Posted by Dragoni: 01/18/08

Rich Bright's Final Report

 Hello, fellow ABATE members and anyone else lucky enough to have a copy of our newsletter.
I hope you find the following pages informative and useful.

To those that are already members, thanks for all the support you already give.
 

 This will be my last Newsletter article as your State Coordinator.
I would like to end it on a good note:
First by saying thank you!
To all those who have helped ABATE and kept me straight, and those that have picked up the slack when work took priority over ABATE business.
 ( I have not listed them here) I have tried to tell them personally.

 In the last two years, we have managed to get most of the work done, increase our numbers, put more in the bank and add chapters. 2 out of 4 Ain’t bad and it Ain’t great.  We added a few chapters and we lost a few chapters. We lost about as many members as we gained. We did leave more green in the bank and reduce the old and new business from 14 Items in April 2006 to 2-3 items in Jan 2008.

 I believe that for ABATE of WA to be more successful, the chapters must take greater role in State Business, the State must re-new Chapter Charters and commit to work with chapters. Also, all chapters and the State must have the same bank, so real accounting and shared info is possible. I believe that the entire structure has to change. When ABATE of WA was formed, type writers with ribbon was advanced technology, 10 years later ABATE had one computer for membership and a dot matrix printer. Technologies have change and we have not kept pace.

 

  To Darla, and J Craig, good luck in your next adventure and thanks!

Anyway, good luck Mick G. thanks for stepping up to the plate and doing what you do.

I am stoked to announce the following- Chapters, before you order your next t-shirt, give state products a call, they have two new machines to do shirts, hats and mugs. Spring Opener tickets should be on-line and on the web, and shirts and tickets will be available at the Swap meet!!!
  Be aware, Swap meet is just a few weeks away!

You can do it!  But we can together do anything!! Again, farewell…. See ya soon!

 Posted 11/15/07 by: Dragoni

Between now and Black Thursday 17 Jan, 2008

Get involved now to set the groundwork for Black Thursday!

1.      Are you a PCO? (If you don’t know what one is, you are not)

·         Contact the State Party of your Choice: Tell them you want to contact your county chairperson.

Republican:      206-575-1690  or www.wsrp.org

Democrats:       206-583-0664  or www.wa-democrats.org

·        Each District needs a Rep. too stay in contact with their Legislator and the ABATE Legislative Director.

2.      Get involved, in County Party Politics!

·        Offer to do a ride,

·        move furniture,

·        donate money,

·        go to meetings,

·        offer security, etc

3.      MEET YOUR LEGISLATOR FOR COFFEE, between now and Jan 2008

(This a must)

·        Invite them to a Freedom Run!

·        Take them to lunch, with your buds. (Bye them lunch)

·        Give them $5 bucks or more each, (If you like them)

·        Invite them to a chapter meeting.

4.      How to make appointments for Black Thursday?

·        Select one person from your chapter. (to eliminate duplication)

·        Pull your folks to see if they have done this or know any of the Legislators.

·        To find your Legislators info go to:   WWW.leg.wa.gov/wsladm/default.htm.

·         Know how many folks from your district will be attending with you. (reserve a room if over 6, ASK LA How)

·        Call LA (Legislative assistant) They are the key, be nice, friendly tell them why you want a few minutes with their boss. They know what it is about.

·        If you can go to Olympia and pre-meet the LA and get the lay of the land, try to schedule based on office locations. If you are not careful, you might get real tired going up stairs and elevators.

·        Be flexible, sometimes you might need to walk down a hall with Legislator. Sometimes you might have to split your forces.

·        Start in November, Early mornings are best to call and to meet.

·        Any troubles contact your local ABATE or the ABATE Legislative Director

"Laws provide against injury from others, but not from ourselves."

Thomas Jefferson

 Posted 10/17/07 by: Dragoni

 Hello and welcome! If this is your first time reading this publication, then I hope you find it informative and that it sparks an interest and a desire to take an active roll in your “Free Pursuit of Happiness on two or three wheels!”
 
       ABATE is a Motorcycle Rights Organization!
 I will admit we do not speak for all of Washington’s 200,000 plus riders, but I believe we represent
 the thousands that give a damn about their desire to Ride Free!

To those that are already members, thanks for all the support you give.

This report is going to be a little short- real busy lately. It seems the WA National Guard Unit I am in, may get another 12 month vacation Iraq again. So I may get deployed again starting sometime after September 2008.

