Commenting Snark and Nastiness

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After I posted a video on my Booted Harleydude Youtube Channel of a recent motorcycle ride, I discovered that there were 159 comments on a number of my videos pending review/approval for posting. Some comments were there for a year. Man, it’s been a long time since I reviewed video comments!

Somehow, the notifications for comment moderation that I requested to be sent to me when a comment was entered were not being sent (another “YouTube takeover by Google” catastrophe, but that’s another story).

I was disheartened, but not surprised, by the tone, most of which…
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Fall Riding Is the Best

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The Weather was great this past Sunday, so nine of my buddies and I met to go for a ride through one of our favorite places — the Catoctin Mountain of north-central Maryland.

It was chilly (52F/11C), but dry, sunny, and seasonable. After giving my Harley a thorough inspection and air in its tires, I put on my gear, consisting of what you see here…
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Cowboy Hats

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Recently, I received a question:

I was asked to attend an event in Oklahoma that will definitely involve cowboy gear. I was told that I should buy a cowboy hat. Do you have any advice for choosing a hat? Thanks for your help!

I realized that I have not written any posts about “cowboy” anything in a long time, so thanks for the opportunity to write about something else with which I have experience. Read on…
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The Voice of Reason

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As a life-long Bootman — that is, a guy who has worn boots during his entire life (well, since I was 10)… and with a boot collection in the hundreds, I cannot help but see some boots on other men’s feet (such as on cops at a recent police motorcycle riding competition), or in ads and other media and think, “man, cool boots… what about getting a pair?”

Then the Voice of Reason resonates. He says,…
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One Never Knows

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One never knows his influence. I have a dear friend who I have known since college. I introduced her to the man she married while we were involved in a student organization that I led. I have enjoyed and loved our friendship for so many years, but never really gave a thought to how I was observed, until this…
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Why Bother to Vote?

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Here in the USA, what is called the “mid-term” elections are upon us. In many states, including my own, registered voters can vote early, before the official election day of Tuesday, November 6.

But in this day and age where there is no leadership at the top, only vile tweetstorms from a thin-skinned egomaniac prone to temper-tantrums, why bother to vote? I have been asked that question dozens of times. And my answers have been…
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