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Let justice be served, on berserkers and officers of the court alike.

After the Waco madness I was very surprised to learn that two local carpenters I've hired (and will hire in the future) are members of the Cossacks. They don't wear cuts. Law enforcement officers here say the local Cossacks are harmless, at least now. I think 40 years ago it was a different story.

It was a shock to learn I'm on a first name basis with two people who are Cossacks. If asked about either of the two, I always give an honest report. They are honest businessmen and I don't hesitate to employ them.

Sort of extending personal experience, if I had been at Twin Peaks that day I would have had a firearm with me. I am inclined to strongly suspect there were bikers there who were no more of a threat to the general peace than I am, armed for no reason other than general principles.

But they all knew Bandidos would be there. That's hard to get past.

Based on personal experience, I probably wouldn't get nervous if I saw Cossack patches. Maybe I should.

I would vacate the area if I saw a Bandidos patch.

Well, the truth has finally reared its head - http://www.eutimes.net/2015/05/obama-ma ... tin-fears/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Putin is known to occasionally ride with the Night Wolves MC - on a trike.

I like trikes, they serve a useful role. Lots of fun. Great for touring. I have friends with trikes - but in a motorcycle gang? Is Putin really a limp-wristed wuss?

To the tune of Born to be Wild, all together, now,

Get yer trainin' wheels runnin',
Head out on the sidewalk,
Lookin' for my dentures,
And a squeeze tube of Ben Gay!

Dang, reading about specific murderous behavior sure takes the shine off of sympathizing with the arrested bikers.

From some of the reading I've done, there are undercover cops in the OMG's and their are OMG members undercover in the military and law enforcement agencies.

Probably so. And there are MC's like the Blue Knights who, despite probably being fine folk, are completely aware of the patch extortion schemes - and let it continue.

Maybe for reasons beyond my view, it's just not a big deal. Seems like it led to killings, but I guess it's not worth pursuing.

Regarding the need for a victim to come forward, I believe that's not necessary.

For example, prostitutes and their customers are routinely prosecuted. There are certainly victims who get convicted because they are guilty victims - they broke a law - but it doesn't take a victim coming forward.

Many crimes are taken to court on statements by a peace officer the dignity of the State of Texas has been offended, and in this case it's surely true - TEXAS patches are the issue.

If my local PD pressed an extortion case against the Bandidos, the county attorney couldn't match the Bandidos legal budget and the police would probably have rightful concerns somebody would respond by burning this little town to the ground.

But is it right to defer to the Bandidos' authority on threat of violence? Is that not part of the cycle of extortion?

I think the reason there's no crackdown is because you have one outlaw group extorting another outlaw group.

I found posts on a Freemason's forum about the permission required from outlaw MC's for Masonic clubs to put their states on their jackets.

For full disclosure's sake, I'm not a Mason and don't have any interest in their organization. I just suspect Mason's motorcycle clubs are composed of normal law-abiding folks.

Without a victim, the LEO would have to have full visibility to the act, including the threat, the arrangement, and the payoff or enforcement.

Looks like full visibility is pretty much there. Maybe the problem is the Bandidos image is intimidating. Heck, without any concrete facts at all I assume I'd be executed if I were to be part of a case against the Bandidos' licensing income. I'd like to think I'd go right ahead anyway, but I can't put it to the test. I'm not a victim of the Bandidos. Not a direct victim, anyway. Mayhem on the streets hurts us all and any tie between bikes and violence is unfair to law-abiding motorcyclists.

There has been much discussion about the Bandidos "licensing" TEXAS bottom rockers, but there is something missing.

It's extortion. It's in violation of racketeering laws, both federal and state. It's being conducted in plain sight and has been for probably decades. Big money is involved.

Meantime the DPS burns expensive gasoline on the off-chance I might get behind the wheel in a few minutes and drive too stinkin' fast. If I do, of course, I should be brought to justice - but how is it that some groups have a free pass on unlawful extortion?

With no intended disrespect to any law enforcement personnel, I'm curious - what law enforcement agencies aren't doing their job? I don't mean that as confrontationally as it no doubt sounds, but I'm really fascinated.

What agency is on the hook to stop me if I start licensing the word Texas stitched on cloth?

I emailed the Texas Rangers with a polite and humorous inquiry, but they haven't returned the email.

Who should I contact?

Ok, if racketeering law could be applied against the Bandidos, assuming due process and all that, law enforcement against them would surely be an easier job.

I just emailed the Texas Rangers, including in part:

If it’s not racketeering and completely legal for the Bandidos to charge licensing fees for Texas, much in the manner of selling the Brooklyn Bridge, couldn’t I do the same?

Setting aside the question of whether you would actually pay for such silliness, would it be legal for me to offer to license the word “Texas” to the Texas Rangers for your use on letterhead, badges, jackets, vests, cuts, tattoos, and wherever else you wanted?

