ABATE Speaks Loud and Proud

Executive Report by Chubby

Like most of you, my time is divided up between work, family, and ABATE. Which is just like family, and that makes it easier. Quite often I combine all these things, because face it, there are only 24 hours in a day. So ABATE’s always on my mind both at work and also when I’m out with my family. The other day I visited with an old friend of mine while we watched his son’s baseball game. While sitting by the dugout watching and listening to the goings on, I heard the coach talk about some things we could all do. Now I give this guy a lot of credit because firing up a group of kids isn’t easy without food or free video games. He talked about giving 110%, giving it your all and then just a little more. He talked about overcoming adversity with mental toughness. And finally, he talked about a little thing called pride. Pride is what drives us to do better when we could get by with doing less. Pride is what drives us to achieve and overcome when others believe we can’t. Pride is what separates leaders from followers. And as you should all know, ABATE of Wisconsin Inc. is a leader in motorcycle rights in the nation and we can all be proud of that.

While some states struggle with mandatory helmet laws that won’t go away, increased right-of-way penalties reduced in committees, funding cutbacks for motorcycle education, extreme profiling issues, and trouble clearly defining a motorcycle, ABATE of Wisconsin Inc. marches on. Setting an example for others to follow, we passed the Roadway Users Responsibility Act 466 in 2006 with five separate issues passing in one bill. This should make all of us feel one thing; PRIDE. When parts of this legislation weren’t being handled the way the legislation was intended, we went into action. Following right of way violation cases throughout the state and then working diligently with legislators and the DOT to correct the bill which was signed into law in 2012 as Act 173. And of course, finished the job two years ago, adding over a dozen situations that we would consider ROW violations that weren’t part of the original bills. We should all be proud of the things that we accomplish when we work our tails off to get the job done. Did you give 110% effort to get the job done? I hope everyone can say yes to this because really, the job is never done. When you’re at an event show your ABATE PRIDE by telling everyone about what we have accomplished for them. You earned it, now show it off. Our products gals even have a t-shirt that proclaims “You Ride Free Because of Me” that our members can be proud to wear. I don’t know a single biker that isn’t going to appreciate being able to go thru a red light when the signal doesn’t acknowledge his existence without waiting for a cage to show up. What biker won’t think we are making significant progress toward justice when his brother is taken down in a right-of-way violation and the cager doesn’t get away with an $85 failure to yield ticket anymore? Is mandatory (normally a bad word) motorcycle awareness education not a benefit to everyone on two wheels? Just try to find someone that would like to pay more for something he’s already earned and stand in line twice (in reference to the temps waiver when you take a certified rider education course). And finally, try to find another state where motorcyclists are at the table working alongside the DOT in safety efforts without accepting losses in freedoms. These things alone should be enough to persuade every biker to join ABATE. Through numbers comes strength. Show that you’re proud of your organization and talk it up about what we’ve been doing lately. You’ve earned it.

All of us have a lot of fun at biker events throughout the state including our premier rally, the Summer Hummer, held at ABATE Acres just north of Greenwood. In order to get a little more use out of our land and to promote the biker lifestyle to our children ABATE of Wisconsin and the Junior Patriots are holding the tenth annual family campout at ABATE Acres Aug. 9-11th. This event was designed as family friendly for kids of all ages at no cost to members. This is a “bring your own everything” event but I imagine a few will bring enough to share if you’re worried about not packing enough supplies. Games and activities are planned throughout the days and movies, storytelling, and some campfire songs are planned for the evenings with everyone sharing the cooking duties during the event. The shower and restroom facilities will be open, and we will utilize the indoor space evenings and in the case of inclement weather. What better way could you spend a weekend with your family than to spend it with your ABATE family too? I hope to see many of you there.

ABATE of WI will once again have a vendor spot at the Tomahawk Fall Ride in September and we welcome any help that’s offered. We will have a spot at Bubba’s, and we’ll be working on other spots, if we get enough help. Please contact our Marketing Director, Doris Weber, if you are interested. This weekend is always a lot of fun although the nights get quite chilly, so bring someone to warm you up and make sure you take in the great riding in the Tomahawk area and visit us at one of our vendor spots. Make sure to show your ABATE pride because it’s a great place to show it off.

In October, we’ll be hosting our 45th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Meeting a little further south for a change, we have a whole page of information dedicated to it further in this newsletter, so don’t delay in making a reservation because rooms will go quick. And, if you know someone you think has done an outstanding job and deserves recognition; please contact me or your district director with your nomination.

Finally, as you take advantage of this beautiful weather and long days enjoying a ride on the scoot; take the time to think about all we’ve accomplished together. As a united voice for bikers, ABATE speaks loud and proud. Although there will always be plenty of work to do to keep us safe and free on the road, remember that we’re all in this together. And when you’re at work, out with the family, or just putting some miles on the scoot; talk ABATE up. We’ve done great things for everyone on two wheels for the last forty-five years, make sure they know it. Let’s celebrate. Show your ABATE PRIDE. Until next month…Ride Free.

Chubby