State Coordinator's report | |
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Hello Members,
Well, changes and work are happening. We are in the process of changing the banking signers for ABATE of Washington, adding a new State Coordinator and Deputy State Coordinator, and removing the outgoing officers.
We have been contacted by the State Gambling Commission requesting proof of our non-profit status with the Secretary of State. I am in the process of getting back to them with the UBI number and our designation of a 501c4 status as a nonprofit. Interesting information on the difference between a 501c3 and a 501c4. There is a good reason we are 501c4 as a legislative... Read the full report here.
Andy McAfee
State Coordinator
ABATE OF WASHINGTON
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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
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Patrick McCarter (Mac) from your ambassador at large.
Washington State has a lot of miles to cover, with a distinct division separating the west side from the east side. It would be much easier, and my belief, more productive to have two ambassadors; one for the east side and one for the west side of the state. Making the benefits for growth easier, many hands make the work light! That being said, let’s not forget our part in promoting ABATE and bringing on new members.
Thanks from your ambassador Mac.
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Looking to 2023
In case you haven’t heard, Brian Lange has had to step down. Real life trumps everything else, and I want to wish him well and thank him for all of his hard work. Andy asked me to step in and pick things up going into the upcoming session.
The first item of business is to decide what measures we wish to bring to the table next year. That will be decided at Steam and the BOD in October. I do not wish to pollute the process, but I would offer that pushing a helmet reform bill at this time would not help us in the long term. Too many eyes glaze over in Olympia as soon as that subject is broached, and the larger message gets lost.
We do have two issues that are being brought forward by legislators already are lane sharing/splitting/filtering by Senator Randall and giving the riders who pay for the program more voice in the Washington Motorcycle Safety Advisory Board by Rep. Mosbrucker. Of course, those measures are dependent on the outcome of the elections in November.
Until next time, ride safely and legislate well.
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Motorcycle Riders Foundation | |
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MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION -- MEETING OF THE MINDS 2022
"Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose." ~ Kris Kristofferson
Those words, sung by Janis Joplin over fifty years ago, were a generation’s anthem. Yet, there is a lot more to losing freedom than the catchy lyrics of a song. In fact, losing freedom is easier than defending and keeping it.
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Frustrating News for Motorcyclists
In the last few weeks, two national stories related to motorcyclists have been in the headlines. Last week a jury in New Hampshire acquitted a truck driver accused of killing seven motorcyclists in 2019. The Boston Globe reported, “The verdict was at odds with findings from the National Transportation Safety Board, which concluded in 2020 that the driver’s drug use was the probable cause of his initiating the collision.”
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Mentoring the Next Generation
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but when we get together, it looks a lot like AARP meets Duck Dynasty. Yes, campers, we need to begin mentoring the next generation and, in the process, help them to become better riders than we are. I’m not throwing rocks here, but we “may” have developed some less than admirable riding habits and practices as to how we approach motorcycling. Trust me, as anyone who has known me over the long term, and I am
coming from a position of experienced authority. 😉
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“Texas” Larry Walker
ABATE of WA
Safety and Education
360-271-9285
“Texas” Larry Walker is a nationally certified Rider Coach for the novice, intermediate, and advanced training. He is the Senior Instructor for Navy Region Northwest, a long-time motorcyclist rights advocate with well over 40 years of riding experience.
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THE FUGITIVE RUN
September 10th, 2022
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FALL RUN
September 10th, 2022
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END OF SEASON
POKER RUN
September 24th, 2022
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39th Oyster Run 2022
September 25th, 2022
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BIKERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF FREEDOM
October 1, 2022
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STEAM 2022 & B.O.D. MEETING
October 15-16, 2022
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SKCC BEER GARDEN
Dates Vary
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EPCC
Greetings from EPCC. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us at our Teddy Bear Rally. A great time was had by all.
Get out there and ride, and keep the rubber side down.
Joe Cain, EPCC
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FOOTHILLS
Summer is flying by, I can't believe it's almost September already. Thank you to everyone that joined us for our Foothills Fallen Run. It was a beautiful day for a ride & remembrance. September's business meeting has been rescheduled to Sunday, September 11th, Buckley Eagles 10 am, due to Labor Day weekend & voting of officers, then back to the 1st Sunday of the month in October. Follow us on Facebook to see where our weekly Thursday night socials will be.
Stay safe! Keep the rubber side down. See you out there!
Billi Bowen
Chapter Coordinator
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GRAYS HARBOR
I'm happy to report that the Endorsement Program concept is a success. It was an uncharted area that had its ups and downs. This year's students, Conner Handly, Ethan Elrod, Dominic Noga, Joshua Funkhouser, Nathan Baker, and I (paid for by me), established a successful beginning with Puget Sound Safety. READ MORE
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KEY PENINSULA
Greetings from the 'Pen! How's your summer going!?! Hopefully well.. Ours has us busy with chapter stuff, and our own personal lives, as I'm sure is the case for you too. We are currently in the final preps for our Brewery Run coming up on the 1st of October. We will be starting the run… READ MORE
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STAR LAKE
Greetings to all from Star Lake Chapter,
We had our monthly chapter meeting on August 7th, 2022, 10 am - 11 am, at Purdy’s Public House in Sumner. We welcomed guests (Archie Van Valkenburg) and members we haven’t seen in a while (Melissa Tomyn and Jacob Tomyn). Great turnout for the meeting, just like the old days. READ READ MORE
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SPANAWAY
Summer has flown by!
We have had some fun in the past month. The Billy De Campout was a blast. Not as well attended as we would have liked, but there is always next year. We already have it scheduled for next year. Thank you to North Kitsap, Elk Country, Foothills, SKCC, and Tacoma for making an appearance at the campout. 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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