June 2016
A publication supporting the rights, safety and freedom of all motorcyclists through education and legislation
VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE XIII
Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Permit #1662 Phoenix, AZ
Report from NCOM 2016
Texas to destroy lives with impunity. To donate go to http://sofaog.org/waco-aide/ They really are suffering.
By Johnny D ALMA MC ACMC Designated Lobbyist ABATE State PAC Officer
abateofaz.org
ABATE of AZ. 7509 N. 12th St, #200 Phoenix, AZ 85020
This month I attended the 2016 National Coalition of Motorcyclists convention. This was my first one as District 9 Director. It was in Atlantic City, it rained most of the time. When it didn’t rain, it was cloudy, foggy, and damp. The upside was meeting a lot of people from the East Coast.
Among the main topics discussed was the Waco victims fund. We passed the hat and raised $3,000. That money will go to help the families of the Waco victims. All of them had their lives turned upside down. Most lost their livelihoods, many lost their homes. It is important that we support them during their struggle. We cannot allow the charlatans in
Another big topic was the Save The Patch fund. The board of that fund has been changed. There will no longer be any 1% MC members in control of disbursing the funds. The mission of the fund is to aide any club that is facing seizure of their patches, indicia of membership, and property belonging to the club. No money will be used for legal defense of criminal charges. The promise from here on is that all donations and payouts will be transparent. To send money for that: Save The Patch, C/O Louie Nobs, P.O. Box 1172, Conroe, TX 77305, (936) 443-45000
Tac from Pagan’s MC said something that touched me. He said, ”I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go to the legislature year after year to fight for the rights we are entitled to.” He was talking about how integral to our lives our bikes are. The idea is that we do so much on and with our bikes that we wouldn’t function right without them. That is true. I don’t want to do this either. I didn’t want to spend five days in a rainy, miserable city with no way to get anywhere that didn’t cost a small fortune. I would rather have stayed in Phoenix and went on rides with my lady. The forces that would see our lifestyle end are relentless. If we let them have it their way, we would be covered head-to-toe with fluo-
rescent protective gear wearing helmets and all manner of padding to ride training wheel equipped bikes that have a top speed of about sixty-five. The term rubber baby buggy bumpers keeps echoing in my mind. So we organize and fight. We have to keep this going or our world will be gone. On another note: Doc, the chairman of NCOM, started the official program with the statement that this is a “brother and sister hood dedicated to motorcycle rights.” I am glad to see the recognition of all the women who have contributed to our efforts. We need to make our SMROs more inclusive in word and deed. I know that I depend on a number of women to keep up the fight. I have also learned a great deal from many women who have done this work before I did.
Maryland has passed an anti-profiling bill and it is waiting for their governor to sign it. In Arizona, we are still working on passing one. The MRF announced that two congressional representatives have agreed to sponsor a federal profiling bill. We are looking to get our Arizona Representatives to sign on as cosponsors. Kyrsten Sinema has already agreed to support this effort. Until next month, stay hydrated on the road, the sun is out and the heat will dry you out in minutes. Be safe out there, see you at Too Broke For Sturgis.
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