ABATE of Oklahoma

Greetings to my Brothers and Sisters of the Road! It sure is exciting to write for a newspaper (we’re a PAPER now-WOW!) that has a name. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised the idea of coming up with a catchy name for the paper didn’t come up in the past. I guess with all the things we’ve been involved with in making this one of the best motorcycling states in the Union (okay, I’m biased!), that was one of our laundry-list items that just fell through the cracks. ABATE of Oklahoma Biker Journal has a nice ring to it, and I knew I could count on our State Board members to come up with something cool that will be recognized Nationwide! Many thanks to our new Editor, Barbara Vice, for jumping in right away to get things going with the new format, and I look forward to a mutually beneficial working relationship as we advance the cause of Riding Liberty in our state and throughout the country. I also want to give my heartfelt thanks to our editor who’s stepping down, Carmaletta Lara, for coming up with a quality product for so many years after stepping up during a crisis. We’ve received numerous comments as to what a good newsletter we’ve distributed, and how well it represented our Organization. I appreciate your hard work, Christy, and look forward to Barb’s involvement making a good thing even better as we look toward a bright Future!

I trust you’re appreciating the good riding weather when it’s available to us, especially after what proved to be one of the wettest May seasons we’ve had in Oklahoma for a long while. By the time you read this, all the key Legislative issues ABATE has been focusing on, particularly the Red Light and Rider Safety and Awareness Bills, will have either been resolved in our favor, or we’ll be planning to advance similar bills next year. Again, many thanks to Holly Swinford, ABATE’s Political Director, and to Suzette Northcutt and ABATE’s Legislative Committee for their efforts at the State House. I’ll have more definitive information to go over in my July article, but ABATE has gotten as close to getting a comprehensive, funded Rider Education, Safety and Awareness program signed into law as we have in the past ten years. Having that law on the books will directly contribute to reducing motorcyclist deaths and injuries in our state, in that it’ll support educating the motoring public to look Twice for Bikes and Share the Road, and educating Motorcyclists to Ride Safely, Responsibly, Sober and Aware. Those are two legs of the triangle, if you think about it: we need to reinforce the “Third Leg” by beefing up the provisions of Jaggers’ Law by further increasing penalties for negligent, irresponsible motorists who hurt and kill others. I strongly recommend that ABATE should address this issue next year. We’ll never truly achieve Motorcycling Freedom as long as people can injure or kill us and walk away with only a ticket (and a minor one at that!). It’s not right that someone can get away with committing a crime with an automobile that they could never get away with if they committed the same crime with a firearm! In this respect, remember that motorcyclists aren’t looking for special treatment: we seek EQUAL TREATMENT under the Law. Another key piece of legislation I’ll soon have information on comes from one of our neighbor states. Missouri is very close to passing SCS/SB202, their bill authorizing Freedom of Choice regarding Helmet Wear for Adult Riders. As of this writing, both Houses have approved the bill, and it’s going to the Governor’s desk! However, he’s not indicated what he might do with the bill. He can go one of three ways: He can sign it into Law, veto it, or allow it to become Law in two weeks without signature. Keep your fingers crossed, since that would make all six states surrounding Oklahoma FREE STATES for Riders 21 and over!

These and other important legislative and judicial issues were thoroughly discussed at the 2009 NCOM Convention held in Reno, which I wrote about in an adjunct article appearing in this newspaper. Attending that Convention brought back fond memories of 2004, when it was held in Oklahoma City, and earlier when we had it in Tulsa. I still receive enthusiastic comments about how much fun folks had in the Sooner State, and I’m always affirming that we continue to be one of the best areas in which to ride. To be a Freedom Fighter also involves being an ambassador for motorcycling in your state, especially where the laws support Riding Liberty like we enjoy! You can be sure that both ABATE and the Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs will continue to focus on issues which will make our great state even better for our Riding Community. Speaking of Riding Ambassadors, my dear friend “Roach” Hoffmann of Missouri received a Special Award from NCOM for his many years of being an effective Motorcycle Rights Activist in many areas. A standard feature of the Convention includes the ringing of the Memorial Bell on Saturday in Memory of Brothers and Sisters lost over the past Twelve Months since last May's Convention. Sadly, I always have names of Oklahomans to submit, and this year’s list included: Mongol Jody, Mel Crane, Bill Strickland, Ailen “Cub” Hood, Jimmy Green, Steve “RadFast” Lake, “KB” Garrett, Tony King, BACA “Cowboy”, BACA Two-Dog, Jeremy Lusk (The extreme motocross rider), Malec Usif, Jimmie Chadwick, SrA Ryan Fisher USAF, Jon Hutto, Jesse Kyle Smith, Larry Cook, Bandido Strong Will, Rogue Thor, and Judy Brewster. My heartfelt Respects, Condolences and sympathies go out to the dear Riding Family members, who have been taken from us in the last year, and I wish for them the Lord’s Peace that passes all understanding. I made sure the Bell was rung in their honor.

