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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125808
IN DEFENSE OF FREEDOM_-- - - - - - ,; o Z ~ w Z W ..J U >U by J. (;. Krol One of' these fortnights I'd been pLanning to get around to discussin~ the Sierra Club and a letter in the November 11 CN provides a golden opportuni ty to investigate some of the characteristics of this powerful organization and its members. The gentleman, who says he belongs to the Sierra Club, resents what he calls my "stereotyping of Sierra Club members" and insists that 1 am guil ty of "consistently.. Jumping aH Sierra Club members together and saying they are unthinking idiots who throw fits on command". He goes on to support the candidacy of George McGovern, and to conde'mn "stereotyping" even when he agrees with the person doing it...a noble sentiment. Lesson One about the Sierra Club is that it has devised a formula that comes close to having your cake and eating it too. An individual Sierrista can say whatever he pleases in public, in print, and the "Club" makes no effort to disavow his remarks. If, however, these remarks should turn out to be embarrassing to the "Club", it makes haste to insist that the member was speaking for himself, and was in no way an authorized spokesman for the "Club" itself. Thus if the "Club" feels it gains by this self-identified member's remarks., there will be no disavowal of his attitudes, while if the "Club" feels it stands to lose, he will be quickly and firmly cut loose from official policy. This is an ingenjous and highly effective device of which motorcyclists should take note. The "Club" stands to gain from successful attacks by its individual members, but has nothing to lose from attacks which fail. Why can't motorcyclists take this same approach? A good motorcyclist speaks for all motorcyclists, but a bad motorcyclist speaks only for himselL Now this individual Sierrista contends that I have attacked the "Club" in a manner which he describes "consistently". Is this correct? The Sierra Club was not even mentioned in my column on the as by Marilyn Hart 500 JR Gene Martin Fred Nelson Roger Singler 500lNT Jim Latendresse Mike McKnigh t 250 INT Skip Porter Steve McFarland 250 EX Ken Zahrt Ray Topham Oaryl G iovan nettl 250 JR Jim Smith Steve Diehr Ollie Senechal 125 INT Bob Hoover Tim Daily Mike Rawley 125 EX Jeff Vidic Ken Zahrt Dave Montgomery 100 JR Pat Ryan 125 JR Neal wycoff John Van Breukeler Mike Stephen SUPER MINIS Bill Taylor Jeff Hewitt Jon Hewitt MINICYCLES Ron Utaski Chris Fromme .I CMC MOTOCROSS Lions Drag Strip Wilmington, Calif. Nov. 3, 1972 by BuzZ Baty 100 JR Rob Turpening Geoffrey Howe Jeff Jenkins 125 JR Greg Thompson Benny Jones Sam Ayala 125 INT Steve Haag Mike McAtee Stu Egli 125 EX .Tom ~ugh Dave Peuy Jeff Blix 250 JR Steve Kusiak Mic Rodgers Terry Russ 250 INT Rick Mercier Dave Haugh Mike McClung 250 EX Bill Payne Oave Pessy L~nn Stokey 5 a JR Jerry Beaman Homer Griffis John Carmona ~OO INT Jim Cotten Chris Allen Kevl n Porter 500 EX Bill Payne Dave Pe$sv Rick Brown "...news of what seem to be two conservation victories in battles the Sierra Club has been deeply co ncerned with: two leading proponents of the Grand Canyon dams seem to have given AME MOTOCROSS Osteens Park ".A.C.E. MX Corona, Calif. Nov. 4, 1972 forthcoming Presidential election. Nor was it mentioned in the previous column. Nor the one before that, nor even the one before that. Finally, more than two months ago, the Sierra Club turns up in one passing reference - a single sentence. A professional liar would never dream of describing this as "consistently", fOT he would realize how absurd such a claim would be, and how easily refuted_ Only someone who is propelled by sentiment and emotion would contend that one sentence out of more than three pages of fine print is "consisten tly", for he actually believes what he says. . Now this individual Sierrista contends that he is strongly opposed to stereotyping. Do the facts beat this out? Because I did not agree with all his views, he compares me with urabid dogs" and accuses me of being "irrational". What do you think? If you were verbally placed in the midst of a pack of "rabid dodgs", would you feel that you'd been stereotyped? Now this individual Sierrista contends that I have been guilty of "lumping all Sierra Club members together". Is there any evidence for this