Hello, Friends--
I hope this finds everybody doing well, and having a good week. I'm sending along my Tiger Tales article for March, and I hope you find it informative and enjoyable. I'm also forwarding a Call To Action on behalf of the U.S. Defenders regarding the assault on Biker Rights in Georgia through imposition of a Federally-funded Checkpoint System specifically targeting Motorcyclists.
Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has submitted legislation (HR904) to prohibit Federal money for this type of discriminatory activity. The U.S. Defenders Program, in a Nationwide Call to Action, is asking all concerned Americans to PLEASE contact their Representatives to urge passage of this critical Resolution, and sign on as co-sponsors. Read the information below, and act on it as soon as possible! Thanks for listening, Ride Free and Safely, and I look forward to seeing you on the Road.
In Liberty,
Tiger Mike Revere
Proud Lifetime Member #001, ABATE of Oklahoma, Inc.
US Defenders,
We stand in solidarity together with the AMA,TMRA2,MRF, ABATE, MMA and all citizen motorcyclists in the United States against the Un-Constitutional use of motorcycle only checkpoints being implemented in Georgia ! Coming to your State soon?
Please use the press release below from the AMA to write your State Senators and Representatives in your State to solicit their support against grant money being used by the Federal Government to induce other States to participate in this tyranny!
As you know we have voiced our disapproval recently with this, our work is not finished by any means, it has just begun!
Bill introduced to prohibit funding discriminatory motorcycle-only checkpoints
Take Action!
Urge your Representative to support today!
On March 3, 2011, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced legislation that would prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from providing grants or any funds to states or local governments to be used for any program to create motorcycle-only checkpoints (MOCs). In addition to Sensenbrenner, Reps. Tom Petri (R-WI) and Paul Ryan (R-WI) are original cosponsors.
Because MOCs are discriminatory and have not been proven effective, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) strongly supports this new legislative effort and urges motorcyclists to take action to assure passage. The AMA needs your help to contact your Representative immediately and urge them to cosponsor this legislation.
This bill came about in response to the Motorcycle Law Enforcement Demonstrations Grant (DTNH22-10-R-00386) program administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You can view the grant notice here.
Initially begun in New York State, the process involves establishing checkpoints in which only motorcycles are pulled over and subjected to a series of inspections.
As you may know, the state of Georgia was the only state to receive a grant in the amount of $70,000 from the NHTSA program to create MOCs. The grant will be used to conduct one or more roadside motorcycle-only checks in accordance with what was outlined in the Request for Applications. The Georgia State Patrol (GSP) will oversee the day-to-day operation of the program.
On October 26, 2010, the AMA sent a letter to Georgia's former Governor Sonny Perdue requesting he suspend the implementation of the grant until questions raised by the motorcycling community are addressed. The former governor did not respond to AMA's letter. Therefore, the AMA sent another letter, dated February 15, 2011, to Georgia's newly-elected Governor Nathan Deal. To see AMA's letter, click here.
The AMA cautions riders traveling through the state of Georgia that the GSP may mobilize the MOC before, during and after Daytona Bike Week.
In addition to the letters submitted to the past and present governors of Georgia, the AMA has questioned the potential discriminatory and legal nature of this program and submitted a list of questions for clarification to the New York State Police. To date, New York authorities have not responded. The AMA also sent a letter to the NHTSA Administrator David Strickland urging him to suspend the grant program until questions have been addressed. To view AMA's letter, click here. To view Administrator Strickland's response, click here.
Additionally, on September 30, 2010, Sensenbrenner, along with some of his congressional colleagues, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The congressional letter urged LaHood to suspend the grant program that would expand the highly criticized practice of creating motorcycle-only checkpoints by law enforcement agencies. The AMA strongly supports this important letter. To see the congressional letter, click here.
The AMA believes that the primary source of motorcycle safety is in motorcycle crash prevention and not in arbitrarily pulling over riders and randomly subjecting them to roadside inspections. The NHTSA should focus on decreasing the likelihood of crashes from occurring in the first place. The methods used in New York State and possibly Georgia remain highly suspect and no public money should be applied to promoting such a program without first addressing questions from the motorcycling community.
Specifically, how do MOCs increase the safety of motorcyclists? Where do the selected states draw their authority to conduct MOCs? Will "probable cause" be required to stop a motorcycle under the terms of this grant program? If so, what will constitute "probable cause?" What types of infractions were recorded by New York law enforcement officials at these checkpoints? What criteria will be used to determine if the MOCs are successful? Do states have the jurisdiction to inspect vehicles registered in another state? And, how was the safety of motorcyclists improved by the use of MOCs?
This bill is critical to ending the discriminatory practice of MOCs. The motorcycling community needs you to contact your Representative now to ask them to cosponsor Sensenbrenner's new bill to end funding for MOCs. Just follow the "Take Action" option to send a pre-written e-mail directly to your Representative. Be sure to forward this to your motorcycling friends! The AMA needs motorcyclists to unite against MOCs.
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Act Now on this important issue!
