We are
RIDE2REPEAL.COM, a national network of campaign volunteers that fight state helmet laws. Out of the whole world of bikers rights issues, this is our one and only specialty. It's all we do. Nothing more; nothing less.
We're definitely
NOT a national or state Motorcycle Rights Organization (MRO). We don't have any members -- only subscribers to our Legislative Alerts. We don't have any meetings, either -- just volunteers doing campaign work. And we don't have any paperwork, by-laws, treasury reports, annual dues, membership cards, or anything else that takes us away from doing campaign work.
RIDE2REPEAL.COM won't ever get into other bikers rights issues. These
automatically come with a pro-repeal legislator. But we don't get into rider training, driver awareness, or charity events, either. Why? Because MROs already do an excellent job, and we'd only get in their way. We're just bikers that fight the helmet law -- using the most efficient means possible.
Despite the fact that we aren't an MRO, we obviously share common ground with all of them. For that very reason we make every effort to join forces with MROs in each state, as well as at the national level. But nature of any partnership depends on the partners, and every MRO is unique.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Our objective is to defeat universal helmet laws. But out of all 50 states, 30 of them don't even have them. That means we put most of our energy into the remaining 20 that do.
But it's also worth noting that we're the new kids on the block, and we can't be everywhere at once. So like everything in life, it's a matter of setting priorities. The more effective and responsive an MRO is, the more valuable they are to us as a team player. So the best MROs rise to the top of our list.
Win-Win Situation
The ideal relationship is parnership that benefits both sides. When two organizations find common ground and join forces to work for a common purpose, that's a win-win situation. So with that in mind, here are the three characteristics of what we would consider to be an all-star MRO:
(1) The MRO has a solid working relationship with the legislators who sponsor biker-friendly bills. When it comes to campaign decisions, we put this MRO in the driver's seat. The MRO tells us which legislative races are their highest priority. That saves us the trouble of having to figure it out for ourselves.
(2) The MRO actively uses email. Fast and reliable communication with the MRO allows us to quickly respond to their campaign needs. Campaign volunteers need time to plan ahead, especially if it's a weekend trip. So the sooner we find out which races need help, the faster we can send out an Email Alert. And the more effective we are, the sooner they get rid of their helmet law.
(3) The MRO stays in touch with its members. So when the MRO endorses us, they mention us at their meetings, write about us in their newsletter, and provide our link on their website. And when MRO members do campaign work, they rub elbows with the kind of people they want to recruit -- bikers that show up and do their part.
Change Up
Nobody's perfect, as they say. Starting with
RIDE2REPEAL.COM, we've had our share of mistakes in working with MROs. We started out by making a bad first impression with one particular MRO. We don't expect them to give us a second look for the time being. But as we improve our operation, especially after we start building a string of election wins, I'm sure we'll develop strong ties. But that's probably down the road a good ways.
Sadly, some states don't even have a pulse. One state doesn't have a single MRO, and probably won't for a long time. Several states have MROs that struggle to exist, unable to hold meetings or even respond to email. Others have multiple MROs that spend more time competing with one another than fighting against their common enemies. We'll always keep the door open to them, but it's better to spend time and energy working with healthy and productive MROs.
But I've found that the biggest challenge is the very notion of change itself. Civilization has been struggling with change as long as its been civilized, and it hasn't always been civil. In getting almost Medieval about the subject, I'll quote the great 15th century strategist Niccolo Machiavelli:
"...there is nothing more difficult and dangerous, or more doubtful of success, than an attempt to introduce a new order of things in any state. For the innovator has for enemies all those who derived advantages from the old order of things, while those who expect to be benefited by the new institutions will be but lukewarm defenders.
"This indifference arises in part from fear of their adversaries who were favoured by the existing laws, and partly from the incredulity of men who have no faith in anything new that is not the result of well-established experience.
"...whenever the opponents of the new order of things have the opportunity to attack it, they will do it with the zeal of partisans, while the others defend it but feebly, so that it is dangerous to rely upon the latter."
Could not have said it better myself.
Michigan's governor announced a special election to fill a vacancy in Senate District 19. This district encompasses all of Calhoun County and most of Jackson County, as well as the cities of Battle Creek and Jackson.
