The best deal in California is the California Vehicle Code book. This
is a taxpayer subsidised book and is probably worth over $40.00
You can walk into the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and buy
one for $9.00
Getting a Code book is a good first step in knowing with certainty if
you are following the law or violating the law; and making the police
follow the law. You can get it free online, but you can't take the
online code with you on the bike to show the officer or a friend what
is in the book.
That's the key. It applies in all other areas of law, too. Understand
the code (law) and you have the only certain way to prevent the
country from becoming a nation of men, and not of laws.
is a taxpayer subsidised book and is probably worth over $40.00
You can walk into the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and buy
one for $9.00
Getting a Code book is a good first step in knowing with certainty if
you are following the law or violating the law; and making the police
follow the law. You can get it free online, but you can't take the
online code with you on the bike to show the officer or a friend what
is in the book.
That's the key. It applies in all other areas of law, too. Understand
the code (law) and you have the only certain way to prevent the
country from becoming a nation of men, and not of laws.
Next Step? Learn To Be Prepared:
BOLT of California Facebook page
B.O.L.T. of Nevada
Repeal It Or Feel It
Guerrilla Lawfare
Repeal Machine
The United States Freedom Fighter
California MMA
Helmet Law Defense League
Search for Code, court cases and decisions.
Findlaw
LexisOne
Supreme Court of the US
California Vehicle Code
Findlaw
LexisOne
Supreme Court of the US
California Vehicle Code
updated
9-27-11
9-27-11
| BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE § 9884.7 (a) The director, where the automotive repair dealer cannot show there was a bona fide error, may refuse to validate, or may invalidate temporarily or permanently, the registration of an automotive repair dealer for any of the following acts or omissions related to the conduct of the business of the automotive repair dealer, which are done by the automotive repair dealer or any automotive technician, employee, partner, officer, or member of the automotive repair dealer. (1) Making or authorizing in any manner or by any means whatever any statement written or oral which is untrue or misleading, and which is known, or which by the exercise of reasonable care should be known, to be untrue or misleading. |
| CALIFORNIA CODE OF REGULATIONS § 3372 False or Misleading Defined. In determining whether any advertisement, statement, or representation is false or misleading, it shall be considered in its entirety as it would be read or heard by persons to whom it is designed to appeal. An advertisement, statement, or representation shall be considered to be false or misleading if it tends to deceive the public or impose upon credulous or ignorant persons. NOTE: Authority cited: Sections 9882 and 9884.19, Business and Professions Code. Reference: Sections 9884.7(1)(a) and (h), 9884.19 and 17500, Business and Professions Code. |
| OK. All that means, what? That means when you walk into any business in California that has a repair shop, and sells motorcycle safety helmets, ask them if they sell "DOT approved" helmets; if they say yes, the store has violated those laws. The store made a False and Misleading claim according to California law. Fraud. Making false or misleading statements. Helmet sellers have got to stop violating those laws, because they are perpetuating the hoax that the rogue law officers are using to violate the law and your rights. Selling helmets under false pretenses. You should not get a ticket for not wearing an approved helmet when approved helmets don't exist. And helmet salesmen should not be able to claim they sell approved helmets if approved helmets don't exist. The helmet sellers are helping to spread and prolong the problem the police are creating when police ticket you for wearing a helmet that doesn't meet the standard that only exists in the cop's imagination. Know of a California shop that claims to sell 'approved' helmets? File a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs. |
| BOLT of California |
| Understanding Head & Neck Trauma (Or, why helmets increase the danger!) By Tony Pan Sanfelipo |
Black's Law Dictionary.
You will need this dictionary to look up words and terms you are unfamiliar
with while dealing with the legal system.
You will need this dictionary to look up words and terms you are unfamiliar
with while dealing with the legal system.
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| |
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| |
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| |
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“When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know
whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘guilty’.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘guilty’.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
DMV Announces New CA Laws for 2011
Santa Barbara Independent
Motorcycle Safety Course Required for Under-21 Instruction Permit Applicants
From: http://www.independent.com/news/2010/dec/16/dmv-announces-new-2011-laws/
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A required motorcycle safety course for under-21 motorcycle permit applicants, new oversight of
online traffic violator schools, and extensions of HOV lane stickers are among several new laws of
interest to California motorists that will take effect Jan. 2, 2011, the Department of Motor Vehicles
announced December 15.
