Remembering Those That Gave For Our Freedom

Executive Report by John Reblin

Well, don’t look now but we are on the downhill ride towards the end of summer. There is still a lot of time to get out and ride and enjoy the warm weather. But the evenings are starting to shorten, and the sun is starting to rise a little later. Hopefully, the rain stops soon so the grass growth slows down.

We had a few events to remember our start as a nation and the men in the military and those at home to get us there. Many of us celebrated Memorial Day to honor those in the military that lost their lives while serving our country. We went to parades and to the VFW posts for the services there. Some just took a few private moments to give thanks for the sacrifices given by the people in the military.

I was driving for work listening to the radio when I realized it was the 80^th anniversary of D Day. From Fox News “The D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, is one of the most famous moments in U.S. military history. It was a turning point in World War II and the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany’s control by American and Allied forces.” Kids that turned into men went from the ship they were on to a small amphibious boat to be left near the shore and fight their way to the beach, many dying on the way in. The fighting to liberate Paris continued until August and then the fight to enter Germany and end the war on the European Front. This action was considered the turning point on the push back of the German forces and led to the collapse after much more fighting in Europe.

The 4^th of July is one of the greatest holidays in the United States. While discussions about splitting from the British rule and the beginnings of the Revolutionary War started in 1775, it was a mixed bag of feelings in public discussions. But as people made stronger arguments for the split it became official to leave the control of Britain in July of 1776 and we were on our way to becoming one of the leaders, after many years, of the free world. Imagine being one of those that signed the Declaration of Independence and what it cost these brave men. Knowing that by getting caught signing this document they would be tried, jailed, and probably killed. They lost out on family, life, and financial gains as they put everything on the line for this fight they believed in. And many families gave the little they had along with the loss of life in some cases, to pursue those goals.

We are born with this sense to push back when things are not correct in our world, right? When we look at our legislative agenda whether on the state or on the federal level, we see issues that need to be corrected that our government is having thoughts that they are “good” for us in the United States. We need to stay vigilant in what is going on around us, sharing what we see and getting involved. When those calls to action come out and when we are asked to follow up, we need to step up. That is our “weapon” in the fight against the availability of fuel, making sure we are seen by the other vehicles on the road, along with the selling of our vehicle data. Make sure you are involved in this by signing up on our website to get these alerts and attend your regional or board meetings to learn more about what is going on in our “world”.

I attended the Wisconsin Motorcycle Safety Summit put on by the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council, MoSAC, and thought it was a good start to a conference. This was the restart of an earlier conference held far back in our past but faded away. It was held at WCTC in Waukesha with both discussion groups and with riding instruction.

The breakout sessions were interesting and had some great information. Discussions about making sure you had adequate insurance were presented by Hupy and Abraham. They shared some great tips and ideas to make sure you are covered. Gary Klinker did a great job about discussing not laying your bike down to prevent being in a crash and using proper training and continuing to practice those training skills to avoid being in a crash. Steve Panten did a great job discussing the future of motorcycling and our initiatives to help keep us on the road. There were also discussions about Community Maps and using the information to look for hot spots of crashes and what the type of crashes happening are. Steve and I both had some good conversations with the DOT about different things that we could possibly work together on in the future, to reduce crashes.

Speaking about crashes, we need to really pull together to mentor and discuss with the local riding public about the high number of motorcycle fatalities this year. We want and need to work on lowering these fatalities. It came up over the weekend several times about what can we do to reduce the single bike crash. As of the beginning of June we are up 30 percent over last year’s fatal crashes. When out on those rides point towards the NA beers or other alternative beverages, slow down a bit on the speeds and remind others to ride within their skill levels.

One last thing to mention, John Barajas passed away in May and I just wanted to make a note on his passing. He along with Tony “Pan” worked together to set the foundation and start this organization we are proud to call ABATE of Wisconsin and be members of. Many of us never got the chance to meet and talk to him as he moved on from ABATE of Wisconsin after a time, but I would like to remember John for what he and Tony got started in the beginning years and for giving the control over to those that followed, to keep moving forward in order to protect motorcycle freedoms and rights.

Ride Your Own Ride,

John