TO: A.B.A.T.E. OF S.D. OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

FROM: ED NETTERBERG

SUBJECT: MY REASONS FOR RESIGNING AS CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBER OF THE NCOM BOARD OF ADVISORS

Enclosed is a volume of material (118 pages), for you reading pleasure, giving you the pros, cons, and everything in between in reference to what has become known as the AIM scandal. You read, you decide whether or not A.B.A.T.E. of S.D. should still endorse the AIM (attorney) program.

The enclosed material will be in five sections:

Section 1: All written resignations. Richard Lester's memos to the NCOM board of advisors, AIM atty's, and ICOM. Craig Clinch from England report to the NCOM board of advisors.

Section 2: AMA's article in reference to Richard Lester. Memo to Ed Youngblood, President of AMA from Bill Bish AIM/NCOM. Ed Youngblood's answer to Bill Bish.

Section 3: Two actual product liability law suits against Harley-Davidson.

Section 4: Minutes and news releases from the NCOM 7/27/96 meeting.

Section 5: Letters supporting Richard Lester and his AIM/NCOM program.

It has been stated and implied that Pepper Massey-Swan and others including myself have resigned from NCOM because we have alternative motives and we are trying to destroy the motorcycle rights movement. I believe this is a deliberate attempt to try to take the heat off where it really belongs and that is with Richard Lester and his AIM attorneys. They are the ones who filed the product liability law suits and the ones that lied about this issue from the very beginning.

I have, as well as others, worked hard for the motorcycle rights movement and very hard to develop unity in our movement. In fact one of the great high lights of my involvement (outside of our legislative victories) was being part of developing the unity between MRF and NCOM. When the AIM product liability law suits were brought to my attention in July, I was completely devastated. I felt like my integrity was violated and all the hard work just flushed down the toilet. MY QUESTION IS WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I BE OUT TO DESTROY SOMETHING I WORKED SO HARD TO ACCOMPLISH?

Pepper Massey-Swan has been accused of having alternative motives (plus other negative comments) for resigning her position as Executive Director of NCOM. These comments have come from Richard Lester and other AIM attorneys. Let's be realistic for a minute, Pepper and her husband Jon have purchased a home in Sturgis, S.D., their plans for when Jon retires from the service in about 18 months, involved Pepper leaving NCOM and they were moving to S.D.and hopefully live happily ever after.

My point is: Pepper was planning to leave NCOM in the near future, it would have been very easy for her to sit back and collect her salary for the next 18 months and not say a word. We would never have been the wiser. WHAT ALTERNATIVE MOTIVES COULD PEPPER HAVE FOR RESIGNING? WHY DID SHE DO WHAT SHE DID? ANSWER, SHE FOUND THE TRUTH AND REALIZED SHE HAD BEEN AND WAS BEING LIED TO. SHE WAS WILLING TO GIVE UP 18 MONTHS SALARY BECAUSE HER INTEGRITY AND HER BELIEF IN THE MOTORCYCLE RIGHTS MOVEMENT MEANT MORE TO HER THAN MONEY.

Why did Mark Buckner, Wayne Curtin, Bob Letourneau, Sherman Packard, Butch Olson, Bob Jackson, Steve Clover, Dave Dwyer, Craig Clinch (ICOM Coordinator), European ICOM, and the New Hampshire Motorcyclists Rights Organization (and others) resign from AIM/NCOM? These are individuals and organizations that have devoted their lives to the motorcycle rights movement. They just don't want to part of any organization that is counter productive in motorcycle rights.

It has been mentioned that when MRF was in trouble we stood behind them and everything worked out for the better. Comparing MRF's past problems regarding a sticky finger former president to a group of so called motorcyclist rights activist (AIM atty's) that is furnishing the bullets to our legislative and insurance opponents to shoot at us is like comparing a sticky candy apple to a rotten potato.

If one really wants to compare MRF's past to AIM/NCOM present, then I believe NCOM needs to do what MRF did. Their very first act was to get rid of the culprit. Therefore, NCOM should get rid of their culprit or culprits. This will never happen as long as Richard Lester controls the purse strings. Any different approach will be strictly cosmetic.

Another area I would like to address is the bragging of how much Richard Lester and the AIM attorney's have done for motorcycle rights, in terms of money and time. Richard Lester and the AIM attorney's do not give, they invest. They are promoting the AIM program and their image. Do you honestly believe that Richard Lester and the AIM attorney's would be investing their money and time if they were not receiving a monetary benefit in return. A good example of this is when Richard was in Africa in July, I talked to him about the Europeans (ICOM) resigning from AIM/NCOM. His response was who gives a F I don't get any money out of them any way.

Richard uses the philosophy, "I give and you owe me".

The AIM attorney's place monetary profit above the motorcycle rights movement.

There has also been comments made that these liability law suits would not affect us legislatively. This is false, very false. If you recall when the three wheel ATV's were being sued for product liability, what happened? This lead to government regulation and eventually the end of manufacturing of the three wheel ATV. I have been informed that in all probability similar language was used in the ATV product liability law suits that is now being used in the present product liability law suits.

How can we as a motorcycle rights organization endorse the AIM program? Can we be taken seriously when we lobby legislators for motorcycle rights and support a program like AIM? Our legislators will be as well informed as we are regarding AIM's activities. Of course this refers to their product liability law suits stating we are not responsible individuals.