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For Immediate Release
September 10, 2021 WHAT PRICE FREEDOM? YOUR MOTORCYCLE? YOUR RIGHTS? YOUR LIFESTYLE? What’s the price tag you’d put on freedom? Your motorcycle? Your rights? Your lifestyle? What’s the price tag you’d put on motorcycling? Outlaw certain models? It’s been tried. What’s the price tag you’d put on riding anywhere you choose? Days of the week? Certain hours of the day? There are public roads in the United States where motorcycles are banned. What’s the price tag you’d put on association? No identifying club colors? Police departments everywhere are profiling club members and non-club members daily. What's the price tag you’d put on a driverless vehicle in the lane next to you or on the road heading toward you? Your life or the life of someone you love? They’re being tested today. What’s the price tag you’d put on getting advance warning at the gas pump that Ethanol-15 could wreak havoc on your motorcycle’s engine? The fuel is out there with no warnings at the pump. Would you invest a weekend of your time to strengthen your knowledge on how to protect your motorcycle, your rights, and your lifestyle? That’s what the Meeting of the Minds is all about. Since when is one weekend of your time not worth the price to help protect a lifetime of riding? Not once, but for nearly 40 years, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation has stood against the tide of anti-motorcycling laws and regulations. Keeping anti-motorcycling legislation at bay is what the Meeting of the Minds is all about. The September 10 cut-off date is rapidly approaching, for hotel reservations call JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead @ 404-262-3344 and mention MRF. For Meeting of the Minds registration, use this link: Meeting of the Minds 2021 Registration includes up-to-date presentations on what’s going on with motorcycle related legislation, 15 workshops, all workshop materials, and Saturday banquet. Registration questions call the MRF at 202-546-0983, or email Fred Harrell at fred@mrf.org A weekend in Georgia could be just the ticket to protect the freedoms motorcycling represents – that’s what the Meeting of the Minds and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation are all about. Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in Atlanta at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Minds Conference!!! Yours in Freedom, Fred Fredric Harrell Director, Conferences & Events Motorcycle Riders Foundation P.S. One more question… Do you know that the European Union is considering an “End-of-Life” study of motorcycles? Think it couldn’t happen in the U.S.? Think again… California’s “Cash for Clunkers” is just another name to call it. Is a weekend in Atlanta still too much to pay to help protect your rights, your motorcycle, and your lifestyle? RIDING FREE FROM DC:
Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway Automated Driving Systems (AKA Autonomous Vehicles) Late last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a rulemaking process for developing a “Framework for Automated Driving System (ADS) Safety.” As part of the process public comments were solicited by NHTSA. This week the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) submitted a 6-page formal letter outlining our thoughts on the development, testing and deployment of ADS. Building on past submissions to both Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation, the MRF laid out important priorities that NHTSA should consider. Some of the main topics the MRF highlights include the need to account for the unique attributes and characteristics of motorcycles, cyber security concerns, liability provisions, the role of individual states, the need for public transparency, threats to the protected communication spectrum and the challenges of regulations keeping pace with this technology. While ADS has promising potential, the devil will be in the details. How this technology is developed, tested and deployed will impact all Americans. We at the MRF will continue to fight to ensure motorcyclists are included in these discussions. To read the full letter from the MRF to NHTSA click here. SMRO Meetings Around the Country January and February are traditionally the busy season for state motorcyclist rights organizations (SMRO) annual meetings. This year many of those meetings have been rescheduled, held virtually or have unfortunately been cancelled all together. While we know these are difficult times, the MRF remains committed to working with our state partners and participating in these events when possible. In January, MRF Vice President Jay Jackson travelled to Bowling Green, Kentucky to attend the Kentucky Motorcycle Association/Kentucky Bikers Association Freedom Fighters Forum. Also, that month MRF lobbyist Rocky Fox traveled to Austin, Texas for Texas Bikers Legislative Weekend. This event was sponsored by the Texas Council of Clubs and Independents, Region 1 Texas Defenders and hosted at the Veterans Collective facility. Both events included a number of speakers and elected officials discussing issues important to all motorcyclists. Elected officials from Kentucky included, Secretary of State Michael Adams, State Senator Jimmy Higdon, staff from U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s office and via video message Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Slider Gilmore from Iowa even made a presentation in Kentucky! The Texas event included a townhall style question and answer with State Senator Drew Springer. Texas also welcomed leaders in the motorcycle rights movement from California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York and Pennsylvania to Austin. Thank you again to the riders in Kentucky and Texas for including the MRF in these events and working hard to deliver results for riders in those states. If your SMRO has hosted an event in 2021 please submit your pictures and details to communications@mrf.org so we can share them with your fellow riders across the country! |
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