Hey Bros,
The AMA has "broken" a big story on the misdealings of Richard Lester and his attempt to make money at the expense of biker's rights. I had the "opportunity" to speak with Lester a few years ago as he was trying to expand his "services" in Illinois. At the time, I was the President of the St. Clair County chapter of ABATE of Illinois. A few weeks before Sturgis I was contacted by Lester and asked to be an accident investigator. My main job was to follow up on any motorcycle-related referrals in Illinois and attend biking events on behalf of AIM. I was told that for a part-time job, I could receive upwards of $500.00 per week in pay. I thought that the offer was too good to be true and also had reservations concerning a possible conflict of interest since I was already an ABATE officer. I got on the phone with our state coordinator who advised me that he couldn't tell me NOT to accept Lester's proposal, but that I should do some hard thinkin' before accepting his offer. I blasted to Sturgis, talked with some AIM reps out there and decided not to accept. When I got home, I was amazed to find four large boxes full of AIM material sittin' on my door step. That kinda' teed me off 'cause I had never said "yes" in the first place. Needless to say, those four boxes ended up on my burn pile. I am SO glad I didn't get caught up in representing AIM for Lester's benefit.
I had an idea long ago that something wasn't right with AIM. Ed Youngblood's excellent article supports my stance.
As bikers, we need the best representation that we can get when fightin' unfair laws or when we get creamed out on the road. Our need of representation opens us up to abuse by (some) of those we need services from. It's a shame that Lester and others resort to "bloodsucking" from those of us who are already hurt or down.
I cannot say that the entire AIM,NCOM,ICOM network is corrupt. I am sure there are those within the organization that are dedicated to bettering the motorcycling community, however, as long as Lester is tied to AIM, NCOM, ICOM, I will steer far away and suggest others do the same.
Ride Safe...Ride Free,
Tom Clark