new union mission: find the people who don't like bikes and see that prompt and proper re-education measures are taken.

http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2006/11/bad_things_happ_2.html

the silver lining here is the receptive congressman.  he is now officially union approved.

- - - posted by scott

updated below

today, we honor those who have gone before us in the valiant struggle.  these individuals were notable for their moral character and their intellectual strength.  they sought to wrest control from plutocrats, from criminal oligarchs, and those who ruled by fiat or by virtue of heredity.  their greatest tool was a new and fresh way of thinking about things.  their greatest weapon was their ability to organize the seething masses and harness their power.  now that's pure democracy.  with this strength, they rallied the proletariat to do great things. 

today in history courtesy of wikipedia**

• 1917 - Vladimir Lenin led a Bolshevik insurrection against the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky, starting the October Revolution in Russia.

today in the news, courtesy of the washington post and wikipedia**:

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, Nov. 6 -- Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist president and nemesis of President Ronald Reagan, appears to have won back Nicaragua's top job.

so, as pete pointed out to me in an email today, everything that was old, is new again.  one only need look at the new wave of modern leaders emerging from central and south america.  chavez!  ortega!  relatives of castro!  it's should be patently obvious to even the dimmest citizens that without certain unnamed but well known "democratic" hegemons active suppression of the citizenry, they naturally organize for collective progress.

and while i would normally go on at great length about this, and tangentially related pieces of information which materially support our position and lend credence to our call for uprising in the name of the glorious cause, today i am morose.  i have it on good information that the three proposals we submitted to the annual meeting were all voted down.  three provisions: aimed at increasing transparency and shifting the emphasis back onto the clubs and their activities.  i had no thought that any of these would be contentious.  among the union committes that labored over the text and formally approved them for submittal to the mabra people's parliament, these concepts were commonly descibed as no-brainers.

this has given me significant pause for thought.  i wonder if our work is better conducted within mabra or outside mabra.  we will begin conversations shortly to explore other options.  i sense a fissure developing; a growing chasm between what is union approved (the example we set through actions and our stated interests) and what is not union approved: the actions of this "representative" body.

in spite of this temporary setback, we must take the long view and soldier on, remembering our great and glorious history and the vast potential the revolution still holds.  we are indeed walking on the shoulders of giants.  and this is no mean consolation.  it warms the heart to know what our brothers and sisters have done for us in the past and what we work to bring about for future generations.  union, da!!

** (please note that the capitalization was maintained in both these links in spite of it's flagrant inappropriateness in this context):

update: while billmon is clearly the most union approved blogger currently plying his trade, his current thoughts coincide nicely with this post, my thoughts, and, well, the facts on the ground.  i find it refreshing when this happens.  crush the hegemon and stick it to the man.

- - - posted by scott

the union ethos in action.  the pictures sort of say it all.  thanks to all who came down.  we had a great time and hope you did as well.

ben pushes me aside and shows me how it's done. 

the hammer and sickle cookies went fast, they were very popular.

family friendly is the union way

the next generation of revolutionaries are off to a good start

the messenger, and the message.

at the end of the day, all that was left was a single cookie.

I hereby offer a proclamation to all union staff: for exemplary service to the riders, and to the people, worthy of a commendation.  you are heroes of the state.

next up, hot chocolate and doughnuts, sometime in late november or early december.

- - - posted by scott

check it out.  specifically, check out the thoughts by the current virginia senator regarding helmet use. 

http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2006/11/2006_election_g.html

you can't buy that kind of wisdom...

- - - thanks to kevin for the heads up.

a rare glimpse into a typical day's maneuvers for the citizens and cyclists that work to achieve the union goals.  as part of a local training exercise, you see here a rider executing a tyrolean traverse with typical union panache.  he's keeping both his drivetrain and his satchel of leaflets dry to deliver union message and wisdom to those on the the other side

what might not be immediately apparent is that this also serves as yet another example of the wisdom and far-sightedness of your supreme leaders, the vanguard of the union movement.  we are teaching citizens and cyclists to thrive and adapt to conditions without car-o-centric infrastructure.  all the bridges you see now are there because of the centrality of the internal combustion engine to transportation and industry.  when the second great leap forward occurs, much of this infrastructure will fall away from lack of use as people return to a more communal way of life and use simpler, smarter machines.  union forces know that though these days are not immediate, they must prepare as if they were.

vigilance and preparedness, constant companions of the union rider.

-posted by scott

showing by example that you can get it done on a bike. 

it's put up or shut up time for you people.

and one that is most relevant to the majority of us....

wonder why the guy doesn't have a courier bag to carry these things?  wonder no longer.  the next front in our glorious crusade is about to be enjoined.  stay tuned...

image by chris...

In honor of the glorious revolution in cycling and the continued re-ordering of the status quo, the supreme revolutionary council of the Racing Union and the sub-committee on progressive digestion announces a celebration to be held at Hains Point this coming Monday, October 23, 2006 from noon until 1:30 in the picnic area.

