Auntie ABATE / “Cuz” Report

I just got back from Officer’s Training Weekend and while I had a lot of fun, there are a lot of rules to follow.

I thought being a biker / officer in my region meant I could go where the winding road took me and make my own decisions. We are A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments, so why do I have to conform?

                                                                Wind in my face

Dear Windy,

As much as I’d love to free wheel all over the state, ABATE of WI is a Wisconsin Corporation and therefore, has to abide by rules that govern a Wisconsin corporation. That being said, being a corporation doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and do some things, “My Way” as Frank Sinatra would say. But in order to do the work we do and gain the respect that we have with our legislators both in Madison and Washington, we need to play by the rules. And when I say respect, I mean just that. Our elected officials respect the way we get things done and because of that, take the time to listen to our concerns when we visit. We just finished up biker day in Madison. They loved us! We were informed on the topics of our legislative agenda, we were respectful of those we encountered, we came in busloads and we filled the Capitol building with black. When we show up, they listen. Legislators may not always agree with us, but they respect the fact that we are well informed and appreciate the way we conduct ourselves. We know how to get our point across in a way that makes a difference.  My legislator has been known to wear her Harley belt, display a biker blanket in her office and keep “My Grandma Rides a Motorcycle” on her desk when we show up. Respect is a two-way street.

And if we don’t comply with WI raffle rules, where would we be? We are a volunteer organization that relies on fundraising to keep our programs afloat. We have produced some premium programs that we can all be proud of. Our Legislative Agendas are spot on and we have developed Our Safe Rider Program, Our Share The Road Program, Our Highway Safety Program….just to name a few. It is fundraising at the local and state level that keeps those programs alive and well and helps us promote motorcycle awareness. There’s nothing that says we can’t have fun along the way, but we have to be compliant to do so. Read Twit’s article. That ugly green T-shirt we were saddled with many years ago brought us in a total of $53,556.57 over the years at auction and was always donated back to ABATE so we could bring it up for auction again. I hear it will have a permanent, historical display space at ABATE Acres. Well done, green T-shirt and ABATE members, well done. If we handled ourselves like a bunch of renegades, we would not have the oomph that it takes to make an impact and have our legislative and safety concerns heard, so ABATE Officers do have some rules to follow. They are there to guide us, not to turn us off. We need that oomph to keep us riding the rolling hills of Wisconsin and to give us our own choice of safety equipment we use, our own choice in how we ride, what we ride and when we ride.

Speaking of riding………can’t wait for summer and the wind in my face. If I ride fast enough it straightens out the wrinkles that showed up overnight.