claim? The one sentence in which the Sierra Club appeared was this (CN, Sept. 12): "If the U.5. Army Corps of Engineers were to propose land-fill reclaimation for the Grand Canyon ~very card-carrying member of the Sierra Club in the country would have, on signal, a floor-pounding fit of uncontrolled frenzy". The point, you may recall, was that anyone may choose to be terribly concerned about all erosion, and that anyone may choose to distinguish between good erosion and bad erosion, but nobody can have it both ways at once. To be offended bj[ this innocuous point of logic is to confess that you wan t the righ t to be inconsisten t. Consider this exerpt: pomona! Calif. NRtDeadnl"n's Point Sun .• Oct. 29,197;1 by The Shadow OPEN JR Marlin Harris Yam Joe Billings Yam Ron Miller 5te 250 JR DIV 1 Chris OeBoer Yam Rusty· spencer Pen Danny Sail Yam 250 JR DIV 2 Tom Burgess HU5 Bryon Hendricks SUl Pett Gratton Yam 125 JR Bill Tarling Mal Brad McMartin Richard Botten CZ 100 JR Bill Larson Yam Bob Evans CZ Hulom Morrow HU5 MINI-CYCLE (70cc) Brian Myerscough CZ David Oller CZ Bobby Stephenson MINI-CYCLE (60cc) CZ George Renshaw Mai Jerry Castro POWDER PUFF Pen Madelene Almeida Ric 125 SR Kaw Ken Mathis 1251NT Puc Gary Black DKII'o 250 SR Val Tamiettl C05 250 INT A-E Pat Killilea OPEN SR Kaw John Miller Mai CZ Nov. 5. 972 by Tom Corley 100 BEG Gary Denton Bill Harer B. Ferguson Bul 125 BEG Mai Bob rtenry Ken Burnett CZ D. Van Westrienen Ric 250 BEG Randy Hargrave Bul Bill Cooke CZ Guy Denton Yam 500 BEG Jerry Hull CZ OLD TIMERS CZ Gene Park Yam 500 JR Mark Rodman DKW Geor:Je Wegner Ric Davi Vail Pen 500 INT Ed Duncan Pen Jerry Folstad DKW 500 SR Mnk John Fackler Ken ~tzlOff Hod 125 J Brad Lynch Yam Tom Devore Phil Stellings Bul 125 INT Pen Gary Dillon RiCky Rogers Ind Hon 1255R Oave Miller Hon Tony Rogers 250 JR Hon Dennis Briggs Hon Bob Jenkins Mike Cooper 250 INT AJS Mike Gillman 250 SR Mai Tim Battenschlag Bob Brooks Bob Rowe Hod 100 JR Hod Hod Jeff Sanchez Kaw Yam Kevin Klinzing Yam SPEEDWAY RACING ASSOC. Yam Ascot Bul Gardena Calif. Nov. 3, j 972 HU5 by Howle Fowler Bul DIV II MAIN Bul Scott Silvadge Steve N uetter Mark Cherry Ric Oss Greg Comstock Mnk Robin Nicolaides Barry Idom HANDICAP CONSOLATION Hus Mal Dubb Farrell CZ Guy Waterson Troy McKee Yam DeWayne Keeter CZ Ron Stewart Yam HANDICAP MAIN Steve Gresham Mal Bill Cody Oss Dan Becker Mal Mike Konle Dave Aldana CZ Larry Shaw CZ SCRATCH CONSOLATION CZ oeWayne Keeter Mike Konle Mai Larry Shaw CZ Jim Gresham SUl SCRATCH MAIN Mike Bast Mal Dave Aldana Oss Bill COdy Gre Danny BlI!.cker HU5 Mal SUl R.A.C.E. MX Corona Raceway Corona, Calif. Oct. 27,1972 by Marilyn Hart MINI Ric Emmal Randy GriZzle Dana Warne 125 INT Brian Renshaw Tim Daily Tom Gildea 125 EX Ken Zahrt Ken Buirley Val Tamietti 125 JR Brad Lynch John Currie Mark Marinez 250 JR George Smith Terry Woodruff David Martus 250 EX Ken Zahrt Rex Staten Eddie Cole 500 EX Bryan Breker Mike Krebs Norm Bekman 500 JR Greg Burns Eddy Neff Grea Griffin OL TIMERS oeWayne Roy Smith Art Sevenson HU5 HU5 Mal 5Ul Yam Yam Yam CZ Yam DKW Ric 5Ul Hod Hon Hod Hon Hon Hon Yam Yam Yam Bul up for this session of Congress..... This is just to urge you to keep your powder dry. Seeming ¥ictory can be snatched away by a clever opposition. A grim victory can be snatched away by. a clever opposition. A gn'm defeat could be packaged as a reasonable compromise_ .. 1 think our position can be summed up this way: We have no objection to Colorado River development as long as it stays out of Grand Canyon_.. we're closing no doors either, and urge citizen conservationists to keep up the alertness that has saved the day so far with their letters to Congress ... We wish California water developers would think less of California and more of American... We would like to see a Central Arizona Project that stays out of Grand Canyon.._We believe Grand Canyon .National Park should be extended to protect all the Grand Canyon. That's the Canyon s highest use. The world knows it; most Americans do. And we hope Congress realizes it too ". The italics are mine and emphasize two things: the militant, itching-for-a-fight, holy-way, no.compromise attitude which dominates this extract, and the consistent (I think seven times out of seven opportunities is consistent) use of "we" and "our" in what is evidently a statement of official organizational position to which all loyal