Hello, Friends!  I trust you're all enjoying the extra rain we've gotten  and have sorely needed, even if it might've cut into your riding time.  I  can't remember a late Summer where  we've had so many wet days.  Hopefully,  you have a bit of money left in your pockets, after getting repeatedly smacked with these spiraling Gas Prices.  I understand some stations out on the Oklahoma Panhandle are charging $3.00 a gallon already!  They must be getting ready for Labor Day weekend, which I hope for you will be safe and enjoyable--get out there and enjoy it in spite of the Fuel Monster.  In any event, I hope you're not having too much trouble hiding your joy and euphoria at having the kids back in school!  I got to talk to a number of folks that were able to attend the 65th Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, SD, and heard the weather was mostly good up there and the riding was lots of fun, despite the large number of rookies and drunks that contributed to the Reaper claiming a few.  Some local guy driving a pickup in Hill City tail-ended a Harley, killing the driver.  It was his SIXTH DUI, and his third in the last three years!  He was charged with a Fatality Felony DUI, and the judge is keeping him in jail on a Million Dollar bond, with the killer whining about how he's a local and has six kids to support.  I guess this bozo should've thought about that before he decided to drive drunk!  Speaking of killers in South Dakota, former Congressman Bill Janklow is campaigning to get his license to practice law reinstated, but no decision has been made as yet.  The brazenness of Janklow knows no limit, I swear!  There's actually a possibility he'll get his license back after he finishes out his Probation--too bad the Randy Scott Family has lost their breadwinner for good!

   Now that Summer Riding Season is winding down and Fall is just around the corner, it's time to think about some Autumn happenings around Oklahoma, both legislative and social.  The Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 11 (the Fourth Anniversary of 9/11, incidentally).  It'll be held in Shawnee, OK, and I'm sure lots of concerned Bikers will be showing up to discuss the PATRIOT ACT on Patriot Day!  As Confederation Liaison, I'll be sure to let you know how the meeting turns out.  I hope to see a good crowd at the ABATE State Party at Camp McFadden on Kaw Lake the 23rd through the 25th of this month.  There are flyers all around the state and on the ABATE State Website.  Three Sands Chapter is working hard to make this a really fun event, and is ready for a good crowd to serve up dinner to Saturday night.  Don't hesitate to contact me if you need any information on what's shaping up to be a good time--I'll be looking for you there!  The only regret I have about the State Party is that it's on the same weekend as the MRF Meeting Of The Minds in Little Rock, AR, and the Nitro Harley Drags at Thunder Valley raceway in Norman, OK.  ABATE of Oklahoma is going to provide a Flag Raising Detail for the Drag races, as is customary, and I know we'll do Old Glory and ABATE proud.  I was informed that Sunset Chapter has completed the ABATE Basket for the Mid- South M.I.L.E. Seminars to be held at the Radisson Hotel in Denton, TX October 15-17.  They're doing a good job keeping it under wraps, but I understand it's an awesome arrangement!  All Chapters are urged to PLEASE come up with non-perishable Made-in-Oklahoma items so we can fill the basket up!  Let's also have a good crowd of Oklahoma riders attend the M.I.L.E. this year--check out www.midsouthmile.org <www.midsouthmile.org  for information.

   Tuesday, September 13 is going to be an important day for Oklahoma voters to head to the polls and make a decision on State Question 723, which if passed would add five cents to the State's Fuel Tax, to be reserved for State road and bridge improvement.  Personally, having seen road and bridge funds diverted for lower-priority projects or political pet projects in the past, and with the outrageous fuel prices we're having to deal with lately, I don't see this latest attempt to increase the tax burden passing.  They ought to take Gene Stipe's retirement money that the State authorized and use that for road improivement, in my humble opinion!  Speaking of political pork, how about that Federal Highway Bill that just passed and was signed into law?  It's a $286 Billion bill containing a record 6,371 pet projects inserted by members of Congress from both parties.  These projects account for more than $24 Billion, around nine percent of the total spending.  Get online and check out what some of these pet projects are--they'll really make you grind your teeth!  We're sure lucky to have such a bunch of politicians looking out for our tax dollars like they do!

