State Coordinator's Report | |
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Thank you, Abate of Washington, Spokane Chapter, for hosting our Board of Directors meeting. We all enjoyed the food and company.
We had a few changes to our board, and these folks were seated at the July 15, 2023, board meeting. Please welcome William (Bill) Dye as Jr. Deputy Coordinator, Monika Scotti as our new Treasurer, Scott Robinson as our Eastside Ambassador, and Chad Holtquist as our Westside Ambassador. Thanks go to Jenny Rogers and Rob Hatfield for their time on the board with Abate of Washington.
I wanted to clear up a misconception that has been occurring. Spring Opener and the raffle are two separate things. The raffle is a ‘fundraiser’ for Abate of Washington. Spring Opener is a social event for members and riders. We hold the final drawing for the raffle at Spring Opener. These events are not tied together. Click to read more...
Andy McAfee
State Coordinator
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BOD - NEW OFFICERS SEATED | |
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State Treasurer, Monika Scotti | |  |
Jr Deputy Coordinator, Bill Dye | | |
MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION | |
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2022 Motorcycle Riders Foundation Legislative Champions
Representative Susie Lee of Nevada and Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin were recently honored as the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2022 Legislators of the Year. With bikers from around the country gathering in Washington, D.C. for Bikers Inside the Beltway, it was a great chance to thank our 2022 award winners. Read more...
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You gotta fight for your right to repair - SUPPORT H.R. 906!
Do you enjoy working on your motorcycle? Do you want to guarantee access to the parts, tools and service information needed to modify, service and maintain your bike? If you answered yes to these questions, it’s time to contact your member of the House of Representatives and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 906, the “Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act” or the “REPAIR Act”. Read more...
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MEETING OF THE MINDS 2023
LISTENING, MAKING A DIFFERENCE, & MOVING FORWARD TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF MOTORCYCLING & MOTORCYCLISTS’ RIGHTS
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s annual Meeting of the Minds conference will reflect that the MRF listens to our members, partner state motorcyclists’ rights organizations, and motorcycle clubs. MRF members and the motorcycling world can see that the MRF is making a difference and moving forward – on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures -- to protect the future of motorcycling and motorcyclists’ rights. Read more...
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American Income Life - FREE Accidental Life & Dismemberment | |
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If you are a current non-expired member of ABATE of Washington, you will be receiving, or have already received a ‘beneficiary card’ in the mail from American Income Life (AIL).
These cards are mailed out annually to ABATE members as a reminder to update your beneficiary or add some ‘life insurance’ for yourself and/or your family. AIL provides a free ‘accidental death and dismemberment’ of up to $4000 to any non-expired ABATE member. What this means is: if you are involved in an accident and die or lose an arm/leg/eye, etc. AIL will pay you or your beneficiary up to $4000. AIL also offers other life insurance, and if you are interested in getting any type of life insurance or adding to what you already have, they can help you out.
What I’m asking of you members is, please, when they call, be considerate. They are just trying to do their jobs. If you are not interested in any other insurance, let them know and ask them to send you your certificate. If you would like to hear more about the insurance they provide, they will schedule a meet-up with you and give you other options. If you feel that you are being harassed after saying no, please get the person's name and phone number and send it to me.
I cannot stress enough about making sure your beneficiary is up to date with AIL or any other insurance policy you have. Finding out, after the fact, that someone you did NOT want to be the recipient of your demise is too late!
Please, this is a FREE benefit that AIL provides to non-expired ABATE Members, be courteous to them. Click here to read more…
Andy McAfee
State Coordinator
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Thanks to all of you who have submitted articles, chapter reports, and photographs for our Freedom Newsletter.
I will send an email confirmation of each submission I receive. If you do not receive written confirmation from me, the submission did not arrive as planned. Please reach out to me so that I can ensure your submission is included in the next month's newsletter. I will respond with an email confirmation. As always, thank you for sending your submissions by the 15th of each month.
