Will County A.B.A.T.E. Newsletter

March 2010 Monthly Newsletter Inside This Issue President pg ‐ 3 Legislative pg ‐7 Activities pg ‐10 Safety & Awareness pg ‐11 Road Captain pg ‐ 12 Membership pg ‐13 Calendar pg ‐ 14 Will County ABATE, P.O. Box 928, Plainfield, IL 60544 www.willcoabate.org Page 2
ABATE Of Illinois Inc. Chapter Operations Manual Guidelines. A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education; A.B.A.T.E. of ILLINOIS, INC. is organized for charitable, education, civic, benevolent, social, and ath‐
letic purposes. Including for such purposes as, the promotion of mo‐
torcycle use, acceptance, safety and enjoyment. Said purposes include promoting the motorcycling interests of the corporation’s members and affiliates. Said corporation is further organized to undertake such interactions, including lobbying and litigation support, with various governmental bodies as may be necessary or desirable to promote the motorcycling interests of the corporation’s members and affiliates. So says the legalese at the beginning of our by‐laws; but, what does it mean. The bottom line is, A.B.A.T.E. of ILLINOIS, INC. is a Motorcyclist’s Rights Organization. Yes we do charitable work. What better way to promote motorcycling, and a positive image of motorcyclists to the rest of the world? Yes we educate; we educate our members on the merits of taking the motorcycle safety courses offered by IDOT. We educate anyone who will listen to be aware of motorcycles, both through individual effort through our Safety and Awareness Program. We also educate legislators that laws, which discriminate against mo‐
torcyclists, and motorcycling, are unacceptable. On the civic level we encourage all A.B.A.T.E of ILLINOIS, INC. members to be not only regis‐
tered, but active voters. We also believe that all citizens should be active in their communities. MEMBER DUTIES: Aside from being required to be a paid member, members are strongly encouraged to: 1. Be a registered and active voter. 2. Attend all appropriate A.B.A.T.E. meetings. 3. Consider becoming Chapter/State officer. 4. Become active in A.B.A.T.E. programs. (Legislative, Safety & Ed.) 5. Support A.B.A.T.E. fund raisers (Bike Raffle, State Party, local) 6. Attend A.B.A.T.E. events. (Freedom Rally, Seminar) 7. Support A.B.A.T.E. Political Action Committees. (State & Fed.) 8. Promote A.B.A.T.E. membership to others. 9. Become active in politics. 10. Become active in national Motorcycle Rights Organizations. Page 3
President: Jay Hello Everyone,
The good news is
that we are one
month closer to
warmer weather. The Bad news,
the arrogant politicians from Cook
County are at it again.
Donny Trotter & Mary Flowers
have introduced legislation to
potentially take away some more
of our, and our children’s
freedoms. They think they know
what’s best for your children.
Please watch our Legislative
(Brian) articles. If Brian tells us to
call Springfield and voice our
freedoms do not expect everyone
else to do it and not you. Some
people I understand work late.
Every one of the elected official’s
offices have answering machines
and believe me they do check the
messages. If you call and they ask
if you are one of the politicians
constituents don’t get intimidated.
Just throw the question at them “Does this politician only accept
campaign contributions from their
constituents”?
Let them know you are a resident
of Illinois and an informed active
voter. This legislation against our
freedoms is all the more reason to
find a way to get to Springfield for
Legislative day March 11th.
Contact Brian if you would like to
go.
After the April 11th meeting our
Safety & Ed coordinator Monty
w ill b e h o ld in g a sh o r t
presentation of our Safety &
Awareness program that is
presented in the local High
Schools. I encourage everyone to
be there and witness this
presentation and get involved in
the program. This first hand
experience is a great way to help
with your safety and the safety of
your Brothers & Sisters who ride.
Even if the weather is nice that
day PLEASE give your time to
this presentation. It may save
someone’s life. There will be
plenty of time to ride afterwards.
The following is of my opinion
and not necessarily of this
organization or others.