If – and only if – such an offer is legal, I would have a deal for you. The Bandidos sold Texas to the Cossacks for $10,000 a month, apparently on pain of violent retribution. If it was legal to make the offer I’d let the Rangers have Texas for just $9599.99 (monthly) and throw in New Mexico and Arizona to boot.

I’d pitch in California, bless their hearts, but I think I’ll probably have to pay someone to tow it away. They’re a mess.

If racketeering law means anything, it should apply to a protection racket. Selling a state name on pain of violence is surely extortion. With some states I'd give them a buyer-beware benefit of the doubt, but Texas? Don't mess with the obvious.

Hopefully they will reply.

Maybe a call to the Bexar District Attorney is in order. I'll say that since the Bandidos can sell Texas without drawing fire, so to speak, I figure I can sell Bexar.

The Bexar County DA doesn't initiate investigations. A law enforcement agency has to start things. I didn't realize that.

They referred me to the Texas Rangers, who just might pay big bucks for the licensed right to use Texas on their letterhead, badges, etc.

I'm going to be RICH!!!!

Sons of Arthritis, Ruckus Amongus, Jade Helm bikers, I can see I'm late to the party. Laughter is the best medicine for what ails you. It's even got a role in fighting murder, as paradoxical as that sounds.

Maybe there's been some progress. Surely the dignity of wearing a Texas rocker is dulled. One part of me wishes Texas rockers would appear everywhere, a wiser part of me wouldn't wear a Texas rocker on a bet. It's not the State's fault, but I'm at antipodes from what a Texas rocker currently stands for in the public eye.

Spit on a Texas rocker? No need to. The Bandidos already did.

Interesting, too, that nobody seems to be prosecuting the Bandidos for selling Texas. Kind of like selling the Brooklyn Bridge, isn't it?

Hmm.... Maybe a call to the Bexar District Attorney is in order. I'll say that since the Bandidos can sell Texas without drawing fire, so to speak, I figure I can sell Bexar. If they want to continue using their county name on letterhead I'd like them to send $10,000 a month to me.

Anybody want Travis county? I'll sign over any rights I have over the ownership of Travis county for a hundred grand, one time. No? Trade even for a Hi-Point? A couple of cankered .32 ACP wadcutters? Anything?

Dang. No takers. Must be all the liberals in Austin, running the price down.

Please wear full leather especially leather gloves while riding. Do it, not for you, but for me. Sometimes as part of my job, I have to look at photos. I cannot unsee the photos of a hand that was not wearing a leather glove while riding.

ATGAAT, All The Gear, All The Time makes a lot of sense.

I haven't been able to get my kids interested in joining my H*ll's Angles gang, which would have been really cool. We could have recognized each other on the highway by the way we wave. Sine waves....

So now I'm working on getting them interested in my next gang, The Sons of Malarkey. Our logo will have the legendary Original Three (Larry, Moe, and Curly), and the territory state on the bottom rocker will be CONFUSION.

On a more serious note, I asked my youngest son about how he felt as a native-born Texan to hear that he would have to pay a fee and get permission to put "Texas" on a jacket. Dang, that kid is level-headed. He said it bothered him but he had bigger fish to fry and better fights to fight.

I also see the local chairperson of the Confederation of Clubs is a Bandido. On their website, they claim a victory in stopping motorcycle-only checkpoints. Sounds great, but I wonder if they were working to protect biker rights the same way OCT worked for gun rights - counter-productively.

I have no idea. Makes one wonder, though.

I'm in. When's the first meeting? I don't own a motorcycle, but I have a slide rule app on my phone.

A slide rule app? I gotta find that - very cool. You have better nerd creds than I. Maybe I can "prospect" in your club.

TAM, you hit the nail on the head. Makes me want to form my own gang. Maybe something dedicated to the lost cause of analog computing. Instead of top and bottom rockers we'll have top and bottom sine and cosine waves bracketing our patch, TEXAS on the cosine.

Our feared battle cry will be one of my Dad's Engineering Battalion marching songs from WW2, sung to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean:

Some day I will say o'er the ocean,
A dirty old foe I will see,
I'll pull out my slide rule and slay him,
With the cosine of A minus B!

Seriously, I'm native born. I'm not happy with a lot, but don't stand between me and my national pride. Leave this Republic free. Move to California if you want to subjugate your fellow man.

I jest about Texas nationalism, sort of. But don't mess with you know who.

My wife is at a Central Texas Marketplace store that doesn't cater to my kind - male, knuckle-dragger - and I see there are several police cars guarding Twin Peaks. I would really like to talk to an officer about Waco's no-bikes request, but I think I'm more interested in a quiet Sunday. I don't fear the police. I just don't want to be misinterpreted over a minor issue.