RITY
Up Front
Political Crap
The 1992 Presidential Waste
by Brian Brannon
Choosing between the lesser of two
evils is never easy, especially when it
comes to picking the President of the
United States. On the one hand, there's
George Bush, the incarnation of all that
is bad in Amerika. He's a war-monger-
ing friend of the rich and enemy to the
poor, the weird and the Bill of Rights. On
the other hand, there's Bill Clinton, the
media darling. He advocates equality for
everybody and keeps saying all the
things that everybody wants to hear. But
can the American people take him at his
word? Look at his
running mate Al
bert Gore, the step
ping stone for his
wife Tipper and the
civil liberties night
mare called the
PMRC. With her
husband as a mere
senator, Tipper was
able to put the fear
of God into musi
clans and creative
artists everywhere
If he rockets to the
Vice Presidency
will Tipper take par
ental advisory
stickers one step
further and start
labeling skateboard
16 THER
ALBERT GORE
graphics? Where will it stop? In the end
the decision rests with the individual
voter, and if that person chooses not to
vote, then they must accept the decree
of others. American skaters have no lob
bies to look out for their special interests
so Thrasher took the time to call the
candidates and present their views on
skateboarding. Only one replied.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S STANCE
ON SKATEBOARDING &
PHYSICAL FITNESS
The President is an advocate of phys
ical fitness and believes
that skateboarding, with
the proper safety equip
ment, is a wonderful way to
achieve physical fitness
The President has a seri
ous stake in making exer-
ose a part of every Ameri
can's day. In addition to
enhancing one's physical
strength and agility, athletic
activity provides a sense of
satisfaction and self-confi
dence that comes from
meeting a challenge. The
President encourages all
Americans to take the first
step toward healthier, fuller
lives through the participa
tion of sports and other
forms of exercise.
W
Fear & Loathing
in the United States
Running
for Office
by John Stain
Lowdown
When our city started hassling
and ticketing the local skaters, it
made me angry to the point where
I almost got arrested myself. I
soon realized I was going about
that situation all wrong I remem
bered a saying I first heard in
junior high: There are no prob
lems, only solutions."
But it was hard to see any solu
tion when a Nazi cop had just
chased you down, called you a
punk and thrown your deck in the
river. Ah but reason the quality
that sets us apart from animals.
Call it a chip on my shoulder or
something to prove, but I was
going to do something construc-
tive to change that situation.
I talked with a police captain
who said the politicians made the
rules and he just enforced them. I
said I couldn't see why a bunch of
kids skating downtown had to be
treated juvenile delinquents for
something that was good, clean
fun. He told me to talk to the city
council about changing the ordi-
nances so it would be legal in cer-
tain area I called them and they
said since most skaters couldn't
vote, it wasn't one of their top pri
orities. This was when the idea of
running for council came to mind.
Most people would think running
for offices a costly endeavor, but
it doesn't have to be spent a
total of $2,750 on my campaign
(from the OPM plan, "Other Peo-
ple's Money) which got me a 30-
second campaign commercial (on
ESPN, CNN and MTV locally),
signs and literature. A candidate
who finished only two spots above
me spent over $60,000 and he
didn't even win a seat, whereas
some candidates spent a lot less
and won a seat. My campaign
money came from only two i
places the underground/ alter-
native punk rock hands who did
fund-raisers for me, and one very
cool and supportive four star gen-
eral named Water Churchill, who
is the head of the US Marine Corp
Youth Foundation
I refused to take any contribu
ons from special interest groups.
This seems to be the biggest
downlall for any politician. If you
take the special interest groups
money or they support you, they
expect you to vote their way. Iso
borrowed some ideas from Jallo
Biafra: polluters should be sen
anced to swim in the water they
polluted and sumlords should be
sentenced to live in their slums
The homeless and the environ
ment were other issues I was per
sonally pressed to embrace more
than any of the other candidates
spent the night with the homelons
a downtown "tent city" and
spoke at a homelessness aware
ess function which featured the
utional director for the homeless
Ewasn't a big issue in the elec
son, but it was a big issue to me,
and as a free-thinking candidats
did what I wanted to do.
I was the youngest candidate,
but in reality you need only be
ightean, I remember seding
mass graves of dead North Viet
namese soldiers on the TV, and i
had to register for the selective
services so I to could go to war,
but I am still considered by some
oo young to run
None of us will realize what priv
eged freedoms we have until they
are taken away. I'm not going to
walt and it is too late, when a our
nights are gone. I'm going to quit
complaining and try and do some
thing about it now. You can too
Time Warp
THIS BOARD IS DEDICATED TO EVERYONE FOR EVER HAVING BEEN PUT DOWN,RIDICULED, VEL
From contests in wave pools to driveways all across
America, portable jump ramps were the rage in 1986.
The need was to blast and boards broke like kindling.
Natas said it best, "How many streets really have jump
ramps on them?" Jim Thiebaud wholeheartedly hops on
a Saran Wrap at Ocean Beach,
Payne's
Corner Wheel
Away
You know the story, buy new wheels.
ride 'em for two days, and Fzzzt, flatspots.
Or maybe you just have a bunch of big
wheels. Well, there is a trick to fix 'em,
and chances are someone in your neigh-
borhood has a grinder in their garage.
Augie Rodriguez from Orlando, FL, has
been grinding wheels for a long time. He
uses a metric caliper (you can get them at an auto
store or hardware store) and his trained eye to get
them all the same size. If you don't have any
calipers, set all four wheels on a table and hold a
straight edge on top of them. Practice first on old
wheels, and wear gloves and safety glasses when
using any power tools. If you don't know how to
operate the machine, ask someone to help you get
started, and always be patient and cautious.
FLAT SPOTS
Leave the wheels on the board. If you don't have
a new set of bearings, spray some lubricant on
them because your wheels are going to spin at
about 3,400 rpms, which is a lot faster than you're
ever going to go. Hold your wheel on the side of
the grinder and press firmly but evenly. Flat spots
will begin to show up as your wheel is cleaned off.
Continue to grind until the flat spots are gone or
according to the desired height.
REDUCING THE SIZE
You can easily carve down your brother's old 66
hunks into little 44s. Start on the outside edge.
press firmly and hold there until you see the wheel
getting smaller. Then move the wheel across the
grinder evenly. Continue doing this until you reduce
the wheel to the size you want. It takes about ten
minutes to do each wheel, so always remember:
use proper safety precautions (keep long hair in a
ponytail or under a hat, secure loose clothing, like
flannel and XXLs, and always wear safety gog-
gles). Hold the surface evenly, check your wheel
size consistently, and don't rush it. -Tim Payne
ANIMER LASTLY
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