Happy 2004 to all my ABATE
Brothers and Sisters! Did all of you get what you
wanted for Christmas? I was truly blessed with
remembrances from family and good friends, as I am every
year, but I still haven't found that 1948 Indian
Roadmaster Chief under the tree yet. Oh well, maybe
next year. We've gotten a good amount of cold, nippy
weather to make those Toy Runs more festive, and I hope
folks were able to get out there to enjoy those events
and experience the sharing and caring that makes the
Holiday Season truly meaningful. I was able to get out
to a couple of activities this last month, but I really
got struck down hard by the flu that's ravaged our
state, and had to stay close to home as a result. I was
able to make it out to the Naysayers M/C Twenty-Fifth
Annual Toy Parade on December 7, and they enjoyed their
largest attendance ever, with over 2,000 motorcycles and
trikes showing up to participate on one of the warmer
days of the month. Many thanks to the Naysayers for
their efforts on behalf of the Red Andrews Christmas
Dinner, which has fed the needy in Oklahoma City for
going on 60 years. I hope other Biker-oriented
organizations enjoyed similar success with their Toy Run
events, even though Jack Frost rode in with a vengeance
early this season.
I understand that this
year's Tulsa ABATE Toy Run was a tremendous
success, despite the cold weather and snow that came
only a couple of days before the event, and I was very
gratified. Many thousands of bikes attended, and a
mountain of toys for underprivileged children was
collected for the Marine Corps Reserve's Toys For Tots
Program. Given the conflict that arose between Tulsa
ABATE and the Salvation Army, and hearing that the
Salvation Army had over a thousand bikes show up for
their Toy Run the week before, I was keeping my fingers
crossed that the loyal supporters of Tulsa ABATE that
have been coming out over the past TWENTY-THREE YEARS
would continue to stand by the Chapter, and they did!
Anyone that knows me knows that I'm certainly not
anti-charity. Indeed, I donate a lot of my time and
money toward worthwhile causes, as do a significant
number of you. However, I definitely am Pro-Biker, and
am concerned about how the Motorcycling Community is
treated by others. Every year, motorcyclists
participate in charitable events to help those less
fortunate, and charities all over compete for the Biker
Dollar. Throughout the year, motorcyclists are treated
as the ultimate Cash Cow, whether it's at one of the
major Bike Rallies where the hotel rates are tripled and
bikers have to endure equipment checkpoints, increased
law enforcement scrutiny, and Anti-Biker discrimination
at various establishments, or when bikers get targeted
by high-pressure corporate charity machines that enlist
sponsors who during the rest of the year will have
nothing to do with the Biker Community, or may even
actively discriminate against motorcyclists.
Some National-level "charitable" organizations are even
pushing for a Nationwide Helmet Law and other
anti-motorcyclist legislation, and money Bikers
contribute out of the goodness of their hearts goes to
pay for the corporate jets of some "charitable
organizations' CEOs, money disguised as earmarked for
"administrative expenses". As the Sturgis Bike Rally
was eventually hijacked from the BIKERS that originally
organized it, groups like the Jackpine Gypsies, the
developments in Tulsa that arose between ABATE and the
Salvation Army illustrates what it can come to: An
organization claiming to promote charitable causes
attempting to squeeze out the area Bikers' Rights
Organization from hosting a MOTORCYCLING event it
originally organized and has continuously hosted for
almost 25 years! The Tulsa ABATE Toy Run continues to
constitute the largest single gathering of motorcycles
and trikes in the state during the year, and is one of
the largest Toy Runs in the Country! I want to salute
the Tulsa ABATE members for their hard work and
dedication in making this event a success, as well as
all the members from the other ABATE Chapters that have
hosted Toy Runs this year. Given this year's conflict,
however, I want to publicly reaffirm that ABATE of
Tulsa, and indeed every ABATE Chapter, has the State
Organization's complete backing in doing whatever needs
to be done to both prioritize and support their planned
Holiday charitable occasions. The giving spirit of our
riding community is a strong one, and there are many
deserving outlets for our generosity that need our
help. The fact that both competing Tulsa charitable bike
events ended up being well-attended (although ABATE's
was MUCH larger!) illustrates that there's plenty of
room for everyone to work together on behalf of those in
need. The problem is, greed puts blinders on the
greedy, and it doesn't lend well to compromise. In my
opinion, the best organizations to support are the ones
that help and support our own. The best advice I can
give is for you to use your head as well as your heart,
and investigate the cause before you open your
wallet--after all, Bikers are good consumers, too!
