Here is the NY Times article Harley-Davidson celebrating its 100th birthday. TheAmericanmind was at the party, but he thought the free concert was a let down. All this celebrating, talk about the wind in your face, freedom, rebellion, and such, reminds me that the myth of bikes in the US is something akin to Mardi Gras or the Oktoberfest; dentists and normal folks wanting to pretend to party every once in a while by "letting their hair down." Not such a bad thing. I bet bikers are less prone to heart attacks than an accountant without a hobby. In a hobby new brain cells are activated, and as, Churchill said, "when new stars become the lords of the ascendant, that relief, repose, refreshment are afforded."
There was also a mass by
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee. While he admitted that he did not know a lot about motorcyclists, he praised the hundreds of bikers assembled for their "deep love" of God’s creation, for their special care for one another and for having "an awful lot of trust in God’s protection" when on their Harleys. I thought that was pretty good. Happy are the riders, for they shall not be lonely. Wind and road, sound and speed, sight and sound, will keep them company to the end of the day, and, most hope, to the end of life.
For the record, I wasnt at Sundays concert. I was at home watching and listening to the coverage on tv and radio hoping a Led Zeppelin reunion wouldnt happen. But the concert glich wont take away all the good feeling thousands now have for Milwaukee.