mrf reports - july/august 2008

Vol . 17, No. 10 The MRF does not endorse any products or serv ices other than i ts own product l ine. Th is does not apply to po l i t ica l endorsements. Ju ly /August 2008

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Phoenix, AZ

PERMIT NO. 1072

Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510 - Washington, DC 20002-4980

Photo by Ken Olash

Kirk “Hardtail” Willard

MRF President

I have been following a motorvehicle discrimination case veryclosely and I have been somewhatamazed by the responses andcomments to it. The general toneof those involved is that there isnothing they can do about it and inthe end it seems as though theyfeel they must accept it.Interestingly there has been theproper amount of concern, ade-quate emotion, and certainly suffi-cient facts to deal with the issueand address it but instead of tak-ing this head on as an organizedgroup many of the participantsseemed to focus their energies,time, and resources towards com-plaining about the problem andcynically accepting this as thenorm in today’s society but sadlydoing little more. I did see oneindividual try to save it with thefollowing comment, “You left outa key word: ultimately we control

them. It is a very difficult fightbut ultimately the legislatureswho control the purse mustanswer to the voters.” It seemedto quiet things down for shortwhile but it didn’t take very longfor the cynicism and skepticism tocreep back into the conversations.

As I am accustomed to doing, Ibegan comparing this to what theresponse would be from themotorcycle rights community hadthis been a motorcycle discrimi-nation issue. Obviously theresponse from us would be quitedifferent. We would use our expe-rience, relationships, and organi-zational influence to bring properattention to the issue and stickwith it until a satisfactory resolu-tion was had. We know we canand in fact do hold our electedofficials not only responsible butaccountable as well, both ele-ments are absolutely necessary. Istill fondly recall the day a politi-cian came up to a group of usABATE members after seeing usseveral times at the State Capitalwhenever a particular bill came upfor hearing or discussion and whatseemed like it originated out offrustration since he was holdingup the progress of the bill as he

stated “don’t you guys ever haveto work”. I still regard that as oneof the greatest compliments I as afreedom fighter and citizen lobby-ist could ever receive. In the samevein is a collection of commentswe have gathered over the yearsof lobbying in Washington D.C.and it goes something like this.You know you motorcycle guysare the only ones who come anddo this like you do. Whether it bea bureaucratic agency, a regulato-ry body, or an elected official wewill be in our statehouses and inD.C. as representing ourselvesand our organizations as themotorcycle issue experts. Wemust also remember to realize weare not only fighting for our rightsand freedoms when we do thesethings but in fact we are a neededand legitimate source of informa-tion towards a solution. It seemsto be in a regulator’s, bureau-crat’s, and politicians’ geneticmake-up to solve an issue whenbrought to them. How are theygoing to know how to properlysolve that issue and with the cor-rect information if they don’t getthe information delivered to themby someone whose only genuineinterest lies in their freedom of the

STRETCHING FORTH

THAT SAVING HANDroad, the motorcycling lifestyle,and the continued well being ofmotorcycling? And what I repre-sent comes from those of us whobelong and contribute to our statemotorcycle rights organizations(SMRO) and the MotorcycleRiders Foundation. You see wedo come with only a desire to pre-serve motorcycling, our motorcy-cling lifestyle, and out of our lovefor the freedom of the road. Youbet these people sense our passionand our motives and that is whywe accomplish what we do soeffectively.

I recorded a quote I read from oneof the many SMRO newsletters Iget every month and I think itsums up perfectly why we mustremain totally vigilant and mustinsulate ourselves from the frus-trations of the day to day work-ings in our organizations and withour State and Federal agenciesand governments and stay focusedon the task at hand because whatwe do is so absolutely critical forour continued successes and it isby U.S. Supreme Court JusticeGeorge Sutherland from over acentury ago, “FOR THE SAD-DEST EPITAPH WHICH CANBE CARVED IN MEMORY OFA VANISHED LIBERTY ISTHAT IT WAS LOST BECAUSEITS POSSESSORS FAILED TOSTRETCH FORTH A SAVINGHAND WHILE YET THEREWAS TIME.”

MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION July/August 2008

Michael Kerr

MRF Vice President

It would be nice to think that life is constant.That change - while inevitable - would be anorderly process, following a pattern whereone could adjust and adapt painlessly. Thatis not always the case. In a dynamic econo-my such as ours, supply and demand dic-tates consumer prices and the job market.Costs for our everyday essentials such asfood and gasoline can skyrocket. The painthat we are all feeling at the pump is gettingpassed on to other aspects of our lives. A tripto the grocery store quickly reveals thattransportation costs are being passed-on.Once booming sections of industry can slowdown and people may lose their jobs.Change is not always predictable or pleas-ant.

The political landscape in our country oftenreflects the changes that our society as awhole is undergoing. Serious students of theprocess try to connect the dots as thesechanges occur and use that picture as abarometer of the future.

It is human nature that when we sense a cri-sis we gravitate toward comfort zones -places where we feel safe. During the greatdepression, Americans enthusiasticallyembraced a radically different role of thefederal government that was being offeredby Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Governmentexploded under the New Deal and changedAmerican life forever. Members of congressbecame important to everyday people asWashington’s influence expanded fromfunding the Army and Navy to include fund-ing individual Americans’ retirement pro-grams.

In this election year one candidate for presi-dent has been drawing crowds that rivalrock concerts or baseball games in size. He

often hits a high note with the crowd whenhe tells them that Washington’s response totheir problems in recent years has been that“they are on their own” meaning that thefederal government has drifted away fromtaking an activist’s role. The implication isthat if they vote for him that will change --in all likelihood that would be true. The ris-ing tide of the doctrine of “New Federalism”that was a cornerstone of the Reagan admin-istration apparently has ebbed. We are enter-ing a new political epoch, regardless ofwhich candidate or party is victorious inNovember. How we adapt will be telling.

The point here is not to take a presidentialcandidate or a political party to task. Itshould be of interest to all of us however,that when squeezing between the lines of thenew breed of politician and connectingthose dots we find a pattern of large num-bers of our fellow Americans again lookingto the federal government for solutions totheir problems. “Big government” is ceasing

to be a dirty word.

Why should this concern us as motorcy-clists? Well, for one thing, we have to lookat the period where we won one of our great-est victories – the “full repeal, done deal” inthe 104th congress that occurred during thetime frame of 1995 - 1996. The general pub-lic was in the mood to reduce the size andinfluence of the federal government and theelection results of 1994 proved that.Fatalities due to motorcycle accidents werein decline. The motorcyclists’ rights move-ment was able to convince a congress com-mitted to removing mandates on the states toscrap the ISTEA transfer penalties. Thosepenalties were enacted in 1991 and designedto pressure states into passing mandatoryhelmet laws. It was the right time, we werein the right place, we saw our opportunity,we set our differences aside, we went for it -- and won.

Let’s move the clock up twelve years andeven take a look into the near future. Nomatter how we look at it, motorcycle fatali-ties are on the rise. We can talk all we wantabout vehicle miles traveled, registrationsbeing up, and returning riders, but the hardfact is more people are loosing their lives asa result of motorcycle accidents. This willbe used as a battering ram against us duringthe reauthorization of the next interstatefunding act (called at various times ISTEA,TEA21, or SAFETEA-LU) on which debatewill start in the 111th congress (2009-2010).Combine that with a congress that is wellattuned to the public’s mood and we are fac-ing the greatest challenge that we have facedin decades. Proposals to pressure states intopassing mandatory helmet laws will onceagain become candidates for inclusion in theact.

Of course, we will counter those argumentsand issues, but it would be folly to smugly

believe that we will succeed without contin-uingly improving our efforts. Thoseimprovements and changes will not comewithout pain.

Few of us would be willing to invest ourmoney in a company whose business modelis identical to the one they used in the mid-1990’s. Corporations that compete intoday’s ultra aggressive world economy doso because they are able to adapt quickly tochanging market conditions. Managers whoonce spouted the “we’ve been doing it likethis for 20 years” line were sent into retire-ment long ago. The concept of continualimprovement is treated with an almost analmost religious reverence. Such lessonsshould not be lost on us.

The MRF and indeed our entire movementwill have to adapt to current political condi-tions, while holding fast to our principals.Without greatly ramping up our efforts atthe federal level we could see a disastrouspiece of legislation move through the nextcongress. The potential aftershock of such aloss on our movement is not pleasant to con-template. Are we up to meeting the chal-lenge? Will we continue to support and dareit be said, expand such efforts? Perhaps myold friend Zimmerman (Dylan) said it best:

“Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'.”

Indeed they are Bob. Let’s keep the faith.

Connecting the Dots

Call For Candidacy Papers For MRF BODWith fall fast approaching, it is time forthe Elections Committee of theMotorcycle Riders Foundation to callfor candidates for our Board ofDirectors. The Elections Committee isDave Dwyer, chairman, Cindy Hodges,Todd Riba and Joel Arnoldi. Contactinformation for all BOD members islisted in the last section of this Reports.

All positions on the MRF BOD are two-year terms, with alternating electioncycles. Our Executive Officers,President, Vice President, Secretary andTreasurer are elected by the BOD at theMeeting of the Minds BOD meeting,with President and Treasurer up thisyear. We also have three Administrativepositions up for election this year,Products, Motorcycle Safety andMarketing. The MRF Elections

Committee is charged with finding can-didates to run for these positions.Currently the Marketing position isempty. There has been an ad in the MRFReports for over a year to try to findsomeone to fill this important volunteerposition. If you have experience withmarketing and would be willing to helpgrow the MRF, please consider applyingfor the Marketing position.

The MRF BOD has six At-Large posi-tions elected by our members by ballot.The first is the Member Representative.These two BOD members represent thegeneral members of the MRF on ourBOD. Ballots are to be printed in theNov-Dec issue of the MRF Reports andall Individual, Individual Sustaining,and Joint Members are eligible to voteby mail for this position. This year the

position held by Cindy Hodges is up forelection. Cindy has indicated that sheintends to run for another two-year term.

If you would wish to challenge Cindyfor this position, your Candidacy Papersmust be submitted to the MRF office inWashington D. C. prior to July 31, 2008.These will be published in the Sept-Octissue of the MRF Reports. Your otheroption to become a candidate for thisposition is to gather the signatures of 50MRF members in good standing on apetition and submit that to the ElectionsCommittee prior to the end of theMeeting of the Minds. To be eligibleyou must have been an MRF memberfor at least one year by the time of theelection. The winning candidate will beseated at the January 2009 MRF BODmeeting.

Our next At-Large position is StateRepresentative BOD member. The posi-tion held by Todd Riba is up for electionthis year. Todd is also currently fillingthe position opened by the resignationof Miles France. Todd does not wish tocontinue in both positions so we willneed someone to run for this position.The other State Rep position on ourBOD is also open as the Reps chose notto fill this last year at MOTM.

If you are a State Rep and are interestedin one of these two positions you needto have your candidacy papers into theMRF Office by August 20, 2008. Copiesof all Candidacy Papers will be mailedto all State Reps by Sept 1, 2008. Theelection will be by the State Reps during

continued page 3

July/August 2008 MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION

Jeff Hennie

MRF VP of Government Relations

When Congress passed the most recent highwaybill, aka SAFETEA-LU (PL 109-59), it was paidfor by some trust fund cash in hand and the rest isto be paid for by future deposits into the highwaytrust fund. Let me explain, the highway billpassed every 6 years or so is the mammoth pieceof legislation that funds the maintenance andupgrading of our nation’s highway system andprograms. The last bill passed spent over $265 bil-lion dollars over the life of the bill, about 6 years.It’s a huge spending operation. Every time youpump a gallon of gas you automatically donate

18.5 cents a gallon to the trust fund, that’s wherethe money comes from, not from general incometax. Think of it as a user fee. Since the creation of the trust fund the trend hasbeen for it to get bigger every year. With eachpassing year we saw more fuel inefficient vehicleson the road, more gas being used, more moneyinto the trust fund, so relying on the seeminglyirreversible trend seemed at the time a solid move.

The problem with trends is that they often reverse,leaving harsh consequences in their wake, thinkSilicon Valley, March 2000. The problems withthe trust fund aren’t at dot com bubble burstinglevels yet, but large problems are looming.

It turns out the predictions were wrong.Americans are still using fuel of course, just notas much as those who drew up the funding formu-las for the highway bill had hoped. So we are see-ing significantly less receipts into the trust fundleaving a growing hole in the cash supply neededto fully fund the entire bill.

What happened? Sort of a perfect storm of cir-cumstance actually. With Congress setting corpo-rate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) standards forcar manufacturers and manufacturers respondingwith ultra fuel efficient vehicle technologymerged with spiking gas prices, Americans did theunthinkable, started using less gasoline. Thisupper cut of a result has left he highway bill wob-bling for funding.

U.S. Senate:

You may phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboardat (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator willconnect you directly with the Senate office yourequest.

U.S. House:

You may phone the U.S. Capitol Switchboardat (202) 225-3121. A switchboard operator willconnect you directly with the HouseRepresentative office you request.

Information about your Federal, State and Local Senate and Representatives is also available froma link at the top of the MRF web site’s home page (www.mrf.org). You will need your Zip+4number when running this search.

Keeping the Highway Bill in the Fast Lane

Open MRF Board Positions

MRF has volunteer positionopenings for interested partieswith experience as Webmaster,in Marketing and as aTreasurer.

The MRF is looking to fill theposition of Treasurer. Thisposition is a Corporate Officer.The ideal volunteer has generalknowledge of FinancialStatements and Budgeting. Aworking knowledge ofQuickBooks would be helpful.Send resume to Carol Downs,Finance Committee Chair, 1797S Nile Ct, Aurora, CO 80012or e-mail to [email protected] more information you cancall Carol at 303.204-6939.

Webmaster candidates, pleasecontact Eric Hampton, Directorof Communications at [email protected]. This positionneeds to be filled ASAP.

Marketing candidates with aprofessional background inmarketing, please contactDeborah Butitta [email protected] for general infor-mation, the qualifications weseek, and the anticipated timecommitments these positionswill require, and to submit yourresume for consideration.

Help is on the way?

One issue is clear, alternative sources of fundingmust be brought to the table. That’s easier saidthan done, especially to find funding with theleast amount of strings attached. One of the morecontroversial sources of new funding are some-thing called PPP’s. PPP’s are business venturesthat lease public structures to a private companyin exchange for a large lump sum payment upfront. Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s) are rais-ing eyebrows in Washington DC and other venuesaround the country because they hand over controlto non governmental groups or even foreign coun-tries.

Take Chicago for example, Mayor Daly leased theChicago Skyway in a joint deal with Spanish andAustralian based investment firms. The CityCouncil voted 45-0 to approve the deal that nettedthe City a tidy $1.3 billion in cash in exchange fora 99 year lease of the toll way. The Skyway hadbeen hemorrhaging money for years so the dealwas being compared to other famous land deals,like the Louisiana Purchase at the time in 2004.

Four year later and that deal is not the cash cow itwas supposed to be. The money has dwindledaway to fund almost everything but transportationand the city of Chicago is left without any controlover one of its most heavily used toll ways.

