Open Letter to Hammer, Editor of the Horse BC

Hammer:
I am writing in response to your recent article, “One Tin Soldier.” You raised four topics in your article, Arizona’s law, the rise of Islam in America, giving awards for avoiding collateral damage in Afghanistan and our government’s attacks on our freedoms. Your article got me thinking, so I put pen to paper to write a response to the ideas you raised.

Arizona’s Law
First, it seems strange to talk about how proud we, as bikers are, of our outlaw heritage, and then to support an increase of police powers to stop, card and detain anybody in the State of Arizona. Second, it seems plain weird for our community, as patriotic as we are, to embrace a law that is unconstitutional both because of the Fourth Amendment’s guarantee of search and seizure rights, as well as preempting federal law. In the recent past you have alluded to your background in legal studies; I am sure I am not telling you anything you don’t already realize.
Third, so what if people support the law? What have we, as a community, ever cared about public opinion on anything? 59% support a law that takes away our constitutional right to not get hassled by the cops? They may not understand it, or it proves our long held belief that mainstream society values its freedoms less than we do. I know I don’t want to give cops more rights to stop, search and detain me than they have now, and I am surprised you do.

Finally, the law is racist. One third of Arizona’s population is Hispanic; 70% of the Hispanic population was born in the United States, and of course, not all of the 30% foreign born Hispanics are undocumented immigrants. Roughly 10% of Arizona’s workforce is undocumented. Despite the fact that the 12 page law prohibits “racial profiling” five times, racial profiling is implicit in the enforcement of the law. There has never been an assertion of how a police officer- in the border state where nearly every undocumented immigrant is Mexican- is to tell an undocumented immigrant from an Arizona resident other than their looking Mexican. We are a straight shooting group, so lets’ be honest: the law targets Mexicans for looking Mexicans, and we shouldn’t support that sort of bullshit.

The Islamization of America
You say that we are facing “the Islamization of America.” According to the Pew 9who you cite in defense of the Arizona law) only 0.8% of Americans are Muslim. The Muslim population growth rate is 0.9%. Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Adventists are bigger groups in America who are growing faster and there are 3 times as many atheists and they are growing 24 times faster. So the concern about that Muslim neighborhoods are “mushrooming” in America is not legitimate.
You also say that “Islam has declared war on the U.S.” This would surprise Muslims. There are Muslims in the U.S. and in every country we are allied with, as well as a number of Muslim countries who are supporting us in our war against terror. Do not forget that Al-Qaeda has launched more attacks against Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia than the U.S., and count Iran as an enemy as hated as the U.S.
Islam is not at war with America, but some Muslims are. And just like all Hispanics are not illegal immigrants, all Muslims are not terrorists. And like the Arizona law, to say that “we will live to regret” allowing legal Muslim immigrants into the U.S., as you suggest, is racist.

Collateral Damage
You also say in your article that soldiers should not get awards for preventing civilian causalities in combat. You say this is the same as giving a bike builder a trophy not to build a bike. Really? Soldiers’ main purpose is killing civilians? They would be surprised to hear that. Most would say that their job is to kill enemy soldiers, and that killing civilians is collateral damage, like when a bike builder hits his thumb with a hammer. You said you were in Vietnam, so I have to assume that you were simply using this as an excuse to attack the politics behind the award, rather than thinking killing civilians is a reasonable goal in war. We have the best fighting force in the world here in the U.S. Our soldiers are the best trained the most disciplined and the most honorable soldiers in the world. Our fighting men and women are stuck in the middle of nowhere fighting for their lives against an enemy that blends in with the population – just like in Vietnam- and being able to kill the enemy while sparing- while protecting- the population a part of what makes them so damned great at what they do. Why on earth would you oppose giving them a medal for it?

Recent Restrictions in Freedom by the Government
Finally, in your tirade against our current government you say “the only laws the government wants to enforced are those against its citizens” and that they want to “clamp down on our freedoms.”
Here is a list of the current administration’s accomplishments, you tell me which one limits the freedoms of citizens: a stimulus package that, according to the CBO, saved or added between 800,000 to 2.4 million jobs, expanded SCHIP to cover 4 million more lower-income children, passed a bill to expanding the rights of workers to sue for wage discrimination claims, passed regulations on the credit card industry to protect consumers, passed a law to regulate the private student loan industry, passed Health Care Reform making health care available to 30 million uninsured Americans, allowed guns in federal parks, ended the media blackout on war casualties, covers the expenses of families of fallen soldiers to come to Dover AFB, bailed out GM upon GM’s request (who has nearly paid the government back), stopped torture as defined by the Geneva Convention, to which the USA is a signatory), began providing increased body armor to the troops, reengaged the US in nuclear test ban and environmental protection treaties, got Iran to give up its weaponized Uranium to US allies, passed the Cap in Trade bill which forces industry to pay for excess pollution, passed a bill ending previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs, improved pay, benefits and housing for military personnel, increased spending to improve Walter Reed Army Hospital, improved benefits for veterans, increased government loans to small business, ended no-bid military contracts. Oh, and he signed a bill into law giving tax credits for motorcycle purchases.
Of course the previous administration tapped domestic phones, abandoned habeas corpus, put surveillance in places of worship and held Americans indefinitely without trial, all found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. This makes your “disturbing trend” accusations sound hollow.
I like your magazine, and can’t tell you not to talk about politics in it. Hell, I don’t ever want to tell somebody that they shouldn’t say what’s on their mind. Freedom of speech, you know, another value we all share. Anyway, you should definitely keep speaking your mind, and for the same reason I am glad you did, I felt I had to respond.
Thanks for reading. Keep the shiny side up.

In Solidarity,

Dave Cann