One item added to our ABATE State Board Meeting Agenda in March came at the suggestion of one of our teenaged Rogers County Chapter members who attended the Legislative Breakfast, and that involves the addition of Youth Coordinator as an appointed position.  This individual would specifically address getting younger members of our Riding Community on board, and I personally think it's a terrific idea. If you look around, lots of us are getting a lot more “Chrome” in our beards, and it’s critical that our younger riders start getting on board in the Freedom Fight—especially since the Sport Bike image has been established as the newest incarnation of the Negative Biker Stereotype!  I've seen elsewhere in the country that younger riders are becoming more involved in Motorcycling Rights activities, and I've even met an eighteen year-old MRO Chapter President.  I'm confident that we have loads of talented young people in our state who are passionate about motorcycling, and that they want to become more active in defending their Freedoms.  They're a valuable untapped resource.  Holly’s Legislative Report for March was pretty short, unfortunately, as it seems that all of our Pro-Motorcycling issues are going down to defeat. Remember, though, that “Bills Die, but Ideas Don’t!”, so ABATE will keep plugging away until we win on a few of these.  We addressed the State Party for September, which looks to be shaping up for Enid, America, and also the Mid-South M.I.L.E. venue for this coming October.  This five-state regional Motorcyclist Rights Symposium will be held in Oklahoma this year, and our Tulsa Chapter has been active in establishing the groundwork for what I’m sure will be a successful event. It looks like this will be taking place at the Holiday Inn Select hotel in Tulsa.  The next M.I.L.E. Planning Session will be held at the Tulsa hotel this month.  I’ll keep you informed as to further developments, and you can check out the ABATE State Website or www.midsouthmile.org.  We also need one of our Chapters to spearhead the crafting of the annual Oklahoma Basket, so I hope we'll have somebody volunteer for that duty in the near future.  Many thanks in advance!  A number of ABATE Chapters have held elections recently, and more dedicated Rights Activists are getting involved in defending your Freedoms.  Thanks for stepping up to the plate!  We're seeing at least one new face on the Board this Spring, since my old buddy Ray-Man moved from OKC to Mangum, and stepped up to be Altus Chapter Rep--welcome, bro!  We’re also looking ahead to the NCOM Convention in Houston May 8-11, and the annual ABATE War Memorial Run to the State Capitol on May 26. I hope we’ll enjoy a good turnout of Oklahomans at both these important events, and I’ll keep you posted as to how they materialize. 

 Even with the State Legislative Session winding down, there are issues ABATE needs to attend to which will benefit Oklahoma motorcyclists and trikers. The NTSB and DOT are, like the NHTSA, still attempting to violate Congressional mandate not to use Federal tax dollars to push for State-level legislation.  You can read the latest regarding DOD Secretary Mary Peters’ move to appropriate Rider Education funding in the states to push for Mandatory Helmet laws, which is blatantly illegal, by checking out the MRF website at: www.mrf.org , and the AMA Website at: www.ama-cycle.org  She’s already coming under Congressional scrutiny for moving around other Federal funding to advance her own personal political agenda, and maybe this latest move will result in her getting punished. However, this move concerns proposed SAFETEA-LU Federal Grants for 2010. Bullboy, our ABATE Altus Chapter President, identified an excerpt from Chapter 11 of Title 47, the Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Safety Statute, where the over 100,000 dollars in 2007 SAFETY-LU grant money was shifted to the Department Of Public Safety Revolving Fund. We’ll need to keep especially vigilant that this money stays dedicated to advancing Motorcyclist safety, training and awareness programs, and is not just absorbed into the DPS operating budget. That would be as tragic as what DOT Secretary Peters is trying to do, but closer to home--especially since our pushing for important legislation like Jaggers’ Law is what got us that money in the first place!  We especially need to keep track of this issue as May approaches, since we’ll once again celebrate Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month and emphasize the need for ALL motorists to Look Out for Motorcycles and Share the Road!  In that vein, ABATE is once again coordinating with Gov. Henry's office to issue the annual Safety Awareness Month Proclamation, and we're also working on coming up with Radio and TV spots, billboards, and even some snappy "Be Aware of Bikes" T-Shirts! 

 In closing, I want to thank Oklahoma City-area motorcyclists for exercising maturity and restraint when the Westboro Anti-Military cultists picketed the Air Depot Blvd. Gate of Tinker AFB in Midwest City on March 14.  They were attempting to exploit a recent tragic incident where an Air Force sergeant killed his two children and committed suicide in Base Housing—inflaming others to advance their own twisted agenda.  They exercised their First Amendment Rights, and then crawled back under the rock they appeared from.  While there was some tension at the demonstration site, bikers who cruised by didn’t contribute to any problems, and area Law Enforcement wasn’t over-taxed. Groups like the Patriot Guard Riders repeatedly honor our servicemen and women, who ironically place themselves in harm’s way to safeguard Freedoms of Speech and Assembly. As a Veteran and Motorcyclist, I’m eternally grateful to our Riding Community for routinely defending TRUE American Values—those guaranteed by our Constitution.  That’s a lot more than you can say for either the Westboro whackos OR elements of our Federal Government!  A couple of days later, we received the good news that the Marine Corps Reservist who stood up to the Westboro Cult for disrespecting the American Flag will NOT be prosecuted for doing so. 

  Tiger's Tip O' The Month:   You might have read recently that the Oklahoma Highway Patrol has installed video cameras on the front of their motorcycles, to operate similarly to "Dash-Cams" in cruisers.  I just saw video where an Oregon motorcycle cop was hit and thrown into the street while conducting a traffic stop on the side of the road.  His "Bike-Cam" recorded the disaster which, fortunately, he survived.  Several but not all states, including Oklahoma, have enacted "move over" laws where drivers need to get away from stopped emergency vehicles.  However, all of us know a lot of motorists don't follow that common-sense rule, and a number of our riders have been victimized by roadside crashes in the past while pulled off to the side for equipment breakdowns or rest stops.  We usually look for Rest Areas, but sometimes that's just not possible.  Be sure to pull well off the road, use flashers and reflective gear to maximize visibility.  Most importantly, stay aware of the traffic around you--a lot of gawking motorists don't realize the effect of Hand-Eye Coordination!  Also, watch out for the wind blast from passing big-rigs, which can be strong enough to tip your bike over.  Well, that’ll do it for this month--Ride Safely, Sober, and Aware, and I’ll visit with you again as April Showers give way to May Flowers!!

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,