We just had a primary election
February 2nd. Scott Cohen won the
Lt Gov race with 26% of the
Democratic vote. Here is my
disgust with Illinois Politics
AGAIN. Due to things in Scott’s
past the Democrat machine did
not like him. Quinn and others
wanted him to quit the race. On
Feb 7th he did so but not till after
Mr. Madigan (speaker of the
House) had a little behind close
d oo r meetin g w ith Sco tt.
Someone told me that this is good
Page 4
business.
I am sorry, Mr. Madigan and
others you just told the thousands
of voters who voted for Mr.
Co h en th e ir v o te Me an s
NOTHING and you slapped them
in the face. How in the HECK are
we supposed to convince people
that their VOTE does count with
behavior like this?????
Before anyone says I am picking
on the Democrats, I was just as
disgusted when the Republicans
shunned Jack Ryan after he won
the republican primary for the US
Senate seat here in Illinois in
2004. You all remember a man by
the name Alan Keyes. The
Republican Party brought Keyes
in from the east coast to beat a
man by the name of Obama.
Come Nov. be informed & a
LEADER. Vote your beliefs and
not be a Lazy follower who votes
a straight party ticket.
Ride Safe & Be courteous to
others on the road,
Jay
President,
Chapter Will
Co
ABATE
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Legislative: Brian Greetings, Will County
Chapter-We really have a lot
going on in the General Assembly, and
as I write this, they've only been in
session for a week!
As for the bills that were introduced,
it's deja vu all over again. Sen. Donne
Trotter is still trying to get a helmet bill
passed for Senate President John
Cullerton. SB 2535 would require
helmets for motorcycle riders and
passengers 18 and under, and SB2536
would require helmets for all riders and
passengers regardless of age. Both bills
have been assigned to the Public Health
Committee, which has the same
members as it did last spring, when
Trotter's previous helmet bill passed
out of the committee and went to the
full senate for a vote. Thanks to a lot of
lobbying by riders like you, it was
defeated soundly, but we have to
remain vigilant.
Cullerton has announced his intention
to make Illinois number one in the
nation regarding the number of traffic
safety laws on the books. Here's an
example of this quantity-over quality
way of thinking: SB2627, sponsored
by Sen Ira Silverstein, would require
bicycle helmets for "children and small
adults" who ride a bicycle, and would
require these "children and small
adults" to be fastened in a safety seat if
they're passengers. This steaming pile
of s--- is also in the Public Health
(Continued on page 9)
Page 8
SUNDAY - BLOODY MARY BAR
PLENTY OF BIKE PARKING
COVERED OUTDOOR SMOKING AREA
KARAOKE - EVERY WED & SAT@ 9:30PM
CHECK OUT OURDAILY SPECIALS
STOP IN EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNINGS
WE OPEN AT 8am
DOUBLE “J” IS ON THE BOOK RUN THIS YEAR
OUTDOOR PARTIES WELCOME
MEMBER OF ABATE SINCE 2003
WWW.DOUBLEJSPORTSBAR.COM
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DOUBLEJSPORTSBARJOLIET3
OPEN:
MON - THURS 10am - 2am
FRIDAY 10am- 3am
SATURDAY 8am - 3am
SUNDAY 11am - 2am
Page 9
(Legislative - Continued from page 7)
Committee, and may have been called
by the time you're reading this.
Over in the House, Rep. Mary Flowers
is at it again. HB5029 would require
helmets for all riders and passengers on
motorcycles. It was assigned to the
Vehicles and Safety Committee.
HB5031 would require school districts
to "provide instruction in the laws
regarding operation" of ATVs and dirt
bikes in grades K-12. It would also
prohibit the use of ATVs and dirt bikes
on roads, and prohibit their use by
anyone under age 16, without a valid
driver's license, or without a helmet.
And to top it all off, drivers would have
to demonstrate knowledge of ATV laws
on the driver's license written exam.
This one was assi gne d to the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Committee.
Now for the good news. HB162,
sponsored by Rep. Randy Ramey, and
with Rep. Bill Black as one of the Chief
Co-Sponsors, has been sent to the
House Vehicles and Safety Committee.
This bill would make it even harder to
take money from the Cycle Rider
Training fund. There's also talk of an
attempt to transfer control of the Fund
from IDOT to the Secretary of State.