The Union will provide free sustenance in the form of hot dogs, cookies, and various other Union-approved refreshments.  Any and all cyclists and fellow travelers will be welcomed like brothers and sisters.

This event exists for the purpose of giving thanks to our comrades on wheels, who toil in the sun, the wind, the snow, the rain, and the traffic to make our community safer, though not yet safe, for cycling.

Attendance is required by all.

(sigh)

okay people.  i'm going to break this down.  it will seem obvious in retrospect, but it's obviously not obvious to a sufficiently large majority that corrective actions are necessary at this point.  you know that revolution we keep talking about?  the one that involves bicycles?  think back.  you may need to re-read some of the older posts to re-acquaint yourself.  go ahead, i'll wait....

you back?  good.  let's jump into it.  in order to have a revolution involving bicycles, everybody has to, you know, pretty much ride bicycles.  biking isn't always the easiest way to get around (**) and it's just that much harder when your destination has no access to a safe place to lock up your bike.

as the union vanguard rode through washington this past week, we were repeatedly appalled at the shoddy accomodations that cyclists are offered. 

while we generally feel it is unacceptable, it is especially unacceptable for a large organization that bills itself as progressive, and as an incubation chamber for improvements to third world countries to give it's first world employees third world accomodations for their first world bikes. 

one of the union vanguard brought our ride to a screetching halt in the middle of pennsylvania avenue, and delivered a stunning extemporaneous speech which excoriated this smug, self-congratulatory institution for it's lack of attention to cyclists and it's inability to practice what it preaches.

the example below was by far the worst.  the fact that this worker, this citizen, this proud fellow cyclist needed to endure these types of conditions was unthinkable until we witnessed it first hand.  now the racing union doesn't go around like some celebrity actor or actress who flies to a central african republic and then spends two weeks (but no more) telling everyone in the most genteel manner possible how horrible the conditions are.  we've talked about this before and we'll undoubtedly talk about it again.

in fact, in the near future, we'll be talking about htis a whole lot.  but for now, the message is simple.  you had better do better than this.

- - - posted by scott

(** this is just a statement of fact.  i'll bet virtually everyone reading this is a pretty avid cyclist _and_ that virtually everyone reading this owns at least one car.  if we can't do the car free lifestyle, how can you seriously expect others to do it?  q.e.d.)

union forces amassed along the potomac today.  the plan was to storm bethesda, acquire rations, spread our zeal for the union message and then slip undetected into the gray suburban environment before the oppressive forces of mabra could be marshalled to silence us.  we knew they were looking for us so we opted to dress incognito.  incidentally, those gang signs mike is throwing up are not "union-approved".

josh met us at a base of the capital crescent.  he's on an off-week from his chemotherapy regimen and wanted to get out.  he went straight to the front and stayed there.  simply amazing.  that guy kicks ass.

dc is a bagel wasteland.  it's as if a whole bunch of people just woke up one day and realized that, well, you can just throw any old lump of dough with a hole in the center into some water, bake it, call it a bagel and charge a dollar for it.  this is not "union-approved".  there are still a few establishments around that produce solid products and obviously take pride in their work.  these places are as close as we can get to the traditional methods, products and quality that one would find in any artisanal butcher and baker's shop throughout europe.  and it's what you can expect after the revolution when we devolve this society back down into a series of agrarian communes with a focus on subsistence.  but more on that later!

the fact that we need to ride to bethesda to find a decent bagel is hardly the main point of this post though.  it was chilly but the sun was out and it was clear and a beautiful day.  a chance to ride our bikes, talk amongst ourselves, tell some jokes and stuff our faces. 

statement approved by the people’s congress
through the directorate of communications
authorized by the supreme revolutionary council
command bunker, plaza de la revolucion
www.racingunion.org

day 269 of the glorious revolution in cycling and the social order

racing union communication rc-654-fy75-d543-269

to: the national sanctioning body for bicycle racing in the united states
from: racing union
re: a deconstruction and explication of your “club of the year” contest and a demand that the contest be ended now and that racing union be recognized in the short term as what you call the “club of the year” for its tremendous wisdom and energetic contributions to the glorious cause, and hailed as the prototype for all current and future cycling organizations

background
in december of last year, a number of prominent cyclists in the mid-atlantic area were meeting regularly in coffee houses.  these impromptu salons were filled with discussion, debate and banter regarding the current state of cycling.  from these meetings came the recognition that our current leadership, indeed our current societal structure, lacks the ability to help both riders and racers realize their goals and aspirations. 

this bold vanguard chose a new path, an alternative route, that would seek to overturn the subtle tyranny and the stifling effect of the status quo.  they came together under a single banner and named their effort “racing union”.  racing union!  first and foremost in all things, the bright beacon leading racers and riders to the new day promised by the glorious revolution.  the pathfinder!  the messenger and the message!  racing union, hope and inspiration to all who toil on two wheels under human power!..  ever vigilant and faithful in seeking to advance the glorious cause.

