AMBASSADOR AT LARGE REPORT                    December          2006

Since my last report we have lost two brothers:  Rambo from EPCC and Dennis Hoover from SKCC.
  My condolences to family and friends. 

  Been busy meeting with West Side Chapters and the word is getting out about showing up for Black Thursday, January 18^th.  If  you have not yet made your appointments with legislators, now is the time.  If you need help in contacting them or finding out who they are, let me know and I can help out.  Remember the last strategy meeting before Black Thursday is on January 14^th at Dirty Dave’s pizza in Olympia @ 1:00 pm.  At this meeting we will be discussing ABATE’s stance on Bills and Legislative issues and putting packets together for Black Thursday.  Your presence is demanded for Black Thursday to fight for your rights as a motorcyclist.  If by chance you are not able to attend because: 1. In the Hospital 2. Busy putting out a fire at someone’s home 3. Stuck at the Airport in New York City because of weather. 4. Don’t care about your rights as a  motorcyclist. I will be putting together a signature sheet from each District covered by South King County Chapter,
 East Pierce County Chapter and Tacoma Chapter that overlap the following districts: 2,25,26,27,28,29,31 and 47^th . 
 This signature sheet will state that the below signed individuals living in your district want you to consider the issues
outlined concerning motorcycles and motorcyclists rights.

New chapters are being worked on in North East Washington and also the South Pierce County area.  The packets have been delivered and being worked on.  It takes some time, but hopefully hope to have 2 new chapters on board by spring time.  The new chapter: RCW West has had a little trouble getting together for a meeting recently, but I for one would consider that fully understandable since the members are all active service men and on duty in maneuvers.
  My thanks to them in supporting my freedoms and rights as an American.

I have met with members of WRRA, MRF and the Evergreen Safety Council discussing motorcycle issues and what their stance is on several issues.  Also talked to several motorcycle insurance companies at the Seattle International Motorcycle show concerning mandatory insurance and none of the insurance companies (if mandatory insurance was to pass) are offering Personal Injury Protection (PIP).  They said they would be only offering Liability as is in place in State of Oregon.

 The International Motorcycle Show brought in several new members and several renewals to ABATE of Washington.  It also allowed us to answer questions  and explain what ABATE is all about.  Believe it or not, there are still people out there who have not heard of ABATE .  I do believe we need to make our presence known by having more informational and membership drive booths at some of the other large motorcycle events around the area such as the Oyster Run, Chelan Run, Sun ‘N Surf and etc.  I think this would help in getting the word out and bringing in new members.

I am available to any chapter at any time for information and/or help in keeping their chapter viable
 and in compliance with the Bylaws.  If you need help, please contact me.

Respectfully submitted, 12/06/2006
Mike Campbell
ABATE of Washington

                AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE       REPORT           November 2006

The month of October has been very busy and I think a lot of good things have happened.  The first ABATE of Washington awards dinner and presentations the evening of STEAM turned out to be a success honoring past officers and other folks in ABATE for their untiring contributions to the cause.  One bitter sweet award to the Freedom Fighter of the year was presented to Karen Bolin’s’ husband, John Bolin since Karen was unable to attend.  It is with great sorrow hearing of her demise on October 30^th.  I attended her memorial on November 4^th in Auburn with many friends and family.  We have lost a great asset to the motorcycle community.  We all have to remember Karen’s words:

“WE’RE IN THE FREEDOM BUSINESS”  and carry on with the fight for our rights and freedoms.

The October BOD finished a lot of business and the Coordinators will report to the individual chapters at their meetings.  I would like to thank Chris Dulas for stepping up to the plate as Ambassador/NCOM.  I know he will be a great asset to ABATE in these positions as he has been in the past with other positions.

 I would also like to thank John Calabrese, Olympia Chapter, for staying on as Chapter Rep in Positions 2 covering Lewis County, Olympia, Pacific, Southwest, Grays Harbor Chapters.

 Also stepping up to the plate for ABATE of Washington Chapter Reps. are as follows:

 Position 1, Mike Zangar of Spokane, covering Spokane, Central WA, Kittitas Co.

Position 3, Jerry Fox of South King County, covering East Pierce County, Rat City, South King Co, RCW West, and Tacoma Chapter.

Position 5, Vern Jenkins of North Olympic covering Kitsap, North Kitsap, and North Olympic Chapters.

After having sat in one Executive Committee meeting with these guys has shown me that the right folks came onboard to take care of ABATE of Washington business and get the job done.  Thanks guys for filling these positions and taking on more responsibilities already knowing you have lots of other duties and responsibilities.