Noise is becoming a hot-button issue
nationwide. There's a bill pending in
Pe nnsylvania (HB2104, Printers
#2933 - editor) that would allow private
citizens to report loud vehicles to the
police, who could then get a search
warrant to inspect the vehicle, even on
private property. And an organization
c a l l e d N o i s e F r e e A me r i c a
(http://www.noisefree.org) has given
Harley-Davidson one of their "Noisy
Dozen" awards. One of these vigilantes
says "the noise is frightening and
intimidates people, and it is 'noise
terrorism.' Harleys hurt people and
their noise can cause hearing loss,
higher medical costs, lost productivity
and loss of peace of mind."
While it's obvious that this guy has lost
a piece of HIS mind, it goes to show
you how serious an issue noise has
become, and it doesn't matter whether
your bike is a Harley or any other
make. It's only a matter of time before
we confront draconian noise legislation,
whether it be at the federal,state, or
municipal level.
So how do we fend off all these bills?
By becoming activists. Sign up for
bulletins from Ondgo, the MRF, and
the Illinois Legislature. The links are
o n t he Le gi s l a t i v e pa ge o f
www.willcoabate.org. And when one
of our allies in (or running for)
Congress, the U.S. Senate, or the
Illinois General Assembly asks for our
help--GET INVOLVED! If you were a
politician it would be pretty hard to
vote against the people who make your
campaign signs and put them in the
ground. The people working against
motorcyclists are very vocal, but we
can beat them by ACTION!
Next month--news from ABATE
Legislative Day.
Brian
Legislative Curmudgeon
"Giving money and power to
government is like giving whiskey and
car keys to teenage boys."--P.J. O'Rourke
Page 10
7:30 pm, and Aprils is Sunday the 11th
at noon. Both at the Harwood Post on
Larkin Ave. in Joliet.
Activities: Brenda Coming up in March we
have several activities to
participate in.
Brenda
Activities Coordinator
Will County Abate
The Triathlon (see ad on page 5) is on
the 21st at Zelmo's, Plainfield Road in
Joliet. Pool, darts and bean bags. Registration starts at 10:30 am and the
games begin at 11. Cash prize to the 1st
place winner.
The books are ordered for the 2010
Book Run, and it is due to begin on
April 10th. This year we will have 36
regular stops and 6 bonus stops. And
of course a great party at the end of it
on October 9th. It's gonna be a great
time. For more information please
come to the me mbers hip mee tings. March's is Wednesday the 10th at
WILL COUNTY A.B.A.T.E.
BOOK RUN 2010
RUN MAP AND ALL OF THE DETAILS ARE ON OUR WEBSITE
http://www.willcoabate.org
Page 11
Safety & Awareness Committee:
sign, you do not have to take it.
At January’s general membership
meeting, a S&A Committee was
appointed. The purpose of the
committee is to come up with various ways to promote motorcycle
safety and awareness in our community. Below are the items that
were discussed at the February
meeting.
Billboard: May is Motorcycle
Awareness Month. We are going to
take a look at getting a billboard for
the month of May. More details will
be provided at the March meeting.
High School Classroom Presentations: To help give possible new
volunteers an idea of what a presentation entails, a mini presentation will be given after the Sunday
– April 11th general meeting. If you
are interested, please stay for the
presentation.
Start Seeing Motorcycle Signs:
To thank our membership and to
help get the word out on motorcycle awareness, every new member
who signs up with Will County
and every renewal will receive 1
sign for free. If you do not need a
Poster Contest: Some of you might
remember the S& A posters that the
State had created in the past. We
thought it would be a good idea to
see what our own membership can
come up with for a S&A poster that
will be used in the Will County area.
If you are interested in submitting
your ideas, please e-mail them to Kat
([email protected]). All
submissions must be in before the
April 11th general meeting. Posters
will be voted on by the membership
at the April meeting and the winning
submission will be used. Even if you
are not the best drawer (Lauren and
her turkey), please turn in your suggestion anyway.
Membership Ideas: If anyone has
an idea in regards to S&A, please let
Monty ([email protected]) or
Kat ([email protected])
know. This is your chapter and we
want your voice to be heard.