Remember also, that a lot of these organizations
clamoring for our money won't lift a finger to help us
should a crisis arise threatening Riding Liberty, and
threats are still out there, as you well know. For that
matter, ABATE of Oklahoma, YOUR Motorcyclists Rights
Organization, still needs financial support to continue
the fight for Riding Freedom and improved Biker quality
of life in our state. The Sustaining Membership Program
we've started has been a big help, but we need to
actively recruit more individual members to help
increase both our political power base and our
treasury. I don't want to hear that individual Chapters
have liquidated a significant percentage of their
finances to make charitable donations when the cause of
Bikers Rights in our state needs financial
assistance--it just doesn't make sense! I think we've
covered this topic sufficiently, so congratulations,
ABATE of Tulsa, for once again successfully hosting your
Toy Run--the REAL Toy Run in Tulsa! I hope Tulsans will
submit coverage and photos of the event for us to enjoy.
As ABATE members are
aware, our Organization is getting ready for the 2004
Oklahoma Legislative Session's start in February.
Holly, our Political Director, is coordinating with
Legislators on Biker-related issues to address, and has
been meeting with potential legislative authors and
sponsors. We'll coordinate with ABATE's membership on
these topics, so it's important that as many ABATE of
Oklahoma members as can attend our annual General
Membership Meeting in Tulsa on Saturday, January 10.
For those new to ABATE, we're required by the State
By-Laws to hold at least one Membership Meeting per
year, and we schedule a Membership Meeting every
January, since it's in advance of the beginning of the
Session. This year, we'll introduce the new 2004-2005
State Officers, who will assume their duties at the
meeting of the State Board. We'll also look forward to
meeting with members of the State Legislature there, as
every year we extend an invitation to members of the
Oklahoma House and Senate that support
Oklahoma's motorcyclists to come share their views and
hear our concerns. The Membership Meeting affords
ABATE's leadership an opportunity to outline to the
members what issues we'll be focusing on this year, so
it's an important vehicle with which to establish our
yearly political direction. As Holly has stated in the
Legislative Update, we're committed to working with the
Department of Public Safety to clarify language
regarding the number of headlamps motorcyclists can run
and their location and what constitutes legal eye
protection, so Oklahoma riders won't continue to risk
being stopped and ticketed under vague statutes that are
interpreted differently in different areas. We'll also
be pursuing legislation designating every May as
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, so we won't need to
approach the State House with hat in hand every year
begging for a Proclamation, and we can start early in
the year with a media campaign designed to promote
awareness of looking out for and sharing the road with
motorcycles and trikes. Additionally we're going to
keep coordinating with other organizations to advance
the cause of Failure to yield legislation designed to
increase penalties for irresponsible and reckless
motorists that hurt and kill others. ABATE is
interacting with a number of interested legislators that
intend to work with us. A lot of riders in our state
don't realize that we have a number of active
motorcyclists in our Legislature, such as Rep. Danny
Hilliard, Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Oklahoma House, and
Rep. James Covey. We also are fortunate to have a
number of friends in the non-riding legislative
community that believe in what we stand for and
appreciate our passion for enjoying the road on two and
three wheels. Oklahoma Motorcyclists have the
opportunity to meet with these pro-riding legislators,
as well as to lobby their individual Senators and
Representatives regarding important issues, at ABATE's
annual Legislative Breakfast at the State Capitol Fourth
Floor Rotunda in February. ABATE's Central OK District
has been hosting this event for a number of years now,
starting at 7:30AM, and we provide breakfast for the
entire Oklahoma State Legislature and their staffs. It
constitutes a productive and positively-oriented
environment enabling our riding community to meet and
greet their legislators, get to know them, and air their
views regarding topics they care about. If you're truly
interested in taking a more active role in the workings
of your State government, please make plans to attend!