PPP’s were supposed to account for much morefunding than they are actually proving to, result-

ing in much public dismay and disdain for futuredeals. PPP’s can be seen as leasing the options forgenerations to come. Its great that Mayor Dalyhad a big payday but what’s going to be left forhis kid’s kids? PPP’s have proven to work in nontransportation fields. For instance, Great Falls, VAleases a wastewater treatment plant to a privateAmerican firm and it’s been a great success. Theproblem with deals like Daly’s is; the money gen-erated by transportation didn’t stay in transporta-tion, leaving the still public roads and bridgesstructurally deficient.

Even more frightening is the thought of privatecompanies changing the rules of the road to suittheir tastes. Dwell on this; Both Spain andAustralia have mandatory helmet laws for allmotorcycle riders. Is it that far of a stretch tothink that a company from those regions wouldemploy those laws on the roads they are nowresponsible for running? Can they even do that?These are some of the grave unanswered ques-tions with the “partnerships”.

PPP’s may prove valuable at some point in thefuture but for now they are not the piggy bankthat the highway bill needs.

What is certain is that something needs to be donesoon and done right to keep the Highway Bill onthe road and out of the break down lane. Perhapsthat’s an increase on the user fee we all pay now,or something completely different. It’s unclear atthis point what that may be.

Call For Candidacy Papers

For MRF BOD (continued)

the Reps Meeting at MOTM. To be eli-gible for these positions you must havebeen a State Rep for at least one yearprior to the date you will assume office,the January 2009 MRF BOD meeting.

The last At-Large position is theSustaining State Motorcyclist RightsOrganization BOD member. This yearthe position held by Dave Dwyer is upfor election. Dave has indicated that hewill be seeking another term. If youwish to challenge Dave, you need tosubmit your candidacy papers to theMRF Washington DC office by the firstFriday following MOTM, October 3rdthis year. Ballots with copies of the can-didacy papers will be mailed to all eligi-ble Sustaining State Motorcycle RightsOrganizations by Oct. 10 and will bedue back at the MRF Washington DCoffice by Dec. 15th.

As per MRF bylaws; “Each supportingstate motorcyclists’ rights organizationshall have one vote for each positionwhich shall be cast by its highest electedofficer. Any organization open to mem-bership on a statewide basis may chooseto participate in the election ofSupporting State Motorcyclists’ RightsOrganizations Board Members. StateOrganizations wishing to do so mustmeet the following qualifications: A)

Having previously been recognized bythe MRF as a supporting SMRO, or B)Having existed as a viable functioningentity for at least two years prior to thetime of voting; be in support the MRF’spurposes and be a sustaining member ofthe MRF for the year in which theychoose to vote. If the MRF BOD ques-tions the status of a viable functioningentity for at least two years, articles ofincorporation shall suffice. Recognitiononce given may be withdrawn only by¾ votes of the members of the Board ofDirectors ...”

Email is the preferred form for submis-sion of candidacy papers. Please note“Candidacy Paper” in the subject line.The address is [email protected]. Youmay submit your candidacy papers forany of these positions by mail if youdesire to; Motorcycle RidersFoundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave.,NE #510, Washington DC 20002. Pleasemark “Candidacy Paper” on the outsideof the envelope. Your Candidacy Papersshould include which position you aredeclaring your candidacy for, yourSMRO experience, positions currentlyand previously held and any other perti-nent information you feel would furtheryour chances of success.


MRF Young Activist Scholarship Candidate Criteria:

1) Candidates must be between the ages of 18 and 30 with a valid motorcycle endorse-ment on their drivers license. 31st birthday must fall after MOTM that year.

2) Candidate must be a member in good standing of a State Motorcyclists' RightsOrganization (SMRO). Length of membership required in SMRO to be determined by itsmembers if candidate is qualified.

3) Candidates must be nominated by their SMRO. Nominations will be accepted fromeither state or local (District/Chapter/Local) SRMO groups, and must be submitted on anMRF-approved application form.

4) Nominations must be submitted between October 1st and July 15th and postmarkedno late than July 1st of the year for which the application is submitted.

5) Candidates are to submit a minimum three hundred (300) word essay on why biker'srights are important to them. A well-written essay is like a picture of who the candidate is,and it gives the committee members a better perspective of the individual.

Winning candidates will be announced via an MRF e-mail news release on or aboutAugust 15th. All candidates will be notified with a letter of thanks and encouragement to re-submit their candidacy for the next year if they are not the selected winner.

What Do Winning Candidates Receive?

1) One year membership in the MRF effective the first full day of Meeting of the Mindsduring the year in which they are selected.

2) Round-trip airfare to MOTM or alternate travel expenses so long as those expenses intotal do not exceed the cost of traveling by air. If an alternate mode of transportation is cho-sen, candidates will be required to provide receipts in order to be reimbursed (receipts willbe accepted for tickets on other modes of transportation), hotel accommodations, and gaso-line. If there is any question about acceptable travel expenditures, it is the responsibility ofthe candidate to check with MRF prior to incurring said expense.

3) Hotel accommodations at MOTM. Accommodations will include room and taxesonly. Telephone, food, movie rentals, etc. will be the sole responsibility of candidates.

4) MOTM conference and banquet fees waived.5) Special recognition at MOTM. Recognition to include a plaque and presentation of a

one-year individual MRF membership.6) Winners are to submit one article to the MRF Reports telling of their SMRO activi-

ties and their experiences on attending the MOTMs.

How Winning Candidates Are Chosen:

MRF Young Activist Scholarship Fund Committee will be responsible for:

1) Promoting the program.2) Reviewing all applications and choosing winner(s)3) Chairman of MRF YAS Committee will notify all candidates of their decision.4) In conjunction with appropriate MRF personnel, ensuring that all financial, travel,

lodging and conference issues are addressed in a timely and professional manner.

Projected Cost: Estimated not to exceed $750.00 per winning candidate. Number of win-ners will in part be determined by available funds.

MRF Young Activist Scholarship Fund Nomination Form

Date: ___________________________________________________________

Candidate Name: _________________________________________________

Candidate Address: _______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

Candidate Phone Number: __________________________________________

Candidate Date of Birth: ____________________________________________

Member of (SMRO): _______________________________________________

Please provide the following information on a separate piece of paper.

Candidate Qualifications:

1) Please explain why you feel this person should be selected.

2) Other considerations: Explain any circumstances you feel are appropriate.

Submitted by: ____________________________________________________

Signature / Position________________________________________________

(State / Local SMRO Presiding Officer)Mail to: Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE,

Suite 510, Washington DC 20002-4980; [email protected]

Could We Work Smarter and

Ease the Burn-Out Factor? Cindy Hodges

Member Representative

By the time this hits your mailbox, wewill have another Best of the West behindus. It is at this meeting that I hope to beable to take my new counterpart, JoelArnoldi, around to meet more of the MRFmembers. I’ve known Joel for a fewyears now and I know his dedication tothe MRF has been strong. Please join mein welcoming Joel to the team.

I’ve been very fortunate to make somereal friendships and meet some fabulouspeople in our Biker Nation during mytime as a Member Representative to theMRF board. In talking to some of thesefolks recently, I’m hearing a familiarrefrain. Mostly having to do with theissues they deal with at home. I’m not aSustaining SMRO rep to the board but Ido pass these things on to those individu-als. And it has me thinking that theremight be a solution to at least one smallpart of the problems I hear bandied about.

Apathy. Internal apathy. This is notthrough any fault of any leadership. It is ahuman condition, found in any organiza-tion. When we sift down through to thebottom of things, that apathy quite oftenboils down to a few things. I’m going toset a short list here, and let’s see what youthink.

1. People are tired of the long reports,both verbal in meetings, and written via e-mail and newsletters. They don’t want toread or sit through “all that.”

2. Ignorance. Not stupidity, but igno-rance. Partly due to #1, and partlybecause they are not exposed to the expe-riences and anecdotes of others outsidetheir chapters/charters/regions and certain-ly not outside their states.

3. Personal unhappiness with individu-als in certain positions.

Now have I listed anything new?Nooooo. But I’m going to make somesuggestions anyway. And bear in mind, Ihave considered the age old question…

why don’t they want to read/listen or go,or investigate? Human nature… that’s theanswer. Like our membership directorJohn Pierce has drilled into my head –You take what has occurred, what youwant to occur, and you take “what is.” Itis the “what is” that you have to deal withto effect change.

1) Cut the report size. Divvy them upby heading and topic. In your newsletters,make each subject a new article even if itis short. In your meetings, consider set-ting a time limit for each person whospeaks. This might encourage folks to gettheir thoughts together in writing andsticking to the bullet points of the subject.Vote on whether to extend a time limit andstick to what the majority wants.

2) Get your people to outside meet-ings. I mean national meetings. We offerthree a year, AMA offers at least one,NCOM offers at least one. Regardless ofyour personal feelings, these meetings arewhere contacts are made. GOOD, SOLIDcontacts with others in the bikers rightsmovement. Start building that “library ofexperience” we can all learn from. Withthe MRF, our regional meetings offer deepdiscounts for sending your SMRO mem-bers. Check with our conference coordi-nator, Carol Downs ([email protected]) fordetails. The MRF offers workshops thatcan help you at the local level. Forinstance, our membership director, JohnPierce does a session entitled “Gainingand Retaining Local Membership” thatdiscusses ways to make visitors (potentialnew members) feel welcome at your meet-ings and how to deal with difficult mem-bers. There are several more to choosefrom.

3) Try to help your general member-ship understand some of the details of thepositions your chapter/charter/region andstate officers hold. Quite frequently I hearfolks take shots at an officer and when Ioffer up a “hey did you know..” aboutwhat all that particular job entails, theyend up being a lot more understanding.

Let’s help ourselves by being easier on“us.” We suffer burn-out at an amazingpace because too many of us are beingbeat up by our own. If you are voted intoa position yet those who put you there aregnawing on your leg too frequently, thenI’m thinking either 1) you are not doingyour job (and that isn’t true, right?) or 2)one or more of the problems I listed aboveare rearing their ugly heads.

I myself am guilty of the long-windedness(are you still reading this thing?) and myown SMRO has taught me that eventhough they think I’m smart as a whip and

continued page 13


Motorcycle Month continues in Nation’s Capital Jeff Hennie

MRF VP of Government Relations

Recently in Washington DC, the Federal govern-ment dedicated several days to motorcyclesaccording to the Motorcycle Riders Foundation.The week began with a full day of demonstrationof traffic counting technologies at the US DOT’sTurner Fairbank traffic research facility.Motorcyclists were assembled to test the count-ing devices to see how they stack up against eachother. Every thing from road tubes to radar andvideo devices were employed on a stretch ofclosed private road and 20 something motorcy-cles were ridden through at various speeds andformations. The news isn’t great though - thecounters that captured 90 plus percentages arevirtually non existent in the field and the countersthat are the most widespread are not the mostaccurate when it comes to motorcycles. Researchis being done into better technologies but it’s along way off from the rule instead of the excep-tion. The findings of the motorcycle research daywill be compiled and made available. Anotherfactor at play is that vehicle miles traveled(VMT) numbers have historically been voluntaryfor States to report to the Feds. As of June 2008it’s now mandatory for States to report motorcy-cle VMT. It’s about time Motorcycles were given

the same level of respect in the calculating of thisimportant baseline number.

Federal Highway Motorcycle Advisory

Council convenes.

The FHWA-MAC held its fourth meeting recent-ly as well. The council moved forward on a num-ber of issues. Some of the highlights are a webbased motorcycle survey for motorcyclists togain information into areas that need improve-ment when it comes to the infrastructure andmotorcyclists interaction with the road. The sur-vey will be live soon and the MRF will make youaware of that when it happens. The Council alsoapproved comment to US DOT and more specif-ically the Manual for Uniform Traffic ControlDevices (MUTCD) or the bible of road signs is aneasier way to think about it. The MUTCD cur-rently does not have an approved sign for motor-cycles. So that means that if your state had thecommon sense to begin using a motorcycle spe-cific sign they open themselves up to a lawsuitfrom the Feds for using a bogus sign, just likethey would if they decided to change all of thegreen lights to blue. Once approved, the sign willdisplay a profile view of a motorcycle and can beadded to other surface condition signs, “loosegravel” for example.

Coming to you soon from NHTSA.

At another government organized meeting withthe National Highway Traffic Administration thesame week, several studies were brought to lightconcerning motorcycles. A conspicuity study isdue out soon that will examine the effect of daytime running lights (DRLs) on cars and motorcy-cles. The findings of the Canada, where DRLs arerequired for use by everybody, based study willdetermine if DRLs do in fact diminish motoristsawareness of motorcycles. Another study under-way but still under wraps, is one that determinesthe value of combined braking systems formotorcycles. In detail the study will examine thebenefits of a one-lever control for rear and frontbrakes. This study reportedly is the result of gov-ernment statistic that says 80 percent of motorcy-clist involved in a crash don’t use the front brake.What? That makes little sense to this motorcyclistand the Feds were unable to back that number up.The study will be a simulator type study, not realworld conditions.

Yet another study still to be unveiled is one study-ing the effect of alcohol on motorcyclists. Aclosed course was set up, a motorcycle wasequipped with a pair of outriggers to prevent seri-

ous injury, and motorcyclists were issued dosesof alcohol and told to get on the bike. The fedsobserved and are supposedly reporting out soon.The last motorcycle related study that also fits the“due out soon” trend is a black box feasibilitystudy. All new cars come equipped with high techdata recorders that imprint the last few seconds ofoperator input before a crash. This controversialmethod of keeping an eye on the general publiccan be beneficial in certain cases. For instance,former Governor Bill Janklow killed a motorcy-clist at an intersection. Janklow maintained hestopped at the intersection and didn’t see RandyScott who was killed by Janklow’s SUV. Uponsubpoena of the information on the black box itwas proven that Janklow never even tapped thebrakes and he went to jail for 100 days.Motorcycles present a host of unique issues onhow to record the data and where and how toincorporate the data recorder on a motorcycle,however should the feds mandate their use,Industry will be forced to figure that out and youwill have big brother riding along on every rideyou take. We can all agree that the data recorderscan be helpful in the long run but they also treada slippery slope of a big brother government. TheMRF will keep you informed on the results of allof these important government studies.

Freedom Fighters?Steve Zimmer

MRFPAC Director

We call ourselves freedom fighters. Westand in meetings and rattle our sabers andtalk of what we do protecting freedom. Wetake great pride in the fact we stand in defi-ance against injustice. We go so far as tolist our accomplishments and our defeats asour badges of honor. We have heroes with-in our own community and we exalt theirsuccesses and do them the honor andrespect deserved. We do all this and morein the name of freedom fighters, and right-ly so. Most of those that rise to the top andsustain this movement deserve the honorand praises of those of us who recognizeexcellence and strive to achieve just a por-tion of that level of dedication and commit-ment.

