New Email Address

Effective Jan 1, 2012, our new email address is RepealMachine@gmail.com.

Until then, both new and old addresses will work just fine.

Tennessee Alert

Senate District 6 (Knoxville): It looks like Tennessee bikers now have a choice.

Democratic candidate Gloria Johnson stated that, while she supports helmet use, the decision should be up to adult riders.

Her opponent, Republican candidate Becky Duncan Massey, supports the mandatory helmet law.

To volunteer for Gloria Johnson, please contact her at votegloriajohnson@gmail.com or 865-660-9800. Her campaign website address is www.votegloriajohnson.com, and her campaign headquarters is located at 311 Morgan St, Knoxville, TN 37917.

Nevada Alert

Here's a news item about two state senators who may face close elections due to redistricting: http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/big-help-for-breeden-copening-132399498.html

Senator Shirley Breeden (Clark 5A) is the Transportation Committee chair. Though she opposes repeal, she let her committee vote on the most recent repeal bill. That's why we show her as code-yellow right now, even though she's definitely on the red side of the spectrum.

Senator Alison Copening (Clark 6) is an unknown regarding repeal, so she's listed as code-yellow as well. But given our efforts depend on finding the clostest races, we really need to find out Copening's repeal position.

Also related to redistricting, it looks like the Republicans have a fairly good shot at taking the majority in the state senate. All they need to pick up is one senate seat. If that happens, the Transportation Committee chairmanship will change parties as well.

ACTION:
(1) Find out if Senator Copening supports mandatory helmet laws
(2) Find out which candidates will challenge these two senators

Click here to record a candidate's position: http://RepealMachine.com/includes/_tip.cfm

MA Election Results

Tricia Farley-Bouvier won a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by about 92 votes. While this may have seem like a close race for the anti-repeal victor, her nearest competitor was actually from the Green party. Either way, there isn't much bikers could have done to change the outcome.

This was not the case last month, where freedom-friendly Keiko Orrall won her race for the house by 374 votes. Massachusetts bikers, especially MMA members, came out in force to help Keiko win. So while Farley-Bouvier will maintain her district's anti-repeal vote, Orrall takes us one vote closer to our goal: a legislative majority.

Keep in mind there are two more upcoming special elections for the Massachusetts State Senate, and that means two more chances for bikers to turn the tide.

Nevada Lawsuit

Twelve Nevada motorcyclists have sued Clark county and other municipalities over enforcement of the Nevada helmet law. This represents a fundamental change in how bikers are challenging the helmet law in court.

This case is NOT about whether there should be a helmet law. And while important, what constitutes a "legal" helmet is NOT the thrust of the case. Rather, it's a class-action lawsuit about the arbitrary and selective enforcement of the helmet.

This is an important development. A few bikers (myself included) will fight every single helmet ticket in court. We all have our reasons, and many seek to challenge the part of the law that defines the enforcable standard for a motorcycle helmet.

One of the lawsuit plaintiffs, David Stilwell, has repeatedly tried to have his "day in court." But the Nevada courts have repeatedly denied him this fundamental right ... by automatically dismissing charges ... and even then, only after he appeals his case.

It's hard to challenge a law when you can't even get a hearing, or in David's case, a trial in a court of record. That's where the class action lawsuit comes into play. Now some may criticize David for a variety of reasons. Maybe it's because David's way of doing things is better than their way of doing nothing.

There's been a flurry of news articles about this lawsuit. That's a good thing, because class action lawsuits are very expensive. So if you want to help out, visit RepealItOrFeelIt.com and buy some stickers, or make a donation to GuerillaLawfare.com.

Ride2Repeal@gmail.com

PS: Members of ABATE of CA Local 6 generously donated $150 to the lawsuit effort, Local 11 chipped in $84, and one member of BOLT of CA donated a whopping $500. THANK YOU!

MA Election Results

Massachusetts held special elections to fill two vacancies in the State House of Representatives, and the RESULTS have been posted.

Fortunately it included a big win for Massachusetts bikers. This is a perfect example of how a small number of campaign volunteers can have a huge impact on elections.

House - 12th Bristol District:
Repeal supporter Keiko Orrall won the general election by 374 votes.

House - 3rd Berkshire District:
Anti-repeal Tricia Farley-Bouvier won the Democratic primary by 196 votes. She'll now face repeal supporter Mark Jester on OCT 18.

Many thanks and hearty congratulations to all volunteers, especially Rick G and the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association members who turned out in strength.

Results Count

(NOTE: This is a reprint of the original 2009 article.)

This weekend there were two very different biker events on both sides of the Potomac River, in Maryland and Virginia.

Helmet law repeal was the primary goal of each one. In comparing these two events, they provide a perfect example of potential vs. actual power in the world of biker activism.

One event was a large rally in Maryland, with about 200 bikers protesting the helmet law. We started out with hot coffee, listened to some good speeches, and then rode along beautiful country roads on a warm Sunday afternoon. Once we got to Annapolis, we circled the state capitol, and then gathered at our destination for food, music, and solidarity.

The other event had just 2 bikers, riding through the Virginia suburbs. No music, no food, no speeches. Just two bikers ... with campaign yard signs strapped to their luggage racks, each with a list of a dozen delivery addresses.

It would seem like the Maryland event had the most impact. It took a lot of work to set up, and it brought together hundreds of activists with a common purpose. We stood together, and we rode together. Everyone in downtown Annapolis heard our thunder, and we turned lots of heads.

But what were the results?

Did Maryland bikers get one step closer to helmet law repeal? There was a tremendous amount of potential ... with about 800 man-hours of activity over the course of a few hours. It's hard to know for sure, but it seemed like it did.

Only time will tell.

Over on the Virginia side of the river, those two bikers met at the campaign headquarters of a state delegate. He was running for reelection in a very tight race. He was also a member of the House Transportation Committee. Those two bikers spoke with him for about 15 minutes, while they were each loading campaign signs onto their bikes.

In the course of their conversation, the delegate thanked the bikers for helping him in his time of need, and he offered to sponsor legislation to repeal the helmet law. The bikers were happy to hear his offer, but let him know that their top priority was the immediate task of getting him reelected.

Then they rode their separate ways, going house to house through the Virginia suburbs, delivering campaign signs to voters who had requested them. And in so doing ... they were delivering votes to the delegate.

But what were the results?

Did Virginia bikers get one step closer to helmet law repeal? There was just a tiny amount of effort ... with only about four man-hours of activity that Friday afternoon. Not thousands, or even a dozen. But it wasn't potential power.

It was actual power ... because it produced results.

Yes, Virginia bikers got one step closer to repeal. It was actually more like several steps:
1. They helped the reelection campaign of a biker-friendly candidate.
2. They earned the gratitude of a member of the House Transportation Committee.
3. They cultivated a personal relationship with a legislator.
4. And they got themselves a bill sponsor. Cha-ching!

Most biker activists follow the traditional approach. And they've been doing it for so long, they're actually starting to get good at it. RepealMachine.com will keep trying to earn their support, because they represent a tremendous amount of potential. We want to kick it up a notch and make it REAL.

So if you want to bridge the gap between what's potential and what's actual biker power, you are headed in the right direction. Take that extra step. We need you just as much as you need us.

So come and join our network, and you can start by clicking on the red  SUBSCRIBE  tab at the top of RepealMachine.com. Together we'll do more than just talk about repeal. We'll get results, too.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

PS: Special thanks to Robin McGlohn and Bob Seoane for making a difference.