Biker Civics 101

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Biker Civics 101...

April 2004.

Night Horse Says Good Night

Senator Ben "Night Horse" Campbell of Colorado has decided to call it quits at the conclusion of his current term. Every motorcyclist's favorite riding legislator and 70 year old Cheyenne Tribal Chief is currently recuperating from prostate cancer treatment and feels his deteriorating health may hamper his ability to serve. On March 3rd he announced he will not seek a third term, placing a spotlight on the slender 51-48 Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. More important for riders, the loss of Night Horse will leave us with very little representation in Washington D.C.. If you've been 'in-active' for a while, it's time to dust off your soapbox and get back into the fight. Without your help, we have only losses to look forward to. Losing is not an acceptable option.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Unfortunately there will be NO Motorcycle
Awareness Rally in Sacramento this year. Since you'll have a little spare time on your hands, that means each ABATE Local needs to step up to the plate and make motorcycle awareness happen at the local level with mayors, city councils
and county boards. If you can get them to "proclaim" May as our special
time, you can then invite the media out for a little free publicity. Having
the proper language for proclamations makes the job 95% easier. Contact me
at splatt.the.harley.ratt@gmail.com and I'll email you the exact verbage. We're
also working on getting an official Resolution from the State Assembly, but
nothing is solidified just yet. More info as it develops.

And then there's the National Level, warm up your fax machines:

ABATE of Colorado, at the request of Senator Ben "Night Horse" Campbell
(R-CO), is seeking help for Senate Resolution 168, "Designating May 2004 as
Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month." Senator Campbell's goal is to have
this resolution passed in the Senate for the next three years, then move it
as a joint resolution, at which time (if it passes) it would be signed into
permanent law. In order for a resolution such as S.R. 168 to pass, about 20
members from each side of the aisle would need to sign on. So far, the only
other sponsor is Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO), also from Colorado. ABATE of
Colorado and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) are asking motorcyclists
nationwide to contact their U.S. Senators and ask them to co-sponsor Senator
Campbell's S.R. 168.

Please have your Senators contact Larry Vigil at 202-224-5852 to sign on as
co-sponsors of S.R. 168.

Each state is represented by two (2) U.S. Senators. If you live in California they are:

Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)
112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3553
Web Form: boxer.senate.gov/contact
S.F. Fax # (415) 956-6701 (they like these, as opposed to the modern
security concerns of envelopes)

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841
Web Form: feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
D.C. Fax: (202) 228-3954 (they like these, as opposed to the modern security
concerns of envelopes)

One free 'atta-boy' or 'atta-girl' for everyone getting a letter back from the Senators.

Famed educator Robert Hutchins once said, "The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment."

I'm tellin' you, either you get with it and make it happen, or it won't happen at all. I expect to see a mountain of favorable responses at our next board meeting.

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"Fight for your rights or turn in your keys" ~splatt