The Game Plan to Take Back Our Government

Our founding fathers created a fine constitutional republic but as Benjamin Franklin told us the constitution created “…a republic , if you can keep it.”

Until we win back every state in the Union we will never be free. Our friends in Texas are working hard to win back their state and have made incredible strides toward accomplishing that goal; they have elected nine bikers to their state legislature. Bikers in South Carolina made some impressive gains in the past legislative session and now we are working to elect one of our own to the state senate.

There is a booklet available from TMRA2 called The Five Steps to Freedom that lays out the game plan they have been using to take back their government. Winning back our state is much easier than most would imagine. Education is the key but not the education that your elected officials rant about while only brainwashing your children to be a cog in their machine.

Education is a two part solution. First we need to educate our friends and members how to impact the legislative process and political system. Second we need to educate our elected officials. Over 2000 bills have been introduced in our statehouse since January; our legislators do not have time to read every bill so they rely upon others to educate them about the purpose and content of bills. Currently only paid lobbyists educate the legislators about the legislation they vote for or against; a few hard core biker legislative warriors in South Carolina are making a difference in our statehouse educating legislators but they need more reinforcements.

The steps to taking back our state are simple. The first step is to become informed and remain up to date with issues threatening your liberties. The second step is registering to vote. The third step is becoming acquainted. The fourth step is working the campaign. The fifth step is to run for office.

Step one is most important for all the other steps are meaningless if you are not informed and have no sense of direction. First join ABATE and get ALL of your friends to join especially if they ride. By joining ABATE you will avail yourself of new sources of information such as our newsletter and ezine. Be sure to read every newsletter and share it with others after you finish reading it help your friends become aware of the latest threats to liberty. To truly stay informed up to the minute consider joining our email list at www.abatesc.com .

Step two is registering to vote. Once armed with a voter registration number your voice in our government becomes much louder and harder to ignore. Letters that include a voter registration number have much greater impact than those without a VRN. Remember voting is just the least of a citizen's duties to defending liberty and our republic.

Step three is to become acquainted with your elected officials after all they are YOUR civil SERVANTS. Unless you become acquainted with your legislators they will be educated by paid lobbyists who care nothing about a bill's impact on liberty but only how passage or defeat of a bill will affect their checkbook. This step is really a lot more fun than you may imagine. Often free food and door prizes are given away at get-togethers organized by politicians or community groups. Remember your silence is regard as consent by your servants in the legislature.

You can become acquainted in many ways such as community meetings. You may attend county political party meetings. You may attend candidate debates or candidate BBQs. You may contact your current elected official by phone, letter, or email. You may visit your elected officials in the capitol and lobby for or against bills.

The easiest and cheapest way to become acquainted with your elected officials is attend your local community council meetings; politicians for office love to attend local community meetings. Your ABATE chapter can invite candidates to come speak to your meetings you would be shocked how they trip over themselves to attend your meeting if you ask. I have found that these events often provide free snacks and door prizes.

The political parties in your county likely have a standing monthly meeting or breakfast; these meetings are target rich environments where you can meet many of the elected officials in your community and state. By getting to know the folks who regularly attend your local party meetings you have the ability to impact the party platform. Public officials who personally know involved bikers are far less likely to introduce or support legislation that is not biker friendly.

You may also become acquainted with your elected officials by calling, writing, and emailing them. Different officials respond best to different contact methods; becoming acquainted also means finding the best way to maintain contact. These forms of contact work best if you have already met your elected official in person. ALWAYS include your voter registration number in ALL correspondence with your elected officials. Keep letters and emails short and to the point; the subject of your message should be located at the top of your letter or email AND should include if you SUPPORT or OPPOSE the bill in question.

Finally the best and most powerful way to impress your legislator is to lobby at the statehouse. Always bring a letter to drop off at the office of each official you plan to visit. This letter should begin with words such as: “The purpose of my personal visit today is…” you should also include your voter registration number in the letter; even if you only meet with the staff of your legislator this letter will make a positive impact. Your legislator KNOWS if you take a day off from work to lobby at the statehouse that not only will you take the time to vote but that you will likely influence the vote of a dozen or more friends and family members.

Step four is working the campaign. Working the campaign of your candidate of choice is a great way to both learn how to play the game and meet new friends. You may start out by posting campaign signs or even assembling signs if you have a truck and a few friends to help. Working phone banks is another great way to make a difference especially if you enjoy talking on the phone. By far the most effective way to gather votes is to walk door to door on your block talking with folks. The experts tell me that six in ten folks will vote for your candidate if you ask them in person; I suspect that most of the other four in ten won't even bother to vote. Sadly most folks do not even know the names of the candidates until they arrive at the polling booth; take a little time and educate your neighbor. You likely will find a few new friends or even ABATE members along the way as you campaign.

Step five is running for office. This step is a natural and easy step once you master the first four steps. Bikers raise money for so many charities there are now many experts in your local chapters who can easily raise enough money for the few things that must be bought such as campaign signs. The friends you made working the campaigns in the previous step make money much less of an issue in your race for office; most politicians have to hire and pay people to work their campaigns but as an educated biker you will not. Currently our brother and fellow member Clay Morris is taking step five and running for the state senate.

We can take our government back one state at a time. First we destroy the apathy that chokes our society with step one and educate our fellow bikers and citizens. The rest of the steps will flow easily like a stream flowing down a gentle slope. I hope many of our members will practice step four by volunteering to work Clayster's campaign for the senate; not only will you learn the ropes but you could help unseat the leading safety nanny in our fine state.

Have I done all that which I can to the best of my ability to advance biker rights and liberty? HELL NO but I'm still trying.

Fast Fred – ABATE of SC State Coordinator
Orignally written as the ABATE of SC State Coordinator Report 2004-05-21