Respect to all,
Escondido Paul
National Lt.Commander
US Defenders
State Chairman – TMRA2
512.276.0681
www.usdefenders.org
TIGER TALES – MARCH, 2011
Well, I sure hope the Month of March ends up less intense weather-wise than February was! After the Christmas Eve Blizzard of ’09, I certainly didn’t expect us to get buried with as much snow as we did this past February-especially with those snowstorms being followed just a few days later by balmy weather in the 60s! Oklahoma set an all-time record for February snow amounts, and the crazy winter weather impacted everything from Rider Safety in Oklahoma and elsewhere to the Super Bowl in Texas. Speaking of which, congratulations to Paul Brinker, our State Safety Officer, on his beloved Green Bay Packers bring home the Lombardi Trophy. I know he’s one happy Biker!
I returned from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists Semi-Annual Board Meeting and Region 1 Conference just in time for the Oklahoma Blizzard and temperatures hovering near zero, after spending four days in Honolulu, Hawaii! The Conference, hosted by Street Bikers United (Hawaii’s Motorcyclist Rights Organization) and Hawaii’s area Motorcycle Clubs, was a successful celebration of Riding Freedom in the Aloha State. We enjoyed educational and informative seminars and presentations, as well as a get-together of the Confederations of Clubs from NCOM Region 1 and other states. At the NCOM Board Meeting, we finalized logistics and the agenda for the upcoming 26th Annual Convention, scheduled for May 5-8 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Albuquerque, NM. You can download and print a Pre-Registration Flyer by logging onto the NCOM Website at: www.aimncom.com It’s taking place the week before the MRF Bikers on the Beltway event in Washington, DC and isn’t too far a journey from Oklahoma, so make plans to be part of Biker History! I was also able to squeeze some sightseeing in while on Oahu, and accomplished an important mission. Having brought ashes of our dear friend and fellow Freedom Fighter Sputnik with me, a number of us from the NCOM Board went out to the USS Arizona Memorial with them. Now our hero and fellow Veteran rests in the company of other heroes. It was a very heartfelt and emotional experience for me.
A number of issues we’ll be focusing on at the NCOM Convention will relate directly to how ABATE has interacted with our Oklahoma lawmakers during our February 23 Biker Legislative Day at the State Capitol. We’ll have more information on how that event transpired in April’s Biker Journal, but ABATE’s goal this year is to follow up on a very successful 2010 Legislative Session with education of our House and Senate, agencies like the Department of Public Safety, and Law Enforcement on all levels with what has been newly legislated to enhance and protect Motorcycling Safety, Education, Awareness and Sharing the Road. Ideally, successful implementation of what was passed last year will directly contribute to reducing Motorcyclist deaths and injuries in our state, but that remains to be seen. Still, we’ve come a long way over the years in this arena with ABATE leading the charge, and we’ve enjoyed the lowest number of fatalities in over a decade! We’ve already made progress in 2011 with our first U.S. Defenders Call to Action, which helped influence Congress to vote against extending Unconstitutional provisions of the USA PATRIOT ACT. Many thanks to all who wrote or called their Representatives! Our Oklahoma Confederation of Clubs Strategic Alliance continues to minister to the Biker Community, and is hosting its Second Annual Gathering March 26 at the GSL Church in Tulsa. This will be a spiritually enlightening and rewarding event, so make plans to attend! Check out www.okcoc.net for more information.
Tiger’s Tip O’ The Month: Springtime is a season for renewal, as we can see when we travel the countryside this time of year and observe the emerging new flora and fauna. What better time can there be for renewing and honing your riding skills by retaking the Experienced Riders Course? No matter how many years of motorcycling time you might have under your belt, there’s always something new to learn or an important task or two with which to reacquaint yourself. Getting back on the range with like-minded folks interested in safe, effective and rewarding motorcycling is a terrific way to jump back in the saddle with enthusiasm, and will contribute to your staying upright and out of trouble longer. Remember also that non-ABATE members who take an approved Rider Education Course are entitled to a year of ABATE Membership, so be sure to tell your friends that they can also enhance their overall riding experience by safeguarding it in being part of the fight for Motorcycling Liberty!
I know all of you are thankful that we’re at the beginning of what I hope will be an enjoyable, pleasant and safe Spring Riding Season for all of us, in Oklahoma and Nationwide. This is certainly true as we put one of the most oppressive Oklahoma Winters in recent memory in our rear-view mirrors. Best wishes for lots of rewarding and fun riding miles as the weather gets warmer. Before I close, I want to wish a speedy recovery to Logan Churchwell of our Great Plains Chapter, who broke his leg after hitting a deer on his bike last month. Hang in there, buddy! I’ll look forward to visiting with you again when April arrives and the Sooner State starts to green up. Until then, keep riding Safely, Sober and Aware, and keep asking yourself what you have done lately to make Oklahoma the best state in which to ride. It’s the "Mirror Test" our dear departed friend Sputnik would have each of us take!
Keep It On The Black Strip Between The Trees,
Tiger Mike