Introduction to Legislative Updates
December/31/2014
Motorcycle Rights Organizations (MRO’s) are an important and necessary part of our motorcycle community. We have several MRO’s in Texas that serve our interests. These include ABATE (originally A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments but later changed to Alliance of Bikers Aimed Towards Education), AMA (American Motorcycle Association), COC (Confederation of Clubs - note that there is another organization sometimes referred to as COC that is the Coalition of Clubs. The Confederation has a purely legislative mission) and TMRA2 (Texas Motorcycle Rights Association). An umbrella organization NCOM/AIM (the National Coalition of Motorcyclists and Attorneys for Injured Motorcyclists) who's mission is to unify motorcycle rights organizations.
The Gypsy Motorcycle Club has chosen to focus our support through the COC and TMRA2. All the MRO’s have a single mission and that is to protect our right to live the MC (Motorcycle Club) lifestyle. The strength of the COC is it’s ability to muster rapid support for defined causes through a group called “Defenders”. A “call to action” (CTA) is made to the MC Defenders and they, in turn, communicate the CTA request to their members. The members respond to the CTA by phone, email or letter to their representative or congressman, thus demonstrating either support or opposition to the proposed legislation.
The Gypsy Motorcycle Club has chosen to focus our support through the COC and TMRA2. All the MRO’s have a single mission and that is to protect our right to live the MC (Motorcycle Club) lifestyle. The strength of the COC is it’s ability to muster rapid support for defined causes through a group called “Defenders”. A “call to action” (CTA) is made to the MC Defenders and they, in turn, communicate the CTA request to their members. The members respond to the CTA by phone, email or letter to their representative or congressman, thus demonstrating either support or opposition to the proposed legislation.
As members of the patch holding community we know that earning a patch is the easy part, holding onto and flying that patch for the remainder of our lives is much harder. There are those who would like nothing more than to eliminate and or control our ability to ride what we want and to say what we want. That includes our rights to fly colors when we ride and the freedom granted to each and every one of us under the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution.
Our right to ride what we want, go where we please and wear what we want are facets of each of our lives that are much too valuable to be left to others. We cannot sit by and hope that someone else will take our best interests to heart. We as the Gypsy MC are committed to making sure our voice is heard. To do this, we need all members of the Gypsy Nation to participate. The basic element of participation is: 1) register to vote and do so at each opportunity and 2) respond to the periodic “calls to action” that communicate our opinions to our state and national legislators. The leadership of our club expects every member to support this united effort.
Having members ride to and participate in COC meetings demonstrates the Gypsy MC’s commitment to protect our rights and freedoms. In the eyes of the local motorcycle community, participation is a measure of commitment. The Gypsy MC, as a family oriented club with a large membership, is a tremendous asset to the COC and TMRA2’s efforts. This asset can and should be used to benefit the interests of the motorcycling community. By supporting this effort the Gypsy MC demonstrates that we have a voice that will be heard and an influence in the future of the motorcycle community.
Written by Assistant Legislative Officer Hoochyman and Raoul
Our right to ride what we want, go where we please and wear what we want are facets of each of our lives that are much too valuable to be left to others. We cannot sit by and hope that someone else will take our best interests to heart. We as the Gypsy MC are committed to making sure our voice is heard. To do this, we need all members of the Gypsy Nation to participate. The basic element of participation is: 1) register to vote and do so at each opportunity and 2) respond to the periodic “calls to action” that communicate our opinions to our state and national legislators. The leadership of our club expects every member to support this united effort.
Having members ride to and participate in COC meetings demonstrates the Gypsy MC’s commitment to protect our rights and freedoms. In the eyes of the local motorcycle community, participation is a measure of commitment. The Gypsy MC, as a family oriented club with a large membership, is a tremendous asset to the COC and TMRA2’s efforts. This asset can and should be used to benefit the interests of the motorcycling community. By supporting this effort the Gypsy MC demonstrates that we have a voice that will be heard and an influence in the future of the motorcycle community.
Written by Assistant Legislative Officer Hoochyman and Raoul
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