Following are capsule summaries of the new laws:
- Motorcycle Instruction Permit (AB 1952/Niello) This new law requires a person under 21 years of
age to complete an approved motorcycle safety course before being issued an instruction permit with
which to practice operating a motorcycle, and requires the permit to be held for six months before
being issued a class M motorcycle driver license. There are currently more than 6,000 drivers 19
years and younger who are licensed to ride a motorcycle in California.
- Traffic Violator School Program (AB 2499/Portantino) Prior to this new law which starts January 1,
the DMV only licensed and regulated “brick and mortar” classroom traffic violator schools. This new
law will bring court-approved courses, such as online and home study traffic schools into the DMV
Traffic Violator School licensing program and implements a number of recommendations included in
a DMV study of traffic violator school issues. This law will have a 3-year implementation process.
- High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (SB 535/Yee) Prior law that permitted certain fuel-efficient, low-
emission vehicles to display stickers allowing them to be operated in HOV lanes with a single
occupant was to expire on January 1, 2011. The new law extends the “sunset” date for the yellow
stickers for hybrid vehicles until July 1, 2011; the white stickers issued to fully-electric and
compressed natural gas vehicles until January 1, 2015; and creates a third sticker, for plug-in hybrid
vehicles, to be issued and valid from January 1, 2012 until January 1, 2015.
- New Firefighter Endorsement (AB 1648/Jeffries) In an effort to simplify the proper licensing of
firefighters while continuing to ensure public safety, this law exempts operators of firefighting
vehicles from the Commercial Driver License program and creates a new license endorsement
process.
New Laws Starting on July 1 and Beyond
• Organ Donation (SB 1395/Alquist) Starting July 1, the language on the DMV’s application for a
driver license will include a “no” option relative to an applicant’s willingness to register as a
prospective organ donor to increase the number of enrollees in the organ donor program. This change
will now require the organ donor registration field of the application to be answered with either a yes
or no response.
• Local Traffic Ordinances (SB 949/Oropeza) On July 1, in an effort of ensuring that traffic
convictions are recorded by the Department of Motor Vehicles, local authorities may not enact or
enforce a local ordinance on any matter covered by the California Vehicle Code.
• Driving Under the Influence (AB 1601/Hill) Effective in January 1, 2012, this bill authorizes a court
to order a 10-year revocation of the driver license of a person convicted of a third or subsequent DUI
violation, with possible reinstatement after five years if specified conditions are met.
Don’t Stand In Line, Go Online! Doing business with the DMV has never been easier. The DMV
offers an array of services to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through its Web site, including
online appointments for written and drive tests; vehicle registration and driver license renewals,
selection of personalized license plates, changes of address and payment of fees via secure debit
transactions.
DMV is a department under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, which is under the
direction of Secretary Dale E. Bonner. The DMV licenses drivers; maintains driving records; registers
and tracks official ownership of vehicles and vessels; investigates auto and identity-related fraud; and
licenses car dealers, driving schools, and traffic violator schools.
Santa Barbara Independent
Motorcycle Safety Course Required for Under-21 Instruction Permit Applicants
From: http://www.independent.com/news/2010/dec/16/dmv-announces-new-2011-laws/
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A required motorcycle safety course for under-21 motorcycle permit applicants, new oversight of
online traffic violator schools, and extensions of HOV lane stickers are among several new laws of
interest to California motorists that will take effect Jan. 2, 2011, the Department of Motor Vehicles
announced December 15.
Following are capsule summaries of the new laws:
- Motorcycle Instruction Permit (AB 1952/Niello) This new law requires a person under 21 years of
age to complete an approved motorcycle safety course before being issued an instruction permit with
which to practice operating a motorcycle, and requires the permit to be held for six months before
being issued a class M motorcycle driver license. There are currently more than 6,000 drivers 19
years and younger who are licensed to ride a motorcycle in California.