S&A Committee
FOR SALE
2 Honda Magnas for sale. 1999 not
running but in good shape. Just needs
TLC $1000. 1998 runs, in excellent
condition with extras (locking saddle
bags...) $2000. 815-341-8295
Page 12
Road Captian: Tony Hello everyoneWell, according to my
calendar, spring is almost
here, looking out the window tells a
different story. Light snow is falling
and more is expected this week. Oh
well, you know what they say about
weather in the Chicago area, if you
don't like it stick around a few minutes,
it'll change !!
This year promises to be a year full of
events, your book run committee is
hard at work finishing up the last details of the book run and preparing the
books for distribution. There have been
some new stops included along with
our faithful friends as well. This year
the committee has added some "bonus"
stops, which will add some new routes
to the book run and help put some miles
under our belts.
throughout the winter season, please be
aware of the added hazards that go along
with the inclement weather. Black ice,
potholes that will swallow a bike, low
traction conditions due to the cold pavement and poor visibility just to name a
few. PLEASE take extra caution as you
continue to ride throughout the inclement weather. I myself do not object to
riding in the cold, but, to be perfectly
honest, the massive amounts of salt that
is still present on the roads keeps me off
the roads. Call me what you want, but
salt and chrome just don't get along.
One last tip, for those of you who do not
own one, pick up a battery tender for
your bike. These chargers will not only
keep your bike ready to go at a moment's
notice, but also will extend the life of
your battery. These tenders can generally
be purchased for $29 to $40 dollars and
are a wise investment.
For those of you who are interested in
supporting our military families, please
log on to www.warriorswatch.org for
Motorcycle safety classes are already information on welcome homes and
beginning to fill up, if you are inter- honor missions for our troops. Become a
ested in attending one, check the link member, you will not regret it.
on our website and get moving. Riding season will be in full swing before you
See you out there soon ( as soon as the
know it.
salt is washed off the roads!!!!!).
Ride Safe!
To those hearty friends who ride Tony
2010 A.B.A.T.E. of Illinois Will County Chapter Officers
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Activities
State Rep
Editor
Merchandise
Safety & Ed
Membership
Road Captain
Sgt. At Arms
Public Relations
Jay
Al
Pat
Jackie
Brenda
Randy
John
Sandi
Monty
Helen
Tony
Jim
Freak
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Page 13
Reminder From Freak: “Hey guys, remember it's
March which means your plates probably expire at the
end of the month. Don't forget” ! ! !
Membership: Helen “hln” March 2010
April 2010
JEFF
BRENDA
SUE
JOEL
PATRICIA
KATHIE
ED
KEVIN
KIM
MIKE
ROB
THOMAS
EDMUND
PEGGY
WAYNE
AARON
TONY
BILL
RICHARD
LARRY
JOSEPH
STEVE
JIM
JEFFREY
DAVE
JOHN
JIM
KATHLEEN
KENNETH
LORI
RAY
KENNETH
CHRIS
TONY
April 2010
JOHN
CHUCK
MARK
JOHN
JEFF
AMY
KEITH
LAURICE
GARY
COLETTE
AUGUSTA
KARL
JASON
LYN
LISA
DANIEL
MILTON
DAVID
JOHN
JACK
RAYMOND
RAYMOND
Page 14
UPCOMING EVENTS
03
10
11
13
21
27
March
Board Meeting: MR B’S -7pm
General Membership Meeting: Harwood Post - 7:30pm
Legislative Day
Fish Fry: 4-8pm Harwood Post (Fri)
Willco ABATE Winter Triathlon - Zelmo’s - 10:30am
Dukane ABATE Comedy Night: St. Charles VFW - 7:30pm
7
11
16
30
April
Board Meeting at the post -7pm
(SUNDAY) General Meeting at the Post 12 NOON
HS Presentation - Plainfield East
HS Presentation - Plainfield North HS
For calendar updates check: www.willcoabate.org
Rider Training Information -
HURRY CLASSES FILL FAST!!!
http://www.outreach.niu.edu/mcycle/
http://www.dot.state.il.us/cycle.pdf
http://www.mrp.uiuc.edu/
To opt out of a mailed newsletter copy send a request to:
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