{"id":4673,"date":"2010-11-09T10:13:48","date_gmt":"2010-11-09T17:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=4673"},"modified":"2011-09-13T12:26:20","modified_gmt":"2011-09-13T19:26:20","slug":"you-meet-the-nicest-people-on-a-honda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=4673","title":{"rendered":"You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Leather-clad thugs, circa 1965<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was an interesting thread on Facebook this morning.\u00a0 US Rider News, a motorcycle magazine, posted a link to a newspaper article<\/a> about a veteran who didn’t want a veterans’ motorcycle group leading the local Veterans’ Day parade:<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s the image we want,\u201d said Stephen Riggs of West Ashley, a former Army sergeant who had planned to drive a 1942 Ford Army Jeep pulling a 37 mm antitank gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cMilitary uniforms should lead the Veterans Day parade,\u201d he said Monday. \u201cWhat is it we\u2019re trying to show? Would I want my grandkids at that parade to see guys in leather and ponytails with flags waving off the back? It is a dignity issue.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I left this comment on the Facebook thread:<\/p>\n

Motorcyclists go out of their way to dress and look like badasses, and even though I’m a motorcyclist (and a vet) myself, I understand why some vets don’t want people who look like thugs representing them. I thought the guy in the article said it very well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If I wanted to stir up trouble, I couldn’t have done a better job.\u00a0 Some of the responses , so far:<\/p>\n

what you wear does not dictate what kind of person you are. we wear leathers for a reason. not to look like “THUGS” as you so say. you forget…you are a MOTORCYCLIST, im a biker. so you are not one of us and you wouldnt understand even if i did explain<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

sez that the “former” sergeant lodging the complaint, Steven Riggs, is a piece of shit. If he wants to lead a military parade, then he needs to go back in the Army; then, and only then, will he have room to talk!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

WELL PAUL, Have you ever heard of the PATRIOT GAURD? and the JACKASS REVEREND PHELPS FROM KANSAS THAT PROTESTS OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS FUNERALS.It’s these type of THUGS\/VETS that are there to keep LOWLIFES like the REVEREND PHELPS away from the funerals,so our FATHERS, MOTHERS, BROTHERS, SISTERS can be laid to rest in PEACE!! I hate to say it PAUL but I think your a JACKASS TOO !!!!!!!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Most bikers i know have served or are serveing.The fact is you cant make everybody happy.If all he sees is a pony tailed lather clad thugg then this guy hasnt seen the good my fellow vet bikers do.Bikers do way more work in charity then any one else ANYONE…Again, if all he see,s is a biker then he just doesnt get it.The first biker clubs was started by vets.This guy must have a sad life with out biker friends.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But there was a supporter, too:<\/p>\n

Hello? Are we reading the same thing here people? It is about soldiers…not bikers. I served in the Air Force. I ride a bike. I also have rode local in Patriot Guard events. But this should be lead by Soldiers….not retired vets on bikes. IF those vets were really there to support the cause then they should not have a problem parking those bikes and walking like proud Vets in a parade. Sometimes it’s not about showing off your pride for riding.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I wonder what people would say if a group of female impersonators from the local gay bar asked to march in the parade . . . in drag?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was an interesting thread on Facebook this morning.\u00a0 US Rider News, a motorcycle magazine, posted a link to a newspaper article about a veteran who didn’t want a veterans’ motorcycle group leading the local Veterans’ Day parade: \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s the image we want,\u201d said Stephen Riggs of West Ashley, a former Army […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[250,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture-wars","category-motorcycling"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4673"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7513,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673\/revisions\/7513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}