Politics has become quite the landmine in the last four or five years, hasn’t it? I mean, I’ve always been told to avoid discussing politics or religion in mixed company, but that never sat right with me. After all, decisions made by our “leaders” in DC have a massive impact on our daily lives and the culture of this country, so why would we avoid the topic? There are significant implications to our little sport as well, depending on how we vote.
Motocross riders, and dirt bikes in general, are the bane of every environmentalist’s existence. From their narrow perspective, all we do is make noise, destroy sensitive ecosystems with our tracks and trails, and spew oil/exhaust/chemicals into the air and water, leaving a swath of death and destruction in our wake. And they’ll scream that from the rooftop of their Malibu mansion, their motor yacht, or their private jet loud enough to get publicity for it. They say the only difference between a land developer and an environmentalist is this: One wants to build a house in the woods, the other already has a house in the woods.
How big of an impact are we really having on this planet by riding dirt bikes? It’s inconsequential when you consider that third world countries are still dumping trash and raw sewage into oceans and waterways daily, China produces more than double the amount of greenhouse gas that we do in the US, and Hunter Biden is smoking so much crack that air quality drops to unhealthy levels in whatever state he’s in. Greenies will say that electric is the future, because that’s what their government gods told them. Why does nobody want to discuss the downsides of electric? For example, the destructive nature of mining for lithium, one of the key elements required to make batteries? Or how bad are the millions of batteries that would be used in an electric future once they end up in landfills? How toxic are the solar panels that will be discarded in landfills? Wind turbines kill a staggering number of birds every year [I guess they aren’t part of the environment] and use 60 gallons of oil, which needs to be changed approximately every three years during their 25-year life cycle… are those downsides worth it? And where is the majority of our power coming from to charge all these batteries [spoiler alert: in 2021, 79% of US energy consumption was from fossil fuels]? And what’s worse for the environment: Piping oil from Canada and northern US states to refineries in OK and TX, or paying middles eastern countries for it, then loading it on ships and burning hundreds of thousands of gallons of diesel just to get it to US shores where it is then loaded onto trains and trucks and shipped to the US interior? Seems to me like this green new deal is a bunch of political bullshit to take money from oil tycoons and put it in the pockets of tech nerds who are pushing for windmills and solar companies.
I’m not getting into the weeds on climate change here, but Al Gore said we’d be underwater by now and, last time I checked, the California coastline looks the same as it did when I first saw it 40 years ago.
Don’t let my disdain for the political side of environmentalism make you think I don’t care about this planet, because I do. I just think we need to be taking simpler steps to begin with. How about this: Pick up your F&%king trash. A family in front of me at the beach last week left an entire garbage bag of trash lying on the beach when they left, just as the tide was coming up and starting to collect it. I know it was a garbage bag full because I picked it all up and put it there. Can we just start with picking up our trash? When you leave the track or your favorite riding spot, look around your parking area. It doesn’t matter if it’s yours or somebody else left it…. Pick it up! If you’re walking a track and you see tear offs or other garbage, pick it up.
The other thing we can do to protect our sport is to pay attention to noise pollution. Four-strokes have been a huge problem in this regard, so consider an exhaust system that meets noise criteria. Two-
strokes are better and the coming electric bikes will obviously be a step in the right direction in this regard, though the sound of several hundred generators running to charge all those bikes could be quite loud as well.
The last five or six years have opened my eyes to so many issues within our government. First and foremost, there isn’t a single major news agency that is unbiasedly conveying the events of the day; each and every one has a bent and operate as a propaganda arm of a political movement. We argue over left or right, meanwhile, both parties are largely playing together to enrich themselves. Most of our intelligence agencies are corrupt to their very core; JFK knew this back in the early 1960’s and was promptly executed after saying out loud, “I will splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” Anyone who can identify an exit wound, or understand very basic physics, can stand in Daley Plaza and deduce in seconds that the shot that killed JFK didn’t come from the observatory window. Our rights as Americans are being threatened from myriad angles at the moment and we better start standing up for those rights, collectively. Riding motorcycles might seem like a silly right to fight for to some, but to those of us in this family of riders it is the key to our sanity, our passion, and our family time.