- Traffic Violator School Program (AB 2499/Portantino) Prior to this new law which starts January 1,
the DMV only licensed and regulated “brick and mortar” classroom traffic violator schools. This new
law will bring court-approved courses, such as online and home study traffic schools into the DMV
Traffic Violator School licensing program and implements a number of recommendations included in
a DMV study of traffic violator school issues. This law will have a 3-year implementation process.
- High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (SB 535/Yee) Prior law that permitted certain fuel-efficient, low-
emission vehicles to display stickers allowing them to be operated in HOV lanes with a single
occupant was to expire on January 1, 2011. The new law extends the “sunset” date for the yellow
stickers for hybrid vehicles until July 1, 2011; the white stickers issued to fully-electric and
compressed natural gas vehicles until January 1, 2015; and creates a third sticker, for plug-in hybrid
vehicles, to be issued and valid from January 1, 2012 until January 1, 2015.
- New Firefighter Endorsement (AB 1648/Jeffries) In an effort to simplify the proper licensing of
firefighters while continuing to ensure public safety, this law exempts operators of firefighting
vehicles from the Commercial Driver License program and creates a new license endorsement
process.
New Laws Starting on July 1 and Beyond
• Organ Donation (SB 1395/Alquist) Starting July 1, the language on the DMV’s application for a
driver license will include a “no” option relative to an applicant’s willingness to register as a
prospective organ donor to increase the number of enrollees in the organ donor program. This change
will now require the organ donor registration field of the application to be answered with either a yes
or no response.
• Local Traffic Ordinances (SB 949/Oropeza) On July 1, in an effort of ensuring that traffic
convictions are recorded by the Department of Motor Vehicles, local authorities may not enact or
enforce a local ordinance on any matter covered by the California Vehicle Code.
• Driving Under the Influence (AB 1601/Hill) Effective in January 1, 2012, this bill authorizes a court
to order a 10-year revocation of the driver license of a person convicted of a third or subsequent DUI
violation, with possible reinstatement after five years if specified conditions are met.
Don’t Stand In Line, Go Online! Doing business with the DMV has never been easier. The DMV
offers an array of services to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through its Web site, including
online appointments for written and drive tests; vehicle registration and driver license renewals,
selection of personalized license plates, changes of address and payment of fees via secure debit
transactions.
DMV is a department under the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, which is under the
direction of Secretary Dale E. Bonner. The DMV licenses drivers; maintains driving records; registers
and tracks official ownership of vehicles and vessels; investigates auto and identity-related fraud; and
licenses car dealers, driving schools, and traffic violator schools.
Legislation in California
Find Legislation in the California State Assembly. |
| It is easier to keep bad laws from passing than it is to get rid of a bad law after it is enacted. Stay informed and stay involved. |
“What’s the job of the candidate in this world? The job of the candidate is to raise the
money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second
answers to be memorized by the candidate. This is stunningly dangerous.”
—Newt Gingrich
money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second
answers to be memorized by the candidate. This is stunningly dangerous.”
—Newt Gingrich
| “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies.” —Groucho Marx |
Your actions can speak louder than the police officer's words.
Read what happens when you understand, memorize and use the
knowledge available on this website. 2 BOLT members changed an
entire Police department in 45 minutes.
The audio tape of the traffic stop is below in chronological order.
#1 begins with the webmaster arriving at the scene of the traffic stop.
Read what happens when you understand, memorize and use the
knowledge available on this website. 2 BOLT members changed an
entire Police department in 45 minutes.
The audio tape of the traffic stop is below in chronological order.
#1 begins with the webmaster arriving at the scene of the traffic stop.
The CHPD ticket
Don refused to give
back is here.
Don refused to give
back is here.
The letter Don
wrote to Sgt
McVay is here
wrote to Sgt
McVay is here
The apology and
new CHPD policy
statement is here.
new CHPD policy
statement is here.
