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Last week, I wrote about Zack Colman’s anti-bicyclist column in The State News, the student newspaper of Michigan State University. Today, I point out a rebuttal column by State News copy editor Scott Myers that was published Monday.

Myers’ column is written in the same style as Colman’s original column. For example, here’s the opening salvo:

White 2009 Motobecane Fantom Cross Uno.

That’s the bike I ride — and if you’re a motorist on the road and plan on running me over, I hope you have a good lawyer, because I might sue you.

Intentionally.

Because you see, with all these dangerously inattentive motorists on the road nowadays, doing things like changing songs on their iPods, sending text messages while driving or falling asleep because they can’t get enough sleep to function on the same schedule as 90 percent of the rest of the world, I’m tired of getting run over.

And, considering I’m exactly where I should be, I’ll win the case.

Not surprisingly, Myers’ column got a lot of praise from the cycling community, at least judging by the comments. It also got a lot of comments from the anti-cyclist crowd, complete with the stereotype that all cyclists disobey traffic laws because a few do. While some cyclists do disobey traffic laws, so do some motorists.

As for the original Colman column, word about the column has spread far and wide. The League of American Bicyclists even has included Colman’s column in its Trash Talk feature. “In what we can only hope is a sorry attempt at satire, the author says that bicyclists should get off the road. If they’re not in bike lanes or on sidewalks, Colman promotes distracted drivers running over bicyclists with “big, people-killing cars” to show who rules the road,” LAB pointed out.

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I’ll give Zack Colman credit for one thing. At least he has the courage to put his name and photo to asinine comments about bicycling.

Unlike most of the clowns who post comments anonymously or under fake names on newspaper articles about bicycling, Colman didn’t hide his identity in a recent column that appears in the State News, the student newspaper for Michigan State University. Here’s what he said about bicyclists:

Black 2001 Saturn SC2. That’s the car I drive — and if you’re a bicyclist on the road but not in a bike path and you see my car, I hope you’re wearing a helmet, because I might run you over.

Maybe not intentionally.

But you see, with all these things I can do in my car nowadays, such as choose a different song on my iPod, send a text message while driving or fall asleep at the wheel because I had to wake up for a worthless 8 a.m. biology lab, I might not notice you.

And, considering you are where you should not be, I might hit you.

Not surprisingly, the column has drawn a lot of comments. Mary Dougherty of the League of Michigan Bicyclists is urging people to e-mail Colman and set him straight.

In the column, Colman is under the mistaken idea that bicyclists should ride on sidewalks rather than streets, where they have a legal right to be in Michigan. In many Michigan communities, it’s illegal to ride a bike on sidewalks. It’s even illegal to ride bikes on sidewalks on Michigan State’s East Lansing campus!

Here’s another choice nugget from Colman’s attempt at writing a column:

Bicyclists on the road are a driving hazard to people in automobiles, since many bicyclists make turns without using hand signals and ride too close to other vehicles when there is no designated bike path.

For example, I was driving to work Tuesday when a bicyclist pulled up in front of my car in the right lane on Farm Lane going northbound where it intersects with Shaw Lane. There is no bike path at this portion of the road, and I needed to be in the right lane to avoid the left turn only lane, but the bicyclist was in the way.

Some will say I could be more patient on the road.

But roads are for cars, not bicyclists. The bicyclist should not have been in the car lane.

Some people have come to Colman’s defense, saying that it was intended to be satire. If it was, it was a pretty poor attempt. I speak from experience. I once attempted satire while I was still a college student writing for the Southwestern Journal, a weekly in Brighton, Ill. I failed miserably. Satire is a difficult form of writing to master, and satire clearly isn’t one of Colman’s strong suits.

I hope Colman learns from his mistake and grows up to be a responsible columnist.

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