The STEAM, (Annual Member and Officer Training) is in the can and to those that made it happen, great job as always.
 Because of the National Guard, I missed the 2nd Annual Awards Dinner and the BOD Sunday,
 To those officers that stepped in & got it done- THANKS.

 Next on our list of stuff to do is Black Thursday, yep it is already that time of the year. Start calling your reps and take a moment to meet them for coffee, let them know you are shocked at the latest attempts of WA DOL and the WSP to target us, (the victims of careless drivers.) Tell them you are also concerned at the NTSB attempt to control the states. Tell them about the nationwide attacks on Motorcycles, IE: Road Bans, making public road off limits to Motorcycles, sound ordinance that are impossible to comply with and yet tickets are being written anyway. I am seeing more tickets for illegal Helmets and illegal modified pipes. Some states say it must have an EPA stamp, but not in WA- I will attach the State Law Verbiage for you to have in your bike. If you get one of these tickets fight it.

 I must also apologize, my communication lines went down and I got my wires crossed. In the Eastern WA, from Tri-Cities to Yakima, the local city councils have been passing ordinances that target Mexican Gangs, causing violence in Eastern WA. The new rules allow Police to use membership in Gangs as a pretense for stops, searches and seizure. While we all can agree, safer streets is the goal, many of us in the biker community do not abdicate our constitutional rights being trampled on in an effort to make us safer. In California, the same kind of laws are now being used on Bikers, and the RICCO Act, that was designed to catch Al Capone’s Gangsters, is now also being applied to Bikers. The WA COC (Confederation Of Clubs) planned a ride in the Yakima Valley, I misunderstood, and was under the belief it was a Club Run, so I did not encourage ABATE participation, for that I am sorry. I believe you should let your Reps and city councils know, we are apposed to any and all Un-Constitutional kind of Laws, that take away due process, allow officers to target folks that don’t fit there idea of acceptable society. Last time I looked, American is still the land of the free and not the land of Stalin, Moa or Marx, but sit on your hands, close your eyes, stick your head in the sand and wait, it will be……

So until next time- See Ya- stay Free believe in Liberty & never give up.

 You can do it!  But we can together do anything!! Rich B.
ABATE of WA  State Coordinator

 Hello and welcome! If this is your first time reading this publication, then I hope you find it informative and that it sparks an interest and a desire to take an active roll in your “Free Pursuit of Happiness on two or three wheels!”  ABATE is a Motorcycle Rights Organization! I will admit we do not speak for all of Washington’s 200,000 plus riders, but I believe we represent the thousands that give a damn about their desire to Ride Free!

To those that are already members, thanks for all the support you give. Whether it be in your money or your efforts, it is appreciated. But, let me ask you when the last time you invited a new person to a meeting? Or stopped a stranger. Said hi, then asked them about their right to ride? Or Handed them an ABATE Tri-Fold pamphlet? These current freedoms we have are always being targeted, we need fresh, young hands to help carry the wood to keep the embers of our Liberty burning brightly.

The Fall Swapmeet is in the can, from all reports it was a success, GOOD JOB to Rona, and all the helpers- THANKS. By the time you read this, STEAM, Awards Banquet and the October BOD will be approaching soon. So in advance, I wish to thank the two chapters (N.Kitsap and Olympia) that helped and the untold hours that Darla, Chris, Rona, and anyone else I missed that have contributed.

Very soon our efforts will shift to Black Thursday, but now is the time to contact your Legislative Reps. Go have a coffee with them in your district, let them know that We matter, We pay attention and We Vote!

On the Federal Level, the NTSB has made there recommendations on how to save the over 4000 Motorcyclist killed each year on the hiways. After a year of testimony from Saddle footed, pipe smoking, PHD professor from Berkley (Who do not drive or ride anything that produces carbon) and studying a whopping 6 motorcycle accidents,(yes I said 6!) they have discovered the silver bullet that will save most of these lives… Are you ready, here it comes… Universal National Helmet Laws! Wow, what insight, what depth, boy, am I glad we have not spent our hard earned tax dollars on nothing. If this excites you one way or the other, look deeper in this newsletter to get more information and how to contact you Federal Delegation of Legislators from Washington and the NTSB and the NHTSA, be sure and let them know what ya think…. Your opinion matters. My greater concern, is that with this flawed conclusion, it will be another 40 years before they examine motorcycles and miss out on the real causes of crashes and deaths. We know, even without a doctorate in physics that when 5000 lb car hits 800 lb bike there is going to be a problem for the biker, and that helmets will have prevented zero crashes. Yet the NTSB and our politicians will sleep sound knowing they saved our melons but not our lives….

