Michael Vanderman Phd. sentenced Reposted from MTBR nor-Cal forum 30 days, to be served on the sheriff's work detail (picking up trash). No actual prison to be served, if the Sheriff takes him. The program costs some money, too. He also gets credit for having been in custody for 7 days. Judge said picking up trash was a good plan for a passionate environmentalist like MV. Has to stay off the UC trails for 3 years. DA asked for 270 days. Judge said that since MV didn't have a record and no one was really hurt, lighter sentence was appropriate. Apparently, MV sent a letter to the judge, which the judge returned, unopened to his defense counsel this morning. Defendants aren't supposed to send letters about sentencing to the judge without their counsel's approval, but MV did anyway. Note: I think this was a fair sentence, especially keep him off the trail where he threatened MTBers. Dean
From reading about this kook, he seems like the kinda guy that would go back out there. If he does, I hope he gets violated and does some time. Cyclists don't get much respect. I wonder what the sentence would be if he was randomly assaulting pedestrians on the sidewalk with tools.
Why hasn't alt.mountain-bike been shut down yet? All it is at this point is baseless hate spewed against mountain bikers. Reading that site makes me nauseous.
Alt.mountain-bike was my source of riding friends and roadtrips back in 2005...I still ride now and then with a couple I met thru that forum. Then the environmental wackos took that forum over, I guess that is what happens on un-moderated forums.
When i read the thread title i thought it was going to be about Thomas Vanderham getting busted for some sort of illegal shredding in norcal! LOL Can some one post a link to an article about MV? thanks!
If you have been around mountain biking for any length of time you will know who Michael Vanderman, Phd is. In short he is a environmentalist who has worked very hard and lied even harder to ban bikes from all dirt trails. After many years he was arrested near his home in Berkley for threatening a MTBer with I think was a pruning saw...anyway, much info can be learned by Googling his name.
Go to mtbr.com, the norcal forum, and read away, to learn all you would ever want about nutball Vandeham.
This guy is a mountain biker's worst nightmare-intelligent, articulate, opinionated, and quite possibly psychopathic. He is not the only one. Cherish and protect the access we have because our rights are under attack daily by people like this.
You couldn't be more correct! What makes it even worse is the uneducated people who don't bother to check his facts or his background. These are the same people who believe his "facts", even if these"facts" have been proven false or just plain outright lies! [-X -Lloyd :wave:
The thing that was most disturbing to us on Alt-MTB was Mike posted up everytime someone would die or get hurt in a MTBing accident. He did it with some sort of perverted glee to proof his point of the dangers of MTBing. Read his website http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/ ...read it make up your own mind who he is. Scary part to me is he is not alone in his believes. Dean
After going to his website, he does not seem particularly articulate or intelligent. Resourceful, passionate, and dangerous, yes. But narrow-minded and lacking in any ability to reason beyond absolutist, black-and-white concepts (a sure sign of low intelligence, and something seriously plaguing our culture).
MV quote: "millions of these infernal machines are piloted by boys trying to exorcise the demons of their puberty" Classic.