Please contact Holly at 405-329-7254, or give me a shout
if you desire more information,
Well, I'm going to wrap
up my submission for the first month of the New
Year with a few quick reminders and thank-you's. I hope
we'll experience a large attendance in Tulsa for the
2004 State General Membership Meeting on Saturday,
January 10, hosted by the Rogers County Chapter. Your
officers are working hard to come up with an interesting
and informative agenda, and our Brothers and Sisters
from the Claremore area are putting a great party
together. Those Chapters that have completed their 2003
elections, please notify me as to who your new officers
are, especially Presidents and Chapter Reps to the State
Board, so we can update the state newsletter and
website. Also, the newsletter could use more
contributions from the individual membership and
Chapters on events, so PLEASE submit articles and
pictures about what you've been doing. I know there
have been lots of fun happenings around the state, and
hearing about them will make YOUR newsletter a lot more
interesting and enjoyable. It's as easy as writing a
letter, and you'll get your pictures back! Tiger's Tip
O' The Month: One of the major and potentially
deadly problems folks need to deal with when riding in
Winter is hypothermia. Lowering your body's core
temperature while riding sneaks up on you without you
realizing it, can make your thought processes sluggish,
slow your reaction time, and put you at risk in a
critical situation, even to the extent where you could
lose control of your ride. Keep an eye out for your
body signaling you that it needs to warm up, and take
periodic rest breaks to do so. Don't turn your Winter
cruise into an endurance contest! Dress in layers, and
use wool or one of the new synthetics like
Polartec--they keep you warm when wet. Be smart
regarding your intake of food and beverage as
well--alcohol doesn't function as antifreeze, but as a
neurodepressor can actually accelerate hypothermia! We
have enough problems with slippery or sandy roadways, as
well as inattentive drivers that absolutely don't expect
to encounter motorcycles in Winter, so let's maintain
control over as many factors as we can. I need to thank
the bottom of my heart all our officers for their hard
work over the past year, even though some of them, due
to the unavoidable circumstances that always seem to pop
up in our lives, might have been unable to contribute as
much time as they might have wanted to. Many thanks
to Lynne Michaud for her years of performing in an
outstanding manner as our State Secretary, providing us
with top-notch administrative support, and repeatedly
spearheading Muskogee ABATE's membership doing such a
terrific job of coming up with those incredible baskets
for the Mid-South M.I.L.E. Thanks also to Jeanne
Milligan and Chris Rybacki for filling in admirably in
the State treasurer office and keeping ahead of the
bills; to Jimmie Bingham for stepping up to serve as
State Sgt-at-Arms when Donnie "Da Nail" had to head back
East to take care of his mother; to Paul Brinker, our
Safety Officer, who continues to update us on issues
directly affecting our ability to ride smart and safely;
and to Holly Swinford and Charlie Williams for
keeping all of us politically aware and effectively
interacting with the Legislature on motorcyclists'
behalf. A special vote of thanks needs to go to
Carmaletta Lara for dedicating so much of her time to
functioning tremendously as our Newsletter Editor,
Membership Chairperson and Merchandise Coordinator.
Wearing all those hats could've quite easily exhausted
anyone, but she's kept at it in fine style, and Manuel,
her other half, has dedicated a bunch of his time in
assisting her. Many thanks to you both! I'd also like
to express appreciation to one of our C.O.D. members,
Ray "Ray-Man" Heiskell, for putting together an ABATE
State Board Online Users Group, where State Officers and
Chapter Reps can interact by computer through sending
messages, accessing printed material for their Chapters
like monthly Board Meeting minutes and membership
applications, and even holding online Board Meetings
through chat sessions. Thanks, Ray-Man, for your
efforts in this complicated technological area. I feel
a deep sense of gratitude to you all on the State level,
and to all committed members from all the Chapters for
continuing to volunteer your time, talents and resources
to defend Motorcycling Freedom in Oklahoma. I heartily
salute every one of you as we strive to make this the
best ABATE year ever. Let's look forward to Good Times
and More in 2004!
Keep It On The Black Strip
Between The Trees,
Tiger Mike