Sanity and Insanity on 2 Wheels

I Sent a response to Chris Carlsson's 1st missive, and his response to that one exposes the difficulty a person like me, a bicyclist with political leanings decidely to the Right of the political spectrum, may sometimes have being taken seriously by Radical Leftists who mix their hatreds with their love of bicycling.

Since I don't agree with him politically, I am not worth engaging with in a reasonable discussion, and therefore anything else I may be doing, of a cycling nature, to increase knowledge of, and interest in, bicycling, is not worth commenting on at all.

Consider...

MY LETTER ( minus links ):

Dear Chris,

Wow! That's tellin' me, Chris!

Just ignore him, and the little Right-wing Parasite will just go away. ;-D

Sorry, it ain't that easy. ;-D

If I had your attitiude I'd never have put links to CM on my Blog, allowing readers to judge the movement for themselves, and decide if they want to participate, or found something nice to say about Time'e Up in NY.

I would have let readers know of Matt Smiths old piece taking San Fran. CM to task, but NOT shared your groups well reasoned, though misguided, response to it.

I fully expected this reply, by you, so was not suprised.

Just very disappointed....

I have long had an open invitation to my readers to contribute essays to this blog ( LINK ):

But not only have Critical Mass supporters not taken me up on it, but neither has the National Green Party, even after a lengthy, back and forth, correspondence over their support of Critical Mass ( all detailed in my CM Archives ).

Left pedal of bicycle argues with itself ( LINK ).

Left pedal of Political Bicycle ignores Right ( LINK ).

If you have suggestions for articles I should read to bolster your arguments in behalf of CM I'd love to know of them.

If you have CM, or other cycling advocacy, related websites you'd recommend I look at and consider adding to my collection of links, please feel free to send them to me.

I may disagree with Critical Mass, and even the politics of many of its supporters, but we all share in common an interest in bringing more people to cycling, and improving conditions for cycling, and gaining more cycling facilities.

Republican or Democrat...

Leftist Pinko Radical or Radical Right Winger...

We both like to ride our bikes. ;-D

Sincerely yours,

A fellow recreational, and commuter, bicyclist.

KIRIL KUNDURAZIEFF

The Mad Macedonian!

Ok, call me an optimist, but I had hopes of a reasonable response.

Instead I get the following:

I am sorry that you feel snubbed or whatever it is you feel, but I truly see no point in engaging with your arguments.

They are transparently unconvincing and to engage in a process with you or those ideas is to get pulled into a classic flame-war scenario in which much energy and bluster is spent for no purpose since neither party thinks the other has anything to offer.

I'm glad you like to ride your bike, but am horrified by your blithe acceptance of the barbarism being carried out by the United States... and to characterize the Iraqi insurgency as "terrorist" is just mind-boggling.

Would you just get down on your knees and thank a huge mechanized army for invading and destroying YOUR country?

You parrot the brain-dead and blatantly false propaganda of the Cheney regime.

Why would I think there's a rational mind at the other end of this?

--cc

Little Ol' Me, Irrational??

Now, I ask you, fellow cyclists... Just look at that handsome, adorable,  lovable face.

Do I look like a person lugging around a non-rational mind to you?

At least I know who the President of the United States is, and it's not the guy who keeps going under the Surgeons knife. ;-D

As for feeling I'm being snubbed: It's no sweat off my back if he wants to ignore me, and reply to me in such an irrational fashion.

I have done everything possible to engage him in a civilized discussion of his writing, and his movement, nothing more, nothing less.

I have not called into question his mental capacity, nor insulted him.

I am not interested in engaging in a Blog vs. Blog "Flame War".

I am not interested in showing him the errors of his attacks on the Administration for The War Against Terror ( T.W.A.T. ), or his support of what he calls an "Insurgency" in Iraq.

A movement that has no qualms about killing its own people, and fellow Muslims in other countries, and is not looked upon favorably by most Iraqis, and a growing number of others in the Middle East.

What does any of THAT have to do with the advocacy of bicycling, anyway?

If I thought that he, the group he belongs to, or the supporters of, and websites about, Critical Mass didn't have something to contribute to the advocacy of bicycling I'd ignore them completely, and not even link to them in any fashion.

Like I have said CM has accomplished some positive things worth mentioning, but that does not mean they should be given a pass regarding the significant negatives.

What does the Left, and CM, have to fear from little ol' me?

I'm just a harmless little fuzzball....

On a Bicycle. ;-D

( Pedals off into the night singing... If I only had a brain )