Hey there, everybody!  I hope you're still enjoying the balmy weather as we head towards Fall.  I also hope you're taking time to remember our motorcycling Brothers and Sisters on the Gulf Coast that are hurting.  I did a LOT of calling around to check up on how some of my friends in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were doing, and fortunately, everyone I tried to get in touch with turned out fine.  However, a large number of motorcyclists in that area lost everything they had, and riders across the Nation have shown true Brotherhood in helping out those down on their luck.  At our last State Board Meeting, ABATE of Oklahoma voted to donate $500 each to both ABATE of Louisiana and ABATE of Mississippi to assist their members victimized by the hurricane.  Anyone wishing to donate to Bikers helping Bikers can contact ABATE of Louisiana, P.O. Box 541, St. Amant LA 70774.  Their State President is James "Poet" Sisco, and he can be reached at: 1-800-393-5966 or abatepoet@aol.com  The ABATE of Mississippi point of contact is Preacher, their Legislative Affairs officer: Waterway Chapter, ABATE of MS, c/o Preacher, 1590 Nita Lake Rd., Fulton MS or preach@intop.net  Funds are being raised for destitute Alabama motorcyclists by the Alabama Confederation Of Clubs.  Of course, you can do a lot of good for the thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims by also donating to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.  Even though our Biker sensibilities have been offended by these organizations in the past, they are providing a great deal of comfort for many innocent, suffering people.  Oklahomans are well-familiar with surviving disasters, both natural and man-made, and I know lots of you are opening your hearts, homes and wallets--THANK YOU!!  As I write this, the monstrous Hurricane Rita is on her way to possibly deal a serious blow to the East Texas Coast, and I pray that those living in the vulnerable areas will escape without harm.  We may possibly need to express our sense of Biker Family ties to our Lone Star State brothers and Sisters in the near future as well.  These hurricanes are also hitting every one of us in the pocketbook here at home, as the gas prices continue to hit astronomical highs!  It's a good thing these motorcycles of ours get such great gas mileage.  Still, it's unreal to have to pay around Fifteen Dollars to fill up a bike tank!

 

  The 2006 Oklahoma Legislative Session is going to present us with a lot of challenges, and ABATE is gearing up to face them head-on. Our tentative date for the annual ABATE of Oklahoma Legislative Breakfast at the State Capitol Fourth Floor Rotunda is Thursday, February 16, 2006, so please highlight it on your calendar and make plans to attend.   We're going to once again advance Jaggers' Law to increase penalties for Careless Drivers that are killing those they share the road with.  Incidents like James Cox being left for dead by a hit-and-run driver in Oklahoma City last month, and Clayton and Cynthia Smith being killed in Chickasha by an elderly motorist who blew through a stop sign, and where his charges have been reduced to misdemeanors--these outrages underscore the need for Careless Driving Legislation, which ABATE once again intends to champion!  ABATE also intends to pursue "Dead Red" Legislation, where a rider can proceed through an intersection after determining it is clear and safe to do so, if the motorcycle doesn't trip the Red Light. Tennessee passed this type of legislation this year, so we have a model to work with.   We're open to suggestions from Oklahoma's Motorcycling Community as to what to interact with your Legislature on--feel free to contact me anytime to discuss issues that will benefit all of us.  One thing we're keeping an eye on is a possible move by the Oklahoma Department of Highway Safety, represented by Rex Ice, to advance a MANDATORY UNIVERSAL HELMET LAW in Oklahoma next year.  This organization is throwing raw numbers around to support their position, which look pretty scary: the number of motorcycling deaths in Oklahoma was 39 in 2002, with a slight increase to 41 in 2003.  However, that number jumped to SEVENTY-SEVEN Oklahoma riders killed in 2004, and Helmet Law advocates are going to trumpet these numbers to support their cause.  What they won't tell you though, is that motorcycle registrations have skyrocketed in our state, with over 70,000 bikes currently on the road in Oklahoma, as are the number of miles traveled by those riders, and a significant number of those deaths have been caused by Careless Drivers in cars and trucks!  Other Freedom Of Choice states, such as Florida, Indiana and Illinois, are under the same type of assault from enemies using similar disinformation.  As I've said before, Oklahoma would be better served through funding its State Sponsored Rider Education Program and getting that Program off the ground, as well as passing Careless Driver Legislation, to emphasize Crash Prevention as superior to Crash Survivability.  Even now, Rider Education Instructors are overwhelmed with the number of applicants for courses, and instructors are contacting the Department of Public Safety for additional training range venues.  THAT'S the way to reduce motorcycling deaths and injuries in our state!  Basically, folks, it'll take all of us working together to defend our rights and keep our state Free, not just the one percent that are ABATE of Oklahoma members.  Remember: "One Right lost is One Right too many; if we don't defend them--pretty soon we won't have any!".  ALL ABATE Members need to emphatically make the point to the Sooner State Motorcycling Community that if you value your Riding Freedom, you belong in ABATE--please convince your riding companions to join us today!