So until next time- See ya- stay Free believe in Liberty & never give up.

 We can do it!  Rich B.
ABATE of WA  State Coordinator

Some Very interesting reading sent by Rich Bright

BRIAN JOSEPH

Register columnist
CAPITOL WATCHDOG

bjoseph@ocregister.com

SACRAMENTO -- Dain Gingerelli says he locked up a sure sale of his motorcycle in April - about $10,000 for a kit bike he built himself.

But two months later, the bike is gathering dust in his garage and the cash is in someone else's pocket.

What happened?  The state Department of Motor Vehicles, Gingerelli said, blocked the sale.

It turns out Gingerelli used a kit made by Custom Chrome Inc. and the DMV is investigating something related to the company's bikes.

I say "something" because the DMV has refused to give me any details about the investigation, other than acknowledging it affects all California owners of Custom Chrome bikes.

Gingerelli, a Mission Viejo resident who edits the national Harley magazine IronWorks, said an investigator told him the DMV is looking into a motorcycle shop that was improperly building and selling a large number of Custom Chrome kit bikes.

But Gingerelli says he didn't buy his bike from any shop.  The only thing he's guilty of, as far as he can tell, is owning a Custom Chrome motorcycle.

"I'm being held guilty by association," he said.

As it happens, the state frequently goes after bike shops that sell large numbers of custom-built motorcycles.  State law stipulates that kit bikes assembled by hobbyists for their own enjoyment are not subject to emission standards. No smog tests, no maintenance requirements and no special equipment. (The state could add such requirements in the future.)

But a kit bike built and sold by a shop must meet the same emission regulations as a cruiser that's just rolled off the assembly line.  The California Air Resources Board slapped television personality Jesse James with a $271,250 fine for exactly this reason.  From 1998 to 2005, the star of the Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage" built 50 custom bikes in his Long Beach shop West Coast Choppers that did not meet emissions standards.

I tried to find out how many motorcycles or bikers are affected by the Custom Chrome inquiry, but I couldn't get an answer. DMV spokesman Armando Botello actually told me department officials didn't "want" me to know.

Gingerelli led me to a friend of his, Frank Fajardo, who also apparently has gotten tied up in the Custom Chrome probe, and Fajardo said an investigator told him three DMV staffers were assigned to the case, each with 400 to 450 bikes to investigate.  That could stick the number of affected bikes at 1,200 to 1,350.

Fajardo, an Orange County area homicide detective, told me he took out an $11,000 loan to build a motorcycle from a collection of Custom Chrome parts instead of a formal kit.  In March, Fajardo said, he paid off his loan; several weeks ago, he went to the DMV to get his title.

Fajardo said he was told, "'You're not allowed to have the title.' I said, 'What? I paid that off!  That's my property.'"

Like Gingerelli, Fajardo said a hold was placed on his registration, which means the DMV won't allow the title to change hands.  What's worse, he said, is the investigator told him if the DMV decides to cancel his registration, Fajardo won't ever get his title.

Without it, Fajardo said he doesn't think he could sell the bike.

"In essence, they'd give me an 800-pound paper weight," he said.

Both Gingerelli and Fajardo say they first learned of the DMV investigation in January, when they received letters asking for cursory information about how their motorcycles were purchased and registered, information both men say they truthfully reported when they originally registered their bikes.

Both said they were told the investigation would be completed by March.  My questions this week were all turned down because it's an "ongoing investigation."

However, one of the few things the DMV spokesman did tell me was about the registration holds themselves.  Botello said motorcycle owners typically become aware of them when they try to renew their registration.  The holds remain in place until the investigator is satisfied the bike in question has been cleared.

Botello said some bikers touched by the Custom Chrome investigation have had their holds lifted.  Gingerelli and Fajardo think they know why their holds haven't been - both say they wrote on their registration forms that friends from motorcycle shops helped them assemble their bikes.

Both men insist they didn't buy completed bikes from the shops, or even pay for the help.

I would have liked to ask DMV officials about this, but getting what little information I did was quite an accomplishment.  Calls to the investigator Gingerelli and Fajardo dealt with were referred to a supervisor, who ultimately sent me to the spokesman.  And initially the spokesman wouldn't say anything to me.

I had to contact the governor's office before Botello would tell me what little he did.