Recently at the BEAST of the EAST heldin Peabody, MA a small group of us due toflight schedules and arrival time had theopportunity to have a few hours to take inthe local enticements. John Pierce, CindyHodges, Eric Hampton, Lynn Oldenburg,Shelia XXXX, and myself were trying todecide where to spend those few hoursbefore the festivities officially began. Wethought maybe a trip to the Salem area tolook at the sights surrounding the persecu-tion of suspected witches by the Puritans inthe 1600’s. We thought hey a historicalview of persecution by zealots who knowwhat is best for everyone else might besomething to see. It’s not like we can’trelate to anything like that, right? ThenJohn having spent a little time in the NewEngland area suggested ‘what about goingover to see Lexington and Concord’, it was-

n’t much further than going to Salem fromwhere we were staying. We all thought andfigured hey we call ourselves FreedomFighters why not go to the place where thisthing we call freedom had it’s birth in thisnation, (at least the historical benchmarkwe call the beginning,) perhaps I should saythe place of the first public show of defi-ance and aggression. The decision was aneasy one for “Freedom Fighters” it was set-tled, we took off for the first stop TheGreen at Lexington. I am one of those peo-ple who love to stand in places where his-tory was made, to be able to imaginemyself in the place of those that made thehistory and wonder would I have made thesame choices, or could I have shown thekind of intestinal fortitude exhibited bythose historic figures. A question we allshould ask of ourselves from time to time.On the green we got to see the famous min-uteman statue, do that tourist thing and getour picture in front of it. We then weretreated to a tour of the Buckman Tavern.For those of you who have never been toLexington, the Buckman Tavern was thecommunity meeting place for locals tomeet and discuss the local situations andthe nation’s politics it is also the site wherethe Lexington Militia met the night before(and into the morning) before the battle onthe Green April 19, 1775. Oh I forgot tomention we were there April 18, 2008 onthe eve of the 233rd anniversary of the bat-tle. Although we were in the Tavern in themiddle of the afternoon out tour guidehelped us envision what the scene was 233years earlier as the local militia preparedfor the next days resistance to the Crownand the British soldiers. Even though wewere in a tavern it was a sobering thought

finding ourselves in the very place thosefirst true freedom fighters stood. As we lis-tened to the guide we learned he was one ofthe re-enactors that would be on the Greenthe next day reliving the resistance and bat-tle that ensued. We learned that each of there-enactors portray a very specific personfrom the original action. In his case he wasa drummer for the Lexington militia. Eachre-enactor is tasked with doing as muchresearch on their character so from the timethey arrive they are that person. They takethis very seriously and show the true dedi-cation to accuracy in the retelling of amomentous historic event.

Then we went on to Concord, MA. If youremember your history lessons boys andgirls Concord is the site of “The Shot HeardRound the World.” In the brave stand at theold North Bridge the every man: farmers,shopkeepers, regular citizens, and patriotsstood and made their stand against tyrannyand oppression. If you can stand in theseplaces of honor and not feel humbled bythese simple people just trying to have asay in their own destiny and willing tomake the ultimate sacrifice to achieve thatfreedom, then I am sorry for you. Oddlyenough on this site dedicated to the courageof the citizen militia standing againstBritish regulars there is a monument to thefallen foe.

Grave of British Soldiers

They came three thousand miles and died

to keep the past upon it’s throne:

Unheard beyond the ocean tide,

their English mother made her moan.

April 19, 1775

At the foot of the bridge is a stone monu-ment carved with these words you willrecall from your grade school days, maybe.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to Aprils breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Now as I stand and listen to our posturing,and think about my own commitment toour efforts and this movement’s strides toprotect our little piece of that freedomdream, I consider myself a small piece ofthat broader dream started by those patriotson the Green and at the North Bridge and Irededicate myself to this cause and thecause of freedom in this country. Whenyou take the time to reevaluate your dedica-tion and whether it is worth all the hassleask your self could you have made thesame decisions those in Buckman’s Tavernmade the night of April 18th, 1775? Wouldyou have stood staunchly facing profes-sional soldiers and possible death for thenotion of freedom that was at that time aproposition of ideas? I call myself a free-dom fighter and I hope that what I doreflects a small glimmer of the flame start-ed so long ago. How’s your flame,Freedom Fighter?


Todd Riba

MRF Director of Reps

I am sure most of you have heard bynow that Miles France resigned fromthe MRF Board back in early May.Miles needs some time to take care ofsome health issues so he has steppeddown but we will still see him aroundfrom time to time. Miles did a great jobwith the Reps Department and it willnot be easy to fill this void but we willmove on.However, before we move on I wouldlike to thank Miles for his hard work,dedication, and leadership. His contri-butions to motorcycle rights at the stateand federal level have helped make themovement stronger, thank you Miles.

And now for the moving on part, theMRF Board of Directors elected me onan interim basis to serve out the rest ofthe term for the State Reps ProgramDirector. It is my intention to resignmy position as State Reps BoardMember at the September board meet-ing so I can focus all of my attention onthe State Reps Program Director posi-tion.

This will leave us with two vacantState Reps Board Member positions,elections for those positions will take

place at the Reps meeting at MOTM inDenver. So if you want to vote youhave to be there. If you are interestedin one of the positions you can contactDave Dwyer, MRF ElectionsCommittee Chair, or you can give me acall. And now for some more movingon, I have asked Lynn Oldenburg,Maryland State Rep, to serve as anInterim State Reps Board Memberuntil elections in September. This isbasically an assistant to the board andit is a non voting position. Please wel-come Lynn and thank her for steppingup to help keep the Reps program run-ning smoothly. Lynn is a former boardmember and she has a knack for step-ping in whenever the MRF needs her.

Lynn's experience and dedication willbe a huge plus to the Reps Department.Please be patient during this time oftransition, I am sure we are going to hita few bumps in the road but we will doour best to work through them.

I hope that we are able to find twoReps, or more, that are willing to stepup and run for the two vacant boardpositions. A fully staffed RepsDepartment will help improve thecommunication between the Reps andthe board. That communication needsto be a two way street, we will do ourbest to communicate with Reps and theReps need to try their best to commu-nicate with the Reps Department soyour voice can be heard on the board.

Communication is the glue that holdsthe motorcycle rights movementtogether. The Reps have many commu-nication tools available to them. Iwould like to ask all of the Reps tomake a strong push to use all of thesetools. Contact your state’s SMROnewsletter editors and talk to themabout adding the MRF’s alerts andreleases to their newsletter. This helpsget the MRF name out there and it willhelp counter a lot of the misinforma-tion that is out there. Another thing youcan do is make sure your state informa-

tion is on the MRF website. The statepage is a great communication tool, telleverybody what’s going on in yourstate. Some of you have been doing agreat job of sending in articles and pic-tures for the MRF Reports but there isroom for improvement.

I have an Assistant State Rep inMinnesota by the name of MikeBerger. He writes an article for theReports every issue and he keeps thestates page updated for Minnesota, thatis a huge help to me. So see if you canget an Assistant Rep to help you withsome this.

The last thing I would like to cover isthe Reps meeting at MOTM, we arelooking for ideas from the Reps fortopics of discussion. If there is some-thing that you would like us to talkabout please let me or Lynn know. Weare going to look into having theseReps meetings at Beast of the East andBest of the West. Don’t forget therecruiting blitz, sign up 25 membersbetween June 1st and August 31st andyou will receive a custom MRF logoshirt of your choice. Let’s get thatmembership up to 5,000 by MOTM.That’s all for now, please call or emailif you have any questions or com-ments.

State Reps Program Director


Carol Downs

MRF Conferences Director

The 2008 Conference Season has startedout with a bang. BEAST of the East washeld in Peabody, MA in April. It was quitesuccessful. I will even go so far as to say itwas one of the most energetic Conferenceswe have held in a long time. I just wish Iknew how to bottle that energy; I wouldbring it to every Conference.

At BEAST this year we conducted a work-shop in a manner that has never been donebefore. The idea actually came from MMA(Massachusetts Motorcycle Association).Here is how it went: Instead of having justone speaker for a full hour and a half wehad six “topics” located around the room.Attendees were divided up to start at differ-ent tables. Each table then had about 10minutes to discuss the very basics of thesubject matter. While 10 minutes does notgive much time for specifics, it did allow aquick explanation of the topic and somevery direct questions to be answered. Theset-up was much like speed-dating. A fewminutes to get acquainted, then the whistleblew and you moved on to the next topic.The idea behind this format was to allowthose who are first timers, or those too shyto ask questions in a large group, the oppor-tunity to get some basic information abouta wide variety of topics. It was very wellreceived. So much so, that with a fewtweaks you should expect to see it run atMOTM (Meeting of the Minds) this year.

Before I go off on some other tangent I dowant to take a minute to thank our hosts atBEAST this year; MMA. They did a won-derful job and as I said it was very ener-getic. I specifically want to thank DaveCondon for all of the work he did. He wasthe poor fellow who had to put up with me.In addition to Dave I also want to thankKelly Condon for a most hospitableHospitality Room. She even went so far asto hand make sandwiches and cookies.They were very good. Dave Elias wasresponsible for organizing the MMA vol-unteer staff. Mike Longtin and Sarge did aterrific job of making sure everything wasset-up in the Products Room, for the PACRaffle and everywhere else that was neces-sary. They also made sure we had the placetorn down and cleaned up to leave a goodname for motorcyclists. They had the helpof Kevin Griffen for that task. Jason Blaiswas my designated runner; and I certainlyused his services. At the registration tablethroughout the two days I had the assis-tance of Richard Schofield, CharlotteWilson, Terre Casey, Elaine and AriannaGriffin. While they were all wonderful towork with I especially enjoyed havingArianna there. Arianna is Elaine’s daugh-ter and it reminded me of having my own

daughter working events for my localABATE chapter many years ago. The timeto get our kids involved is when they areyoung; my daughter still looks forward toopportunities to work motorcycle events.

During all of our Conferences we ask theattendees to fill out evaluation forms on theparticular workshop they attended.Occasionally I even get some good com-ments from the forms. One person whoattended the Share the Road presentationdid express the desire to have a genericpresentation so that states could take it andadjust as necessary. I would like to addressthat comment.

My husband Bruce and I put together theprogram for ABATE of CO. We call itOperation Save a Life, but it is exactly thesame thing. My husband is very smart andvery dedicated to motorcycle rights andeducation. But we could not have done theprogram on our own. We literally begged,borrowed and stole information from everyother program we could find. There is noneed to reinvent the wheel; ask for help.Go on-line to the various state MRO web-sites and find the name and contact of theirShare the Road Coordinator, or call theoffices and ask for the information.Everyone we asked for help sent it in buck-ets. Remember, this is an important issuefor all of us. No one would object to offer-ing assistance, or stealing an idea fromsomeone else if it is a good one. Everystate does need to gear their presentationsto their own situations, but the basic infor-mation is the same no matter where youpresent. If the person who made that com-ment would like some help getting started(or anyone else for that matter) call myhusband, Bruce. You can reach him at 303-912-7455. It also helps to spend sometime networking with folks at theConferences, which is why we are all there.If you get nothing more than a contactname and number it is a starting point.

BEAST : A Huge Success

BEST: High Hopes for a Repeat

Another of the workshops that was present-ed at BEAST was titled “You Have theRight To…” It was presented by a localAttorney and covered your basic rightsunder the Constitution. One of the com-ments I received on this session was compli-menting the way the presenter allowedattendees to share actual events to make apoint. The other comment, the same personmade, was how it was a “responsible pres-entation of police viewpoint”. Without rais-ing anyone’s ire I do want us all to remem-ber that for the most part they are just doingtheir jobs the best way they know how. Thatis why we need to know our rights. At thisyear’s MOTM we will have a similar pres-entation on working with law enforcementon the local and state level. While it will notdelve so much into our ConstitutionalRights, it will be a good perspective on howto interact with law enforcement – even tothe end of getting what we want from them.Plan to attend.

Coming up in two weeks from my writingthis article we will be attending the BEST ofthe West Conference in Vancouver, WA.This event will be co-hosted by WashingtonRoad Riders Association and ABATE ofOR. We have some very good workshopsplanned. Hopefully I can find that energysource from the East coast and bring itthere. But to be honest, my biggest excite-ment is the opportunity to ride toWashington.

Despite all of the riding Bruce and I do, allover this country, to attend Conferences Ihave never had the privilege of riding inCalifornia, Oregon or Washington. Ourfriend, and yours, Sarah Muckenhoupt willbe flying into Denver to make the journeywith us. Our route will take us across theGreat Salt Lake, into Nevada thenCalifornia. We will ride through LassenVolcanic National Park and RedwoodNational Park. We will then follow Hwy101 up the Northern California Coast andthe Oregon Coast. Those who have been on

this route must be shaking yours heads“Yep, good choice.” The rest of you mustbe saying “I want to go too.” We really arelooking forward to this ride. I’ll tell youabout it in the next article.

Hopefully your planning is under way toattend The Meeting of the Minds in Denverin September. Yes, we have to deal with theDenver noise ordinance, but if you can setthat aside I think you will find Colorado tohave some great riding, nice people andspectacular scenery. ABATE of CO will beour host for this event and I can tell you theywill do a spectacular job (OK, I admit someprejudice). Registering for the Conferenceis easy. Find the flyer elsewhere in this pub-lication, fill out the form and mail it in withyour check. Or even easier, go to our web-site, www.mrf.org, click on the ConferenceInformation button and follow the links.The flyer also gives information about hotelaccommodations.

Those who will be flying into Denver pleasenote the instructions for shuttle service: Airport transportation will be provided onlyduring the following hours:

Thursday, Sept. 25th from Noon to 10 pm, Friday, Sept. 26th from 9 a.m. to 6 pm,Sunday, Sept. 28th from 6 a.m. to 2 pmClassy Limousines will run about onceevery hour. To be picked up:Go out door 506 or 507Go to the limo/taxi booth on Island 1Tell them you want Classy Limo’s Tell them how many are in your group(They will run with 5-10 people per run soyou may have a short wait) For the return trip you must sign up whenyou reach the hotelIn case of emergency contact Dawn @ 303-489-8093

I look forward to seeing all of you either inVancouver, WA or Denver in September.


Young Activist Scholarship

Miles France

MRF Director of Reps

HMMM who is that guy looking at me inthe mirror? Wasn’t it just yesterday thatsame guy looked back at me with brightyouth sparkling all around? Yes now I havethe reminder my youth has slipped awayand this gray hair is now looking for theyoung folks to step up and carry on whenall of us gray hairs blend into the wind.

This is where we as reps have the responsi-bility to find the young folks to carry on ourmission of protecting our hard earned free-doms. Think about it because as the sayinggoes you can depend on two things in life,death and taxes. So rather than dwell on thedown side of death and worrying about thetax man we all live like there is no tomor-

row and sometimes this can dim our viewof what is going on around us and forget weare not going to be around forever so inorder to keep things rolling along theyounger folks need to step up in order tokeep the freedom fighting force goingstrong.