   I anticipate a spirited and informative ABATE State Board Meeting on Saturday, September 10, with us not having had a get-together since July.  We'll be talking about the State Party and the Mid-South M.I.L.E., and it's not too early to start considering what Legislative Issues ABATE is going to be involved in during the 2006 Legislative Session--can you say, JAGGERS' LAW??  We're certainly looking forward to giving Failure To Yield Legislation another shot, and maybe the Third Time will prove the charm!  I hope we'll enjoy a good attendance at ABATE's Legislative Breakfast to kick off the Session in February, 2006, and will keep you informed as to the date.  We also need to discuss continuing to review the State By-Laws and, oh yes, the State Officer Elections for the 2006-2007 Term, to be held at the November Board Meeting.  I've thrown my hat in the ring for another term as your State Coordinator, and have provided a Declaration of Candidacy, and I hope others that are running will submit their biographical sketches and platforms as well.  It would provide a good opportunity for the membership to get to know the candidates!  Finally, since the new State Officers will be invested at the 2006 ABATE Membership Meeting, we'll need to discuss logistics and planning for that event.  It's hard to believe all this stuff is coming up so quickly, isn't it?

   Well, I'll bring these ramblings to a close for this month, with this bit of information.  A number of our Motorcycling Community have expressed concerns in the past, and ABATE has fielded inquiries, about motorcycles not paying cheaper tolls on Oklahoma's Turnpike system.  For those that aren't aware, the vehicle classification on Oklahoma Turnpikes does NOT go by wheels--it goes by axles.  Because of that, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority classifies motorcycles the same as cars (since you have two axles on your bike).  Further, the OTA is a private corporation, and acting on rate changes goes through them, and NOT the State Legislature.  ABATE of Oklahoma is a member of the Oklahoma Highway Users Federation, and when ABATE members attend their periodic meetings, we regularly bring up this issue, as we riders in ABATE, like most motorcyclists, don't like paying a disproportionate share of fees compared to the wear-and-tear we inflict on Sooner State roadways (which is next to nothing).  You Oklahoma motorcyclists that are irritated with the toll rates we pay on our Turnpikes would be well-advised to contact the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and air your views and opinions on the subject.  Incidentally, because OTA is a private corporation, the state gets no part of that toll revenue to do things like, let's see, repairing non-Turnpike roads in Oklahoma.  The Sooner State is second only to New York in Turnpike road mileage, and the OTA isn't planning to stop building them anytime soon.  The original proposal, authorized by the Legislature, was to eliminate Turnpike tolls when the system was completed, so OTA's way around that is to never stop building!  With that kind of double-dealing, I don't trust the state to keep any funds earmarked for our roads in a "lock-box"--think about THAT when it's time to vote this September to authorize a Fuel Tax Increase for road repair.

   Tiger's Tip o' The Month:  One beneficial expenditure of the Federal Highway Bill involves $3 million set aside for the first comprehensive nationwide Motorcycle Accident Study since the Hurt Report of the 1980s.  Some idiots in the press are calling this study a waste of tax dollars, stating that a Nationwide Helmet Law would be the magic formula to reduce motorcycling deaths and injuries, not taking into account factors like wrecks caused by negligent and irresponsible motorists violating motorcyclists' Right Of Way.  Of course, a conclusion like that is simplistic tripe.  However, one thing I'm willing to bet is going to come out of that study will be that we riders can be our own worst enemy through Drinking and Riding Motorcycles--it's already known that the significant majority of single-vehicle bike wrecks in this country involve alcohol.  So--DON'T DRINK AND RIDE!!  Let's look forward to the cooler weather as Autumn approaches and Football Season starts, and I'll speak with you again as we approach the Halloween witching hour.

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