Incidentally, Gingerelli recently wrote letters to Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine, and Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, about his problems with the DMV.  Both offices told me they couldn't get anything out of the DMV either.

"I understand the dilemma here," Spitzer told me.  The investigation is ongoing, so the department doesn't want to talk about it. But on the other hand, Spitzer says he can't tell if the DMV's inquiry is too broad or if Gingerelli has a reason to be upset.

I found it all very frustrating, but Gingerelli told me he wasn't surprised by the hassles he's endured.

"We're talking about the DMV here," he said.

Brian Joseph covers Capitol issues for the Register.  His Capitol Watchdog column focuses on government practices. To reach him, call 916-449-6046 or e-mail bjoseph@ocregister.com.

 Submitted by Rich Bright
 

05/20/2007 Coordinators Report

Hello and welcome! If this is your first time reading this publication, then I hope you find it informative and that it sparks an interest and a desire to take an active roll in your “Free Pursuit of Happiness on two or three wheels!”  ABATE is a Motorcycle Rights Organization! I will admit we do not speak for all of Washington’s 200,000 plus riders, but I believe we represent the thousands that give a damn about their desire to Ride Free. What does that mean? To me and I believe to most ABATE members, is too Ride what I want, when I want too, where I want too and wear what I want too, with out the interference or regulation of the Government. If you share these sentiments, then look through this newsletter, fill out an application and take an active role in your defense of your right to Pursue Personal Liberty. Better yet, find a chapter in your area and attend their next meeting.

By the time you get this in your oil stained hands, the April BOD will be in the can and Spring Opener will be just around the corner. Your chapter has agreed to at least one shift on the gate or support one of the activates. Check with your coordinator at your May Meeting and volunteer. We are an all volunteer organization and can not sustain the events, our Share the Road stuff or our political efforts without our volunteers, we need you… Thanks in advance!

We also need a chapter or several individuals to head the Fall Swap meet.

Again, Thanks JC for putting this Newsletter together, remember, for every single complaint, there are a 1000 who are good with your efforts, so don’t let the minority get ya down, it is the majority that will still be here next time. Chapter members, if your Chapter is not submitting an article or report each and every month, it is not on me to beat them up- It is your job to rattle their cage and get the info in. How can other ABATE members or chapter support your chapter if we have no clue what you are doing?

Busy- Busy! And now that sunny weather is here, going to all these meetings for ABATE when I would rather be riding gets tougher and tougher, so if you know a person who is a Board Member or and ECOM member, thank them because they are giving up riding time to run ABATE and defend your rights.

Keep it safe and remember, just because ya have the right of way, doesn’t mean you can go forward. Be safe- See Ya around the next corner

Rich Bright
ABATE of WA- State Coordinator
wk 509-225-2266  cell 509-910-4638 Hm 509-697-9877

Is there a new bike in your future?

                 How about this one?

 Mr Bright,

Response to your comment on the Babecage,
The tubes are made of Chromalloy and don't bend easily, besides the bike will fall over before any bending occurs.  The occupants will be ok if they stay on the bike. (Majority people die when they are thrown from a car etc. when not seat belted in) Obviously if you go over a cliff etc you'll die whether you're on or off the bike. So if you stay in the vehicle or on the bike you have a better chance of survival. I think that if a car hits you with the cage you'll have a better chance then without don't you thing? As for any comments on weight distribution. the bike rides the same because the tubes don't add much weight or top heavy aspects either.
The passenger still has great visibility/freedom and has the feeling of being more secure           (testimony from passengers who have ridden on back, no complaints at all !!)
I will also incorporate netting for the passenger sides to keep hand and arms in the seating area, just like race cars.
Just some thoughts from Jim the inventor-      

(So ABATE of WA what do ya think??????)

 According to the bylaws, each year your State Coordinator is required to present an “Annual Report”
 And since I can’t recall ever seeing one, I thought I would look in the State Bylaws and see what it should look like.

 Year to Year Comparison:

2005 Total Funds: $38.893

2006 Total Funds:  $31,279

One of the big differences is attendance at the 2006 Spring Swap Meet was down from 2005.  We must find ways to increase fund raising. Spring Opener and the Fall Swap Meet have the most potential to do that, but it will require volunteers, sound judgment and working on the same page as a group. For a clearer picture see the Treasurers Report that follows this Report.     (thanks Darla)

 2006 Highlights:

Money from Membership: $28,721 

From 2006 Events: Spring Swap Meet netted $11,645, Spring Opener netted $1,527 and Fall Swap Meet netted: $3,848.

