Hello, Friends--
I hope all of you enjoyed a fun and safe weekend, with uncharacteristic balmy weather. Here is my February Tiger Tales article, and I apologize for not sending it out earlier--some of the information is after the fact. Hopefully, you were able to check it out already in our ABATE Biker Journal, where you can also find an ABATE Membership Application to send in and join the defense of Biker Liberty in the Sooner State. I'm attaching a flyer for the annual ABATE Legislative Day happening this Wednesday, February 23, and I hope a large number of you will be able to attend. You'll notice that the scheduled start time is 8:30--that's to allow for all attending to meet with Oklahoma Lt. Governor Todd Lamb. He'll be presented the 2010 Oklahoma SMILE Award for his considerable efforts in helping us get legislation passed improving Oklahoma Motorcycling Quality of Life. Have a good week, and I'll see you at the Capitol.
Yours in Freedom,
Tiger Mike Revere
Proud Lifetime Member,
ABATE of Oklahoma, Inc.
Tiger Tales – February, 2011
Greetings to our Motorcycling Community! I hope this finds all of you keeping warm, and getting used to writing 2011 on your checks and business paperwork. Our newspaper publication is timed so article deadlines are the first of the preceding month, so I’ll need to wait to furnish details on what I expect to be a very successful Oklahoma S.M.I.L.E. ABATE General Membership Meeting and the 2011 Inaugural Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs Meeting in Tulsa. ABATE’s Great Plains Chapter has supervised logistics for the S.M.I.L.E. for a number of years now, and the 2011 gathering was shaping up to be the largest ever in attendance. Our OK Confederation Meeting takes place the Sunday of our ABATE Conference, so I’m required to head out in the morning from Quartz Mountain to make it to T-Town on time, especially since things start early with a meeting of the OK Strategic Alliance. This quick-response team of Spiritual and service-oriented Biker groups have done much in support of our Riding Community by visiting motorcyclists and their families when folks are in wrecks or locked down. One of our own was visited when Karl Keogh of ABATE’s Lawton Chapter was victimized by a motorist who caused a head-on collision. Karl’s life partner was killed, and Karl was grievously injured and in the OU Trauma Center. Please remember Karl and the grieving families and friends in your thoughts and prayers. The January Confederation Meeting will also feature Confederation Officer Elections, and key positions are being contested, so I’ll let you know the election results next month. Also, since we’ve committed to hosting the NCOM Region 2 Conference in Oklahoma this coming November, we’ll need to start planning for that landmark event early. Keep checking www.okcoc.net for more information.
As I write this, the NFL Season is winding down and ultimately is progressing toward Super Bowl Sunday. My festivities on that day will begin with a trip to Joplin, MO to attend the Planning Meeting for the 20th Anniversary Mid-South Motorcyclists Improving Legislative Effectiveness (M.I.L.E.) Seminars scheduled for October in Joplin, MO. I’ll have more information to provide as the year progresses, but a number of our membership have attended these events in the past, and know that they provide terrific opportunities to acquire a lot of valuable information and ideas from both our National-level and fellow State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations with which to improve our ability to defend Motorcycling Liberty. ABATE folks are definitely going to want to be involved in this one, so be sure to log onto www.midsouthmile.org to download and print a Pre-Registration form. Before that, however, we’ll need to kick off the 2011 Oklahoma Legislative Session with our annual ABATE Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, February 23, taking place from 8:30AM until 1:30PM at the State Capitol Fourth Floor Rotunda. It’s a tremendous opportunity to get to know the State Legislators, especially since there are so many new members taking office in the Executive and Legislative Branches. Be sure to obtain a flyer from ABATE’s State Website at: www.abateofoklahoma.org
Tiger’s Tip O’ The Month: Probably the most important issue motorcyclists need to be concerned about when riding this time of year, apart from other motorists not being aware that we’re sharing the Road with them, is traction. Highways in February are characterized by lots of sand and salt residue from road treatments for snow and ice, as well as icy spots on wet streets when the temperatures are below freezing. I’ve seen icy roads caused by everything from broken house pipes to automatic sprinklers turning on! Water, sand and oil can especially be a problem at intersections, when you’re vulnerable to slipping at slow speed through turns. Lots of riders don’t pay attention to their tires through the Winter, so make sure you check your tire pressure regularly since you tend lose air more rapidly in cold weather. Taking the time to brave a cold garage and routinely check your machine and equipment might quite literally save you from pain and suffering later!
Well, it’s time for me to bring this to a close for another month. I’ll have more information to share with you in my March article, since I’ll be able to come up with more details then on results of our ABATE of Oklahoma S.M.I.L.E. Seminars, the January Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs Meeting, and also the National Coalition Of Motorcyclists Semi-Annual Board Meeting and Region I Conference scheduled for January 27-30 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Until then, keep riding Safely, Sober and Aware, and watch out for the Other Guy who isn’t looking out for you, especially in the dead of Winter! Hold your Sweetheart close and treat that person right this Valentine’s Day, and remember that’s a good time to remember the old-school Biker maxim: “What Goes Around; Comes Around”! Stay warm and take care of each other, and I’ll check in with you again as March arrives--hopefully it won’t come roaring in like a Lion!
Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,
Tiger Mike