ABATE of Oklahoma, Inc.

TIGER TALES - MARCH 2011

Well, I sure hope the Month of March ends up less intense weather-wise than February was! After the Christmas Eve Blizzard of ’09, I certainly didn’t expect us to get buried with as much snow as we did this past February-especially with those snowstorms being followed just a few days later by balmy weather in the 60s! Oklahoma set an all-time record for February snow amounts, and the crazy winter weather impacted everything from Rider Safety in Oklahoma and elsewhere to the Super Bowl in Texas. Speaking of which, congratulations to Paul Brinker, our State Safety Officer, on his beloved Green Bay Packers bring home the Lombardi Trophy. I know he’s one happy Biker!

I returned from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Semi-Annual Board Meeting and Region 1 Conference just in time for the Oklahoma Blizzard and temperatures hovering near zero, after spending four days in Honolulu, Hawaii! The Conference, hosted by Street Bikers United (Hawaii’s Motorcyclist Rights Organization) and Hawaii’s area Motorcycle Clubs, was a successful celebration of Riding Freedom in the Aloha State. We enjoyed educational and informative seminars and presentations, as well as a get-together of the Confederations of Clubs from NCOM Region 1 and other states. At the NCOM Board Meeting, we finalized logistics and the agenda for the upcoming 26th Annual Convention, scheduled for May 5-8 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Albuquerque, NM. You can download and print a Pre-Registration Flyer by logging onto the NCOM Website at: www.aimncom.com It’s taking place the week before the MRF Bikers on the Beltway event in Washington, DC and isn’t too far a journey from Oklahoma, so make plans to be part of Biker History! I was also able to squeeze some sightseeing in while on Oahu, and accomplished an important mission. Having brought ashes of our dear friend and fellow Freedom Fighter Sputnik with me, a number of us from the NCOM Board went out to the USS Arizona Memorial with them. Now our hero and fellow Veteran rests in the company of other heroes. It was a very heartfelt and emotional experience for me.

A number of issues we’ll be focusing on at the NCOM Convention will relate directly to how ABATE has interacted with our Oklahoma lawmakers during our February 23 Biker Legislative Day at the State Capitol. We’ll have more information on how that event transpired in April’s Biker Journal, but ABATE’s goal this year is to follow up on a very successful 2010 Legislative Session with education of our House and Senate, agencies like the Department of Public Safety, and Law Enforcement on all levels with what has been newly legislated to enhance and protect Motorcycling Safety, Education, Awareness and Sharing the Road. Ideally, successful implementation of what was passed last year will directly contribute to reducing Motorcyclist deaths and injuries in our state, but that remains to be seen. Still, we’ve come a long way over the years in this arena with ABATE leading the charge, and we’ve enjoyed the lowest number of fatalities in over a decade! We’ve already made progress in 2011 with our first U.S. Defenders Call to Action, which helped influence Congress to vote against extending Unconstitutional provisions of the USA PATRIOT ACT. Many thanks to all who wrote or called their Representatives! Our Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs Strategic Alliance continues to minister to the Biker Community, and is hosting its Second Annual Gathering March 26 at the GSL Church in Tulsa. This will be a spiritually enlightening and rewarding event, so make plans to attend! Check out www.okcoc.net for more information.

Tiger’s Tip O’ The Month: Springtime is a season for renewal, as we can see when we travel the countryside this time of year and observe the emerging new flora and fauna. What better time can there be for renewing and honing your riding skills by retaking the Experienced Riders Course? No matter how many years of motorcycling time you might have under your belt, there’s always something new to learn or an important task or two with which to reacquaint yourself. Getting back on the range with like-minded folks interested in safe, effective and rewarding motorcycling is a terrific way to jump back in the saddle with enthusiasm, and will contribute to your staying upright and out of trouble longer. Remember also that non-ABATE members who take an approved Rider Education Course are entitled to a year of ABATE Membership, so be sure to tell your friends that they can also enhance their overall riding experience by safeguarding it in being part of the fight for Motorcycling Liberty!

I know all of you are thankful that we’re at the beginning of what I hope will be an enjoyable, pleasant and safe Spring Riding Season for all of us, in Oklahoma and Nationwide. This is certainly true as we put one of the most oppressive Oklahoma Winters in recent memory in our rear-view mirrors. Best wishes for lots of rewarding and fun riding miles as the weather gets warmer. Before I close, I want to wish a speedy recovery to Logan Churchwell of our Great Plains Chapter, who broke his leg after hitting a deer on his bike last month. Hang in there, buddy! I’ll look forward to visiting with you again when April arrives and the Sooner State starts to green up. Until then, keep riding Safely, Sober and Aware, and keep asking yourself what you have done lately to make Oklahoma the best state in which to ride. It’s the “Mirror Test” our dear departed friend Sputnik would have each of us take!

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,

Tiger Mike