My Ass Hurts for MS Research

As I always do this time of year, I met up with members of Team Pro Bono for the annual MS 150, a charity ride that donates all fundraising proceeds to Multiple Sclerosis research. For those of you who may not know, I have a handful of friends that live with MS, so although I donate my time and money to other non-profits and charities, the MS Ride is my main fundraising focus throughout the year.

It gives me a good excuse to ride my bike, enjoy the company of strangers and help out some friends, what better charity could there be?

This year, Pro Bono took the show on the road and traveled to norther Idaho to participate in the closed course MS 150 that is a 75 mile out and back that runs from BFE, Idaho to Way Past BFE, Idaho. 2011 also welcomed a new member to Pro Bono.
A fellow Delta Chi and former EWU linebacker, Andy Castle brings good humor and good size to the team. He makes an excellent wind block. I hope you continue riding with us in the coming years Mr. Castle, because that stretch between Mt Vernon and Bellingham is always windy.

Much of the team could not attend due to previous engagements or family emergencies.
While it would have been great to have everyone along for the ride, sometimes life happens and that is understandable.

Mr. Castle and I decided to take it upon ourselves to complete all 150 miles on Saturday. We left the hotel room around 4:30 AM, only to find ourselves on a single lane dirt road waiting for Leatherface to hop in the back of the truck. Thanks for that Google Maps. Your sense of humor is stellar.
We ended up doubling back into town to have a look at a sign Andy had pointed out earlier. It very clearly said "TRAIL HEAD" in big letters. Maybe he oughta go work for Google Maps.
We rolled out in the blackness of the Tater Nation pre-dawn, onto a paved bike path that neither of us had every ridden. In true Delta fashion, we relied on small commuter head lights because we didn't want to tote around the extra weight of real headlights and battery packs for 150 miles.

Geniuses.

But, we rode until the sun came up without incident...save for the few times we almost crashed into each other and/or almost rode off the sides of the trail.
About an hour into the ride, we were passed by the only other 2 riders embarking on all 150 miles that day. They stopped ahead of us to take pictures of a bull moose grazing in the marsh next to the trail.

That would be the last time we saw them.

We made it to Mile 75, which was the starting line for the rest of the riders. We regrouped with Kristin and Shari, and hit the road for the ride back. Along the way, we picked up a solo rider looking to draft off big Andy. His name was Roger; a man on the far side of middle aged riding a neon green Kona Jake the Snake cyclocross bike who would not stop talking for the next 4 hours. Literally.
Other than some mild heat stroke, and Roger's incessant yapping, the second leg of the ride was without incident.

Upon our return to the BFE Indian Casino and Hotel, we attended a buffet style dinner where we promptly stuffed our empty stomachs while listening to the evening's speakers.
While most of the speakers were staff and/or volunteers for the MS Society, the speaker that got everyone's attention was a 20 year old kid who is the recipient of this year's MS Society scholarship.
Unfortunately I can't recall his name. :-(
Here is a kid who was diagnosed with MS as a teenager. As if being a teenager or being diagnosed with this mysterious illness isn't enough....no....this kid had both! Now, a sophomore at Montana, he is on his way to studying medicine....to help in MS research.
He received a standing ovation from the crowd and I think it was well deserved.
It was mentioned that Bike MS (MS 150) is the largest fundraising campaign run by the National MS Society. So far we've managed to raise $80MM for Multiple Sclerosis research and to help those living with MS.

And no matter how much your ass hurts from riding all day, doing something that positive makes you feel good.

Georgia On My Mind

A friend of mine contacted me today regarding the new Georgia immigration laws. Apparently her brother lives south of the Mason Dixon line and had mentioned something about the farmers' lack of farmhands since the new laws have been enacted. Coincidentally  I had just finished reading an article about some Georgia colleges closing their doors to illegal immigrants.

Both of these problems create issues that are uniquely American.

First of all, unless you are one of the few full blooded Native Americans, you are an immigrant or the product of immigrants somewhere down the line. But are you the product of illegal immigrants?

Let me be very clear about this: the U.S. government does not want to stop illegal immigration. 

That stupid, overpriced wall down on the Mexico border? That's just a bullshit show to throw people into the debate of illegal immigration while the government goes about fucking us all for something else. It's sleight of hand....like Penn and Teller....except Obama can't pull a rabbit out of a hat and W couldn't pull his head out of his ass.

Why don't they want to stop it? Because illegal immigrants are good for the economy. That food you're eating? Harvested and processed by illegal immigrants.

The farmers hire illegal immigrants for one simple reason: because you'll never find my ass picking fuckin' apples in Yakima. And I won't find yours doing that either. Don't bullshit me: you've never picked apples or any other agricultural crop to feed your family.

You may have had some shitty jobs, as have I, but you've never done THAT.

Illegal immigrants are good for farmers. They work cheaply and you can pay them in cash.

It helps avoid payroll taxes.

And yes, if I owned a farm I'd hire illegals. In fact, in a previous life, unbeknownst to me, I employed about a dozen of them. They were great people.

But here's where the conundrum lies: why not immigrate legally?
And honestly, I don't have the answer to that. I've heard the arguments and I don't agree with any of them.
Anyway...back to the conundrum. The government doesn't want to stop it. If they did, they'd shoot people trying to come in illegally. But they don't.

Say what you want about the previous statement, but if people knew that they'd get shot trying to sneak into this country, the illegal immigration would drop dramatically.

But they don't want to stop it so they don't shoot them and so it doesn't stop.
OK.
Whatever.
If you want to let them in and hire them, pay them under the table, fine.
On the other side of that, these people do not deserve to have the same rights as American citizens.

Yet they do.
If they get caught committing a crime, they get a lawyer and a trial just like you and I. Their kids get to attend schools and universities. They get free medical care.

I don't get free fucking medical care and I bet you don't either.

Should we let them die in the streets? Maybe.
I don't have a lack of compassion for people, but I have a lack of money and patience to pay for other's people's shit.

Believe me when I say this: if I have to pay for your hospital bills and you are not a friend of mine or a family member, I'll drive my fat ass down to the hospital and shoot you myself.

It's cheaper that way.

Think about it this way: if you commit a crime in another country, you get caned. If you get sick in another country, you may or may not get help. It's a gamble.

People come to this country to try and make a better life for their family and I can't fault them for that. But I can fault our own country for reaching out to be the world's saviors without taking the time to take care of its own people.

I pay taxes. I pay exorbitant health care premiums because I have a shitty health care provider and can't afford to switch. I get fucked by the system every day....and so do you.

I say let's all renounce our citizenship, move to a foreign land, sneak back in and get those gallbladders removed, get those broken bones set properly, commit a crime, go to jail and get yourself an MBA compliments of the U.S. government.