Susan Otcenas

>>Another word for ranting and jaw flapping is venting, and that's usually
fine.

Venting *is* fine, as long as it we don't mistake it for action.

>>At the risk of being overly defensive, respect must be earned and
maintained, even by government.

Again, this plays both ways. Cyclists must earn respect and work to
maintain it. The actions of every single one of us reflects on the entire
group, just as Officer Whitehead's ill thought out reponses reflect badly on
the entire City of North Plains and on police officers in general. One of
the ways we can work in a positive manner is to work within the system to
try to produce effective change. And whether we like it or not, we gain
the most credibility within the system when we treat it with respect. That
means going to a meeting and dressing appropriately, making thoughtful
well-reasoned arguments and being polite to our government officials.

I don't take any of your comments as overly defensive, by the way. I think
we are engaging in discussion from, perhaps, slightly different
perspectives. That's the kind of dialogue I would have liked to see come
out of Officer Whitehead's office.

Tailwinds,

Susan

--------------------------------------------
Susan Otcenas
TEAM ESTROGEN, INC.
http://www.TeamEstrogen.com
1-877-310-4592
--------------------------------------------
Cycling Apparel and Accessories for Women
--------------------------------------------

********************************************
Please note our NEW address effective 3/19/2007:

21350 NW Mauzey Road
Hillsboro, OR 97124

********************************************