From: Heinrich Harke, [EMAIL PROTECTED] I am a member of the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the biggest and best bikers' association in Britain. Their defence of bikers' rights has resulted in a very principled perspective on minority interests, liberty, and 'the world we want to live in'. Recently, the MAG magazine 'Street Biker' ran a short piece (entitled 'We're not alone') on the oppression of smokers in our politically correct, non-smoking times. I took this as cue to send in a letter on shooters as another oppressed minority, and this was published. Derek Bernard suggested that I post this letter on CS as a model for other letters to special interest magazines - so here it is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Street Biker issue 110 (April-May 2000) Not Alone No, of course, we're not alone. The rise of political correctness necessarily results in an increasing number of politically incorrect 'minorities'. Knee-jerk legislation adds further groups to that ever-longer list. Imagine the following scenario: A reckless biker with a string of previous disqualifications swerves in front of a school bus. The bus crashes; a dozen schoolchildren and three teachers are dead. There is a media outcry; the Murdoch papers and several pressure groups call for motorbikes to be removed from British roads. MPs go on record calling all bikers 'maniacs' and 'psychopaths'. TV panels discuss the question 'Why would anybody in their right mind want to ride a motorcycle?' The opposition party descides to make the bike ban an election issue. One general election later the ban is law. Some bikes have already been taken abroad, but all other registered motorcycles are surrendered to the police and destroyed, including entire collections of historic bikes. Only mopeds and scooters are still legal, but pressure groups are already calling on the government to close this 'loophole'. 'Unthinkable', you cry. Madness, you think. Just replace in the above scenario the word 'motorcycle' with 'target pistol', and you know what happened to my other hobby. I do not want this to happen again. We non-PC minorities do not have to engage in any formal alliances, but we should be aware that there are lots of us by now - if you add up these unfashionable minorities (bikers, shooters, hunters, smokers, and so on), we are probably in a majority, and we have a common perspective: it is about what kind of world we want to live in. Surely, that's worth a fight. Heinrich Harke -------[Cybershooters contacts]-------- Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
