TIGER TALES - JULY, 2007

  Welcome to Summer, and Happy Independence Day to all!!  I hope you're doing well as we get ready to celebrate America's 231st Birthday, and that you're enjoying riding in a Free America over the July Fourth holiday, and every day. We can never forget, as our Military continues to serve in harm's way, that we live in the Land of the Free because of the Brave, that Freedom is bought with a price, and that Freedom is sometimes jeopardized at home if we don't stay constantly watchful. A perfect example of this now exists in Denver, CO, where a law goes into effect July 1 requiring ALL motorcycles manufactured after 1982 to run STOCK PIPES carrying a mandated EPA Compliance Sticker. No sticker will get you a $500 fine! This relieves Law Enforcement from the burden of having to prove a motorcycle violates noise level thresholds--they can just look for a sticker and issue tickets. This sets a disturbing precedent which we'll have to fight strenuously if proposed in our state. You don't think it could happen here? Well, an attorney in Tulsa is trying to arm-twist the City Council there to consider ordinances to set up Bike Noise Roadblocks, boost Loud Pipe penalties, even confiscate bikes--and, he has the ear of the District 9 Councilman!  Word is, Tulsa Law Enforcement considers such a program to be unenforceable, and that they need to pay attention to higher priorities (like fighting crime), but that's not deterring the "concerned citizen" from his quest.  We need to watch this development closely, and I'll keep you updated.

   Many thanks to all those who were able to come out and join us on a wet Memorial Day to pay tribute to our Military Members who made the Supreme Sacrifice for our Liberty.  We had over 240 motorcycles, trikes and four-wheelers take part in the inspiring Bike Parade--over 300 members of our Riding Community attended in all.  It's hard to believe this has been the FIFTEENTH year ABATE has hosted its annual War Memorial Run to the State Capitol.  When we started out, there were only eight of us who hadn't gone away for the Memorial Day Weekend, and we just decided to jump on our scoots, ride to what is one of the most beautiful state Military Memorials in the country, and take some time to honor what Memorial Day is truly all about. Since then, the event has grown to a parade of hundreds of motorcycles and trikes--our own little Oklahoma Rolling Thunder ride!  It's so important that we as Americans focus on the service and commitment of our Armed Forces, and especially on those who've given their all for Freedom, especially with our Brothers and Sisters in uniform constantly risking their lives in so many areas of the globe today.  I'd also like to express my deep appreciation to Ken Larcher and the officers and members of American Legion Riders Post #1340 for the lead bike's flag display, for providing outriders, and for hosting the hot dog cookout afterward.  Thanks also to Hands With Prayer Motorcycle Ministries for their spiritual guidance, and to Charley's Last Stand for your hospitality.  One sour note: an OKC Police Officer, stopping his cruiser at Sheridan and Central, took offense at our parade and, despite our successfully hosting this for fifteen years, berated one of our outriders, took his license number, and stated he was going to complain to Police Headquarters.  Hopefully, OKC's Finest who are Veterans will set him straight as to what we Bikers conducting a Memorial Day Parade are all about.  That might've been what happened, as so far we've heard no further mention made of the incident (knock on wood!).  It rained a bit as well, but absolutely NOTHING dampened the spirits of the attendees.  So, as far as our Biker Family setting out to pay tribute to America's Veterans and honoring those who gave all: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! ABATE of Oklahoma salutes you!

  Speaking of roadblocks, here's a recap of events which transpired during the first weekend of the annual spring Sparks America Bike Rally in Sparks, OK, which was plagued, for the first time in its history, by Police Roadblocks stopping and profiling Motorcyclists and trikers, specifically those attending the event, while allowing cars and trucks to proceed.  While I was at work Friday night, I kept getting calls from Rev. Mike Bass (our Oklahoma Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Rep) about Police Roadblocks being set up by the City of Meeker PD, Sac and Fox Nation Tribal Police, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, to target bikers attending Sparks America.  I called the AIM attorneys office out in California, as well as Holly Hefton, our ABATE Legal Advisor here in OKC.  Joey Lester advised me to make sure we were handing out Anti-Discrimination forms to those who were being profiled.  After hearing about what was going on, I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me that weekend.  What's ironic here is, I look forward to events like Sparks precisely to forget about any "business" for awhile and just kick back and have fun.  I guess Eternal Vigilance being the Price of Liberty includes staying vigilant during the whole Bike Run, too! 

  In the middle of things on Saturday, Tony Ward, the terrific guy who runs the show, wanted me to say a few words.  Now, those who know Tony are aware that he's quite the MC and owns the stage! So, I dragged myself down there and said a few words about what ABATE and the OK Confederation Of Clubs do for Bikers' Rights and what our game plan was going to be for reacting to unacceptable situations like these roadblocks, which might be legal by definition, but certainly aren't right!  Ultimately, Tony passed the hat around to raise money to support ABATE, and we ended up with a sizeable amount in contributions--that completely floored me, as I certainly wasn't expecting to get involved in that kind of business over the weekend! Cops causing an ABATE Fundraiser--who'd have thunk it?  Tony got together with Roach and myself, and we started mapping out strategy for how to react to this BS--believe me,Tony is definitely ticked off, since he lost literally thousands of dollars in revenue from folks not attending his event after hearing of the roadblocks.  Tony feels a number of riders who were victimized might have cell-phoned their friends, and would-be attendees decided to stay away.  It seemed to me that the first weekend's crowd was kinda light, and I'm sure the roadblocks probably influenced that happening.