The CHPD ticket written for webmaster's helmet. It took months to obtain this
document from the PD. They appeared to resist handing over this information
and it took 4 trips and several written government code requests until they
handed over the document.
document from the PD. They appeared to resist handing over this information
and it took 4 trips and several written government code requests until they
handed over the document.
War is an extension of politics and
politics is an extension of war.
politics is an extension of war.
The Folsom Police Department officer tried to say he could arrest me and jail; me for recording
him during a traffic stop for my home-made helmet. This set of documents was created following
the phone call to the Supervisor.
It is clear the CHP does inform other departments and agencies that probable cause cannot be
developed in helmet cases. I know alot of people who print it and carry it with them everywhere.
him during a traffic stop for my home-made helmet. This set of documents was created following
the phone call to the Supervisor.
It is clear the CHP does inform other departments and agencies that probable cause cannot be
developed in helmet cases. I know alot of people who print it and carry it with them everywhere.
Would You Be This Brave?
July 1, 2011 by Chip Wood
On July 4, 1776, after After months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted
unanimously that “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.”
Thirteen colonies voted to become something new: the United States of America. All they had to do was to
win their independence from a government that would consider them traitors.
Fifty-six men bravely affixed their signatures to the Declaration of Independence. What sort of men were
they? And what became of them?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, 11 were merchants, nine were farmers or plantation owners. They
were well-educated men of means. All of them had a great deal to lose when they voted to defy what was
then the most powerful nation on Earth.
One of the signers was Richard Stockton, a distinguished jurist from New Jersey. At the conclusion of the
meetings, he proudly affixed his signature to the Declaration, joining 55 other delegates. Each of them
willingly risked everything when they pledged to each other “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred
Honor.”
Sadly, the revolution was to cost Judge Stockton the first two. But he would never surrender the third.
As he returned from Philadelphia to his home in New Jersey, Judge Stockton was warned that British
troops were coming to arrest him. He fled to a neighbor’s house with his wife and children. But a Loyalist,
a supporter of the British cause, betrayed the family’s hiding place. Here is what happened next, as
described in a wonderful little book Personal Liberty wants to give you this Fourth of July:
The judge was dragged from bed and beaten, then thrown into prison. This distinguished jurist, who had
worn the handsome robes of a colonial court, now shivered in a common jail, abused and all but starved.
A shocked Congress arranged for his parole. Invalided by the harsh treatment he had received, he
returned to (his home at) Morven to find his furniture and clothing burned, his fine horses stolen, and his
library — one of the finest private collections in the country — completely destroyed. The hiding place of
exquisite family silver, hastily buried, had been betrayed by a servant.
The Stocktons were so destitute that they had to accept charity. For the judge’s fortune was gone, too. He
had pledged it and his life to his country. He lost both. He did not live to see the Revolution won.
That account comes from a wonderful little book called They Signed For Us. It was written half a century
ago by Merle Sinclair and Annabel Douglas McArthur, two patriotic ladies who wanted to help others
learn more about the remarkable men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
At the end of today’s column, you’ll find a link that will take you to a copy of the book. You may read it
online or download it and print your own copy. The file also includes a list of all of the signers and the
States they represented, plus the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.
To whet your appetite a bit more, here’s another excerpt from They Signed For Us.
SUDDENLY THE BIG BELL in the State House steeple pealed joyously. The appointed signal! Cheers
rose from the waiting crowds.
‘Proclaim liberty throughout the land….’
Cannon boomed, drums rolled. Church bells rang, sounding the death knell of British domination!
News of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence spread like wildfire. Ready messengers leaped
into their saddles to ride and spread the word. The Declaration had been ordered printed on a single large
sheet, ‘45.5 x 37.5 cm.,’ or approximately eighteen by fifteen inches. These broadsides were distributed
with all possible speed, to be read in the provincial assemblies, pulpits, market places, and army camps.
The story continues:
On July 8, the Liberty Bell summoned citizens of Philadelphia to the State House yard for a public reading
of the document. Colonel John Nixon mounted a high platform and spoke the noble lines in a strong, clear
voice. The crowd, now hushed, listened intently throughout.
‘…for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we
mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.’