This is the fifth year of this program and ithas been a success the last four years. Thepast winners are as follows:

2004-Crystal Maney, CBA/ABATE ofNorth Carolina

2005-Robert Cuthbertson ABATE ofCalifornia MRF State Rep

2006-Shawn Dickie, ABATE of Alaska

Aaron Meyer, ABATE of Indiana

Justin Crawford, ICMS (Idaho Coalition ofMotorcycle Safety)

David Duffy, ABATE of Iowa

2007-John Thomas “J.T.” Boone,CBA/ABATE of North Carolina

Sunrise “Sonny” Pitch, ABATE ofWisconsin, St Croix Valley Riders

Molly Su “Monsoon” Van Daele, ABATEof Iowa

As you can see, each of these past winnerswere all involved in their SMRO’s and forthe most part each of them grew up in thebiker lifestyle. Everyone of these youngfolks have a rough job to go out and con-vince their peers how important it is to beinvolved in the politics involving theirrights. Attending the MOTM’s teaches

these folks the importance of beinginvolved with legislative, safety, ridertraining and their own personal freedoms.Without the boost they get from the MRFConference they may never realize howmuch power they have to protect theirrights and all the rights that have been hardearned before them.

Let us open the door to the young folks andwelcome them into our fold since they arethe soldiers who will carry on for the rest ofus.

PLEASE SEND US YOUR CANDI-DATES BEFORE JULY 15TH, THEDEADLINE

Send all information to [email protected] I’ll share it with the YAS Committee.

Thank-You & Good Luck.

South Carolina Red Light Bill

Final UpdateBy: Reb Richardson

There should be several ways to tell eachof you that this issue is finally over.However, with and including all theefforts put forth by numerous motorcy-clists (mostly ABATESC members) whochoose to get involved with the legisla-tive process, there is only one way.

The game is over and the motorcyclecommunity of South Carolina WON.

Governor Sanford signed into law onMay 27, 2008 an act that allows bicycles,mopeds, and motorcycle operators toproceed through a prolonged red light.

The law reads:Unless otherwise directed by a

pedestrian-control signal as provided inSection 56-5-3110, pedestrians facing asteady circular red or red arrow signalalone shall not enter the roadway. (5) Notwithstanding any other provision

of law, if a driver of a motorcycle ormoped, or a bicycle rider, approaches anintersection that is controlled by a traffic-control device, the driver may proceedthrough the intersection on a steady redlight only if the driver or rider, as thecase may be: (a) comes to a full and complete stopat the intersection for one hundred andtwenty seconds; and (b) exercises due care as provided bylaw, otherwise treats the traffic controldevice as a stop sign, and determines it issafe to proceed." If you desire or require more informationgo to www.abatesc.com or just join

ABATESC and stay better informed, oryet better knowledge can be obtained bygetting involved to protect your rights.

This report brings a full closure of athree year effort on the “Red Light”issue. A sincere thank you to everyone;especially the ABATESC members whogot involved, the SC MotorcycleCommunity who contacted their legisla-tors, the media representation for theirarticles of support, (ABATESCNewsletter, Custom Chrome, FullThrottle, US Rider News), and certainnewspapers for their non-support.Thanks to those who provided supportinginformation. ABATESC, ABATE/CBANC, AMA, MRF, ABATE members fromTennessee, Washington, and Georgia.Especially thanks to Ralph Bell and“Bad” Bob Archer for their daily assis-tance on the statehouse grounds.

To all who contacted their representa-tives; may I suggest you contact each ofthem again with a special thank you fortheir support? Don’t forget to vote forthose who get the job accomplished.Ride Safe.

P.S. Senators Phil Leventis, “JakeKnotts, John C. Land, “Larry” Grooms,and “Chip” Campsen along with Houseof Representatives Murrell Smith, and“Mac” Tootle were instrumental in pas-sage of S-111 (Red Light Bill). A specialmention for their assistance goes toBarbara Lengel, Lily Gogdill and DavidOwens, staff in the Gressette Building,and Kristen Moore Lominack ofSCDOT.F

Motorcycle Riders Foundation

2008 Candidate Survey The questionnaire below is a copy of what isbeing presented to the national leadership ofthe Republican and Democratic parties by theMRF. It is our hope that they will encouragethe presumptive nominates of those parties toanswer our questions. We will make thoseanswers available to our members and themotorcycling public when they become avail-able.

We would like to encourage our state motorcy-clists’ rights organization partners to use thequestions that apply, when interviewing candi-dates for congress.

==================================

1. Would you be in favor of the congressextending the program of issuing federal grantsto states to establish programs that promotesafe motorcycle riding and increase the aware-ness among the motoring public of motorcy-cles. These programs are currently commonlyreferred to as “2010 funds”

Yes No

2. Would you favor expanding the existing lawsprohibiting NHTSA from engaging in advocacylobbying to include the Department ofTransportation and the NTSB?

Yes No

3. Would you favor legislation that would mod-ify the ERISA act to prohibit employers whoprovide medical insurance coverage for theiremployees from denying the payment ofclaims, if said employee was involved in amotorcycle accident?

Yes No

4. Do you favor the federal government impos-ing financial penalties on states for not havingmandatory helmet laws for motorcycle riders?

Yes No

5. Do you believe that the issue of mandatinghelmet laws should be left to state governmentsor the federal government?

State Federal

FEMA and FIM strengthen user

cooperation to face

motorcycling challengesFEMA and FIM-CMT presidents met inAmsterdam to reiterate the need for both organi-sations to work together to face motorcyclingchallenges in Europe and worldwide.

This Sunday April 13th, FEMA newly electedPresident travelled from Oslo (Norway) to TheNetherlands, home country of Achilles Damen,President of FIM’s Commission for Mobilityand Transport (CMT), where a meeting wasorganised to discuss current challenges facingthe motorcycling community.

At this meeting, motorcycling challenges werediscussed and the need for mutual collaborationand support was reiterated by both parties. Theclose link between sport activities and road rid-ing issues was once more highlighted.Enhancing the dialogue between users to be ableto defend strong common positions was there-fore recognized to be priority issue.

Further collaboration between users, at all politi-cal levels, has been called for by both FEMAand FIMCMT Presidents.


PRESS RELEASE:

From the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA)

May 26th, 2008

ETSC report: mandatory ISA to improve

motorcycle safety?The European Transport Safety Council(ETSC) published its report on motorcyclesafety today. While appreciating that otherstakeholders finally consider the impor-tance of motorcycle safety, FEMAbelieves that the report fails to prioritizerecommendations on the most importantissue: human behaviour.

The report published today by the ETSC,includes a series of recommendations toimprove motorcycle safety. FEMA appre-ciates this initiative which, for once, reallyconsiders motorcycle safety seriously.Among the positive recommendationsmade is the call for comparable dataacross Europe taking into considerationthe diversity of use of Powered TwoWheelers and the need for better drivereducation to make them aware of motorcy-cling characteristics.

However, some of the recommendations,such as Intelligent Speed Assistance, legprotectors, airbags, or calls for mandatoryABS and protective clothing, show a

notable lack of knowledge of motorcyclingcharacteristics:

· The ETSC paper calls for furtherresearch in Intelligent Speed Assistance(ISA) for motorcycles which should beable to restrict acceleration. However, inmany near-miss accident scenarios, theavoiding manoeuvre to be performed is‘accelerating’ to avoid the obstacle. Hence,ITS technologies to automate aspects ofthe riding task compromise motorcyclerider safety.· The ETSC paper calls for protectiveclothing to become mandatory, once againoverlooking the fact that the use of protec-tive jackets, trousers, gloves and bootscould be uncomfortable to the extent ofbeing unsafe when weather gets really hot.The positive attributes of personal protec-tive equipment must always be balancedagainst their negative effects, which ulti-mately the rider is the only one to know.Personal protective equipment may wellhave injury-reducing effects when amotorcycle accident occurs, but such

equipment does not prevent accidents. Inthe overall motorcycle safety picture,injury-reducing equipment is of far lessimportance than accident-prevention initia-tives.

· The ETSC paper, though recognising thepotential side effects of leg protectors andairbags in terms of safety, recommends theintensification of research on these mat-ters. However, because motorcyclists areusually separated from the motorcycle atsome time during a crash, FEMA arguesthat protective equipment attached to themotorcycle is less likely to be effectivethan protective clothing.

The report focuses too much on technolo-gy innovation and by so-doing fails toconsider the conclusions of the in-depthstudies on motorcycle accident causation -the most important being the Hurt (1981)and MAIDS (2004) reports - which high-light the need to focus on human behav-iour. ETSC has fallen into the commontrap of calling for new technologies to

become mandatory without any check onthe real impact of such devices.

FEMA argues that innovative technology,while necessary to be investigated, shouldnot be seen as THE solution to improvemotorcycle safety and should always befollowed by impact assessment studies andevaluative data collection on real-life use.In its report “A European Agenda forMotorcycle Safety - The motorcyclists’views” (2007), FEMA highlights insteadwhat primary solutions should be imple-mented to reduce motorcyclists’ casualties,among which the following top 3 priori-ties:· better road awareness through changingthe attitude and behaviour of drivers;· better rider and driver training;· better data collection for preventive andevaluative analysis of safety measures· better rider and driver training;· better data collection for preventive andevaluative analysis of safety measures

PRESS RELEASE:

From the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA)

Press Release

May 28th

A better care for the new motorcyclist

Newly qualified riders failing to recog-nize hazards, and pre-license trainingthat has overly focused on machinecontrol skills is a relation that has beenrecognised for a long time. Today, themotorcyclists themselves present a rem-edy for this disalignment in the pre-license training, namely the InitialRiders Training programme.

The IRT programme delivers machinecontrols skills relevant to today’s roads.The modular structure and pedagogicalapproach offer real improvement to pre-license training available to riders with-in the European Union.

The programme has been developed foruse in a training environment, but it canalso be utilised in informal training sit-uations such as assistance to the familymember or friend, motorcycle club or

safety organisation seeking to promotesafe riding skills, in circumstanceswhere professional training is not avail-able.

FEMA, with the support of its partners(FIM and ACEM), firmly believes thatimproved pre-license training canreduce the number of riders killed andinjured. This is why the IRT projectwas set up in the first place, and itgained the support of the EuropeanCommission, Vägverket (the Swedishroad traffic authority) and IVV, theInternational Instructors’ organisation.

Working with recognised experts cover-ing a range of motorcycling, academicand road safety interests, the IRT proj-ect has considered pre-license ridertraining in Europe being variable inquality and availability. These problems

will effectively be addressed in the pro-gramme.

The IRT Project also considers theinnovative area of e-Coaching toimprove initial rider training by expos-ing riders to virtual hazardous situa-tions without putting them at risk. Theaddition of a fourth e-Coaching elementcould further improve the trainingoffered in IRT.

The IRT project results will be official-ly presented at a Conference-Debatejointly organised by The Directorate-General for Energy and Transport of theEuropean Commission (DG TREN) andthe Federation of EuropeanMotorcyclists' Associations (FEMA) onWednesday May 28th, 2007.


Pennsylvania BEAST of the East

(L to R) Senator John Wozniak, PA State Representative Seip, Lt.Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, PA State Representative Keller,and PA State Representative Moul

Parking in front of the PA Capitol

North Carolina’s Lobby Day

North Carolina

Lou Petrucci of Rhode Island is known for being a bit outspoken... at this year’sBEAST of the East, Lou made a comment about how he really didn’t like those LEDlights that people are putting on their bikes that light up the engines. This was his pay-back. He is just lucky that they couldn’t find an extension cord long enough to reachhis bike or it would have been covered in Christmas lights.


Connecticut

Left to right;Geoff Viscount, Ron Troia, Ed Burns, Patti Hutchins, and Dave Hutchins of theCMRA at MMA’s Storm the Statehouse.

Minnesota

Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Pawlenty meets with motorcyclists as he declares May asMotorcycle Safety Awareness Month

Arkansas

Arkansas Governor at the signing of the proclamation "Motorcycle SafetyAwareness Month" - left to right: Don Wesson - ABATE of AR Sgt. of ArmsHelen Wesson - ABATE of AR State Treasurer and MRF Products, Sherry Wewers- ABATE State Office Mgr., Governor Mike Beebe, Tom Wewers - ABATE RiderEd Enrollment Coordinator, Rodney Farley - ABATE State Chairman, Richard Davis - Motorcyclist Advocate


Out N' About - Crash Causation StudyDoc Ski

SSMRO Rep

Mandatory Universal Helmet laws are athorn in the side of all freedom lovingmotorcyclists. Frequent fatality andcrash reports from NHTSA and stateHighway Safety Offices suggesting anincrease in the number of motorcyclefatalities are often accompanied by rec-ommendations for the passage of lawsmandating universal helmet use formotorcyclists. Most experienced motor-cyclists understand that this controversial“quick-fix-solution” is not the completeanswer.

The basic design of the motorcycle doesnot lend itself to the “passive-protective-measures” that mitigate crash conse-quences for passengers in an enclosedvehicle. In spite of the millions of taxdollars wasted on “helmet-use-promo-tion” campaigns, there continue to beannual increases in motorcycle crashes,injuries, and fatalities. It is painfullyobvious - crash mitigation does not workfor motorcycles.

Motorcyclists know what is killing us.The evidence is obvious: Crashes killbikers. Conversely, Crash Preventionsaves lives. Fueled by the personal, andpainful, experiences of this failed safetyparadigm of “bureaucratic-convenience”,motorcyclists concentrated our efforts onworking with members of the USCongress to ensure that SAFETEA-LU(PL 109-59) provided funding for thedevelopment and evaluation of “Crash-

Prevention” approaches to motorcyclesafety.

Since the passage of PL 109-59, motorcy-clists have remained committed to vali-dating a crash-prevention approach tomotorcycle safety. At home in individ-ual states, motorcycling organizationshave worked closely with state officialsto implement and evaluate MotoristEducation & Awareness, and RiderEducation programs using the SAFETEA-LU funds established for thispurpose. Individual motorcyclists andmotorcycling organizations have con-tributed their own money to establish the“matching funds” required to implementthe Motorcycle Crash Causation Study atthe University of Oklahoma.

In spite of attempts (by high rankingbureaucrats) to sabotage the process,given sufficient time and resources, theevidence will clearly demonstrate Crash-Prevention strategies save motorcyclists’lives. But, what of this crash causationstudy? What purpose will it serve, whenwill it start, and why have we not heardmore about it?

On 13 May 2008 John Pierce (MRFMembership Director), and I, met withDr. Samir Ahmed, principal investigatorof the Crash Causation Study. The fol-lowing is an update on the status of thenational study.

As we all know - bikers, concerned aboutwhat NHTSA would do, lobbied to havethe study conducted by another entity.As the bill’s sponsor, Senator Jim Inhofe(R-OK) offered the OklahomaTransportation Center (OTC) as an alter-native agency. The OTC did not ask for,nor was it prepared to implement thestudy. However, the OTC respondedquickly and assigned Dr. Samir Ahmed, aCivil Engineer - with no professionalknowledge or personal motorcycle expe-rience - as Principal Investigator. To his

credit, since receiving this assignment, DrAhmed has spent nearly 1,000 hourslearning about motorcycle issues andstudying scientific methodologies used inprevious studies (on his own dime).

