Dear Nick~

And there you are! ~ in the wisdom of Abe Lincoln, "You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people all of the time" ~ I respect your opinion and you know what they say about opinions: they're like smiles, everybody has one! ~ before I upbraid you, I want to say mahalos for showing up at our most recent CM, whether for the purpose of satisfying your curiosity or whether a pure desire to help us make a statement by show of numbers ~ and that's what it's all about Nick, #'s! ~ CM is not about one solo bicyclist effortlessly slipping in and out of traffic, hardly breaking a sweat whilst motorists curse themselves, and one another, for sitting and stewing in a mobile sweatbox, stuck a gridlock known as "rush hour" (one of the most glaring of oxymorons) ~ a single rider is merely a fly in the ointment for these morotists, and is quickly dismissed if even noticed...

What you've described is actually a very cool thing Nick and something I embrace dearly and have spoken and written about ~ that Zen-like, meditative, off-the-grid, organic, solo bicycle ride, preferably within a Nature setting ~ it is selfish and yet selfishly delicious! ~  and yet it is for another time ~ CM is a shout-out to an otherwise asleep-at-the wheel population of unhealthy and unconscious motorists/commuters which tells them:

#1  We as bicyclists matter, that we are a significant and peaceful, non-invasive force to be reckoned with... 

#2  That bicycling is a very viable, and healthier, way to commute to and from their workplace, shopping center, etc...

#3  That we deserve to be on the road as much as they ~ curiously enough, it is a little known fact that in 1894 the first paved roadways were paved not for motorists, yet rather for us bicyclists! ~ we bitched and complained to our government officials that we were tired, and with bruised bodies, from hitting rocks and potholes in the existing dirt-roads of the time ~ automobiles soon took those smoothe-paved roadways away from us ~ if anything, it is time for motorists to return our most generous of efforts by giving us a much overdue respect and courtesy ~ will they? ~ hell no, we must reclaim the roads thru efforts such as CM, the Young Street Bikeway, the Ala Wai Blvd. Bikeway, the Waialae, McCully, Kam Hwy., Nimitz and on and on and on proposed bikeways...   

#4  That we bicyclists often arrive at our destination quciker than they whilst arriving exercised, with life-giving oxygen/blood being pumped throughout our bodies and our mind ~ we arrive alert, adrenalin-hyped, happy, with clarity of mind and thought and consciousness... 

If the above is "innapropriate in Hawai'i" (does this mean it is appropriate elsewhere but not here?),  then I am so very apologetic to you and all the other "part-time" bicyclists as well as full-time motorists... 

I believe I remember who you are Nick and that I came over to welcome you to our ride ~ you've nailed it in your below message as you admit that you "drive" more than you ride ~ I parked my M. Benz almost 5 yrs. ago behind my house, beneath the Mango tree ~ I pulled the battery and threw a cover over it and dusted-off my 10 spd. Univega ~ I began commuting everywhere by bicycle as a commitment to both my body and to the environment ~ I have been riding ever since and would like to believe that my body, mind, and Spirit speak as an example to others, of the healthy benefits of bicycling (coupled with several other daily practices) ~ I would like to believe that I am "walking the walk" or in this case, "riding the ride"...

I approached Mayor Jeremy Harris and DTS' Cheryl Soon almost 5 yrs. ago with my vision of Young St. as being a dedicated and safe bikeway ~ 5 yrs. later we are so very close to City Council approprating the $$$ to begin this long-overdue project (if we can overcome the recent objection by an ignorant and lazy-minded bloc) ~ my vision is to have Young St. be the first of many "safe" and generous bikeways (the Master Bicycle Plan) connecting Pearl City and Hawaii Kai to downtown Honolulu which will get people to consider commuting by bicycle to their workplaces (statistics show that over 50% of the workforce lives within 5 miles radius of their workplace and this is certainly bike-able, or walkablee, or jogable, or skateboardable, or in-line skateable, or mass-transit-able)...

I am founder of Mo'PoB (More People on Bikes) and have writtten articles for the Honolulu Weekly ~ I sit on the Mayor's Advisory Committee (MACB) and helped to establish, and sit on, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Bicycling Committee (UHMBC) ~ I host each Wed. morning, a Bicycle/Breakfast @ Kaka'ako Kitchen in the Ward Centre ~ I attended the Waikiki Urban Development sessions so that the voice of bicycling and safe bicycle paths in Waikiki would not be ignored as they are now drawing up plans for the revitalization of Waikiki and its infrastructure ~ I've not missed a City Council meeting/hearing on any of the above-mentioned proposed bicycle projects ~ and yes, I am one of the coordinators of the last-Friday-of-each-month CM ride ~ have I seen your face at any of these functions Nick? ~ other than a cameo/token appearance at the most recent CM? ~ I don't believe so...

