Promote Local ABATE Meetings.

If our local meetings are small, that’s OUR fault, not the fault of the Officers. We can talk. We can write and we can invite.  We can shake hands. When’s the last time you invited someone new to a monthly meeting? When’s the last time you took somebody in and shook their hand and made them feel welcome? Appreciated?  A part of a larger community? If your local isn’t growing, isn’t that YOUR responsibility?  You can invite and promote just as well as Local Officers.  This isn’t about “ego” anymore, it’s about doing what’s necessary to get the lid of your head. We’re all in the same boat. Grab a paddle.  The more people we have paddling, the lesser the load as we sail on to victory.

 

Support ABATE Events.

You’re the one who benefits from ABATE events, so why aren’t you showing up?  You need to invite some of your riding buddies as well. ABATE events aren’t plagued with selfish profiteers like all these fly by night leech rides you see popping up sponsored by shady characters looking to put a new Harley in his/her garage.  Money raised at ABATE events benefit YOU, the rider.

 

Know the Issues.

It's not just about helmet laws anymore. They want us off the road, period.  Learn to identify our adversaries. EPA. NHTSA. CHP. AHAS. TF. CARB. AAA!  Take in meetings. Surf the net. Call or email Local Officers or Board Members. There are many challenges to motorcycling throughout the nation and info-sharing increases knowledge, which is POWER.  Be not content with hearing someone elses take on things, learn for yourself.

 

Study History.

You hated it in school, but now you watch the History Channel incessantly and it’s so much more interesting. Insert the word “Biker” into most historical scenarios and you’ve just figured out how to strategize like Patton.  Books on tape, VHS tapes or DVDs from your local library make learning history almost as easy as watching TV.  

 

Exercise and Eat Healthy.

The secret behind any great army is good health. Healthy bodies, healthy minds. We need you strong, we need you energized, we need you muscled, tanned and looking sharp. The “Organ Donor” amendment to AB1200, quite frankly, should have scared the hell out of you considering my current state of health.  Some of my organs you wouldn't  want!  As Bikers, we are feared and emulated as the ultimate "badass" in movies. Let’s live up to our reputation as gentle intimidators.  Start with a walk around the block and slowly work your way up to walking the steps of the State Capitol.  Join a gym, you’ve been thinking about it anyway and now you have a good excuse to serve as your inspiration. 

 

Meet Your Legislators.

As we’re learning in the Assembly Transportation Committee, we need to be working more campaigns, from the get go, during primaries. Each of us needs to be on a first name basis with our legislators.  Both, friend and foe.  These people are making the decisions, right or wrong, that affect your life. You’re either involved in your own life or you let somebody else do it for you.  And if you can’t muster the resolve to do it for yourself, you must find the strength to do it for the sake of your children.

 

Respect One Another.

An age old prophecy told that Bikers would eventually grow complacent with our helmets, begin to fight amongst ourselves and in the end, drift apart.  I’m not going to let this one happen. Bikers are the most diverse demographic on the planet. We come from every walk of life and ride bikes from all over the world. Our love for two wheels is our common thread. There are a hundred different ways to achieve our goals. We need to realize that, ultimately, we’re all on the same side. Put aside the petty bickering and ego crap, there’s a bigger picture here than getting our precious feelings hurt.  Dust off and get back in the ring. We're all humbled by the fact that no one has figured out how to beat the lid law. YET.  The race is still on!

 

Dream, and Dream Big.

Creativity.  Critical thinking. Many of you have had incredibly creative solutions to our plight. Red Barron, Ray Thomas and others think “outside the box”.  You, yourself, might have the magic bullet that breaks the lid law. You could be the one to end discrimination against Bikers.  However, if you don’t share your ideas with the rest of us, it can never happen.  You need us and we need you.

 

Look in the Mirror.

The great freedom fighter from Texas , “Sputnik”, teaches us to look in the mirror every day and ask, “Have I done everything within my means, today, to the best of my ability, to help fight for rider’s rights?”  If you’re not involved, you have no one to blame but yourself.  No bitching is allowed if you weren’t sitting on the committee.  Take responsibility for your own freedoms and stop waiting for someone else to regain your freedoms for you.  They’re YOUR freedoms after all, take responsibility for them.  If you want to know who is ultimately responsible for the lid law, get out your mirror.