SAFETEA-LU authorized $ 2.8 millionfor the study, but only $2 million wasappropriated. Receipt of these fundsrequires an equal amount of “matching”funds. The motorcycle community hasstepped up to raise the required funds.Approximately $100,000 was donated tothe cause by the American MotorcyclistsAssociation’s treasury (which was sup-plemented by contributions sent in byindividual bikers and motorcyclingorganizations nationwide). The remain-der was provided by the MotorcycleIndustry Council.

With funding secured for at least the firstphase of the study, the investigation maynow proceed. But funding was not theonly delay... it seems that NHTSA hasmanaged to delay the start of the investi-gation until they complete a “pilot study”to validate the methodology to be used inthe study. The organization forEconomic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD) methodology cur-rently being considered by NHTSA wasdeveloped to be used worldwide. TheOECD methodology is comprehensive,and is already being used in several coun-tries worldwide including, Bangkok,France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,and Spain. It is currently being consid-ered for use in the USA, Great Britain,and Japan. One wonders why it was nec-essary to conduct this pilot study, butregardless... Dr. Ahmed told us the cur-rent pilot study will conclude (it’s behindschedule) no later than September orOctober of this year.

Completion of the Pilot Study will openthe door to the investigation of 900 (fatal-ity or injury) crashes, each with over2,200 data points. The study will also

include 1,800 non-crash or “control”investigations with 1,800 data points.These control investigations will helpshed light on the differences in variablesbetween crash, and non-crash, scenariosto help identify causative factors. Each investigation is estimated to requireover 65 hours of data collection andanalysis. Each investigation will includedata collection from active (driver behav-ior, vehicle kinematics), and passive(injury mechanisms and protection) safe-ty factors. User behavior, roadway infra-structure, and vehicle characteristics willalso be included as categories of data col-lection.

Training for investigative teams will costapproximately $300,000 and require 12weeks of intense instruction and evalua-tion. Dr Ahmed anticipates establishingthree different sites in three differentstates for data collection, but has confi-dence that even if costs prohibit multiplesites, the study will be generalizable dueto the sheer volume of crash and controlinvestigations conducted.

Science is systematic and thorough. Itdoes not necessarily work fast. The crashcausation study is the first step towardestablishing a comprehensive “crash pre-vention” approach to motorcycle safety.It is critical that as the year 2009approaches we continue our efforts tosecure funding for follow-up crash stud-ies.

The current study will reveal the factorsthat cause crashes. Follow-up studieswill use these results to identify effectivemethods of avoiding, or preventing,crashes. Future lobbying efforts shouldfocus on securing funding for multiplefocused studies conducted on specificcrash factors, within individual states,rather than the global “all encompassing”study design used in this initial “cause-discovery” study.

ABATE of PA Motorcyclist Rights Rally 31 Years Protecting

Motorcyclists’ RightsHarrisburg, PA – The Alliance of Bikers AimedToward Education (ABATE) held its 31stAnnual Motorcyclist Rights Rally on Monday,May 19, at 1:00 PM, at the state capitol inHarrisburg. The event kicked off the 2008 rid-ing season with a proclamation by the governor,designating May as Motorcycle Safety andAwareness Month.

Downtown Harrisburg filled with several hun-dred motorcycles prior to the rally at the statecapitol. Motorcycles lined both sides of ThirdStreet as motorcyclists of all ages filled therotunda.

Addressing the hundreds of motorcyclists from

across the state was Kevin Snyder, StateCoordinator of ABATE of PA. Mr. Snyder is along-time advocate for motorcyclists’ rights andsafety. Snyder states, “Here in the Capitol iswhere the rubber meets the road for the rights ofthe motorcycling community in Pennsylvania.From the four corners of this state and all pointsin between, you are the riders who take time outof you busy lives to ride with us today.”

This year, ABATE of PA was joined by threestate representatives that rode with the groupfrom the starting point in Shellsville to theCapitol. Thanks to Representatives Sonney,Moul and Seip. Representative Mark Kellerjoined us at the capitol. Other speakers at the

rally included the Lt. Governor Catherine BakerKnoll and Senator John Wozniak.

Following the introduction of speakers was thepresentation of ABATE of PA’s prestigiousClarence D. Bell Scholarship awards to EliSentman, Jr. and Edward Jacob Schultz. Thetwo recipients of the awards were selected basedon essays and good standing in ABATE of PA.ABATE congratulates these young members,and wishes them the best. Each year, the schol-arships are given in the late Senator’s honor tokeep his memory alive and to encourage ouryounger members to further their education.ABATE of PA Lobbyist Charles Umbenhauergave an update on the Readshaw’s Raiders proj-

ect, and thanked ABATE for its continued sup-port of the Ride to Gettysburg. To date, ABATEhas donated $65,000 to the GettysburgBattlefield Preservation Committee through itswork with Representative Harry Readshaw andthe annual Ride to Gettysburg.

ABATE of PA thanks everyone who helpedmake the entire three-day weekend another greatsuccess.For information on ABATE of PA or the RightsRally, visit www.abatepa.org, or call 717-731-8955.Steve ZurlPublic RelationsABATE of PA


Motorcyclists Confederation of CanadaFree MCC Membership Compliments of your

local Motorcycle & Scooter DealershipToronto, Ontario, Canada April, 2008

Toronto, ON - The Motorcycle andMoped Industry Council (MMIC)member companies and theMotorcyclists Confederation ofCanada (MCC) are pleased toannounce a joint venture that hasauthorized dealerships across Canadaproviding a free one-year MCC mem-bership with the purchase of a newstreet-legal motorcycle or scooter.

To obtain your free one-year member-ship, it’s as simple as filling in yourinformation and the VIN number ofyour new bike on the MCC website at:http://www.motorcycling.ca/newbikeOnce the new bike owner has regis-tered with the MCC, the discountpackage kicks in with the offer of a15% discount on motorcycle insuranceas well as other great discounts andsavings that apply to MCC members

only.

“This is a perfect partnership that pro-vides riders with immediate, tangiblebenefits, and exposes them to thepower of rider advocacy”, says PeterJacobs of the MCC. “MCC and itsmember federations, associations andclubs are constantly working on issuesof safety, land access, promotion ofthe sport. This program will enhanceour ability to serve the rider while theyenjoy their chosen recreation or trans-portation. We greatly appreciate theindustry’s support of our work onbehalf of riders.”

“Safety, training and education are apriority for the MMIC and its membercompanies,” says Bob Ramsay,President of the MMIC. “We want allenthusiasts to enjoy their riding expe-

rience and offering a free membershipwith the MCC is just one more waythe motorcycle and scooter industrycan help new bike owners obtain themost up to date information on eventsand activities, where to ride safely andhave a lot of fun while you’re at it.”

So, whether you are a new or experi-enced rider, take a moment to drop into any of the participating dealershipsacross Canada who represent, BMW,BRP (Can-Am), Canadian ScooterCorp., Deeley Harley-Davidson,Ducati, Honda, Hyosung, KTM,Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Victoryand Yamaha and check out what ‘s outthere for this years riding season.

MCC is the national not-for-profitorganization that champions motorcy-cling interests throughout Canada.

MCC supports the growth of responsi-ble motorcycling in Canada byincreasing awareness of positiveaspects of the sport and keeps you upto date on what is happening at thelocal, provincial and national levelwhen it comes to two-wheel riding.

As the national non-profit trade associ-ation, originally founded in 1971,MMIC represents the responsibleinterests of major motorcycle andscooter manufacturers, as well as thedistributors and retail outlets of motor-cycle and scooter related products andservices in Canada. Check out thewebsite at: www.mmic.ca where youcan find out how to be the best rideryou can be as well as check out thesites of each of the MMIC membercompanies.

Could We Work Smarter (continued)

know what I’m on about…. KEEP ITSHORT. Heh.

One way to get some understanding andsupport is to do things (at least the strate-gic support structure of things) by com-mittee.

Recently a friend who belongs to anSMRO in a state not my own said to me“I wish we had enough folks to do thingsby committee.” I said back to her - - youdo! It might not seem like it, but you do.Depending on your organization’s by-laws, constitution, policies, etc., you verylikely can just start a committee. The per-son holding the office for that subject canchair it or appoint a chair. Kick aroundideas. This is not hard. Let anyone whois a member and has an interest be on thecommittee. Do it via email if you cannotget together often enough, and try to gettogether quarterly. The organizations Ibelong to that utilize this method havemade great strides.

I’m only putting forth these suggestionsbecause I’m hearing these sorts of com-plaints, and not from one member, nottwo, but a few. National message boardsreflect similar problems. I think that inthis day and age of instant gratificationand multi-tasking, it is not hard to con-

ceive that we are beating our people upwhen we give them “more for their headthan their posteriors can take in.” Smallbytes, exposure to outside experiences,greater understanding born of workingcloser together. This has nothing to dowith intelligence and everything to dowith method of delivery. We need tokeep in mind our over-burdened audi-ence.

If you agree, or disagree, I’d be glad tohear from you. If you are the leader ofan MRF Sustaining SMRO and wouldlike some input from our SSMRO Repsto the board, by all means contact them.That’s what they are for!

We appreciate the input, and as formyself, as one of your Member Reps tothe Board, I will do what I can to helpput you in touch with the folks who cangive you more tools or understanding.Call me or email me and if I do not knowhow to help, I’ll find someone who does.We are in this together. Cannot stressthat enough. Come see us in Denver!Send some folks who have never beenand watch them go back home fired up.

Till next time, Cindy

Rope Request for

MOTM Tug O’ WarLadies and Gentlemen,

As you know we have held the Kilts and BibsTug-of-War at the last two Meeting of theMinds as a fundraiser for the MRFPAC. It hasbeen suggested that this year in Denver be thelast time we do this event as the score nowstands at Bibs 1, Kilts 1 and that this yearwould be the tie breaker. This event has beena tremendous boon to the fund raising effortfor the PAC and Carol Simpson deserves allthe credit for coming up with the idea andturning it into a successful activity. Recentlyan email was sent out saying this would be thelast and final Tug-of War. After great discus-sion and much input from those of you outthere that want to see this continued the PACCommittee at the Summer BOD meetingrecently in Kansas City decided to retain theTug until such time as the interest declines to apoint it is no longer profitable. We will there-fore continue the Tug in the future. Havingsaid this we have a request. Last year due tosome miscommunications we were struck atthe last minute to find rope for the Tug. Carolsresourcefulness once again came through andfound the ropes we used in Cedar Rapids.They were working ropes from a barge compa-ny and needed some extensive cleaning beforethey could be used.

So we would like to request: anyone with arope to donate suitable for the Tug pleasecome forward. If there is a state organization,a group, or individual that would like to donate

the cost of a new rope or perhaps a rope itselfwe would appreciate it. Hopefully we canalleviate possible hassles in procuring a ropefor future Tugs. The rope would need to be atleast 2 inches in diameter no bigger than 3, andapproximately 75-100 feet long. We have hada projected cost of between $200-300. Therope needs to be of natural fibers, hemp orsisal, no artificial materials, as last year Ibelieve we found that Nylon has a tendency tocut the hands.

A second request we would like to make:Anyone who has an idea for alternative com-petitions please let us know. Now lets keep itclean, but we welcome your ideas. A coupleideas that have surfaced are possible state-to-state challenges, challenges between north andsouth, BEAST of the East vs. BEST of theWest. There was even a suggestion that hadsomething to do with Speedo’s; I’m not surewhat that is all about! Please send your ideasto [email protected] and I will circulate them tothe Board and members of the PAC committee.We will definitely be holding the Kilts andBibs in Denver so start gathering support nowand don’t forget to bring your gloves, yourKilt, or your Bibs and the third installment ofthe tug will once again help with the importantactivities of the PAC.

Thank you,Steve ZimmerMRFPAC Chairman

ArkansasConnie ShepherdMRF State Representative

ABATE of Arkansas promoted May asMotorcycle Safety Awareness Month byworking with Governor Beebe in issuing astate wide proclamation. The proclamationreminds Arkansas motorists to be aware ofmotorcycles on the roads as more and morepeople are using them as a mod of trans-portation.

Also for the first time, ABATE provided"Look Twice-Save a Life" yard signs to eachmember household in an ongoing effort topromote motorcycle awareness throughoutthe state.

In this year's election, 76 of the 100 Houseof Representative seats ran unopposed and30 of the 33 Senate seats were unopposed.In several of the seats we are seeing familymembers replacing current members whohave decided not to run again or who havetermed out.

As of this writing, I have not received wordif a State Coordinator for overseeing the2010 grant money has been hired yet.Nothing more to report on this for now.

After a rainy spring, we are now in the hot,humid days of summer. Lots of rides andevents to attend.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun riding sea-son!!

Ride Safe, Ride Free,

Connie Shepherd

ConnecticutRon TroiaMRF State Representative

It is now “official”. The ConnecticutLegislature adjourned during the first weekof May with virtually no mention of motor-cycles at all. Fortunately for us they werevery preoccupied with a huge surplus thatturned into a significant deficit within abouta week and a half. So it turns out they real-ly did have to deal with budget matters. It ishighly unlikely any motorcycle related mat-ters will surface during the special sessionthat is sure to happen in the near future.Once again they will have to “fix” the budg-et.

Since my last report the ConnecticutMotorcycle Riders Association has held twomajor events including the brand new SpringFling which was very successful. Goodfood, good band, and a good time. Kudos toJim Whitney for doing such a great job set-ting up this event. On a related note, thisevent will be planned for sometime in thefall toward the end of Connecticut ridingseason. Watch the newsletter and websitefor future updates.

The 25th annual May Day Breakout Partytook place on Sunday May 4th. The weath-er did not want to seem to cooperate in themorning but by noon time the sun came outand the temperatures rose so it turned out tobe quite a good event. There were somevery competitive biker games and the bandprovided great entertainment. Also, manythanks to The Bridgeport MotorcycleAssociation for once again doing a bang upjob in the kitchen. They have been doingthis for many years and we could not do it

without them.

The CMRA sent seven members to the Beastof the East in Peabody Massachusetts and Ithink we all were able to gain somethingfrom the various seminars. Great job Carol.

And finally we had five CMRA members goup to Boston for the annual Storm theStatehouse lobby day put on by theMassachusetts Motorcycle Association onMay 15th. We did hit a shower or two on theway up but all in all it was a nice ride and apleasure to again visit with and help thosefine people. Paul Cote really has it going upthere.

Well that is it for this report. My bike is alldetailed and ready to go and the weekend isupon us. I’m going riding!!

Ron TroiaConnecticut

MinnesotaMichael BergerMRF Assistant State Rep

Riding season is progressing up here inMinnesota, and a lot is underway. While ourFailure-to-Yield bill didn’t make it throughthe state legislature this year, we’re confi-dent that, with hard work, we’ll get it passedin next year’s session. And our governor,Tim Pawlenty, remains a good friend tomotorcyclists – in fact, he invited folks fromaround the State to join him at the Capitol inSt. Paul for the signing of his proclamationdeclaring May as Motorcycle SafetyAwareness Month.

After a whole lot of letter writing done by awhole lot of people, Minnesota is proud toreport that we now have both of our US sen-ators signed on to the HIPAA. (I think we’rethe only state to say this, but I could bewrong.)