It was almost a month later that the Declaration was engrossed on parchment and ready for signing by the
delegates to the Continental Congress. Members gathered on Aug. 2 for the ceremony.
The only person who had signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776 was John Hancock, a delegate from
Boston who had been elected president of the Continental Congress. He wrote his signature in large, bold
letters and as he did, in a reference to the near-sightedness of the British king, he declared, “There! John
Bull can read my name without spectacles and may now double his reward of £500 for my head. That is my
defiance.”
As the delegates gathered around a desk to sign the Declaration, William Emery, one of the
representatives from Rhode Island, moved as close as he could. “I was determined to see how they all
looked as they signed what might be their death warrants,” he later wrote. “I placed myself beside the
secretary, Charles Thomson, and eyed each closely as he affixed his name to the document. Undaunted
resolution was displayed on every countenance.”
Contrasting with Hancock’s confident signature was the shaky scratch of Stephen Hopkins from Rhode
Island. Hopkins, the second-oldest signer, suffered from palsy. As he handed the quill to the next person,
he valiantly proclaimed, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not!”
As one or two delegates hung back, seemingly reluctant to add their signatures to such a momentous
declaration, John Hancock encouraged them. “We must be unanimous,” he said. “There must be no
pulling different ways. We must all hang together.”
Legend has it that Benjamin Franklin replied, “Yes, we must all hang together. Or most assuredly, we
shall all hang separately.”
Happily, none of the signers was hanged by the British. But all of them were considered traitors to the
Crown. And many of them suffered terribly for the cause they so ardently supported.
John Morton, a delegate from Pennsylvania, was the first of the signers to die. His last words for his
family, before his death in April 1777 (just eight months after he signed the Declaration), were, “…tell
them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious
service I ever rendered to my country.”
The following month, Button Gwinnett, the commander in chief of Georgia’s militia, was badly wounded in
a duel with a political opponent. He died a few days later — the second signer to die.
But by and large, the signers of the Declaration of Independence were a hardy bunch. Three of them lived
until their 90s — a remarkable accomplishment in a time when most men did not see their 50th birthday.
Only two of the signers were bachelors. Sixteen of them married twice. Records indicate that at least two,
and perhaps as many as six, were childless. But the other 50 signers were a prolific lot, having a total of
325 children between them. William Ellery of Rhode Island had 17 children; Roger Sherman of
Connecticut had 15.
Fifty years after the united colonies declared their independence from Britain, plans were made for
jubilant celebrations on July 4, 1826. Only three of the original signers were still alive: Charles Carroll,
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Here is how Sinclair and McArthur describe what occurred that day:
“In a dramatic climax that even their agile minds would not have contemplated, these two principals in the
struggle for Independence left the nation awestricken and touched, by dying hours apart on the Fourth of
July. Jefferson died at one o’clock in the afternoon, Adams toward evening.”
Ten days earlier, Jefferson had written the mayor of Washington, expressing his regret that ill health
prevented him from coming to the nation’s new Capitol to join the festivities.
“I should, indeed, with peculiar delight, have met … with the small band, the remnant of that host of
worthies, who joined with us on that day, in the bold and doubtful election we were to make for our country,
between the submission or the sword.”
He concluded by writing, “Let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollection of these rights,
and an undiminished devotion to them.”
July 1, 2011 by Chip Wood
On July 4, 1776, after After months of heated debate, representatives of the Continental Congress voted
unanimously that “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.”
Thirteen colonies voted to become something new: the United States of America. All they had to do was to
win their independence from a government that would consider them traitors.
Fifty-six men bravely affixed their signatures to the Declaration of Independence. What sort of men were
they? And what became of them?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, 11 were merchants, nine were farmers or plantation owners. They
were well-educated men of means. All of them had a great deal to lose when they voted to defy what was
then the most powerful nation on Earth.
One of the signers was Richard Stockton, a distinguished jurist from New Jersey. At the conclusion of the
meetings, he proudly affixed his signature to the Declaration, joining 55 other delegates. Each of them
willingly risked everything when they pledged to each other “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred
Honor.”
Sadly, the revolution was to cost Judge Stockton the first two. But he would never surrender the third.