November will be a very busy month:  Holidays, elections, major chapter runs, meetings and most important my birthday, anniversary and the celebrations of being a Grandpa for the first time.  Lincoln Michael Campbell 7 lbs. 12 oz  20” 11/3   4:45pm  and yes I have photos to show anyone that wants to see them.  By the time this report is published we will have voted and getting prepared to make appointments for Black Thursday with whomever is going to be in office.
  Hopefully everyone got out there and voted.

 Respectfully submitted:        Mike Campbell, ABATE of Washington, Ambassador-at-large

                                                                                                         October 2006
ABATE of Washington's 
"Ambassador-At-Large" Report
by Mike Campbell

September 20-24, 2006: I attended the Motorcycle Riders Foundation's (MRF) "Meeting of the Minds" (MOTM) conference in Indianapolis, Indiana and WOW it was fantastic! I met with other ABATE groups from all over the country and motorcycle rights groups from Europe (FEMA) and from Canada (MCC). It was a learning experience attending several workshops on subjects I thought to be important to ABATE of Washington. Ginger Magures from North Kitsap Chapter was also there and we split the workshops up with each other so we could cover them all and share the information. I will start with individual workshops and their general purpose. Some of the workshops dealt with not just getting new members in our organization but keeping the ones we already have and finding out what each individual might be excited about in the fight for our freedoms and keeping our freedoms.

Legislative update: On the national level, important legislation actions are as follows:

HR 2048 - Right to Repair: The motor vehicle right to repair act of 2005 was to protect the vehicle owners by making it illegal for the manufacturer of the motor vehicle to withhold info necessary to diagnose service or repair. This has passed the subcommittee vote and is awaiting Energy and Commerce full committee vote. Contact your US House Reps to sign on to this legislation.

EPA: The EPA new emissions standards will cost thousands of jobs and businesses in the American motorcycling community. Only the largest of manufacturers will be able to meet the stringent requirements being implemented. The EPA is pushing at the United Nations to pass the World Motorcycle Test Cycle as a standard for emissions testing We need to work on getting these regulations to where they are usable and realistic.

Strategizing for Helmet Legislation: Some states have recently passed new helmet laws but most had mandatory insurance required. Some states passed limited helmet laws which meant passenger and riders under certain age had to wear helmets. The biggest push has to be “Freedom of Choice” for any and all adults.

Rider Education and your MRO (Motorcycle Rights Organization) “ABATE”: Our organizations needs to work closely with other mro’s about the importance of rider education in reducing accidents and deaths. Rider education needs to start with motorcycle dealers. Two programs that seem to working well are in Oregon and Idaho and at much less cost. We need to figure out how ABATE of Washington and our chapters can operate education programs, influence legislation that benefits all riders and how rider Education can help influence the public and government in a positive way.

Grass Roots Mobilization: I was a little surprised to learn the speaker was from the NRA (National Rifle Association) until I realized they are a very successful grass roots organization and the number one thing they work for is “FREEDOMS”. So talking about guns or motorcycles did not matter since we are talking about one final goal. We all have to come to the realization that every motorcycle rider can and must do something to ensure we can keep what freedoms we have and protect them from attack. We all must educate our present members and new members to actively engage in the legislative processes. Even simple phone calls to your representatives to support a certain issue is being active.

Motorcycle Specific Legislation in other states: Several states got legislation passed that dealt with “Right of Way/Careless/Reckless/Negligent Violations” Most of the states that got this passed included severe penalties for violations. The only way some of the bills passed was to include; bicycles, pedestrians with the motorcycles. Other bills passed in some states had to deal with Antique vehicle operation ,Helmets not required, Helmets required in some cases, Motorcycle Awareness Month, Motorcycle Lighting (can’t be enough lights on a bike) , Traffic activated signals,

Legislative Planning: We all need to get out and vote this November 7th, as those we vote for can be the right person in office for motorcycle issues. We have several new candidates running for office at the state and federal levels. Be sure to look at your incumbents that you have a measurable record to look at and how they looked after our motorcycling rights. I know we are stuck with the present Governor for the next two years, but we can surround her with people who care about “Freedoms”.

I have much more I can talk about such as Building local memberships, Building Political Relationships, Legislative planning, Conflict resolutions, and How to be most effective in your state and chapter motorcycle rights fight. As I get around the state to visit chapters and other MRO’s I would be more than happy to share any information I have gathered from other MRO’s, ABATE’s, and Legislation speakers.

We must be diligent in fighting for the freedoms we already have and making sure we do not lose any more freedoms.

Respectfully Submitted,
Mike Campbell
ABATE of Washington
Ambassador-At-Large