With respect and gratitude,
Shari Carlsberg
ABATE Freedom Newsletter Editor
[email protected]
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There are lots of exciting developments unfolding for bikers across the country. In this edition, read all about Lid Laws being repealed in Nebraska, helmet exemptions for Sikh riders in California, new protections for vulnerable road users in Washington, and much more. Read more... | | | | |
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“Texas” Larry Walker
Legislative Affairs Officer, ABATE of WA
360-271-9285
Background:
“Texas” Larry Walker is a nationally certified Rider Coach for novice, intermediate, and advanced training. He is the Senior Instructor for Navy Region Northwest, a long-time motorcyclist rights advocate with over 45 years of riding experience.
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SUPPORT H.R. 906!
You gotta fight for your right to repair - SUPPORT H.R. 906!
Do you enjoy working on your motorcycle? Do you want to guarantee access to the parts, tools and service information needed to modify, service and maintain your bike? If you answered yes to these questions, it’s time to contact your member of the House of Representatives and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 906, the “Right to Equitable and Professional Auto Industry Repair Act” or the “REPAIR Act”. Read more...
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Interim and Federal Work List
As stated before, none of the “congestion relief bills made it out of committee. Everyone needs to contact your Representatives and Senator, meet with them back in district, and (politely) press the case for keeping the bills moving forward. It’s the height of the summer festival season, and you know that every wide spot in the road is going to have a festival, and, if there is a parade, politicians wil flock to them. What a great time to catch up to them and get some personal time. To recap the bill numbers, HB 1063 and SB 5401 are the lane sharing bills, and HB 1487 is the shoulder riding bill. HB 1063 never got a hearing, so it has the lowest probability of moving. Read more...
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Teddy Bear Rally
August 4-6, 2023
| CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER | | |
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19th Annual Kickback Campout
August 18 - 20,2023
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CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER | | |
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Run to the Desert
August 25-27, 2023
| CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER | | |
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Fall Run
September 9, 2023
| CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER | | |
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6th Annual Run for the Hills
September 16, 2023
| CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER | | |
RIDER REIMBURSEMENT
Complete a State-Approved Rider Safety Course to receive $50 reimbursement & more!
CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW FLYER
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COLUMBIA GORGE
Greetings from a very tired Columbia Gorge Chapter!
After months of careful planning, we are finally on the other side of the biggest event our chapter has ever put on! The 2023 Goldendale Demolition Derby & Fireworks Show drew over 2,000 attendees from around the Columbia Gorge area, bringing the grandstands to maximum capacity. This has never been accomplished before, not even during the previous demolition derbies or the county fair & rodeo! We were in awe at the sheer number of people who came to support this amazing community event. READ MORE
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EPCC
Wow! What a start to summer! The Opener was whirlwind of fun, friends old and new, games and great entertainment. My favorite was the Seattle Cossacks – who, I am told, will be back next year. We had a calm but fun Independence Day and tomorrow we adventure off to Spokane for BOD. If you see this article in time, consider joining us for our annual Teddy Bear Rally in Sumner August 4-6th (see flyer in this newsletter). READ MORE
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FOOTHILLS
Greetings from the Foothills Chapter.
Well its been awhile since you've heard from us and I do apologize for that its been crazy busy already this year. Had our annual pig roast and chapter fund raising event back on Memorial day weekend, It was a great success, everyone had a great time. Rode up to Tipsoo Lk. on the 2 of July to get new chapter photo, it was great weather. As for Aug -Sept We will be hosting our Foothills Fallen ride on Aug 12 please look for flyer. There are lots of up-coming rides from other chapters and groups in which some of our members will be riding along. Here is a list of activities for us.
READ MORE
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KEY PENINSULA
Greetings from the Pen’!
Been a pretty busy summer so far. We’ve grown as a chapter in the last few months and fortunately had some young and youngish folks join. Encouraging and appreciated having some folks like that show interest in our organization and throw their hats in. There is hope!
READ MORE
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SKCC
From the eyes of a new member!
Let me start by saying that I am truly honored to be part of such an amazing chapter. The men and women of SKCC are by far some of the best people I have ever met. More importantly, they are now my brothers and sisters.