  I got off work at Tinker AFB on Monday afternoon following my Sparks weekend early, after whining to my Boss about how I needed to be somewhere important.  That was because Rev. Mike, our AIM Rep for Oklahoma, called me to say that a bunch of riders were leaving out of Sparks America for the Meeker City Hall to attend the scheduled City Council Meeting at 6:15PM.  So, I headed from Tinker directly to the City Hall on Hwy. 62, and the street and parking lot around the building were full of bikes!  I parked and went into the meeting room, which was packed with well over a hundred folks--it was standing room only!  I was accompanied by Holly Hefton, an attorney and ABATE's Legal Advisor, who was able to attend after a busy day of meeting with clients.  There were also a LOT of police present as well, from Meeker PD, SAC and Fox Tribal Police and Lincoln County Sheriff's Dept.  A number of Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs members were also present, including Confederation Co-Chair Grumpy and myself as Confederation Liaison.

  During the Public Hearing portion of the meeting, it was great to see so many of our Riding Community standing up to passionately defend their Rights, with Tony Ward leading the charge!  I stood up to say a few words as well, specifically to make the point that Motorcyclists as a group represent the finest citizens America can produce, with a larger percentage involved in serving their Country, paying their taxes, and taking an active role in Government compared to other groups.  Over thirty people made their feelings known during that portion of the meeting, unanimously Pro-Biker!  A news crew from News Channel Four in Oklahoma City, including Cherokee Ballard, one of OKC's better-known reporters, also attended, and filmed part of the meeting after interviewing several of the riders present, including Tony Ward.  On her way out, she let us know that an account of the event would be included in Monday's edition of the 10 O'clock News.  All in all, the motorcyclists and trikers who attended gave a good accounting of themselves, and we all have much to be proud of regarding our Oklahoma Riding Family's defense of Freedom this week.  The Chairman of the City Council stated after hearing everyone out that a decision on the matter wouldn't be made that evening, because the issue was added on at the last-minute to the agenda.  However, he assured us that our words didn't fall on deaf ears, and that the Council would definitely take our statements to heart.  That said, I'll withhold my judgment until I see positive actions accomplished to support the City of Meeker's expressed genuine desire to fix this unacceptable situation.  Needless to say, we'll be discussing this issue both at the ABATE State Board Meeting and at the upcoming OK Confederation Meeting in Bartlesville.

  Talking with members of Law Enforcement afterward, I heard them remark about how what they were doing was legal and that they were only doing "their job".  However, that sure doesn't make it right in my opinion--it's as unjust to profile an individual for riding a bike as it is for wearing a Badge!  We SHOULD all be able to get along, since being Free Americans is what we're all about, so we have a common interest!  Bikers aren't looking for special treatment--we're looking for EQUAL treatment under the Law.  ABATE and the Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs have long advocated the passage of Equal Access Legislation, which, in eliminating Anti-Biker Discrimination, would target these very types of profiling roadblocks, among other issues.  If we're able to successfully get this type of law passed in our state, I'd look to the incidents at Sparks America this past weekend, and to yesterday's City Council Meeting, as the springboard which headed us down that path. I'll update folks of the results of the Council Meeting, which hopefully will include a positive decision on behalf of us Bikers and Sparks America.  In the meantime, I'll try and inject a little bit of humor by paraphrasing a song from the musical "Oklahoma" : "Ohhhhh--the Biker and the Lawman should be Friends; Oh, the Biker and the Lawman should be Friends; Some Cops will profile a Bike; Biker Roadblocks some dislike--but that's no reason why we can't be Friends!" 

Tiger's Tip O' The Month: Your machine will only perform as well as you do.  Dehydration can be as damaging in summer as hypothermia in winter, so drink lots of water while you're out riding in the sun.  There's no substitute--beer and caffeinated beverages just dry you out, and sugary liquids add fuel to the fire.  I sincerely hope your Fourth of July Holiday is a good one--please Drive Defensively and be careful out there while you're out on the highways, and get home safely.  We've had far too many wrecks involving Oklahoma motorcyclists over the past couple of months, with most of them being the fault of careless, inattentive and negligent drivers.  A number of them have, sadly, resulted in fatalities, and my heart goes out to the victims' families--please have a good thought and a comforting prayer for them.  Resolve not to be a Holiday Weekend statistic, and I hope to hear from you, not about you.  That having been said, have a bunch of fun over the Holiday, and thank a Veteran when you get a chance, for the Freedom and Independence we celebrate.  Our Nation's Founders pledged their "lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor", and many Americans have followed suit to make that same pledge over the years.  This is a great month to honor their memory.   I'll conclude with a heartfelt reminder.  This year is ABATE's Election Year, and we're entertaining nominations at the September Board Meeting for two-year positions as State Coordinator, Sgt-at-Arms, Secretary, and Treasurer, positions to be elected at the October Board Meeting.  There's a number of you out there that have a great deal to offer to make this organization the best it can be.  I encourage each and every one of you members out there to do some soul-searching, and please, step up to the plate and run for office!  If you don't feel you can fill a position on the State level, please volunteer to get more involved in your Chapter as we all continue to work together to expand Motorcycling Freedom in the Great State of Oklahoma, during this Centennial Year and always.  Thanks for listening, Brothers and Sisters, and I'll see you on the Road.

Keep It On The black Strip Between The Trees,
Tiger Mike