The Price of Liberty: Is ABATE Ready to Pay the Price?

The strength of our brotherhood against totalitarian enactments lies within the activism of the membership. We pride ourselves in successfully working the legislature in person and never hiring a paid lobbyist. Our success rests upon our ability to maintain an educated membership; a membership educated in the ways to directly impact the legislative process. Thomas Jefferson clearly states the importance of education with this statement: "Educate the people generally, and tyranny and injustice will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day."

While our chosen method is more effective and less expensive than hiring a professional lobbyist, our method of operation still entails unavoidable expenses. I would suggest such expenses may include our newsletter, web site, rallies at the statehouse steps, lobbying efforts, and administrative expenses such as mailing membership cards. It occurs to me that it may also be important to network with other State Motorcycle Rights Organizations and educate our officers at national motorcycle rights conventions such as the MRF's Meeting of the Minds, NCOM's Convention, and SoLR's TEA Party. Other expenses many members seemingly embrace are the state party, and patches for those who lobby the legislature on special occasions.

I would suggest printing and mailing an informative newsletter is an unavoidable expense. The newsletter seems to be a valuable tool for informing and educating members of our grassroots movement; the newsletter alerts many of our members to good and bad bills before the legislature. Often the mainstream media ignores or skews the truth about legislation in our general assembly. Our newsletter sells ads to help offset expenses however few of our members are helping to sell the ads and as such the revenue of these ads is low.

Our web site seems to be another example of a worthy expense. The web site provides faster updates than possible with a printed newsletter. Pictures of events and calls for action are often posted on our web site. Coupled with our web site is an ezine list that is currently NOT funded by our organization; the ezine is our fastest means of communication to issue calls to action to oppose bad legislation or take other worthy actions.

Our two annual rallies at the statehouse steps are gaining more notice form our legislators who are now lining up to come speak to our members. These events are not great expenses but they do cost money to organize and execute. These events are related to our lobbying efforts. Lobbying also entails expenses. Five percent of our members have been doing all the work at the statehouse at their own expense but we also have letter writing efforts at the Helmet Rally in October. The letter writing while effective is not cheap in manpower or postage as each letter costs nearly $.50 each when postage and materials are summed.

During the past legislative session many attempts were made to alert the membership though phone trees; sadly these attempts barely scratched the surface of our membership numbers. Did you receive calls alerting you of the need to attend the emergency lobby days? If not you are now aware there is a problem. Our success in the statehouse is directly related to the number of members we can motivate and pack the senate and house galleries during our legislative session. Recently a service called “Calling Post” was proposed to be used to reach ALL members who wished to opt-in. The proposal failed because of a lack of funding; the service is cheap as it would only cost $200 to call every member when a legislative alert is issued.

Administrative costs are seemingly unavoidable in all organizations; we incur these costs for instance printing and mailing membership cards. Other seemingly dull and tedious tasks and chores must also be accomplished by our organization that adds up over time. No one ever say freedom is free but the alternative choice is not an option.

Our friends just to the south in ABATE of GA currently charge dues of $25 for a single member or $40 for a couple. One of our members has proposed an increase in our dues to $30 for single members and $40 for couples; the proposal further states additional members at the same address would cost $10 each beyond a couple (3 memberships at one address would cost a total of $50 or 4 would cost $60). While this may not be the only solution to our current fiscal crisis it is one to ponder.

Others have suggested that each chapter could conduct a yearly benefit run to help fund the state organization's mission; this proposal has many detractors and seems unlikely at the time of this writing. Yet another suggested each area could hold one fundraiser each year to help fund our state organization; I would suggest this may also be a difficult to swallow by much of the membership. No one is suggesting reducing services such as our newsletter or web site.

The issue of funding will be raised during our next state meeting on July 10 th ; please contact your area coordinator with your own suggestions for improving our organization. It seems to me it would be wise to improve our funding promptly.

Fast Fred Ruddock – ABATE of SC State Coordinator
21 May 2004

About Fast Fred

My life has been a dedicated blend of open road adventure and relentless advocacy for motorcyclists’ rights. I'm "Fast Fred" Ruddock, and my journey on two wheels began as a teenager. Over the years, I’ve owned 13 Harleys and several other motorcycles, machines that were far more than just transportation. They represented a freedom that I have fought to protect. Recognizing the power of information, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, skills I immediately put to use for the movement.

My commitment to advocacy led me to a complete immersion in ABATE of South Carolina (ABATE of SC). I quickly moved through the ranks, starting by developing the ABATE of SC website in 2001 and serving as the Berkeley/Dorchester Chapter Coordinator. This progressed to serving as Lowcountry Area Coordinator, where I successfully shifted our local focus decisively toward rights and rapidly increased membership. From 2003 to 2007, I served as the State Coordinator, where I helped coordinate several key legislative victories, including the passage of the Purple Heart license tag bill and the successful repeal of unnecessary handlebar height restrictions. My primary strategic goal was always to achieve widespread political influence by organizing a chapter in every single county.

On the national front, I extended my influence by serving as the State Representative on the board of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) for several years during the 2000s. This role ensured that the concerns of South Carolina riders were directly represented in critical federal legislative discussions. Crucially, I also worked to shape public opinion: I wrote articles related to motorcycle rights for various magazines and had a small column in Easyriders magazine for several years, using media to educate riders nationwide on the issues impacting their freedom.

My activism was not only about lobbying but also direct action and constitutional challenges. I participated in the Myrtle Beach civil disobedience against local helmet laws, contributing to the legal groundwork for the eventual overturning of that restrictive law through a landmark SC Supreme Court case. I also challenged helmet laws personally, fighting three tickets in court as an act of civil disobedience in several states. I lobbied in multiple state capitols with me friends across the country. My dedication continued after my ABATE leadership, as I served as the Director of Bikers Of Less Tolerance (BOLT) of South Carolina.

Today, while I also enjoy working as a river guide and sharing my travel adventures, my legacy remains rooted in the fight for motorcycle freedom. I have spent decades on the front lines, utilizing both political strategy, legal challenges, and national media to protect the rights of every person on two wheels.

My Other Adventures

I'm a professional whitewater guide and kayak instructor. I grew up rafting, sailing, and surfing, and I spend my North American summers guiding on world-class whitewater. I have spent much of my adult life riding motorcycles and paddling kayaks.

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