When I say ‘’new’’ members perspective, I do in fact mean new, as in I've only been a member for a couple months. I can say that I had never even heard of Abate before I was ambushed by Adalinda at a Jet City beer garden and given tons of information about Abate that seemed too good to be true. I left that event with a free beer koozie and as a brand new member of the SKCC so you can bet I was satisfied. I never would have imagined that decision would have turned into all of this.
READ MORE
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SKY VALLEY
Greetings from Sky Valley chapter in Snohomish!
The Sky Valley Chapter changed our July meeting to a breakfast with a ride afterwards. This was very successful, so we’re go to do it again in August. The meeting and ride are open, all are invited: Meeting 9:00 am – 10:00 am. Ride to follow. Sunday August 13th, Buzz Inn Steakhouse, Snohomish, WA 98296
Thanks to Road Captain Pat Perez and Co-Ride Captain Daniel Mulder for leading a great ride!
Check out a brief video of our ride here; https://fb.watch/lRohS3I7fU/
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SPANAWAY
I had asked our Coordinator if I could write Spanaway Abate Chapter’s ‘happenings’ for the August 2023 Freedom newsletter. I should have jotted down what I was thinking about when I asked…
I wanted to send a huge shout-out to all those that helped at Spanaway Abate Chapter’s camp during the 45th Annual Spring Opener. It takes a lot of dedicated volunteers to not only put on Spring Opener but to corral a group of eclectic folks into an area and reside together for 4+ days or more. READ MORE
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SPOKANE
One of our members, Ann Hooper rode solo 7000+ miles round trip to Laconia, NH. She attended the 100th anniversary of the Annual Laconia Bike Week Rally.
The Spokane chapter is offering Life Flight to all our members in Abate. This offering is going out to all Washington State Abate members. READ MORE
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STAR LAKE
Greetings everyone from Star Lake Chapter,
We had our monthly chapter meeting July 9th, 2023, 10am-11am at Purdy’s Public House in Sumner. The chapter is now planning for the upcoming Hopes Closet ride event in September. Most chapter members attended and participated in the Spring Opener campout in June and turned out to be one of the most enjoyable. The Road Captain (Brian Beckett) has confirmed the route for the Chapter benefit ride in September. No Products report was given as Tracy was not able to attend the meeting. We are working on getting chapter membership award pins.
READ MORE
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Need to reach a specific Chapter?
Get their contact information here:
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Filling in the Blanks
Most people have a pretty clear memory of how they got hurt. Frequently their memories are punctuated with very specific details. “That son of a bitch looked me right in the eye before turning left.” “The front door mat was a bright pastel color.” “The impact made a sound just like an M-80 going off.” But when you go through something traumatic, like a motorcycle wreck, the brain isn’t focused on making memories—it’s focused on survival. The same mechanisms that keep the brain sharp enough to escape immediate danger may also make it harder to accurately recall the event.
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He Passed Me Going 90 MPH
In just about every motorcycle case we have there
are allegations that our client was speeding. There are a couple of important things to know about the issue of motorcycle speed. The first relates to the reliability of witness observations. The second deals with the way courts deal with favored drivers exceeding the speed limit.
Witnesses are almost always wrong about
motorcycle speed. It may be based on the relatively small size of motorcycles compared to other vehicles. Or it may be based on witness bias.
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Public Health and Relations Crisis
The concept of public health has really expanded. It used to focus on disease. Now it includes things like gun deaths. New York’s Governor recently declared
a gun violence disaster emergency. This new strategy treats gun violence as a public health crisis. We have a public health crisis of our own in Washington. It doesn’t have anything to do with guns. Or COVID-19. It has to do with motorcycles.
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What the Jury Doesn't Hear
The evidence rules have a big impact on what the jury gets to hear (and what it doesn’t get to hear). Evidence can seem a lot like an iceberg: 10 percent visible, 90 percent below the surface.
A lot of the evidence rules are counter-intuitive. Here’s what the jury doesn’t get to hear in a personal injury case:
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