bring me a lot of abuse but I don't really care.

You see I like riding my motorcycle. I know that it is inherently more dangerous than driving a car, I freely accept a certain amount of risk when I ride. What I do not accept is the SUV driving Soccer Mom talking on the cellphone while simultaneously screaming at the 2 little brats in the back seat playing with their PSP's ignoring Mom while she sips her Venti Chai tea latte with extra foam and tries to crush me between her behemoth and the cement truck in the other lane.

I know she does not mean to end my life but that will be of little comfort to my family as they stare at a closed casket because of what was left after I played chicken with the semi. We have too many responsibilities pulling us in too many directions. Driving down the road is not the place to try and close that multi-million dollar real estate deal since I know that the last thing on your mind will be my 378lb motorcycle with me on it. And if you run me over in your 8000lb Ford Excursion, you may not even know it.

Yes I ride faster than traffic, no it is not just because I like to go fast on my scooter. I ride slightly faster than traffic because it allows me to control the time and place of intercept between me and other vehicles on the road. I don't have to to worry nearly as much about what you are going to do if I already have a plan in place to deal with whatever bonehead move you might pull.

In case you are wondering why I seem so militant about this it is because South Florida has THE WORST drivers of any city I have ever been in and that is a scary prospect considering some of the places Uncle Sam has sent me to. I don't know if it is a language issue, something I will post more about at a later time, or inexperience because so many of them just moved here and have never driven anything larger than a goat cart up a mountain path before coming here. Yes I know that is a crass statement, stop trying to kill me with your car and I will think about taking it back.

I have had countless people tell me, 'I never saw the motorcycle.' Well open your damn eyes. I have a F-250 and I have no trouble seeing them, and my eyesight sucks. You don't look for them, that is all there is too it.

And before any of you lump me in with that genre of idiots pulling wheelies down I-95 and riding WAY to fast on public roads, forget it, I would like nothing better than for every one of them to be in jail as well. They make it very difficult to present a positive image of responsible riders. Sort of like bonehead drivers ruining it for the rest of you folks in my eyes.

How stupid can people be?!

2008-02-25T05:27:00.006-05:00

Ok, lets clear this up right away, my motorcycle is not Japanese, nothing against them, I have had a few, just wanted something different. And I realize that it is a big twin cylinder in a vaguely V shape, but that does not make it a Harley either!! IT IS ITALIAN. You know the land of pasta and really cool people riding around on Vespas saying, Ciao!

Next thing, no, it is not broken, the clutch is supposed to sound that way, it is a dry racing clutch, and I know there are parts missing, I took them off myself to see all the cool bits spinning and whirring about, but thanks for noticing.

While we are at it let's dispense with another big Ducati myth. You do not have to be rich to own a Ducati. I know this because I own one and I am not rich. They may be a little more expensive to own than some other bikes but it is all in what you want and I wanted something that stirred my soul when I rode it not just snap my neck when I snap open the throttle.

Now listen to me carefully, if all you want to do is go fast then you probably don't need a motorcycle. Ok, having said that if you decide you have to have a bike and if you do not know why people spend a little more on a Ducati than on a Japanese bike, then buy the Japanese bike, dollar for dollar they are your best bet for performance. You see, I do not care that your CBR, GSXR, YZF, ZX, or whatever is faster than mine, I can't ring everything available out of mine as is so why do I need something faster?