Early on in California's fight against the helmet law, I got involved with ABATE of California, and was virtually, immediately, elected to the position of Vice-President of the Santa Cruz Local #37.

     I was outspoken on the issues of the law, and was becoming rather well known throughout the community. I know this is true, because the first indicator of any degree of acceptance within the community is almost always evidenced by an invitation from NCOM to attend one of their regional meetings.

     The year was 1992, and the location was Portland, Oregon. I loaded into a car with three other bikers rights activists and started out on a 20 hour road trip that, because of the company, was like something out of the life and times of Hunter Thompson.

     After getting settled into the hotel and grabbing whatever was available in a night's sleep, I headed down to the conference room. When I arrived, I got my first taste of the Richard Lester style of doing things. Outside the room, posted on each side of the door, was the hand written message: "No Smoking". What?

     I immediately searched out one of Lester's people to find out why this particular restriction was not noted in the invitation. Don't get me wrong, if someone wants to conduct a "smoke free" meeting, they have every right to do so. But to invite someone to travel so far to an event with such a restriction without notifying them of the restrictions was, from my perspective, nothing short of rude.

     Anyway, that was my first NCOM experience, and Lester's first experience with me. The relationship cooled off right after Lester discovered that I was of my own mind, and that I was not going to just say "okay" to something just because he thought it was a good idea. I wondered at the time how Lester could consider himself a leader in one rights movement -- bikers' rights -- and not show any respect for others -- smokers' rights? Being a native Californian, however, I was early in detecting that what Lester was about was promoting AIM, and nothing more.

     On many occasions over the next year I had occasion to meet Lester and watch him work. As a promoter, there are none in the motorcycling community that could be rightly considered his equal. But a Freedom Fighter? No way.

     The next occasion I had to deal with Lester and his agenda was in early 1993 when HLDL and BOLT of California came onto the scene.

     Lester, who had established the Confederation of Clubs in California -- another promotional device to advance the financial goals of AIM (and the political agenda of Lester) -- spoke at one of their meetings regarding BOLT. He told the membership of the Southern Confederation of Clubs that there were "already enough rights groups in California." Well, that was like waving a red flag in front of a bull! The next thing I knew, we had members of BOLT being challenged by various members of the motorcycling community (members of the Confederation of Clubs) and being told that BOLT had "no right to exist".

     The most horrific was an attack on Merlin Bianco by the Confederation of Clubs for wearing a BOLT patch at the 1994 (so-called) Freedom Rally in Sacramento, California. (See Editorial, 3rd Edition, HLDL Report.)

     I attempted many times (as did others) to contact Lester and ask him to get control over his people, but Lester denied any responsibility and just sat back and watched the fun!

     From that time until the present, Lester has used his influence from and through NCOM, the Confederation of Clubs and his relationship with MMA to impose every possible type of threat and intimidation against the work of BOLT, and through those efforts, HLDL.

     I have, in my small way, tried to keep the community apprised of these activities, and of Lester's real agenda; but sheep are sheep are sheep . . .. Blindly, the followers of Lester and his self-serving philosophy kept the pressure on BOLT and HLDL, virtually stifling all efforts of either or both organizations to help take out California's helmet law. And few could hear our warnings about the problems Lester was causing.

     Lester used the forum of NCOM, and the tactic of hiring well known rights activists to promote AIM, to spread his baseless poison throughout the United States, causing more harm to the fight for bikers' rights than all the bureaucratic forces combined. He has done all he can to destroy HLDL, and certainly stifled the efforts of BOLT. All for the money. But nobody believed us. Like I said, giving credit where credit is due, Lester is a first-class promoter.

     Today, I am the most hated (and threatened) individual in the motorcycling community. Not because of anything I have or have not done, but because of what Lester says I have or have not done. From a personal standpoint, all that really doesn't bother me that much, because after being threatened by the CHP, it is pretty hard to feel terribly intimidated by Lester. However, the impact has been devastating to our work. (In fact, until this internet connection, HLDL was just about finished.)

     But suddenly, from an area we never expected (karma perhaps), Lester's self-serving ways have come back home to roost.

     There is an article coming in the September issue of American Motorcyclist magazine -- the monthly newsletter of the largest motorcyclist rights organization in the world -- exposing Lester and his act in a big way.

     Ed Youngblood, President of the American Motorcyclist Association, wrote an article entitled "The Truth, The Whole Truth . . ." in which he points to the way in which Lester accomplishes his goals. Youngblood pointed out, in particular, how Lester had used the various rights organizations " . . . for the purpose of generating contacts, credibility and mailing lists to pursue litigation that is destructive to the very cause it claims to be supporting."

     Youngblood was talking about the fact that as the leader of ICOM -- International Coalition Of Motorcyclists -- Lester was claiming to support their struggle in Europe against legislation directed at requiring motorcycle manufacturers to provide leg protection on their products.

     All the while, Lester's attorneys were involved in over 20 product liability suits, most naming Harley Davidson, in which the manufacturers were being sued for failure to provide leg protection on their products.

     The most damaging part of the article, to Lester, came in the form of a letter of resignation written by Pepper Massey-Swan, Lester's Executive Assistant for years, in which Pepper explained the reasons why she was resigning her position with AIM and NCOM.

     Quoting from the article, Pepper's letter is reported as saying: "It has been my understanding that NCOM was created to assist in the fight against anti-motorcycle legislation. AIM was a vehicle by which we were able to achieve this goal. ICOM was formed to offer our support to our European brothers and sisters, currently pouring all of their efforts into fighting against legislation that would force manufacturers to put leg protectors on motorcycles. Being a part of these law-suits in any way is contradictory to the core of beliefs and principles of the motorcyclist rights movement."

     The letter continued, "This is a devastating blow to motorcyclists, one that's sting will be felt for many years to come. That this office would be associated with these anti-motorcycle lawsuits is despicable and unprincipled."

     "Unprincipled" indeed! Certainly "despicable"! AND FOR WHAT?!

     Well, we already knew, but Pepper's letter said it better, and with more authority, than anything we have been able to communicate: "Taking into consideration that he (Mr. Lester) will not get rid of these cases makes it clear to me that the driving force behind this office is money, not the rights of motorcyclists."

     There is no way to communicate here the tremendous respect that Pepper Massey-Swan has gained from us through exposing these facts. Not just for her ethics, but her courage. Lester is dangerous. He has proven that time and again, and Massey-Swan had to realize the jeopardy she placed herself in by taking such a stand.

     However, like many of us, Pepper is obviously a creature of conscience. A person dedicated to principles over profit, truth over fiction, and right over wrong. Words cannot communicate the regard we have for her character, her will and her actions. It would be an honor just to meet her again.

     Meanwhile back at the ranch, the Youngblood article itself took some courage that should be acknowledged. We have no basis by which we could disagree with a single word (including the part where Youngblood used such care to take nothing away from the efforts of individual members and supporters of NCOM). Ed Youngblood and the American Motorcyclist Association have proven once again why they are the undisputed leaders in the rights movement in America. Get the article. Read it carefully. Think about what it says, and what it all means, and then let's move on.

     The point of the Youngblood article is inescapable. The truth is that Richard Lester is a self-serving, money-grabbing weasel . . . and the truth is the truth is the truth is the truth ad infinitum.

quig