It’s been widely reported among numerousmedia sources that motorcycle fatalities areat an all-time high in Minnesota. What themedia fails to also state is that the sheernumber of registered motorcycles inMinnesota is also at an all-time high –219,000 in 2007. While it cannot be arguedthat 56 people died as a result of a motorcy-cle crash in Minnesota in 2007, the entiretruth of the statistic is not fully understooduntil you look at the number of deaths andcrashes per 10,000 registered motorcycles.Here’s how it really breaks down:

· Fatalities per 10,000 RegisteredMotorcyclists: At the lowest level since1999· Crashes per 10,000 RegisteredMotorcyclists: At an all-time low sincedata started being collected in 1980

What these numbers absolutely prove is thattraining and awareness campaigns work!

Lastly, Minnesota’s Motorcycle SafetyAdvisory Committee, a volunteer oversightboard that helps direct motorcycle aware-ness, training and licencing efforts and poli-cies, is spearheading a conspicuity program.Geared towards helping motorcyclists standout on the road, the program is centeredaround print advertisement and an onlinesurvey that motorcyclists from around thecountry can participate in to help themincrease their visibility. To learn more, andto take the survey and visibility quiz, go towww.highviz.org.

Mike BergerMRF Asst. State Rep

NevadaDale Andrus Co-Rep Nevada MRFJohn Bland Co-Rep Nevada MRF

News from Nevada,

We have been very busy with our caucus andcounty convention, John and I were dele-gates to the county and state conventions.We are talking to candidates about our issuespertaining to Motorcycle laws and safetyconcerns.

John and I attended Virgin Thunder in south-ern Nevada, and met with A.B.A.T.E. ofSouthern Nevada members about what theywanted us to do in 2009 Legislative session.

As has been done for the last 30 odd yearswe will be introducing a bill to change the"Protective Headgear" (helmet) law to free-dom of choice for adults.

We are also introduce a bill in favor of lanesplitting (by request from So. A.B.A.T.E.).

Our third bill will be for Right of Way viola-tions to increase penalties for any injury ordeath caused from violating the Right ofWay of another.

John and I also attended a Nevada PublicSafety meeting in Carson City on impairedmotorcyclists. Others in attendance wereAAA Insurance, MADD, Nevada RoadRiders Club, Carson City Sheriff's Office,Nevada Highway Patrol, Nevada RiderSafety Program Director, and others. Thiswas the first time for this type of meetingand John and I were glad we took the day offto drive 650 miles round trip to attend.

Dale Andrus Co-Rep Nevada MRFJohn Bland Co-Rep Nevada MRF

New YorkProspecctorMRF State Representative

Apparently, New York has declared war onmotorcyclists. On October 7, 2007, NewYork State Dept. of Motor Vehicles and NewYork State Police, along with several locallaw enforcement agencies, conducted whatthey term a "safety check" on I-84.Strangely enough, Marcus Dairy, a fewmiles east, in Danbury Conn.(right off I-84),was having one of its' Super Sunday events.Some 280 motorcycles (apparently carsdon't need safety checks) were diverted intothe rest area just east of the Taconic StateParkway and over 100 citations were issued.This was not the first time New York motor-cyclists were targeted enroute to MarcusDairy, a long-time gathering place formotorcycles of allkinds.

Later that fall, ABATE of NY was madeaware of an e-mail sent out to all StatePolice Troops to the effect that similar "safe-ty checks" were to be conducted at motorcy-cle events statewide, with federal grantmoney to be used to pay police overtime. Atthat time, Jeff Hennie's help was enlisted toascertain that no 2010 funds were beingused.

In January, 2008, ABATE members, alongwith AMA Congressman Denis Petrie metwith DMV officials and representatives ofthe Governor's Traffic Safety Committee,

and were told that these so-called safetychecks were in response to increased motor-cycle fatalities. DMV's position is that theseroadblocks are legal, not discriminatory, andcannot be considered profiling. Shortlythereafter, the DEDICATED Rider Ed Fundwas raided to the tune of $552,000, moneythat comes directly from surcharges onmotorcycle registrations and licenseendorsements.

DMV and State Police plan to continue thistargeting of motorcyclists at events this sum-mer, despite protests from the motorcyclingcommunity. New York's lobbyist hasbrought this situation to the attention of leg-islative Tourism Committee Chairpersons inboth houses who agreed to take a close lookat the potential cost in tourist dollars.

North CarolinaCindy HodgesMRF Member Representative

NC General Assembly opened for its short ses-sion in May. CBA/ABATE of NC held it’s firstLobby Day of the session on May 21.Representatives (biker constituents) from all buttwo of the 22 chapters of the organization showedup to talk to their legislators. A small number ofnon-CBA members showed up also to lobby withus – they met at our command central location,took information, and came back with reports.

We set up our command center in a hotel roomtwo blocks from the legislative office buildings.Doc Ski, our state legislative director, had pack-ets prepared for every legislator. We had a com-puter set up, room numbers and directions readyto go, people in place to help the lost, and a scav-enger hunt set up for those who wished to partic-ipate.

From about 8 a.m. until about 4 p.m., waves ofbiker constituents came and went. After visitingtheir legislators, they returned to the commandcenter where they were debriefed. This gave usvery good feedback from at the legislators andstaff. From this information, we will be able tostrengthen our strategies for this session. Thefeedback is clearly showing that our GeneralAssembly, and the bureaucracy it works with, iswell aware now of who we are, what we stand for,and what is NOT coming from our organization.All in all this was a great day.

Doc Ski also managed to find time in this day tosit in on a Transportation Committee meeting andtake Matt Shamblin (CBA/ABATE of NC’sdirector of Safety and Education) over to meetwith NC’s Governor’s Highway Safety ProgramChief for all things motorcycle, John Stokes.Matt and John had been emailing for nearly twoyears but this was their first face-to-face. DocSki has been writing the grants for the Safety andEd department (successfully!) and now the threeof them are happily working together. I must saywe’ve come a looooooong way in that depart-ment. The monies from the TEA-LU fund (atleast in our state and through our organization) goto educate young drivers just getting their licens-es all about seeing motorcycles on the road andsharing that road with them.

Like most all SMROs, CBA/ABATE of NC isexperiencing a rise in membership yet a dip infunds. We are reaching out to our contacts acrossthe nation for ideas about what is working forthem, and also thinking back to things tried in thepast that might not have worked before but per-haps will now, in order to work smarter. Likeeveryone else, we have learned that there is evenmore to work on so we must make do with whatwe have and figure out new ways to bring in morefunds. I have faith we will prevail!

Around the USA MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION July/August 2008

Around the USAWe continue to have great leadership in the pres-idency of Randy Norris, and a treasurer inDarlene Kimsey that is the best we have ever had.Our state secretary has taken the professionalismof the position to an all time high, and our otherofficers are all working diligently and best of all,TOGETHER in our common goals. I remaininordinately proud to be a long time, lifetimemember of this fine SMRO.

Like most state MRF representatives, I am work-ing on retaining memberships in my state for theMRF. I try to do this in the most expeditious andcost effective manner (there’s that work smartthing again) and contact the North Carolina MRFmembers via email. If you have not heard fromme, then your email address has changed. Pleaseconsider emailing me at [email protected] orTiffany in the DC office at [email protected] andhave us update your email address.

Spring stopped over here for about ten minutes inNorth Carolina and we have already, starting atthe end of May, hit into the sweltering 90+ degreetemps. Born and raised in the south, I’ll never,ever, get used to the heat and humidity. But! Thegood news is that in the weeks between April 19and May 19, I managed to log about 4300 mileswithout ever going more than 150 miles fromhome. Even if some of it was in a flood up to myboots <heh>. See how great it is when you areout of work? There’s a shiny side to everything,my mother always said.

OhioBarbara TittleMRF State Representative(with huge credits to Imre Szauter for theROW updates news. It certainly is nice tohave someone else provide the bulk of thearticle.)

On May 29 the Ohio Senate JudiciaryCriminal Justice Committee held a hearingon our Right of Way Senate bill 158. TheCommittee was chaired by Senator TimothyGrendell, who has been supportive of M/Criders rights and has been courted by con-stituents Maggie Kimble and Dale Williams-legislative rights proponents in the CMRO(Concerned Motorcyclist Riders of Ohio.)Also Ohio Senator Joy Padgett, another longtime supporter, spoke with Senator Grendellto encourage a hearing before the summerrecess. Numerous stalwarts from the OhioROW Working Group attended the hearing.Imre Szauter, AMA Manager of GovernmentAffairs, was prepared with some brief previ-ously provided. Others from the workinggroup who attended were Senator Padgett,Jim Elgin and George Nitzsky (of OhioABATE), John Gideon, Kristy O’Leary(Ass’t MRF Rep), Mike Stanley and SharonMontgomery (who had previously offeredpersonal experience testimony.)

No attendees offered any opposing testimo-ny. Chairman Grendell called for introduc-tion of an amendment to be offered bySenator Tim Schaffer (a co-sponsor). Thiswas an amendment suggested by theWorking Group to address concerns of theOhio Highway Patrol and law enforcementcommunity. (The Working Group had previ-ously received notice that the OhioProsecuting Attorneys Association hadrescinded its opposition to the bill.) Thecommittee voted to adopt the amendment.Senator Schaffer made a motion to bring thebill for a vote, but due to the presence of astrong non-supporter and absence of twosupporters, the motion was withdrawn andthe bill tabled.

At a post committee conference withSenator Padgett, she explained that this kept

the bill alive for a vote at a later date. Thisgives the working group time to lobby thefull Senate with and information campaignabout the amended bill, while encouragingthe motorcycling and bicycling communityto take action. With the opposition of theHighway Patrol and Prosecuting Attorneysnow addressed, this will also give theWorking Group time to consider anapproach to the House version of the bill.

It is encouraging to have strong supportfrom Senators Padgett, Schaffer and thepromised support of Senator Fedor. Theydeserve a hearty “thank you” from riders inOhio. (You can find contact phone numbersat the AMA website.)

The ROW Working Group will continue itsmonthly meetings at the AMA’s M/C Hall ofFame HQ in Pickerington.

On the national side, Maggie Kimble andDale Williams (CMRO) made a lobby trip toDC in the end of April along with theirLegislative Director Jerri Mitchell-Tharpand Lonnie and Dawn Berkshire. The teamvisited offices of seven Congress peoplefrom northern Ohio. They discussed theRight to Repair and HIPAA bills and theantics of Transportation Secretary Peters.Our Congress people agree that helmet pro-motion should not interfere with training andawareness campaigns. Way to go! Thankyou to the CMRO reps for keeping the wordalive in D.C.

South DakotaJiggs CressyMRF Asst. State Representative

ABATE of South Dakota hosted the 19thAnnual Heartland STEAM (Seminar ToEducate And Motivate) on the weekend ofApril 25th and 26th in Aberdeen SD.Heartland STEAM is a regional rights con-ference for the Upper Midwest, includingSMRO’s from SD, ND, NE, MN, IA, WI,and IL.

On Friday the 25th, Mother Nature decidedto play hardball on us bikers. She dealt us anhonest to god blizzard, with up to 19 inchesof snow and high winds. The weather hadpeople stuck all along the way, when thehighway patrol closed all the highways lead-ing to Aberdeen. Needless to say our crowdwas a little light for the Friday night generalsession.

The Friday night’s session covered what hadhappened in each of the SMROs during thelast year. There were some frantic calls toleaders of the SMROs that were stuck, bypeople from their organization that would becovering for them. People continued totrickle in all thru the night, includingHardtail who had a little incident on his bikealong the way. He and the bike were fine,and with a little South Dakota brotherhood,he made it to the conference none the worsefor wear.

Saturday started with the highways stillclosed and half of the breakout presentersstill stuck. With a few changes in the sched-ule, we thought we would have it all cov-ered. By lunch most of the presenters hadshown up.

Saturday started with a forum on ROW(Right Of Way), with each state explainingwhat was working and what was not work-ing. This was followed by a report on motor-cycle accident statistics from the South

Dakota Office of Accident Records. Nextwas a report on the Motorcycle AdvisoryCouncil. And the morning ended with anupdate on Federal Issues by Hardtail.

Our breakouts for Heartland STEAMincluded:. Effects of Impaired Riding,Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Data, Howto Set Up a Road Hazard Program, FederalLegislate Update, 501(c)3 Non profitOrganizations, Managing a meeting fromthe back of the room, Accident SceneManagement, and Share the Road programsfrom WI, IL, and IA.

We ended the night with a banquet, silentand live auction. The final numbers are notin yet but it looks even though the weatherwas cruddy, and the attendance was down itwas still a successful fundraiser for theMRF.

Jiggs CressyVice Coordinator ABATE of South DakotaSouth Dakota Assistant MRF Rep.

TennesseeCarol SimpsonMRF Asst. State Representative

MAY 20th was the last day of the 105th ses-sion of the Tennessee General Assembly.May 19th was the last day of life for HB1283—modification of the Helmet Law. Itdied a quiet, miserable death in the BudgetSub-committee - the black hole, on theBehind the Budget Calendar. This is wherebills that have “unfavorable” fiscal notes,and even more unfavorable opinions of themajority leadership languish, unless thereare “special circumstances” that they maysee the light of day. Yes, there are ethicsrules in the Tennessee General Assembly.Yes, there are sunshine laws that providethat there be no “secret meetings”. Yes,Tennessee is South of the Mason/Dixon linewhere the Good Ole Boy community stillthrives. We will remain credible, account-able, and consistent. But, we have learned afew things, too.

For two years of the 105th GeneralAssembly, the CMT/ABATE FreedomFighters worked, built support, learned andwon several initiatives, defeated bad legisla-tion, compromised on other legislation, andstrategized with fine sponsors. We hostedgreat legislative days. In the midst of thesetwo years, we, along with many caring leg-islators, mourned the passing of ourLegislative Director, Mike Hays. Grassroots folks came and visited their legislators,made phone calls, and wrote letters.Sometimes not in huge numbers, but withcommitment and dedication. CMT/ABATEleadership took up the banner and led ourfolks through intricate negotiations regard-ing amendments that the Budget Sub-com-mittee refused to hear and vote on. LikePennsylvania, Tennessee has been seekingFreedom of Choice for over two decades.Perseverance.

Now, that many feel we have offered asmuch compromise as possible, we haveendured the disrespect of our rights to beheard. The next step is to get SERIOUSabout elections. Stay tuned. During the election cycle, CMT/ABATEwill be hosting the Southern Thunder Rally.August 22, 23, 24. Old School Biker Rally.Adams, TN. Email [email protected] formore info and a flyer. Support the organiza-tion that WILL NOT GIVE UP!!

TexasRevvv KieffnerMRF State Representative Nominee

SPUTNIK says that I’m nominated to serveas our new MRF State Rep. Since I moved toTejas now, I guess he’s right. I’m a memberof Texas Motorcycle Rights Association,Texas ABATE Confederation, and now asupporter of Texas Defenders. AlsoGWRRA.

