Happy New Year to all my Motorcycling Compatriots!  I trust everyone in Oklahoma's Riding Community had an enjoyable Holiday Season, and that you spent a Merry Christmas in the company of family and friends.  I also hope all of you out there are okay, as we've in Mid-December borne up under what I think is the worst Ice Storm I've experienced in my 20 years in Oklahoma. My lines are back up, but my property still looks like a disaster zone, with broken trees everywhere, and a tree hit my roof which, fortunately, hasn't punctured a hole. Oh well, that's what insurance is for!  It seems like we've run the whole gamut in the Sooner State so far this Winter, from thick fog to thunderstorms to freezing rain, sleet, ice and snow. I know there are a lot of folks who have it a lot worse than I do, especially the families who lost loved ones in traffic accidents, in fires, or to Carbon Monoxide poisoning, so I want you to know I'm remembering all my friends victimized by this storm in thought and prayer.  A lot of places experienced power outages for awhile after the Ice Storm, and that included Traffic lights being dark or set to Flashing Red all around. One driving tip--when traffic lights are out, treat the intersection like a Four-Way Stop Sign (as the Drivers Manual says).  Even then, proceed slowly--I was leaving Tinker AFB after work, and when it was my turn to proceed, a white Cadillac barreled through the intersection at 50 MPH, and that intersection had Flashing Red Lights all around!  The idiot could've T-Boned me on the driver's side, but I'm still here. So, that leads to the most important driving tip--watch out for The Other Guy, since bad weather magnifies bad driving habits, and there are so many bad drivers in Oklahoma!  During the Winter, riders are logging a bunch of miles in good or inclement weather to, among other things, do good for those less fortunate than we are.  We have every right to be out on bikes anytime we want, but Winter riding continues to put us in harms way--especially from those who don't expect motorcycles to be out this time of year, are distracted by all manner of post-Holiday issues, and just are not paying attention.  Looking out for Bikers is a Full-Year obligation, and one a number of our Motoring Public don't want to accept.  Enjoy the good feelings that come with reaching out to help our fellow citizens, but please continue to be watchful out there, and Ride Safely, Sober--and Aware of the four-wheelers who aren't aware of you.

I'd like to take this occasion to focus on some grieving members of our Family.  Gary and Jill McManus were hit on the way back from the CMA Toy Run by a cager the beginning of December, and Jill was tragically killed. Gary, a 25-year veteran of the Bartlesville Police Dept., has been in Critical Condition in ICU at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.  The Christian Motorcyclist Association has been severely tested in our state this year, given their number who were victimized by a drunk driver over the Summer.  Please remember Gary, Jill, their families and their riding brothers and sisters in your thoughts and prayers.  For those not aware, Hope McGlathery passed away late November, after a long illness which included multiple hospital stays.  She leaves behind children, grandchildren, and a host of Oklahoma's Riding Community members who loved her.  Hope was a Charter Member of the Oklahoma City Chapter of the Harley Owners Group, in which her late husband, "Mac" McGlathery served as Chapter Director.  Hope also held various Chapter offices during her tenure, and was always an active, enthusiastic participant in all types of Motorcycling-related events and activities.  When I was transferred to Oklahoma City by the USAF in 1988 and joined the OKC HOG Chapter in May of that year (wow, makes it 20 years for me!), Hope and Mac were two of the first folks I met there, and they made me feel welcome from the time I walked in the door.  They both loved motorcycles of all types and loved to ride and travel, and they were a lot of fun to be around.  While Hope owned a number of motorcycles over the years and was a passionate Harley Rider, I'll always remember her custom Sportster, which had a beautiful pink paint job with Native American feathers and other designs.  Her passing leaves me very sad, but I know she lived a full and adventurous life.  Please remember her family in your thoughts and prayers as they cope with their grief.  Ride Free Forever, our dearly departed!!
 
So, it's 2008, and time to kick off our eighteenth season for ABATE of Oklahoma defending Biker Liberty as a State Organization.  We spent the last two months putting our best foot forward in expressing good will and reaching out to those less fortunate.  Virtually all of our ten active ABATE chapters held their annual Toy Runs, and all were successful in spite of some of the nasty weather.  Our riders also did much to enhance a positive motorcycling image last year in other areas as well, as with the ABATE Bike Parades on Memorial and Veterans' Day.  On December 7, I watched the USS Oklahoma Memorial dedication at Pearl Harbor on television.  You might remember that, at the request of State Sen. Jim Reynolds, Oklahoma motorcyclists were able to rally at the State Capitol in October to send the Memorial's components to Hawaii.  It is an absolutely beautiful construction, and a fitting tribute to our dedicated Sailors and Marines who died on her, and to all of our Military who were killed and survived on that fateful day.  With the Oklahoma having been the only capital ship sunk at Pearl Harbor not to have a Memorial, it's an honor long overdue!!

