Romney brought campaign surrogate NJ Governor Chris Christie up on stage with him, which only served to illustrate how stiff Romney is. Christie, while obnoxious and crude -- he referred to a female protester as "sweetheart" today -- is very good at throwing red meat to the right wing. He likes to portray himself as a no-nonsense man of the people, but he's really just a bully throwing his ample weight around. Romney always looks awkward and forced trying to summon up some "common man" persona; Christie portrays that role much better.
Speaking of the Republican race, Newt Gingrich -- sorry, a Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich which, of course, has no connection to the candidate, nudge-nudge, wink-wink -- has launched TV ads in South Carolina slamming Mitt Romney for being a "predatory capitalist." It's nice to see some of the Occupy protesters finding work writing campaign spots for the Republicans.
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I understand some commentators are wondering whether Denver Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow would be "the next Michael Jordan." I suggest they wait until Tebow wins multiple league championships and transforms his sport before succumbing to Tebowmania.
Granted, Tebow led his Broncos to victory in electrifying fashion in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. The Broncos built a lead early, then watched the Steelers tie the game late in the fourth quarter. On the first play from scrimmage in overtime, Tebow threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demayrius Thomas, winning the game in eleven seconds, the fastest overtime win in NFL history. Not too shabby.
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Long distance motorcyclists, a group in which I humbly include myself, tend to enjoy riding challenges. Some are for fun, some serve charity interests, some are basically pointless (and I say that in a good way).I'm signed up for a few of these challenges this year. One that started on January 1 is a Waffle House Grand Tour, in which the goal is to photograph yourself or your rally flag (a numbered flag identifying you) with your motorcycle at Waffle House restaurants around the country.
There are several mini challenges included, one of which was for the first person to document the original Waffle House in Decatur, Georgia. Russell Dickerson (right) took that prize with a photo taken shortly after midnight on New Year's day. I am SO not going to win this thing...
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There was a report that Kim Kardashian was offered $600,000 to attend a Las Vegas party on New Year's Eve. I mention this solely as additional evidence there is no god...
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Any motorcyclist who takes riding seriously acknowledges certain dangers inherent in our passion. As such, we are unfortunately used to hearing about accidents or crashes and, working at a motorcycle shop, I hear more than the usual number of such stories.
When those accidents involve another vehicle, the majority of the accidents can be tied to the actions of the driver of the other vehicle. I've known friends injured and killed by those drivers, and the usual outcome -- aside from the loss of a friend, a family member, a solid citizen -- is a ticket issued to the driver of the car or truck. A rider is injured or killed, his or her property is damaged or destroyed, and the perp has to pay a $75 ticket. Not much justice to be found there but, again, something we're used to seeing.
So, it was refreshing to read in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, my local newspaper, that a judge actually issued a sentence in some proportion to the offense. In September 2010, Donald Upton was riding his motorcycle when Paul Miller pulled his SUV out in front of him. The resulting collision killed Upton at the scene, while Miller took off and drove home, where he told his wife he had "done something bad."
Miller then returned to the crash scene, but left again without identifying himself. He later reported his SUV stolen, apparently to avoid any responsibility for the accident and resulting fatality.
Miller was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and Circuit Court Judge William Shaw, taking into account Miller's behavior at the scene, his attempt to cover his tracks, his arrest for speeding while out on bail, and the horrible impact of his crime, sentenced Miller to ten years in prison with five years suspended. Hallelujah!
I don't revel in the pain that Miller and his family will now face, but their suffering is trivial compared to the loss suffered by the Upton family. It will be interesting to see how the sentence fairs under appeal, which I assume would be forthcoming, as the sentence exceeded state guidelines.
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