The solution is to get involved. If you vote and then walk away and hope things work out, you’ll be disappointed. Support organizations that protect our rights, do your part at local tracks, and whatever bullshit the news is telling you, understand that the complete opposite is probably correct.
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-11-03 11:01:582022-11-02 18:32:59We’ve all been hurt, right?
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-10-10 23:31:412022-10-10 23:32:16Professional racing here in the USA is on the cusp of major transformation.
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-09-12 16:37:492022-09-12 16:38:28Hell of a racing season we had in 2022, wasn’t it?
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-08-03 23:06:262022-08-04 12:37:22Dealing With Disappointment
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-07-12 23:09:442022-08-02 18:44:58Politics has become quite the landmine in the last four or five years, hasn’t it?
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-06-28 18:56:042022-08-02 18:45:33What’s the one thing that, as fans of the sport we all want to see?
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/factorywriter-icon.jpg
336
600
WTM
https://whiskeythrottlemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/logo-2022.png
WTM2022-06-04 11:50:082022-08-02 18:46:03Technology is awesome… until it isn’t
© Copyright – Whiskey Throttle Media.
All rights reserved.
Join Our Newsletter
Ping, It’s refreshing to hear someone say what we’re all thinking. Cheers to being your own boss and having freedom of speech. Excited about all the new things you guys have in the works! Thanks for everything you guys to to produce quality content.
Thank you! Not that I want to make this place hyper-political, but for the past 24 years I couldn’t write a column like this without it being edited, watered down or squashed. 👊🏼
For the most part….you still can’t write a column like this. The social media tech companies are being heavily lobbied by the Left(Dems) to filter the “truth”. Lot’s of peoples opinions are simply deleted or as you say-censored immediately. This happens on one of the biggest “racing” online platforms…Vital MX. Any counter opinion of the Left/Dems agenda is quickly deleted or “moved” to a section where the “dumb people” go. They just got a new “Editor(Admin) (whatever)(censor?). The former was left-wing, so is this guy. Dirt Bike magazine used to have a regular political article on the politics of desert racing. Facebook and Google are leading this censorship and propaganda. Folks, there is a huge, powerful force that is committed to sweeping ICE devices, oil and land use into oblivion. If you vote for ANY Democrat or their associates….you are effectively helping their cause….against you!. Yes, any Democrat…..even if they have a dirt bike. Think again about electric bikes. They are a temporary band-aid. The environmental impact alone will quickly have them eliminated. People like Jay Leno don’t care. No? You guys are frogs in the pot of water…..”seems fine to me”……if you don’t understand….forget it. Tin foil hats….ok.
8% of people ride motorcycles in the USA. A small percentage of those ride dirt bikes or even race. If mx was to go away today……literally(percentage wise)……nobody would care. Dems know this. Ask any old dude how “it used to be”……you won’t recognize it. For those who cry the “what about bike shops?”…..you can buy a dirt bike/street bike on Amazon, at Tractor Supply etc. No way you say? That’s not the future…sadly…..it will be. For those that say I’ll just ride in my backyard…..maybe for a little while until your HOA neighbor complains…..hell “no two wheeled vehicles allowed” will be in your deed restrictions. You say….Supercross is big! The Nationals!….uh no. Witness the TV coverage(whatever platform) debacle. Nobody(numbers) watches any bike related stuff. Cornhole is way bigger. Everybody plays cornhole.
I live in Texas. Fabled tracks like Whitney and Mosier Valley are all gone. Progress you say? Nothing lasts forever you say? Literally millions of acres in Texas…right? Remember: People are moving to Texas in droves……most from California…….