As he returned from Philadelphia to his home in New Jersey, Judge Stockton was warned that British
troops were coming to arrest him. He fled to a neighbor’s house with his wife and children. But a Loyalist,
a supporter of the British cause, betrayed the family’s hiding place. Here is what happened next, as
described in a wonderful little book Personal Liberty wants to give you this Fourth of July:
The judge was dragged from bed and beaten, then thrown into prison. This distinguished jurist, who had
worn the handsome robes of a colonial court, now shivered in a common jail, abused and all but starved.
A shocked Congress arranged for his parole. Invalided by the harsh treatment he had received, he
returned to (his home at) Morven to find his furniture and clothing burned, his fine horses stolen, and his
library — one of the finest private collections in the country — completely destroyed. The hiding place of
exquisite family silver, hastily buried, had been betrayed by a servant.
The Stocktons were so destitute that they had to accept charity. For the judge’s fortune was gone, too. He
had pledged it and his life to his country. He lost both. He did not live to see the Revolution won.
That account comes from a wonderful little book called They Signed For Us. It was written half a century
ago by Merle Sinclair and Annabel Douglas McArthur, two patriotic ladies who wanted to help others
learn more about the remarkable men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
At the end of today’s column, you’ll find a link that will take you to a copy of the book. You may read it
online or download it and print your own copy. The file also includes a list of all of the signers and the
States they represented, plus the complete text of the Declaration of Independence.
To whet your appetite a bit more, here’s another excerpt from They Signed For Us.
SUDDENLY THE BIG BELL in the State House steeple pealed joyously. The appointed signal! Cheers
rose from the waiting crowds.
‘Proclaim liberty throughout the land….’
Cannon boomed, drums rolled. Church bells rang, sounding the death knell of British domination!
News of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence spread like wildfire. Ready messengers leaped
into their saddles to ride and spread the word. The Declaration had been ordered printed on a single large
sheet, ‘45.5 x 37.5 cm.,’ or approximately eighteen by fifteen inches. These broadsides were distributed
with all possible speed, to be read in the provincial assemblies, pulpits, market places, and army camps.
The story continues:
On July 8, the Liberty Bell summoned citizens of Philadelphia to the State House yard for a public reading
of the document. Colonel John Nixon mounted a high platform and spoke the noble lines in a strong, clear
voice. The crowd, now hushed, listened intently throughout.
‘…for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we
mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.’
It was almost a month later that the Declaration was engrossed on parchment and ready for signing by the
delegates to the Continental Congress. Members gathered on Aug. 2 for the ceremony.
The only person who had signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776 was John Hancock, a delegate from
Boston who had been elected president of the Continental Congress. He wrote his signature in large, bold
letters and as he did, in a reference to the near-sightedness of the British king, he declared, “There! John
Bull can read my name without spectacles and may now double his reward of £500 for my head. That is my
defiance.”
As the delegates gathered around a desk to sign the Declaration, William Emery, one of the
representatives from Rhode Island, moved as close as he could. “I was determined to see how they all
looked as they signed what might be their death warrants,” he later wrote. “I placed myself beside the
secretary, Charles Thomson, and eyed each closely as he affixed his name to the document. Undaunted
resolution was displayed on every countenance.”
Contrasting with Hancock’s confident signature was the shaky scratch of Stephen Hopkins from Rhode
Island. Hopkins, the second-oldest signer, suffered from palsy. As he handed the quill to the next person,
he valiantly proclaimed, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not!”
As one or two delegates hung back, seemingly reluctant to add their signatures to such a momentous
declaration, John Hancock encouraged them. “We must be unanimous,” he said. “There must be no
pulling different ways. We must all hang together.”
Legend has it that Benjamin Franklin replied, “Yes, we must all hang together. Or most assuredly, we
shall all hang separately.”
Happily, none of the signers was hanged by the British. But all of them were considered traitors to the
Crown. And many of them suffered terribly for the cause they so ardently supported.