Motorcyclists in the Lone Star State areactive and effective. We have our own regu-lar TV show called Texas Politics BikerStyle and most of the politicians are viewers.We’ve been running the 2 major politicalparties here for more than 10 years now. Weinsert our own planks in both state partyplatforms. And we do a lot more. That’s whytoday, we can ride freely, unencumbered andindividually choose what we wear likeAmericans should. And that’s why our bikeinsurance policies didn’t increase by over$1,000 a year. That’s why every police offi-cer in Texas is legally required to take annu-al sensitivity training, so they don’t profilemotorcyclists and racial minorities. That’swhy so many other good laws are enacteddown here (and why bad bills are kicked tothe curb).

Every legislative session, we give each statesenator and representative lists of bills thatwe expect them to support or to vote against.If they are newly elected and confused,Sputnik tells them, “This is OUR house andyou may remain in office for as long as yousupport us. If you ever lie to us or fail to sup-port our issues, then we will replace youwith a biker come next election.” So anytime it comes down to that and s/he isdeemed unfit to be our public servant, wekeep our promise a year later and get some-one else elected. Sputnik’s as honest as arobin. So we are sincere; we never lie tothem.

During each session in the capitol building,Sputnik and other riders sit up in the balconyand watch. Whenever a senator or represen-tative has the floor and is not sure aboutwhat our tens of thousands of politicallyinvolved Texas motorcyclists think about abill, s/he announces, “I want to know whereSputnik stands on this question.” Everyonethen looks up overhead and our brothergives either a thumb-up or a thumb-down.That’s how we do it down here.

In addition to MROs and 9 Confederationsof Clubs working together, we have builtpowerful coalitions with non-riding groups.This month Sputnik endorsed the newDefenders program and has himself becomea Texas Defender. So now most all of theindependent motorcyclists and patch-hold-ing bikers are either volunteering to becomeDefenders or signing in as supporters. Thepurpose of the program is to instantly gener-ate an overwhelming number of letterswhenever needed (addressed to politicians,saloon owners, bureaucrats, or whoever elseneeds to receive them) and we include ourvoter registration numbers and require awritten response. The chair of all theConfederations of Clubs, Gimmee Jimmyannounced that whenever Sputnik sends outa call for letters, all of the clubs throughoutTexas will start writing them.

Our only remaining obstacle is the presentTexas governor who is in the transnationalcorporations’ pockets. We pass bills throughboth houses easily but he vetoes all of them.

continued page 19



Sustaining MembersAs of 5 June 2008

Alaska

Juneau ABATE of AKDan & Suezanna CoffeyMina DouglasKevin EldridgeScott HamannJames Max KitchensFrank MarineauBoyd & Debbie McFailMike Seaman

Arizona

State Office MMA-AZState Office ABATE of AZAmon Builders Inc. AZ Confederation of MCAZ Rider M/C NewsINB Communications Mountain Motorcycles Assoc Law Tigers of America Deborah ButittaWarren Levenbaum Ed Ridder Louis Schwitzer III

Arkansas

State Office ABATE of ARDist 1 ABATE of ARDist. 14 ABATE of ARDist 17 ABATE of ARDist 22 ABATE of ARDist 26 ABATE of AR USA Promotions 13 Rebels MC Chapter 5 Shepherd's Window Cleaning Phillip Barnett Rusty LeewrightAllen Winn

California

State Office ABATE of CALocal 6 ABATE of CALocal 14 ABATE of CALocal 15 ABATE of CALocal 19 ABATE of CALocal 58 ABATE of CA Fix My Hog, Inc. San Diego H D Valley V-TwinJim Brown Hank HallmarkJean HughesRichard MansfieldKelvin Martin Mark Thoms Byron SandsJess Sorel Bob White Donald Woodson

Canada

AMTTV Comite' D'action Politique M/CMotorcyclists Confed. of Canada

Colorado

State Office ABATE of CORider Ed ABATE of CO Dist 1 ABATE of CODist 5 ABATE of CO Dist 6 ABATE of CO Dist 8 ABATE of CO Dist 10 ABATE of CO Dist 11 ABATE of CO Dist 13 ABATE of CO Dist 14 ABATE of CODist 15 ABATE of CODist 16 ABATE of CODist 17 ABATE of CO Dist 18 ABATE of CO

Nat. Assoc. of SMSA JB Janitorial, Inc.Lafore's IncTorch Barr & Sue TorchDave Christy Jim & Renee ClarkErik EriksonMiles FranceGrant Goble Jim Jones Scot & Trish LockeDeb Lower Maggot Mike & Linda NeisChris Ryan

Connecticut

State Office CMRARay Holbrook William Ogonowski Ronald Troia

Delaware

Kent County ABATE of DE

District of Columbia

Howard Segermark

Florida

State Office ABATE of FLEstero River ABATE of FL Gulf Coast ABATE of FLSouthwest Chapter ABATE of FLBruce ArnoldClaude HamelinkDouglas MacCoy

Georgia

State Office ABATE of GADist 1 ABATE of GA Dist 2 ABATE of GA Dist 4W ABATE of GA Dist 5 ABATE of GA Dist 6 ABATE of GA Dist 8 ABATE of GA Dist 10 ABATE of GA Dist 11 ABATE of GA Dist 13 ABATE of GA Southland's Full Throttle Magazine Jim & Sheila George

Hawaii

Street Bikers United HawaiiMaui Street Bikers United HawaiiWarren & Josee Woodward

Idaho

ICMSABATE of North IdahoHoodoo Chap ABATE of N ID Featherberry Farm NW Classic M/C Joel ArnoldiCharles CoulterFrank J DanielsR Chris Lambing

Illinois

Beaucoup Bottoms ABATE of ILBlack Diamond ABATE of ILChicago ABATE of ILCrawford County ABATE of ILCrossroads ABATE of ILDuKane ABATE of ILEastern IL ABATE of ILEmbarras Valley ABATE of ILFreedom By Choice ABATE of ILFreedom Valley ABATE of ILFulton County ABATE of ILHeart of IL ABATE of ILHeritage Trail ABATE of ILJasper County ABATE of ILKaskaskia Valley ABATE of IL

Kishwaukee Valley ABATE of ILLiberty Chap ABATE of ILLincoln Land ABATE of IL Mid State ABATE of ILNW Suburban ABATE of ILNo. IL ABATE of ILOld River ABATE of ILOpen Roads ABATE of ILPeo Taz ABATE of ILPiasa Gateway ABATE of IL Shawnee Hills ABATE of IL Shoal Creek ABATE of ILSo. Dupage ABATE of ILSo. IL ABATE of ILSo. Suburban ABATE of ILSt. Clair County ABATE of ILStarved Rock ABATE of ILTri-County ABATE of ILTwin Rivers ABATE of ILUnion Jack ABATE of IL Westgate ABATE of ILWill County ABATE of ILAmerican Harley Express M/C Barak's Truck Repair Barrio Riders Illinois M/CChap. 12 Freedom RidersKelly's Chicagoland Law Tigers Law Office of Daniel GoodmanSteel Justice M/C Rich & Barb AmlingDave & Kat ConnerDr. Dennis FarrellRobert "Gopher"GoffinskiVernon GottelPib KnebelJim "Legs" & Paulette KorteDonald LopatkiewiczDave & Lee MartinRobert Myers & Katleen SkeltonLawrence SchabRandy ScottVince & Sue StarkoJim & Marilyn Viverito

Indiana

State Office ABATE of INRegion 1 ABATE of INRegion 2 ABATE of IN Region 3 ABATE of INRegion 4 ABATE of IN Region 6 ABATE of IN Region 7 ABATE of INRegion 9 ABATE of INRegion 11 ABATE of INRegion 13 ABATE of IN Elkhart County ABATE of INLake County ABATE of INMorgan County ABATE of INPulaski County ABATE of IN Starke County ABATE of INCh. 423 American Legion Riders IN MC Operators Safety ProgramPit Bull Leather Co, Inc Keith BensonBig ChuckBill CreightonJohn Hansen Frank Hernly Gino JohnsonMorris & Dee KintnerRobert MaasR.P. MorrisThomas RandolphMichael Swadener Robert SwitzerRod Taylor

Iowa

State Office ABATE of IADist 4 ABATE of IA Dist 5 ABATE of IA Dist 7 ABATE of IA

Dist 9 ABATE of IA Dist 10 ABATE of IA Dist 11 ABATE of IA Dist 12 ABATE of IADist 15 ABATE of IADist 16 ABATE of IA Dist 20 ABATE of IADist 24 ABATE of IA Dist 25 ABATE of IA Chosen Few M/CJ & P CyclesMcCubbin’s Trophy’sSecond Chance Motorcycle Sons of SilenceJohn BarberRonald BraaksmaCharlie & Norma CannyMike Cmelik Mad Dog & Lady KittyMark Maxwell James & Roxana WestMark & MJ Winslow

Kansas

State Office ABATE of KS Dist 1 ABATE of KSDist 2 ABATE of KS Dist 3 ABATE of KS Dist 4 ABATE of KS Dist 5 ABATE of KSDist 7 ABATE of KSDist 8 ABATE of KSDist 9 ABATE of KSDist 10 ABATE of KSDist 11 ABATE of KS Dist 12 ABATE of KSDist 15 ABATE of KS CAMM Enterprise, LLCGraveyard Custom Cycles Sledge Hammer Repair, Inc. Chris & Carol Maurich

Kentucky

State Office KMA/KBA Ed Matheny

Louisiana

State Office ABATE of LA, Inc.

Maine

United Bikers of Maine Hancock County UBMKnox County UBM Penobscot County UBM Sagadahoc County UBM

Maryland

State Office ABATE of MDBaltimore County ABATE of MDCalvert County ABATE of MDCarroll County ABATE of MD Mid Shore County ABATE of MD St. Mary’s County ABATE of MD Washington County ABATE of MD Jay Irwin BlockTom Greenbank Pc.hlp/Henry Winokur

Massachusetts

State Office MMA-MA Paul W Cote David Elias Walter Polchlopek

Michigan

State Office ABATE of MIRegion 1 ABATE of MI Region 5 ABATE of MIRegion 6 ABATE of MIRegion 7 ABATE of MI Region 8 ABATE of MIRegion 9 ABATE of MI


Sustaining MembersRegion 11 ABATE of MI Region 12 ABATE of MIRegion 13 ABATE of MIRegion 15 ABATE of MI Region 16 ABATE of MIRegion 17 ABATE of MI Region 18 ABATE of MIRegion 19ABATE of MIRegion 21 ABATE of MI Carco Auto ElectricFarmer's Tavern Last Chance Cycles Proud Veterans Motorcycle Club Shady Shores Inn Tecumseh Harley Davidson ShopTown & Country Sports Center Vince & Pam Piacenti Thomas & Patricia RahnDavid & Wendy RamirezDaniel SagatawEd Steinkampf

Minnesota

State Office ABATE of MNBorderland ABATE of MNBuffalo Ridge ABATE of MNCentral Chap ABATE of MNE. Central ABATE of MNFlatlanders ABATE of MN Heart Of The Lakes ABATE of MNLake Chapter ABATE of MNLower Corner ABATE of MNMetro ABATE of MNNorth Star ABATE of MNNortheast ABATE of MN Northwest ABATE of MN River Riders ABATE of MNRiver Valley ABATE of MN Rolling Prairie ABATE of MNSand Dunes ABATE of MNSo. Central ABATE of MN Tri-County Chapter ABATE of MN Glacial Ridge ABATE of MN Assoc. of Independent RidersSt. Croix Valley RidersMichelle & Mack Backlund Michael & Mary BergerDavid “Too Tall” CarlsonJon Krapu Buzz Plante & Karen MayTodd & Dawn RibaJohn SullivanKevin Todd

Mississippi

State Office ABATE of MS

Missouri

Central Committee FORR Local 29 FORR Mid-America Freedom Rally Steve "Wildman” Howard Stephen MorrisSteve Word

Montana

State Office ABATE of MTLower Yellowstone ABATE of MTJoshua Herbold

Nebraska

State Office ABATE of NE Larry & Penny Schutt

Nevada

ABATE of Northern Nevada Cecil's Custom Cycle AccessoriesIroncrossmen Motorcycle ClubHigh Rollers Riders Assoc.Red Riderz of Las VegasBud Evans

New Hampshire

Gary Delong R. Skip GoveVictor Sweren

New Jersey

ABATE of the Garden State Rider Education of New Jersey Richard Bogert Scott Knoff

New Mexico

State Office NMMROState Office ABATE of NMFirst Mountain ABATE of NMRio Rancho ABATE of NMTularosa Basin ABATE of NMNM Confederation of ClubsSouthern N.M. Bikers CoalitionChuck & Carolyn Ryder

New York

State Office ABATE of NYColumbia County ABATE of NYGreene County ABATE of NYMonroe County ABATE of NYOnondaga Chap. ABATE of NYOntario County ABATE of NY Orleans County ABATE of NYDist 3 Road Division AMA Melchizedeks MCRobert B BancroftSusan BuckCorky EdwardsRobert FriedrichProspectorJames (Jeddy) TranquillJames Schuyler Timothy Werder

North Carolina

State Office CBA/ABATE of NCBrunswick County CBA/ABATE of NCCape Fear Valley CBA/ABATE of NCChatham County CBA/ABATE of NCColumbus County CBA/ABATE of NCDavidson County CBA/ABATE of NCGaston County CBA of NC Raleigh Chapter CBA of NCRandolph County CBA of NCTar River Basin CBA/ABATE of NC Triad CBA/ABATE of NC David GoreDonald Hampton Bruce Harris Vinny NeumannJoe RiegLarry & Gail Rumler James Tuthill

North Dakota

State Office ABATE of NDFM Crusaders MC Freedom Riders M/C

Ohio

Region 1 ABATE of OHRegion 4 ABATE of OHRegion 7 ABATE of OHRegion 9 ABATE of OHRegion 11 ABATE of OHConcerned M/C Riders of OhioRegion 1 CMRORegion 8 CMRORegion 16 CMROSteel HorsepowerLarry BelfordJim BownRobert E Jones JrJoe & Robin PickensRoland "Buzz" UdeMichael Zaciewski Sr.

Oklahoma

State Office ABATE of OKLakes Area ABATE of OK Muskogee Chap BATE of OKDaniel Hill

Oregon

BikePAC of Oregon Central OR ABATE of ORJosephine Chapter ABATE of OR River City ABATE of ORSalem ABATE of ORSE Portland ABATE of OR Washington County ABATE of ORJerry's Custom Cycle Repair Joy Hoover Ken Ray Brian Stovall Jill TracyTed Tracy Ed Vaughn

Pennsylvania

State Office PCOMAllegheny County ABATE of PABald Eagle Mt. ABATE of PABlair County ABATE of PAButler County ABATE of PACambria Summit ABATE of PAChester County ABATE of PAClarion County ABATE of PADelaware Valley ABATE of PAFayette County ABATE of PAGod's Country ABATE of PA Keystone Chap. ABATE of PALawrence County ABATE of PA Liberty Riders ABATE of PAMon Valley ABATE of PAPhiladelphia ABATE of PASouth Mountain ABATE of PA Lancaster H/DSusquehanna Motorcycle Club Joe Dickey John GarnerWilliam S. Holmes David Lydick

Rhode Island

RI Motorcycle AssociationJohn Sullivan

South Carolina

State Office ABATE of SCGreenville County ABATE of SC Low Country ABATE of SC Pee Dee Chapter ABATE of SCSwamp Fox Chapter ABATE of SCSC Motorcycle Rights Assoc.

