ABATE of Oklahoma

Hello, Brothers and Sisters of the Highway, and Happy Spring! By now, I'm sure all of you are shaking off the Cabin Fever, getting your machines more used to running, and enjoying the warmer weather. All of us ABATE Members are no exception, and our twelve active Chapters have been busily planning festive events for our Riding Community to take part in. Be sure to keep in touch with the latest developments by periodically checking out the ABATE State Website at www.abateofoklahoma.org. Debbi, our Web-Mistress, has been putting in a lot of effort to keep things updated and ensure we have a site the Organization can be proud of. Thanks a bunch, Debbi, for your efforts! You'll find links to most, if not all, of the Chapter websites so you can update your riding calendars and get in on the fun!

We enjoyed a good deal of Brotherhood and camaraderie around the ABATE Booth during the Jeff Williams Motorcycle Swap Meet at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds February 20 and 21. There were all kinds of different vendors there, live music both days, and a pretty good Bike Show. Our Booth's location was also directly in front of the Women's' Roller Derby track, so that was pretty entertaining! It was great to cross paths with a number of our Riding Family that I hadn't seen in quite awhile, as well as ABATE folks from several of our Chapters who took advantage of the rainy weather to enjoy some indoor activities. Several of our Central OK District members manned the booth, which featured a wide variety of ABATE Merchandise for sale and several months' worth of ABATE Biker Journals to distribute. Mark Tracey and Jon Kirchen, COD's Vice President and Treasurer, came out Friday night to set everything up, and Pat Aldridge, Ripper Bailey, Ronald Carr, Jim Frazier, Diesel and Li'l Bit helped out a bunch throughout the weekend. Many thanks to all of you for being such effective ABATE ambassadors! Brook
Bullock was also able to stop by with his truck at the end to help haul
ABATE's stuff home. I came out to work both days, and we interacted with a number of folks on what ABATE is about, and our legislative progress so far this year. We also signed up seven new ABATE Members, who I look forward to seeing at our meetings in the future.

Another reason to stay in touch with the Website is to keep informed on how the Legislative Session is progressing. We certainly got things off on the right foot in February with our 19th Annual Legislative Breakfast, and we've kept up our momentum. In early March, the Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act, our "Red Light" bill, passed out of the State Senate without a single dissenting vote! In addition, "Gunner's Law" establishing Rider Education, Safety Training and Awareness programs also passed in the Senate with only four voting against. Both of these bills now proceed to the House of Representatives. Be sure to contact your Senators and thank them for their "yes" votes. All our other bills of interest are still alive, so keep your fingers crossed, and keep interacting with your elected officials on those issues that concern you. An additional development of interest to motorcyclists involves a bill penalizing ANY type of Distracted Driving observed by Law Enforcement in conjunction with other traffic violations; and pending legislation outlawing both use of hand-held cell phones and texting while driving. None of these bills have died yet, so stand by for news! Our Legislative Chairperson, John Pierce, and Suzette Northcutt-Rhodes, our lobbyist, have been spending many hours at the State House on Motorcyclists' behalf, ably assisted by a number of our ABATE Members. Many thanks for your considerable efforts-I'm confident it will
pay off in Legislative Victory this year!

We can't forget that the legislative success we're striving to achieve will
directly contribute to reducing Biker deaths and injuries in our
state-especially as we progress toward Motorcycle Safety and Awareness month in May. It's an objective we desperately need to meet in the light of the disturbingly high number of motorcycle wrecks which have occurred even this early in the season. An outrageous example involved the death last month of a 91 year-old World War II Veteran on his motorcycle in Tulsa at the hands of a Hit-and-Run driver, who still hasn't been brought to Justice. While ABATE continues to be dedicated to Freedom Of Choice regarding helmet wear, we're also dedicated to Crash Prevention over Crash Survivability as the solution reducing the carnage our Riding Community has been experiencing. This has to involve our riding safely, responsibly, sober and aware; educating other motorists to look out for motorcycles and Share the Road; and enforcing stiff penalties against negligent drivers like the Tulsa fugitive mentioned above. You can run, but you can't hide!

Tiger's Tip O' The Month: April isn't too early to start preparing for
Severe Weather Season in Oklahoma, so be sure to routinely check reports in advance of your travel time. High winds, heavy downpours, and hail can definitely put a crimp in your day, and I've even had to lie down in a ditch with Moby Dick, my Shovel, as a tornado approached us a number of years ago. That's a Life Experience I don't care to repeat anytime soon! Speaking of high winds, watch out for extreme cross winds that can blow you out of your lane on the Interstate, especially if you forget about them while passing a big-rig, for example!

Before I close, I want to cordially invite anyone who's able to join me at
the Silver Anniversary National Coalition of Motorcyclists Convention taking place May 6-9 at the Mariott Resort in Orlando, FL. If you've never
attended in the past, you're in for a treat, as it'll be full of educational, informative seminars, social events and interacting with Bikers of all backgrounds from all over the globe on issues common to and threats
facing all motorcyclists. This is especially important in the light of,
amid all the recent talk in Washington of "Change", the Federal Government's quietly threatening the Constitution by extending the repressive USA PATRIOT ACT for another year, and their continuing to pursue Club Insignia Seizure, this time against the Pagans M/C in PA. The Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs, of which ABATE is a member, will be well-represented to NCOM, and will be sharing information on our pioneering Strategic Alliance, a quick-response force of Spiritual Clubs and Service Organizations designed to support families of Bikers who are killed, injured or locked down. In that vein, our Confederation is organizing a similar response force of Veterans' Clubs and Organizations to assist Biker Veterans and their families with problems ranging from dealing with the VA System to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With our Nation still embroiled in two wars, it's an idea long overdue! As Confederation Liaison, I'll keep you informed as to its progress. Cherish your Liberty, keep Riding Safely, and I look forward to visiting with you again as April Showers give way to May Flowers!

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,

Tiger Mike