members will, by definition, adhere. This quotation is from an official publication of the Sierra Club and appears over the signature of then Executive Director David R. Brower, for many years Mr. Sierra Club himself. When the chief execu tive officer of an organization states in prin t that this is Hour position", when he warns his members that they must not accept any "reasonable compromise" but must usupport" this position as best they can, what righ t or reason do you or I have to suppose that loyal members will work to oppose this position? I realize, of course, that not all Sierristas are loyal members. Some CRC Arroyo Cycle Park Nov. 4, 1972 by The Shadow OPEN NOV Oavid Ohl Doug Stagg William C. Jordan 250 NOV Richard squire Jr. Jo"n Huegeh OPEN BEG Bob Crandall Cala Latbur Martin Klimaitis 250 BEG Greg Turk Steve Weaver Phil DeBlasio 125 NOV Steve Sparkes Kelly Callaway 125 BEG Bob Turner Kurt Sofka 125 BEG, Under-16 Joe Arenas Glen Apling 100 BEG. Under-16 Mark Ruelas Jim Baldlva Ron Scott MINIBIKES Mark Detter HOOLIGAN RACE Greg Turk Mal HU5 CZ CZ Ric 5Ul SUl HU5 Yam SUl CZ Pen Yam Yam Puc Yam Car SUl Yam Hon Yam Yam Puc R.A.C.E. NIGHT MX Corona, Calif. Yam Nov. 3, 1972 by Marilyn Hart HU5 MINIBIKES David Oller ·Mai Dean Hoebel Jackson Kistler 100 JR Charles Currie Tom Ortiz Clyde Ch ittenden 125 JR Paul Minnis Javier Garcia Jon Smith 125 EX Ken Zahrt Mark Tyer Hon Bob Maxwell Yam 250 JR Hon Roge,r Katelsleger Gary Owens Pen Peter Gimber Rick 250 EX Mnk Rex Staten DKW Ken Zahrt Ray Topham DKW DKW 500 JR "OOUg Stagg John Rogers Pen Jeff Witherell Yam 500 EX Bul Rex Staten Mike Krebs 5Ul Bryan Breker Yam CZ Hon Hon Ind belong to the "Club" to take advantage of its well-organized, cheap, fun excursions and have little interest in or sympathy with the organization's political politices. I should know this as well as anyone, for that's exactly why I joined the Sierra Club. Other members are fire-breathing fanatics about the "wilderness" even though their closest contact with it seems to be looking at photos of it in the pretty picture-books the "Club" merchandises at a tidy profit. Yet others are the chieftans, like David R. Brower, whose attitude toward the rank-and-file members astonished me. 1 asked David R. Brower once why he was not talking abou t the North American Water and Power Alliance, and Sierra Club publications had said not a word about NAWAPA, even though this one project dwarfed by far everything the Sierra Club had opposed all put together. He casually explained that, at the time, NAWAPA was still in the talking stage, but should it ever look like it was getting serious, the Sierra Club would alert its members in good time and "of course we will oppose it ..... Of course! David R. Brower was coolly confident that whenever he decided to give the signal enough of his members would respond with robotic predictability to kill the project. Naturally the ones who jerked when their buttons were pushed would be those most bound by blind, u'!thinking loyalty. Keenly aware from first hand exp...-ience of the vast differences among Sierra Club members, I consc;iously and deliberately inserted the qualification regarding blind loyalty in the one sentence referring to the "Club". A liar would not be so bold as to deny the existence' of this qualification, bu t only a person who was a helpless victim of his own emotions and was really incapable of seeing what was before his very eyes. In sum we have a poor soul who is inconsisten t .and who suffers frol)1 hallucinations and seler ·jve blindness. Is he a typical, or ster~"typical, Sierrista? What do you think? DESERT RACE Desert Racing Association Soggy Dry LaKe, Calif. Ocl. 22,1972 by Rita Lewis NOViCE 400 Yam C. Brinkley HU5 K. Currell HU5 P. Elery 250 CZ L. Morgan Ric J. Smith Bul K. Knapp 175 Pen N. Gaiger Yam J. Sabine Yam R. Hengerer 12~ S. Ringo J. Horvath E. Moore BEGINNER 400 L. Wight J.-5teen G. Kidman 250 B. Harvey M. Sheridan J. Koch 175 W.C. Dunlap G. Martin D. Harmon 125 M. Roberts R. Wiseman J. Favinger 100 D. Wilson R.Oronoz R. Helms +35 Ric DKW A-E -16 Yam BSA Mal Oss HU5 HU5 -16 Pen Yam Yam -16 DKW Pen DKW -16 -16 +35 Yam Hod Hod ·16 ·16 Hon Hod Hod Mon Bul ~ DKW Pen Bul CZ CZ CZ e---I"@Ji Lr ~ CZ Bul CZ Hus BSA CZ CZ CZ HU5 Bul CZ Yam HU5 CZ. BSA BSA CZ CZ t' I u-. ,, SUl SUl SUl lIf,t·" H! "', ': , 1/\ J "I ~ I " IIcx,~'l~-: "M)( Sf\tVD\N I c. H '/