South Dakota

State Office ABATE of SDAberdeen ABATE of SDBlack Hills ABATE of SDNortheast ABATE of SD Rushmore ABATE of SDSioux Falls ABATE of SD Sioux River ABATE of SDThose Guys ABATE of SDWindriders ABATE of SDS F & G MC Wayne & Susan Lettau

Tennessee

State Office CMT/ABATE Upper Cumberland CMT/ABATE Wheels of Thunder CMT/ABATE

Texas

Texas ABATE Confederation Dad & Bag LadyRobert HallBrenda Shea Andy Stoody

Utah

Bob & Sue Addams Brian (B-Y) Hepworth Michael Lythgoe

Vermont

United Motorcyclists of VTSouthwest Freedom Riders, Inc

Virginia

State Office ABATE of VALonesome Pine ABATE of VAMason Dixon ABATE of VA River City ABATE of VA VA Freedom Riders RACE Scott BlankenshipDouglas FindlayJ Thomas McGrathKen Swartz

Washington

Washington Road Riders Assoc.State Office ABATE of WACowlitz Co ABATE of WANorth Kitsap ABATE of WAPacific Co ABATE of WA Rat City ABATE of WAS King Co ABATE of WA Tacoma ABATE of WAJohn Bolin Roy E FisherJo Breneman & Mark CollingCindy Burger Vern Jenkins Ian KingGinger Magures

West Virginia

Upper OH Valley ABATE of WV

Wisconsin

State Office ABATE of WIRegion 1A ABATE of WIRegion 1E ABATE of WI Region 1F ABATE of WI Region 1H ABATE of WI Region 1I ABATE of WI Region 1J ABATE of WI Region 2B ABATE of WIRegion 2D ABATE of WI Region 2E ABATE of WI Region 2F ABATE of WIRegion 2H ABATE of WI Region 3A ABATE of WIRegion 4C ABATE of WIRegion 7B ABATE of WI Ozaukee Cnty ABATE of WI Heartland STEAM Capital City Riders M.C Weigel, Carlson, Blau & Clemens Dan & Barbara BatkerBill "Wild Bill” CarrickDave (Chubby)CharleboisDavid & Susan DwyerJohn Hager Michael Hupy Jesse James KittredgeDonnie LiegeoisWayne & Donna PingeBob & Mary Ready Grant Wilkinson Kirk "Hardtail" Willard

Wyoming

State Office ABATE of WY ABATE of Cody Albany County ABATE of WY Platte Valley ABATE of WY Brian & Juli CoxGraydon Wheeler

For your convenience, we

can accept memberships,

donations,conference

registrations and product

orders by phone or fax, or

via our website, using

VISA, MasterCard, Discover

or American Express.

MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATIONJuly/August 2008

This newsletter is an official publication of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510, Washington, D.C. 20002-4980; phone (202)546-0983; fax (202) 546-0986. All rights reserved. Portions may be reprinted with proper attribution. MRF Reports is published six times a year and distributed nationwide.Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent those of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, its officers or representatives. TheMotorcycle Riders Foundation will not knowingly contract with or do business with any entity that discriminates against motorcyclists in any way, shape or form.

PRESIDENTKirk “Hardtail” [email protected]

VICE-PRESIDENT Michael “Boz” [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT OFGOV’T RELATIONSJeff [email protected]

SECRETARYPaulette [email protected]

TREASURERDave [email protected]

Eric HamptonCommunications [email protected]

Carol DownsConference [email protected]

Dave DwyerSSMRO Board [email protected]

Cindy HodgesMember [email protected]

Jay JacksonMotorcycle Safety/Rider [email protected]

Steve ZimmerMRFPAC [email protected]

Todd RibaState Reps Program [email protected]

Marketing DirectorVacantAccepting Applications

Products DirectorVacantAccepting Applications

John PierceMembership [email protected]

Lynn OldenburgState Reps Board [email protected]

Member RepresentativeJoel [email protected]

Thomas “Doc Ski” WasileskiSSMRO Board [email protected]

Steve ZimmerSupporting SMRO Board [email protected]

Tiffany LatimerDC Office [email protected]

MAIL TO BOARDMEMBERSmay be sent to the MRF officeand will be forwarded. If youmust mail time-sensitive mate-rial to a board member, contactthat person by phone or emailfirst to make arrangements.

Board Assistants

Chuc CoulterAsst. [email protected]

Justin DownsAssist. Communications [email protected]

Tiffany LatimerAssist. Communications [email protected]

Helen WessonAssist. [email protected]

Polly SchoellerAssist. [email protected]

Sarah MuckenhouptAssist. [email protected]

WebmasterVacant, Accepting Applications

Ex-Officio Board

Mark Buckner, [email protected]

Deborah Butitta, Arizona928-308-1117 [email protected]

Chuc Coulter, [email protected]

MRF Reports

EDITOR

Eric [email protected]

Send all submissions

for publication to:

[email protected]

DEADLINE

The FIRST of everyeven-numbered month

ADDRESS CHANGE

Please send in writing to:Motorcycle

Riders Foundation

236 Massachusetts Ave. NESuite 510Washington, DC [email protected]

MRF Office236 Massachusetts Ave. NESuite 510Washington, DC 20002-4980Phone: 202-546-0983Fax: [email protected]

Website

http://www.mrf.org

Mission

StatementTo continue developing

an aggressive, independ-

ent national advocacy for

the advancement of motor-

cycling and its associated

lifestyle, which is finan-

cially stable and exceeds

the needs of motorcycling

enthusiasts.

Mission

GoalsMaintain and improve

our ability to act as an

advocate before national,

state and local legislative,

executive and judicial bod-

ies, and with private or

public entities, regarding

issues affecting motorcy-

cles, motorcyclists or

motorcycling.

Maintain and improve

our financial base and

ensure financial stability.


our capability to meet and

exceed the needs of our

membership base and all

state motorcyclists’ rights

organizations.


our capability to be the

national information cen-

ter for motorcyclists’ rights

information.

Enhance the training of

national, state and local

motorcyclists’ rights

activists.

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We are there… watching.

Support Your Voice in

Washington, DC

Help Build MRFPAC!Contributions of $5 and $10

can go a long way to make

our voices heard in DC

and coast-to-coast

Send to:

Motorcycle Riders Foundation,

236 Massachusetts Ave. NE,

Suite 510,

Washington, DC 20002

Please make checks payable to

MRFPAC

Donations to MRFPAC are not Tax Deductible

We cannot accept corporate checks

Around the USA (continued)

Unlike the previous governor, this one refus-es to meet with Sputnik. So we are workingon replacing that problem child with a bettergovernor who will answer to the people (notto rich stockholders from Europe).

In June our 2 state party conventions willmeet once again to adopt resolutions, selectpresidential candidates, etc. This year is dif-ferent because a lot of non-riding folks areinterested in the presidential race. So thistime, bikers and motorcyclists were not theonly ones that attended our precinct partyconventions. In some precincts (like mine,where most residents are college students)they love the bikers and reelected us as theirdelegates to the county and state party con-ventions. So we get to go on and run the par-ties as usual. But in other precincts, theyelected themselves and left the motorcyclistsout in the cold. So there will not be as manyof us on the state conventions floors thisJune. (Some of us wear our riding gear onthe floor while other riders go incognito.)But it should be back to “normal” in 2010when there is no presidential race.

If accepted as the new MRF State Rep forTexas/Tejas, I will endeavor to ensure myattendance at both MOTM and Best of theWest. I will serve as a communications liai-son and drum up support for the MRF andinvolvement in national politics. In the sad-dle, more miles is good miles.

There is Freedom in the Wind.Hay libertad en el viento.Revvv

WashingtonGlenyce JacksonMRF State Co-Representative

The MRF has accepted my application to beWashington State Co-Rep with MikeCampbell. Thanks to everyone for yourendorsements. I will do my best to do thejob well. I’ll visit the ABATE Chapters inthe southern part of the state and Mike willcover the northern part. We will worktogether to cover the eastern part.

One of my duties is to pass along informa-tion both from you and to you. If you haveany ideas on how to promote motorcyclerider’s rights, send them to Mike or me. Theone thing I am asking your help with thismonth follows. Senator Lautenberg, NewJersey, holds many positions on transporta-tion committees. He works against motor-cyclists’ rights and for national mandatoryhelmet laws. He will work to do away withthe 2010 funds for motorcycle safety andeducation and he will work to take awayyour right to decide. He is up for re-electionthis year. He has a strong opponent namedRob Andrews who is also a Democrat. NewJersey historically votes Dem. He has madea written promise to support motorcyclists’rights and NEVER promote mandatory hel-met use. MRFPAC has made a big contribu-tion to his campaign but he needs your sup-port NOW to win the primary on June 3rd.

Donating to Andrews' campaign could notbe easier. Simply go online to http://roban-drewsforchange.com/ and donate as little$10 or as much as $2300, which is the max-imum donation for an individual. Anyamount you can afford will help. FederalPACs can donate up to $5000.

I did lots of networking at the VernoniaWork Day and hopefully will be gettingsome new members from the Star Ridersgroup.

The following action was taken by theBoard at the May 16-17, 2008 meeting:

By-law change taken as follows:

Article VII. Board of Directors, C. At-large of Director Members, 5. Conductof Elections for At-large Members:

To remove the following sentence: TheDirector of State Representatives willserve as the Election Committee Chair.

Recommendation and accepted toreplace this sentence as follows:

The Election committee will consist ofthe following general elected positions:2 State Reps., 2 Member Reps.. and 2SSMRO Reps. The committee willthen elect the chair of the committee.

The rest of the section will stay thesame.

Thank you

Paulette KorteMRF Corporate Secretary

By-Law Change

MRFNEWS Mailing List

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation wouldlike you to take the time to go to our web-site, www.mrf.org, and sign up for ourAlerts.

Through 3 different Department Directorsand a server change we want to make cer-tain everyone is still on our list so pleasego to the following; www.mrf.org, to sub-scribe to our Alerts, press releases, andLeaders Reports. It is critical with therecent national helmet law push thateveryone has the most current information

possible. When you get to the website you will findthe option to sign up on the left side of thehome page; Sign Up for the MRF NewsMailing List. Click this header and youwill be taken to page explaining theprocess. Click the link “here” and youwill be taken to the sign-up page. Followthe instructions there, return the emailwhen it is sent to you and you will beassured of getting the latest Alerts.

Dave Dwyer

Denver Tech Center Marriott, 4900 South Syracuse, Denver, CO 80237Room reservations, call 800-228-9290. Room rate,* $89 single or double. (Hotel amenities include

refrigerators, hair dryer, coffee maker, iron, indoor and outdoor pools, workout room – Italian restaurant on-site.) *indicate that you are with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation for group rate

Conference Information Pre-register for conference through the MRF, 236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20002. (Pre-registration must be received by August 18, 2008). $60 Current, individual MRF member. $70 Current, individual

MRF member (after Aug. 18th). $70 Non-MRF member. $80 Non-MRF member (after Aug. 18th). Registration includes all workshops, workshop materials, and Saturday banquet. Registration questions call the MRF at 202-546-0983 or Carol Downs at 303-204-6939,

[email protected]. Hosted by ABATE of Colorado, 4725 Paris St., Denver, CO 80239, 303-789-3264

Motorcycle Riders Foundation is proud to present their annual conferencefor politically motivated motorcyclists!

Spend the weekend with some of motorcycling’s most educated and dedicated activists. Learn what issues will impact bikers today and in the future!

September 25th–28th, 2008Denver Tech Center Marriott, Denver, Colorado

• Hosted by ABATE of Colorado •

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MRF Committees

Communications: Eric Hampton (Chair), JeffHennie, John Pierce, Michael Kerr, PaulettePinkham, Justin Downs, Todd Riba, Cindy Hodges,Jim “Legs” Korte, Tiffany Latimer

Marketing: Deborah Butitta (Chair), John Pierce,Cindy Hodges, Paulette Pinkham, Tiffany Latimer,Eric Hampton

Elections: Dave Dwyer (Chair), Cindy Hodges,Joel Arnoldi, Doc Ski

By-Laws: Michael Kerr (Chair), Carol Downs, KirkWillard, Paulette Pinkham

Alcohol Awareness: Steve Zimmer (Chair), JeffHennie, Dave Dwyer, Lynn Oldenburg, SusanHuttman, Carol Simpson, Doc Ski

MRFPAC: Steve Zimmer (Chair), Chuc Coulter,Dave Dwyer, Jeff Hennie, Michael Kerr

Finance: Carol Downs (Chair), Kirk Willard, ChucCoulter, John Pierce, Dave Anderson, PaulettePinkham

Membership Committee: John Pierce (Chair),Tiffany Latimer, Sarah Muckenhoupt, CindyHodges, Polly Schoeller, Todd Riba, Joel Arnoldi

MRFAE: Michael Kerr (Chair), Chuc Coulter,Susan Huttman, Jeff Hennie, Deborah Butitta,Paulette Pinkham, Jay Jackson, Carol Downs, DocSki

Conference & Events: Carol Downs (Chair), KirkWillard, Jeff Hennie, Cindy Hodges, Carol Simpson,Todd Riba, Steve Zimmer, Lynn Oldenburg

Products: Carol Downs (Chair), Lynn Oldenburg,Polly Schoeller, Helen Wesson

Funds Steering Committee: Kirk Willard (Chair),Cindy Hodges, Todd Riba, Jay Jackson, MarkBuckner, John Pierce, Jim “Legs” Korte

Statistics Committee: Doc Ski (Chair), PaulettePinkham, Jeff Hennie, Kirk Willard, David Tusche,Jay Jackson

State & Federal Legislative Awards:

State & Federal: Dave Dwyer (Chair), CindyHodges, Steve Zimmer, Michael Kerr, Jeff Hennie

Awards:

Farmers Award: Kirk Willard (Chair), MarkBuckner, Deborah Butitta

Founders Award: Kirk Willard (Chair), MarkBuckner, Mark Falsetti, Steve Zimmer

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kirk Willard(Chair), Deborah Butitta, Paulette Pinkham

MRF Reps: Todd Riba (Chair), Polly Schoeller

Reps Growth Group: Todd Riba, Cindy Hodges(Co-Chairs), Carol Simpson, Polly Schoeller, LynnOldenburg, Joel Arnoldi, John Pierce

Safety Recognition: Jay Jackson (Chair), CarolDowns, Chuc Coulter, Paulette Pinkham, John Pierce

Thomas Paine Award: Kirk Willard (Chair), SarahMuckenhoupt, Tiffany Latimer

Young Activist Scholarship Fund: Carol Downs(Chair), Cindy Hodges, Jeff Hennie, SteveEggleston, Susan Huttman, Tiffany Latimer

MRF Champions: Jeff Hennie (Chair), KirkWillard, Michael Kerr, Dave Dwyer

mrf reports - july/august 2008

Documents