Did I mention that Oregon has really strong freedom of speech laws?

And those laws make bizarrely awesome things like this possible:

An estimated 13,000 take part in Portland's Naked Bike Ride

Congratulations Portland! Your penchant for pedaling pantless has set records once again. Estimates from last night's World Naked Bike Ride put the number of riders at 11,000-13,000 people*. Wow. I think that would be the largest ride of its kind the world has ever seen.

And those same laws, bless 'em, also protect scolds whose biggest fear is that someone, somewhere, is right this minute having harmless fun they wouldn't approve of:

Portland's Naked Bike Ride: Full Frontal Rude-ity

I see by pictures on the web here that some of the 2010 Portland Naked Bike Ride occurred in the nighttime. But some of it happened in the day time--in front of thousands of people gathered at Saturday Market, along 33rd Avenue by a busy Grant (High School) Park and undoubtedly many other places according to emailers and callers to the Victoria Taft Show.

The word there that gives it all away, of course, is "undoubtedly."

Have to say I'm not really interested in riding naked myself, but I figure that the day the law says I can't, that's the day the terrorists have finally won.

Ah, Oregon, my Oregon.