John Morton, a delegate from Pennsylvania, was the first of the signers to die. His last words for his
family, before his death in April 1777 (just eight months after he signed the Declaration), were, “…tell
them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious
service I ever rendered to my country.”
The following month, Button Gwinnett, the commander in chief of Georgia’s militia, was badly wounded in
a duel with a political opponent. He died a few days later — the second signer to die.
But by and large, the signers of the Declaration of Independence were a hardy bunch. Three of them lived
until their 90s — a remarkable accomplishment in a time when most men did not see their 50th birthday.
Only two of the signers were bachelors. Sixteen of them married twice. Records indicate that at least two,
and perhaps as many as six, were childless. But the other 50 signers were a prolific lot, having a total of
325 children between them. William Ellery of Rhode Island had 17 children; Roger Sherman of
Connecticut had 15.
Fifty years after the united colonies declared their independence from Britain, plans were made for
jubilant celebrations on July 4, 1826. Only three of the original signers were still alive: Charles Carroll,
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Here is how Sinclair and McArthur describe what occurred that day:
“In a dramatic climax that even their agile minds would not have contemplated, these two principals in the
struggle for Independence left the nation awestricken and touched, by dying hours apart on the Fourth of
July. Jefferson died at one o’clock in the afternoon, Adams toward evening.”
Ten days earlier, Jefferson had written the mayor of Washington, expressing his regret that ill health
prevented him from coming to the nation’s new Capitol to join the festivities.
“I should, indeed, with peculiar delight, have met … with the small band, the remnant of that host of
worthies, who joined with us on that day, in the bold and doubtful election we were to make for our country,
between the submission or the sword.”
He concluded by writing, “Let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollection of these rights,
and an undiminished devotion to them.”
Recommendations for California riders:
Get a Vehicle Code book from the DMV.
Read the sections we discussed in this website.
Get a digital recorder.
Take it with you wherever you go, on a bike or not.
Use it every time you are stopped by an officer.
It is legal to record in public in California.
Avoid answering questions - your answer could be used
against you in court. If you think you are going to get "fair"
treatment from the officer, remember the cop is not allowed
to testify to information that can exonerate you.
Print the documents that you think will be helpful and carry
them with you. Show others.
Don't take your DOT sticker off your helmet.
Technically it is not required to be on the helmet once you
have actually bought the helmet. But with the stickers on and
in it that a helmet being sold has, there should be no way you
should get a ticket.
If you get pulled over (turn on the recorder and) ask the
officer what is wrong with the helmet. Have him tell you what
the probable cause is, if he writes you a ticket.
As soon as possible contact the BOLT webmaster.
You will be instructed to email the audio recording of the
traffic stop, along with a scanned copy of the ticket.
Court procedures are complicated, and can be slightly
different from county to county. It would be tedious and
consume many pages of this website to try to have all the
possible scenarios that could happen written here.
The information on this website along with personal
experience of BOLT members will fill in any blanks and
answer any questions that you can think of.
Get a Vehicle Code book from the DMV.
Read the sections we discussed in this website.
Get a digital recorder.
Take it with you wherever you go, on a bike or not.
Use it every time you are stopped by an officer.
It is legal to record in public in California.
Avoid answering questions - your answer could be used
against you in court. If you think you are going to get "fair"
treatment from the officer, remember the cop is not allowed
to testify to information that can exonerate you.
Print the documents that you think will be helpful and carry
them with you. Show others.
Don't take your DOT sticker off your helmet.
Technically it is not required to be on the helmet once you
have actually bought the helmet. But with the stickers on and
in it that a helmet being sold has, there should be no way you
should get a ticket.
If you get pulled over (turn on the recorder and) ask the
officer what is wrong with the helmet. Have him tell you what
the probable cause is, if he writes you a ticket.
As soon as possible contact the BOLT webmaster.
You will be instructed to email the audio recording of the
traffic stop, along with a scanned copy of the ticket.
Court procedures are complicated, and can be slightly
different from county to county. It would be tedious and
consume many pages of this website to try to have all the
possible scenarios that could happen written here.
The information on this website along with personal
experience of BOLT members will fill in any blanks and
answer any questions that you can think of.