 

  We enjoyed a successful Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs meeting in Shawnee September 11, with over 180 in attendance.  The VFW Post there showed us a great deal of hospitality, which was greatly appreciated.  A couple of events that the Confederation is working on for the future includes a presentation by "Slider" Gilmore, who is both a biker and a qualified EMT, entitled "Two-Wheeled Trauma".  Slider's acclaimed multimedia presentation, which he provides to organizations nationwide, is designed to educate riders in how to quickly react to save a life when they come upon a bike wreck.  This important seminar is going to take place on Saturday, November 19, in Oklahoma City at a venue to be announced.  The Confederation Of Clubs is also going to once again host the Oklahoma Motorcycle Expo in March of 2006 at a location in downtown Oklahoma City.  AIM Attorney and National Coalition Of Motorcyclists founder Richard M. Lester was the keynote speaker at the Confederation meeting, and he talked of the USA PATRIOT ACT, which still poses a threat to our Civil Liberties and much of which will not expire at the end of the year.  He also addressed pending Federal Anti-Gang Legislation, which would basically subject groups of three or more that look the same to increased Federal scrutiny.  According to this proposal, the only groups that would be exempt would be Federally-recognized Indian Tribes!  Other Federal challenges that exist include EPA emissions rules that will kick in during 2006, when the first steps must be taken to bring manufactured motorcycles in line with California emissions standards.  These rules will also apply to small-volume motorcycle manufacturers and custom builders, so the aftermarket industry can be negatively affected.  The Small Business Administration intends to debate this issue, which could graphically affect the Aftermarket Industry, in 2006, and I'll provide more information as I get it.  This issue is something every Aftermarket Bike Shop and custom bike builder needs to become aware of, since after years of not thinking anything was going to happen, the Federal Government has the Motorcycling Community in its sights.  We successfully defeated a National Helmet Law Proposal this year, but another one could just as easily be submitted next year, so the Motorcycle Riders Foundation will be discussing nationwide reactive strategy at their 2006 Meeting Of The Minds in Little Rock, Arkansas (which incidentally passed their Careless Driving Bill this year).  We'll also be dealing with these issues at the 2005 Mid-South M.I.L.E. Motorcyclist Rights Seminars in Denton, TX Oct 14-16 (www.midsouthmile.org).  I'm sure looking forward to seeing some of my ABATE Oklahoma Brothers and Sisters at this year's M.I.L.E., as I know some of the Chapters have taken advantage of the flat rate of $100.00 for an unlimited number of members to attend.  That's a great deal!  I'm also excited about seeing the ABATE of Oklahoma auction basket that Sunset Chapter put together.  Many thanks to our Sunset Chapter members for their hard work and support!  Back to what's been going on in D.C., the Federal Highway Funding Bill passed two months ago includes money to fund the first National Motorcycle Accident Study since the Hurt Report of the mid-80s.  In fact, Dr. Harry Hurt, for whom the original study was named, is going to be involved in this one as well.  You can be sure that ABATE, along with Bikers' Rights Organizations nationwide, will be watching the progress of this Study very closely.  We want to make sure the Study is fair, balanced and accurate, and not just a propaganda platform for the NHTSA to use to curtail Biker Freedom.  Closer to home, the Oklahoma Transportation Association has been given close to three million dollars in grant money to study motorcycle accident causes in the Sooner State.  This research could possibly fuel the push for a Mandatory Universal Helmet Law, but it could also provide a foundation for us to get funding so badly needed for Rider Education, so it's vital that Oklahoma Bikers' Rights Activists get involved in these developments.

 

  Well, I don't want this to drag on, so I'll head into the sunset for now.  Before long, we'll have experienced another ABATE State Party and Swap Meet (in a whole new location this time), the Oklahoma State H.O.G. Rally, and the Sparks America Autumn Bike Rally, so I'll clue you in as to how those events went.  Tiger's Tip O' The Month:  It seems that we riders in Oklahoma have to negotiate around more and more junk in the road, especially on weekends when everybody is moving.  Experienced riders around here come to expect it, and a lot of the junk is recognizable enough to deconflict on, especially if you're traveling at a manageable speed.  This is advisable, since a number of serious wrecks around our state have been attributed to people riding too fast for conditions.  One road hazard folks have a problem seeing until they're right up on it is oil.  Since any kind of laydown can mess up your day, keep scanning the road as far ahead as you can, and don't assume every liquid you see on the road is water.  Counter-steer around what's in the road or change lanes if you have to, and avoid radical maneuvers or hitting your brakes if you have to track through it.  Maintain your safe speed, and increase the following distance for all members if group riding, so the problem isn't compounded.  Don't discount the power of prayer or the luck factor during a situation like that, either!  While I'm discussing this, remember that anti-freeze is very slippery as well (that has put me on the ground in the past), so drive aware when you're around gas stations, parking lots, and at Toll Plazas on the Turnpikes.  It's going to get wet in October from time to time, so look out for the Asphalt Snakes too--you know, those smooth ribbons of tar used to patch cracks in the road that are more slippery than the road itself.  Before I close, I've received a number of queries about the Oklahoma Veterans' Motorcycle License Plates and how to get them.  To the best of my knowledge, they go into effect November 1, so interested riders need to go to their Tag Agencies after that date and pre-order them.  It'll take a minimum of 100 pre-orders before they put them into production (somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem!).  I'm still trying to find out what's been approved for a design, but I'll provide an update as I receive it.  One final thing--I personally still consider it an outrage that Oklahoma continues to be the ONLY State in the Union that outlaws Artistic Tattooing, as do Freedom-loving Oklahomans everywhere.  I haven't heard of any proposal to advance a Tattooing Regulation Bill in 2006, but sincerely hope the attempt will be made again.  If not, Tattoo Artists need to advance a lawsuit to overturn the ban in State Court as unconstitutional, or we need to circulate an initiative petition statewide to bring this critical Public Health issue to a vote of the People.  That's obviously going to take dozens of folks that genuinely want to see Artistic Tattooing legalized and regulated to actually get out there and get involved in making it happen.  Anyway, it's something to think about!  Enjoy the Autumn weather when it finally gets here, and Happy Halloween to all--may the Treats you enjoy outnumber the Tricks!

 

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,

Tiger Mike