239) 940-3397. 24 (Sat) Naples, “3^rd Annual Motorcycle Expo,” Golden Gate Chamber of Commerce. Golden Gate Community Center, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More info call Keith Larson at (239) 455-2343.

31 (Sat) S. Ft. Myers, “2^nd Annual Armchair Quarterback Run,” ABATE, Estero River Chapter. Enjoy a great afternoon of football and riding, where you can be the hero of your own game!!! Game time & kickoff details coming soon. Two, Three & Four Wheels Welcome! More info call Tammy at (239) 289-2647 or Red at

FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
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February 26-March 7, 2004                      Plant City, FL
http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/            

The Strawberry festival offers some of nations finest entertainment in a fun filled family atmosphere. Last year's Florida Strawberry Festival was an outstanding success with thousands of visitors enjoying the midway, livestock, kids days, concerts, arts & crafts, senior days, shows, parades, exhibitions, contests, petting zoos, and horticulture.

 FIRST ANNUAL Chrome Divas Port Charlotte Chapter POKER RUN to Benefit CARE (Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies) of Charlotte County.  Sunday, March 21, 2004.  Leaving from Snook Haven, 5000 E Venice Ave, Venice, FL; Ending at Lady Luck in Englewood, FL.  First bike out at 11 am, last bike out by 1 pm.  $10 per hand.  Food, drinks and band at Lady Luck.  Live performance by Cosmic Rancher.  50/50, Door Prizes and more...  Donate your old cell phones, too.  For more information call Lady K at 941-286-9861 or email ridinatlast@yahoo.com.  Or contact Sue at 941-625-3598 or email smay655@earthlink.net

Freedom Rights Rally & State Meeting April 9 - April 12 State Meeting: Sunday April 11 @ 12 Noon Monticello - American Legion Hall

click on picture

BIKERS PROTEST JANKLOW SENTENCE

A number of motorcycle groups have proposed boycotting the Sturgis motorcycle rally in response to what they consider lenient punishment given Bill Janklow in the death of a cyclist. Janklow, a former governor and congressman, was recently sentenced to 100 days in jail for the Aug. 16 traffic death of cyclist Randy Scott, of Hardwick, Minn. Janklow, 64, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and lesser charges of speeding, reckless driving and running a stop sign. "We go out there with wallets. We don't carry food or travel in motor homes," said Edward Birch, a 64-year-old rider from the Philadelphia area. "We buy gasoline, we shop for souvenirs, we buy whatever we need when we get there. I hate to see a boycott because I've been treated very well there. But we're too far away to protest at your state Capitol."

The high profile case has sparked uproar in the US biker community who feel Janklow has been let off lightly, despite a history of poor driving and witnesses claiming Janklow had shunted Scott off his motorcycle after running a stop sign at high speed. Janklow's sentence appears light compared to the norm for similar offences in South Dakota where the average is a seven year stretch in prison.

Janklow is described by many as an out and out anti-Indian racist. When federal agents and goon squads overran the Pine Ridge Reservation in the early 1970s, Janklow was called in as a special prosecutor. During the Occupation of Wounded Knee, Janklow wore army fatigues and was seen in the company of "vigilante's." During his prosecution of AIM leaders, he proclaimed that "the only way to deal with the Indian problem . . . is to put a gun to the AIM leaders' heads and pull the trigger." While running for governor, Janklow told the Minneapolis Tribune proudly that he had a "shoot 'em up, mow 'em down" reputation..." Such talk earned him the nickname "Wild Bill" and the reputation of "Indian fighter," endearing him to many in a conservative and predominantly white state. That endearment certainly did not reach into Indian Country. Janklow used those times and that atmosphere to launch his campaign from a little tribal attorney working on the reservation to run for attorney general and eventually governor," said AIM's Clyde Bellecourt, "He let people know we'd never be a voice again in South Dakota if he was elected. He was twice accused of rape of young Indian girls, one of them his baby sitter. On both occasions the FBI refused to turn over the results of their investigation of the charges over to courts and refused to prosecute Janklow." When former Gov. George Mickelson, who served before Janklow returned to office in 1994 after Mickelson's death, in an attempt to promote racial harmony, established "Native American Day" as a South Dakota holiday, Janklow downplayed its significance. When a state civil rights study was released criticizing South Dakota's legal system for its treatment of Indians, Janklow called the work "garbage." While Governor, Janklow refused to put up signs for an Indian Lesbian Group that were maintaining a section of highway in South Dakota. When challenged in the courts, he threatened to remove ALL signs of all groups if he lost. Also, while Governor; he undraped a picture that had been covered for years in the Governor's Mansion that depicted a white man with his boot on the throat of an Indian lying on the ground. When asked to recover it because it was offensive and racist he refused. When a case was filed against him, he finally covered it

Twelve times in four years in the early 1990s, between his two eight- year stints as governor, Janklow was cited for speeding. And less than a year before the accident that killed Scott, he ran a stop sign at that same intersection and nearly hit a truck carrying a family of four. That incident, and another near-miss involving a state trooper in Rapid City, was documented at Janklow's trial.

All and all, perhaps, Leonard Peltier put in best after Janklow's conviction but before his sentence, "… it's good that his conviction gives hope of some level of parity. But, he's not worth dwelling on. He is not the main problem, only a symptom of the problem. We have battles to win for our children, our children's children and all our future generations. The words I have spoken, to quote a well known spiritual leader, Phillip Deer, aren't prophecy but ancient knowledge."

Sources: Inside Bikes, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Aberdeen News (Aberdeen, South Dakota), Lakota Journal, Dakota/Lakota/Nakota Human Rights Advocacy Coalition, The Case Of Leonard Peltier Web Site www.yankton.net/stories/012704/opE_20040127043.shtml
As I have stated before. The American government has totally fucked over the Native American. This son of a bitch is a perfect example of the face of injustice.