 There you have it! Easy! But there is more to the story.

We worked in Olympia, we had all the events we are supposed to, we had all the meetings we needed to, unfortunately we missed our quorum in July, but made it up in August. ABATE of WA had its first and I hope not its last Awards Banquet. We increased membership, but not as much as I would have liked. Tacoma helped pump the Legislative Fund. We created a New Chapter fund to help them get on their feet. We started some new chapters, revived one chapter and let two go away. Several Volunteers have stepped up, I really appreciate the help, ABATE would be lost without your help.

 Therefore it seems, ABATE is as good as it ever was. We ebb and we flow, and if you are okay with that, then great, so am I.  However, if you recognize that ABATE needs to be more, than it can be great, then pick up your bike, add some fuel, kickstart that baby and twist the throttle and lets get down the road together.

13 years ago when I joined ABATE of WA I believed my Freedoms were in jeopardy and I still do!

 I also believed that ABATE of WA was the best vehicle to restore and maintain my Freedoms and Liberty. I currently believe we are so close to taking ABATE to the next level. If we could just maintain our current members and continue to put in the same numbers of new members, we could be at 3-5000 members in 3 years and have an office, and a permanent location to have meetings and events. This will happen if we work together for a set of goals and clear vision for the next 5 years.

Rich Bright

State Coordinator 

Coordinators Report- 03/14/2007

 Hello and Welcome if you are reading this On Line newsletter for the first time,
 I hope you find it informative and useful and I hope it is the first of many more.

Volunteer; vol’un’teer - unpaid assistant and or unpaid helper, Webster’s defines them as: Somebody who works for free, somebody who does something, especially something undesirable, without being forced to do it or somebody who works without being paid.

As an ABATE Member, you should expect the Volunteers to do the minimum of what their stated responsibilities are as set forth in the Bylaws or Policies. As a Volunteer you should expect the tools, info and the direction to do your job, and hopefully be thanked for the thankless jobs you perform. You should not expect to defend every action or lack of action or perceived action from your members.  Leave that kind of destructive dissention to our enemies.

 Now that we know what we are talking about, lets discuss how they fit into ABATE of WA, their rights and responsibilities. In ABATE we do not retain enough members  to maintain an office or have paid staff. Therefore we rely on well meaning folks to give time away from their jobs, family and even riding time too support ABATE and its goals.

 Because ABATE is stuck with a structure that breeds a “Mom & Pop” mentality. A thought process that says all too many times, “We never did it that way before and we are not going to start today.” We are close, as I see it if we could maintain 3000 to 5000 members, we could maintain a small office and a part-time staff, the gains would be expediential.  But as Rumsfeild said to a young soldier in Iraq, “We go to war with the Army we have, not the one we wished we had.” So let’s get back to Volunteers, first we have some and need more. It is easy too sit back and judge them if you are on the sidelines, it is much more rewarding and enlightening if you have a hand on the wheel and are working towards a common goal. What am I getting at?

 We had multiple problems getting the Newsletter out and by the time you get this issue the JAN/FEB/MAR Issue should have been delivered by now. One of our Volunteers took on the job with the best of intentions and it was just a bridge too far.
 But, I wish to thanks Chris D. anyway. 
 Rather than cast stones, another volunteer has now stepped up to take the wheel. THANK YOU  J Craig ( JC ) !!!

 Also I would like say thanks to both:
 Don Cuda, Our new State Public Relations Officer & Peggy Miller Our ABATE of WA New Communications Officer

 In January Ginger agreed to accept the responsibility of Legislative officer a very important job in ABATE. She has made numerous calls & trips to Olympia. She has done the best job she can, and rather than complaining it does not meet your approval of the perceived job responsibilities, instead take that energy and call to see if she needs some help. Only through the hands of the many can the grander task at hand be achieved. To Ginger and all the rest of the Unpaid Helpers- THANK YOU!

By now the 2007 Legislative Season is winding down, now we must look to next year.

 The Swap meet was a success, thank you! Sky Valley and N. Snohomish, you folks made it happen. Also Thanks to- Darla, Jason, Don, Jerry, Rona, Dutch, Renate, Flagman, Mike Z, Ginger and anyone else I might have missed. We made around $11,000. We do need a Lead Volunteer of Chapter to help in September.

So until next time- See ya- stay Free believe in Liberty & never give up.

 We can do it!  Rich B.
ABATE of WA
State Coordinator