As you should know by now, we can't rest on our laurels as the state's Motorcyclist Rights Organization, and we always need to look toward the future.  Now it's time for ABATE to concentrate on issues enhancing our Riding Community's Quality of Life, and we're not wasting time as the New Year begins.  We'll have opportunity to start 2008 off with a flourish by convening the ABATE General Membership Meeting Saturday, January 12, at the Quartz Mountain Resort in Lone Wolf, north of Altus.  Our Great Plains of Altus Chapter is hosting the event again, after doing a terrific job last year.  I think it's awesome that one of our smaller Chapters has done so much to advance the cause of our Organization recently--don't forget the old saying: It's not the size of the Dog in the Fight, but the size of the Fight in the Dog!  Many thanks to Paul and Helen Cohn, Altus Chapter President and First Lady, for taking care of many of the logistics again.  The meeting will feature our first 2008 State Board Meeting in the morning, followed by a Keynote Speaker, seminars and workshops, and an Open Format Town-Hall meeting where individual ABATE Members can air their views and share ideas.  We'll also enjoy a Hospitality Room over the weekend, and we'll have a party Saturday Night, with DJ entertainment and lots of Door Prizes.  This meeting is much more festive when we have a good turnout of the Membership, so download an event flyer from our State Website at www.abateofoklahoma.org , get your friends to join ABATE if they're not members, and please make plans to attend!

Our annual Membership Meeting gives us a forum to address the year's Legislative Agenda, and Holly, our Political Director, will outline our strategy.  This will include re-introducing our Red Light Bill, which will allow motorcyclists whose bikes don't trigger the light to turn green at controlled intersections to stop and proceed if safe to do so.  Rep. Skye McNiel, who withdrew her Helmet Law proposal on our advice last year, is our primary author for this bill.  We're also supporting Rep. Paul Wesselhoft's bill to increase penalties for those causing death or injury from using hand-Held Cell Phones while driving, known as the "Btittanie Montgomery/Jeffery Smith Law"; and we're interfacing with Sen. Sean Burge on legislation clarifying Title 47 regarding use of auxiliary lighting (spotlights) along with headlights, so riders won't be ticketed for increasing their visibility.  Additionally, we're supporting "Right To Repair" legislation, which would allow individuals and independent shops access to tools, procedures and diagnostic equipment exclusively the province of dealerships--everyone has the right to work on their own motor vehicle!  We also need to look into increasing "Jaggers' Law" penalties for irresponsible drivers who hurt and kill others, especially after so may Oklahomans were victimized last year!  This groundwork will prepare us for launching our 2008 campaign at the annual ABATE Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday, February 19, 7:30AM-10:30AM at the State Capitol Fourth Floor Rotunda.  We need hundreds of our Riding Community to lobby their Legislators and demonstrate what Biker Power is all about, so be sure to list this event on your calendar and plan to attend--invite all your friends, too!  There's a Legislative Breakfast flyer posted on the ABATE State Website now, and I'd like to thank Chris Coombs for attending to the website updates.  Ultimately, however, our legislative success comes down to individual Registered Voters contacting their Legislators with personal visits, phone calls, letters and e-mails.  When Holly sends out an appeal for mass phone-calling of Representatives and Senators, and only two or three people respond, then nobody has cause to whine if we don't achieve our objectives!  Achieving Political Success is all our responsibility, and it will take our combined efforts to achieve our legislative goals.

Tiger's Tip O' The Month involves the Golden Rule: we all need to treat others like we ourselves desire to be treated.  One of my friends from out of state moved to Oklahoma, and was trying to decide which ABATE Chapter to join.  He went to one Chapter meeting, which apparently was characterized by a lot of infighting and discord, and by guests to the meeting being ignored.  Ultimately, the Chapter he decided to join welcomed him as a new face, asked him if he had any questions about ABATE or the Chapter, and invited him to join, or at least come back again.  It doesn't matter which Chapter it is--what DOES matter is that each ABATE Member is an ambassador for the Organization, and for defending Biker Freedom in the Sooner State.  No matter who you are in ABATE; even if you don't hold an office: you can lead by example and motivate others with the simple act of being kind to strangers. 

Before I close, I'd like to address the issue of online communities like MySpace, including e-mailings.  They can expand our scope of exposure in allowing us to contact many more people with our message, and I regularly post Weblogs in various places.  However, I frankly don't place much credence in them in comparison with people working together and interfacing directly with other flesh-and-blood human beings in support of a Common Cause.  For example, some guy wrote me a one-sentence e-mail recently, which said "ABATE is going to Hell!"  Normally, I don't consider a "launch-and-leave" message like that worth one moment of my time, and this is why: in my almost 30 years experience of working in the Rights Movement, I've found most people who send messages of this type are neither ABATE members, nor do they do much of anything besides take up space if they are!  It's easy to make irresponsible statements like that without any proof (and hide behind the Internet while doing so); it's much harder to put yourself on the front line and expend some effort to actually defend Riding Freedom for yourself and others.  Our Organizational track record and state history shows that Oklahoma Motorcycling has been much more rewarding for everybody over the years than it would be had ABATE never existed.  If ABATE was populated with nothing but empty-talkers who do nothing but express Good Intentions, then our Organization would indeed be bound for the Infernal Regions!  Fortunately, I've found as I start my Twentieth Year working with Bikers Rights in the Sooner State that this is far from the case!  I really appreciate the dedicated hard work expended by a comparative few in our Motorcycling Community who make this one of the best states to ride in--you make things better for the majority, whether or not they know or care.  It doesn't matter--you can feel proud when you look at the person in the mirror!  Well, I'm going to wrap up this first missive of 2008.  The New Year is a blank slate: it'll become what you make of it, whether you've made Resolutions or not.  Take care of each other, stay warm, Ride Free and Proud in the Winter Weather, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,

Tiger Mike