One item I didn’t mention regarding the NCOM Convention is that we opened new pathways and broke special ground to enhance Freedom by hosting a seminar entitled “World Of Sport Bikes”, where we dealt with issues and concerns specific to the Sport Bike Community. A couple of experienced Sport Bike club members spoke, and I felt the meeting was both productive and educational. Regardless of what your opinion might be, Sport Bikes are an important part of our Community, and they’re here to stay! We’ve engaged in outreach before, such as our Tulsa Chapter’s recently attending a Sport Bike get-together in T-Town, and we’ll continue to expand that interaction. Personally, I feel that if we’re on two- or three wheels, we automatically share a common interest, and I’m primarily concerned if the rider is a registered voter or not! If you take an objective look at motorcycling history, you can draw close parallels between the prejudice we greybeards experienced many years ago and the threats Sport Bike riders face today-even to the B-grade movies and the media exploiting the Negative Biker Stereotype. It’s high time that Sport Bike enthusiasts take a more active role in defending their Liberty (starting with Voter Registration), and that we all work together to that end, to promote “Unity in the Community”. Some folks might find it interesting that, years ago when Senator Danforth advanced his Nationwide bill to outlaw Sport Bikes, older heads in the Biker Rights Family spearheaded efforts to defeat him. If we allow the Government to make one type of bike illegal, who’s going to prevent them from coming around to take yours-All in the name of Politics, Money and Control!! So, we’re all in this thing together-fight for your Rights, before they’re gradually whittled away and gone before you know it!

I’d like to profusely thank those who took time out of their busy schedules to attend several events that increased focus on honoring our Veterans. I mentioned last month how riders from our Veterans’ Community stepped up to join Sen. Steve Russell in April to back the Senate Joint Resolution to defend Military Honor against the ill-advised Homeland Security statements regarding our returning Combat Veterans. In May, Bikers once again paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces members by attending both Operation Carry The Flame across America on May 17 in El Reno, and the Central OK District ABATE Bike Parade to the State Capitol Veterans Memorial Park on Memorial Day, May 25. Hundreds of our Riding Family routinely turn out to honor our Military, as they have for nearly Twenty Years, and we continue to advance a Positive Image of Motorcycling in the eyes of the general public as a result. So I express my appreciation to the two major groups that attend: Veterans and those who love Veterans! As a Retired USAF Captain, I’m honored to be associated with all of you, and acknowledge your service and support. I very much look forward to seeing folks attend ABATE’s Bike Parade on Veterans’ Day, November 11! When you think about it, it's a simple equation, really--Bikers are into Freedom, and THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS WRITTEN ON THE WALL.

Tiger's Tip O' The Month: I've been noticing a gradual decline in civility on our highways, and an increasing amount of road rage accompanying it. For some reason, some people pushing a lot more steel around than we are seem threatened by motorcycles, or feel the need to assert their imagined superiority. Where they wouldn’t dare try to left-turn an 18-Wheeler, for example, they don’t seem to mind left-turning Motorcycles (although the number of car-Big-Rig wrecks caused by autos is on the rise!). I don't know about you, but I have absolutely no time for playing their little games, and I attempt to see and avoid, look ahead and deconflict whenever possible. AVOID THE THREAT! I don't need to challenge them, succumb to anger, and risk a confrontation with a much greater amount of mass and inertia. It's far better to let the fast and the furious get away from you, and have you live to fight another day. Their Karma will come full circle eventually, in the form of a wreck or a bust. Irritatingly, though, it's reflected in our increased insurance rates, and unfortunately will continue to be. While motor vehicle deaths have declined, the number of motorcycling fatalities continues to increase, and our Riding Community has to do something to reverse that trend! It’ll only happen as we reduce the THREAT by educating the Motoring Public to Look Twice and Share the Road; educating ourselves to Ride Safely, Responsibly, Sober and Aware; and increasing penalties for the minority of uncaring, irresponsible drivers who hurt and kill others!

Well, that’ll do it for this month. I’m truly thankful that so many ABATE Members are stepping up to get more involved in the viability and health of our organization. This was demonstrated by Garry Canaday, our Sgt-at-Arms, hosting a Leadership Meeting of ABATE Chapter Presidents while I was at the NCOM Convention. Not only are our folks readily accepting more responsibility on the State and chapter level, but we’re also getting more involved, like Barb has been with the newspaper, with the websites, Yahoo Newsgroup, and with upcoming activities. Our Chapters have some festive events taking place in the near future, and all of us should be kept informed with the redesigned communications vehicles that we’re going to use. Our newest Chapters have wasted no time getting on board with hosting events, and making their presence felt by designing Chapter patches. The South Central Chapter just had their design approved, and it looks really great! The Chisholm trail 412 Chapter is also planning to come up with an awesome design, and I can’t wait to see it. We have a lot of challenges to face in the upcoming months, as well as large-scale events such as the Fall’s “Party On The Plains” and the Mid-South M.I.L.E. Seminars to plan for. With so much to do, the State Board has voted to hold monthly meetings every month of the year, as opposed to skipping in August and December like we used to. I doubt very highly that any of these meetings will be boring! I cordially invite any of ABATE’s membership to attend if you’re curious as to the workings of YOUR State Motorcyclist Rights Organization. Meetings are always on the second Saturday of the month, and Madison’s Kitchen in Del City OK, where we’ve been hosting them, is moving to new, larger location on S.E. 29^th Street, with a Banquet Room which should accommodate a larger number of meeting attendees. Take care, everyone, and continue to ride with both Liberty and Safety-never sacrificing the first to obtain the other. I’ll see you next month!

Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,

Tiger Mike