I tell you all this Nick so as not to simply "blow my own horn" or to stroke myself, or to say that I am any better or less than you or anyone else out there because I am not ~ we are all equal and we all have the ability to "raise the bar" ~ I choose to do so within this very impassioned crusade of mine ~ bicycling is very near and dear to me as it seems to be to you ~ you speak of it with very poetic words and seem to concur that bicycling can be a positive way of healing both our bodies and this planet Earth ~ I take the time to tell you all of this because we seem to be on the same page as to the grande benfits of bicycling ~ and yet you, like so many others, "show-up" infrequently if at all ~ and when you do, you possibly have a very myopic view of the "big picture" because you are not there with us all the time,  in the trenches ~ start "showing-up" and I will respect your "opinion" even more ~ a weeken d, arm-chair bicyclist is not really who I choose to run with ~ I want only the warriors... 

We ride our CM's in compliance with white-man's rules of traffic ~ we claim but "one" lane and ride at a comfortable speed and in as tight a cluster as possible so as not to offend anyone ~ get over it Nick ~ CM is not "counter-productive", it is pro-active ~ it sure beats the heck out of driving home in one's car, kicking the dog or your wife or girlfriend once you arrive 'cuz you hate your job, flopping down into the sofa with the remote-control and can of beer, and dwelling in a mind and spirit that is toasted and fatigued from lack of exercise and filled with resentment ~ CM is but one of many statements that we, the bicycling community in Honolulu is making ~ we are solid, we are united, we are way too few! ~ please do not splinter or fragment our small numbers and all of our hard work by some casual comments and opinions ~ then again, you know what they say about opinions... 

Let me see you out there more often ~ let me see you become a real "road warrior, a spiritual warrior", not a weekend warrior ~ put your bicycle where your mouth is ~ let me feel and see your Spirit...

Peace ~Edward/ Mo'PoB (More People on Bikes) ~ One Less Car ~     

----- Original Message -----
From: "Nick Blank"
Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2004 22:09:14 -1000
To:
Subject: Re: [hawaiibicyclists] CM Today!...

From: Edward Huls

To: hebshi@... ; alexnberra@... ; andywins@... ; Brian Hann ; Bruce Miller ; bunjamin@... ; cwade@... ; Chris(Qigong) ; csayers@... ; running_n_being@... ; Chu ck Priest ; charles_rc@... ; C_tyrrell@... ; cheeverhawaii@... ; risingsonn@... ; devinoishi@... ; dmaupinsrf@... ; dougthacker@... ; Dwayne ; ecocomm@... ; Eve DeCoursey ; edecourse y@... ; Thundrclub@... ; Glenn Ohigashi ; graygrisham@... ; dangdang_69@... ; mguardino@... ; hawaiibicyclists@yahoogroups.com ; James-velo Carlson ; massagehi@... ; karkosza@... ; mikulina@... ; Jeff McNeill ; email@... ; gemface@... ; harwood@... ; jlinz@... ; John P. Wendell ; jgoody@... ; jkelley@...

Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 1:46 PM

Subject: [hawaiibicyclists] CM Today!...

Fellow velocipedists~

Because myself and Aaron Hebshi have been, all this week, fighting the good fight to preserve the Young St. Bikeway & Beautification Project, we've let slip the fact that today is the last Friday of the month! ~ this translates to a Critical Mass (CM) bike ride today with all of us gathering with our bikes on the steps of the State Capitol Bldg. @ around 5:00ish...

Please ride down and join us and show suppot for bicycling in Honolulu ~ now more than ever, as opposition factors are attempting to sabotage our efforts to create more and safer bikeways in our fair State, we want to show Unity and the force of numbers thru peaceful, calming, and environmentally-friendly bicycling...

April saw 30+ riders show up for CM ~ last month May, we had 15 ~ let's jack it back up for this month of June, by all of you showing today!...

Peace ~ Edward/Mo'PoB(More People on Bikes) ~ One Less Car ~
--
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