If you think politics has no place in your mx racing….at the very least you are obtuse.
If you don’t think so….
Remember, the very same people that allow San Francisco, LA, San Diego etc. are the same people making decisions about racing mx. Whatever blight and sorriness you see…is approved and sanctioned by a Democrat.
About the environment. Gasoline prices. The highest taxes in America. Actually using your own taxes…your hard-earned money….directly against you and your interests.
Covid. The very same people. And water….OMG. A handful of bureaucrats just shot down a desalination plant in CA. 7 folks I believe(something like that)…that’s water for your mx track. Get your head out and look around.
California has a veto-proof super majority…..meaning they cannot be stopped. Lawfully. They are the law and you put them there.
You NEVER see Any moto people speak out in public about these issues. Even in retirement….rich millionaires…..dead silence. Why is that?
All so true! in this distorted world blindingly obvious facts and good old common sense are utterly defeated, slick psychological manipulation and the promotion of groupthink is the order of the day. Thanks to our dgitally connected world, the reach that new media technologies has and it’s absolute control by those with vested interests…it has never been easier in all of human history to dictate how ordinary people think. What we have seen in the last two and a half years is absolute proof of that.
Wow is this article a breath of fresh air, lol. Good to see you unleashed here, the beloved dirt bike magazines of my youth are just like the news outlets these days!
It starts at the local track or where ever tacking your trash
we have gone a step further
http://www.carbonpositivemotorsport.com
We offset our fuel usage across the race weekend from sprinter to race fuel it ls a way we try and make motocross more sustainable they plant trees and rewild areas of the UK so it makes sense rather than 900 tons of steel,2500 tons of concrete, 45 tons of non recyclable plastic to build one wind turbine
Anything you use….anything you use in your life will not be carbon neutral. Anything. Making tires for your race car. Quit while you are ahead and enjoy it while it’s here.
Keep in mind…..these green folks want you dead ultimately…they want population REDUCTION! You aren’t part of the plan. If you think this will keep you racing….racing will be the last thing a green wants. First to go MOF. Hell, they think horse racing is cruel….see?
Nice to see someone have the balls to speak their mind. If people don’t like it, fuck em’…
Glad you’re doing your own thing and able to speak out, agree 100%, especially on we all need to be involved and put our support in the right places! thanks Ping!
Well said. 100% correct. Another thing that pisses me off is when people driving their cars feel the need to throw their cigarette butts out the window on the street instead of putting them in the ashtray built into their cars. Its little things like that millions of people do every day that could help clean up the earth just a bit
David – I agree 100% that politics SHOULD be talked about and not ignored. If you lean even a little right it seems that most are almost afraid of stating their opinion as it might offend someone. I’m guilty of this myself as I work for a pretty “woke” corporation and I find myself biting my tongue a lot. That has to change! We can’t be afraid to talk about issues that affect us and that we have opinions on. Isn’t that what our forefathers fought for?
I agree with most of your article. I don’t think we will have to worry about the lack ofnoise from electric bikes though. If fossil fuels are removed our society will degrade into chaos. Fossel fuels are required for everything from the advanced cloths we wear to the mining of the RARE earth chemicals needed for all those new cars. Thank you for your articles Ping
Best written column ever concerning politics and dirt bikes/energy/ice.
Unfortunately Ping’s common sense is not shared by a vast majority of the US.
This Contry is run by greed and the need to feel powerful and important.
But, politics is still a game. And one has to play that game correctly. I wish Trump would have learned that lesson. I understand why he did not want to, but had he; gas would still be hovering around $2.00, Russia would still be thought of as a super power, and record inflation would still be a history lesson.
David Pingree for President.
Thank you for saying what is right! This country is being lied to and heading the wrong direction. If you like motorcycles (or any other form of classic American fun) you’re in the crosshairs.
Strongly recommend books and podcasts by Alex Epstein on fossil fuel usage.