formal statement of our position
we demand that you name us club of the year.  the racing union does not seek awards, but in this case, it should be obvious that to present the award to any other team would be a gross miscarriage of justice and an equally grave disservice to the collective body of racers and riders. 

rationale
your current application process appears to ask clubs such ill-suited questions as how many masters or juniors or women’s racers their team has, or how many and what sorts of events did your team promote? 

the former question is  truly inappropriate.  all cyclists are citizens and have equal value.  it is true that in the nascent stages of our philosophy, some of our leaders felt that some cyclists were more equal than others, but this has long since been repudiated.  truly, all citizens are, in principle, members of the racing union, and we take great pride in knowing that one day, they will all work collectively towards our common goals.

the latter question also does a disservice in that it does not stress the progressive values that all promoters should be employing: no cash prizes, no entry fees for juniors, running events as not-for-profit and returning money to racers if entry fees exceed financial outlays.  and you are not even asking clubs to discuss how many citizens have they helped to discover cycling or how many are now more productive citizens because they have integrated the bike into their routine through commuting. 

this constitutes a woefully narrow view of the types of things a cycling club can accomplish, and indeed should be seeking to accomplish.  these questions you pose will elicit responses from a vast, indistinguishable mass of organizations which simply want to tell you what you want to hear. 

as any collective farm worker would know, the rooster seeks to draw attention by crowing louder and preening longer, but this same rooster often ignores the fact that other roosters simultaneously do the same.  in this preening and crowing, it makes itself more similar than dissimilar to the others.  and so it is with this “club of the year” contest.  these organizations will attempt to ingratiate themselves to you by endlessly describing what they think you wish to hear.  in this regard, to call them sycophants, toadies or lickspittles is to be kind.  in the same manner that bland, identical prefabricated houses erupt from ground to corrupt the landscape on any green swath, teams that number like the stars in the sky will present themselves to you in all their finery, eager to convince that they have gone above and beyond what was expected of them. 

and where does this leave the racers, the riders and the commuters?  who will speak for them while you and your clubs proceed on this delusional, self-congratulatory track, which is no more than a crooked tentacle of pride-woven aggression?  while this regrettable ruse on both your parts is somewhat understandable, we cannot and will not allow it to continue.  the racing union has set the straightforward goal of leading the vanguard in the great and glorious cause: the revolution in cycling and the social order.  the subtle tyranny of the status quo, manifest in the bourgeois sensibilities of current clubs and administrators, will eventually lead to the complete downfall of cycling as both a sport and recreation.  this can not only be prevented, but a strong, prosperous future can be brought about, where all citizens know the pleasure of an afternoon ride, or anticipate the first cyclosportif of the spring.  the racing union seeks sea-change in how people view the bicycle: no longer some costly, exotic racehorse which must be carefully maintained, or some piece of exercise equipment to be brought out on sunny weekends.  No the bicycle is to be the trusted comrade of all workers, transportation, recreation, a remarkable machine whose simple engineering belies it’s fantastic convenience and utility.  from the collective farms to the labour centers, from the markets to the schools, cycling will move from the periphery to the center of our daily lives.

individuals with a strong vested interest in maintaining the status quo will seek to question the propriety of our response.  the racing union has committed to show by example that competitive and recreational cycling can be administered through a different model.  there is no need for sponsorship of either teams or events.  cycling is a hobby and we should compete as amateurs.  the corrupting influence of money must be negated.  the confluence of social revolution and cycling is too powerful to resist.  embrace it now.

the manifesto: http://www.racingunion.org/Document.aspx?manifesto

i want to share a personal bias that i have.  i don't care for it when people ride on the trail or on roads with a walkman, or a diskman or whatever the heck type of device you kids listen to your boogie-woogie music on.  i especially don't care for it down at hains point, where people are riding at high speeds and close together.  i almost never say anything about this because i don't see it as my perogative to tell people how to do their thing, but i bottle up my loathing in a passive agressive way.

this morning, chris sent me a link to the latest frazz comic and it got me thinking about this. 

part of the humor of the strip turns on what might be a generational disconnect or it might be a disconnect between their outlooks.  either way, the punchline at the end shows that though they are talking to each other, they are not really hearing what the other person is saying.

which brings me to where i'm at.  i try to be really good about telling people when i am passing on a trail or a road.  but i have stopped doing that if i see earbuds or a cell phone.  it may be immature or petulant or expose an irrational prejudice i have but i sort of feel like if you're taking yourself out of our common environment, that i can't really interact with you so it's not worth the effort.  the epitome of this is the people with the bluetooth phone ear pieces.  you can find them anywhere in downtown dc, walking along, talking to nobody: the modern urban crazy homeless,except these guys are wearing brooks brothers suits and extremely thin swiss watches.  but they look just as crazy.

now once we start podcasting union news and education services, we may need to rethink this position, but for now, i will take the sound of respiratory activity any time, any day.

- - - posted by scott

p.s. i miss the days of anton quist, when he would sing gilbert and sullivan on training rides.  that was entertaining.