One of the most exasperatingly ridiculous brick walls in Washington DC is, the age-old conundrum of legalizing marijuana. Cannabis is forever wedged between stuffy Republicans afraid to piss off the Christians, and Democrats who vote for whatever the DNC throws at them because they naively believe the pipe dreams of the campaign trail.

Since the earliest days of our country, some form of cannabis has existed and been used for industrial, recreational, and medical reasons. And there has been a mysterious weirdness about the legend of the ganja since our founding fathers grew industrial hemp. It has been the dirty little secret tied up in the back corner of politics, racism, wars, our border, science and medicine, music and arts, religious arguments, pretty much every aspect of life… and it got its bad boy persona while Roosevelt was President. Marijuana was made illegal in 1937… the same year as Amelia Earhart climbed in her last cockpit.. two years before the release of Gone with the Wind and the wizard of Oz.



Throughout the years, marijuana has gone through many transformations in the public eye. The musicians had reefer madness and the comedians just went up in smoke… The hippies were one toke over the line, and sweet Jesus, Bill Clinton didn’t inhale. Yet somehow, cannabis never recovered from her prohibition the way alcohol did. There were bars and liquor stores on every corner of America almost a century before a few little pot stores are finally easing their way into the mainstream. And what stores they are… no longer do you take the risk of buying a dime bag of parsley in a dark alley. Now marijuana has been institutionalized and sanitized to a Starbucks type sell that rivals any Walgreens.

So why does it still wear such a stigma? Why do money hungry politicians not seize on the vast amount money there is to be made? Why do breaking edge pharmaceutical companies refuse to acknowledge what patients are screaming from the rooftops? Why do green new climate changers and farmers not preach the benefits of farming cannabis and hemp? What will it take, to make a bipartisan change that would benefit so many people?



I personally believe you should be able to buy cannabis seeds at Walmart like heirloom tomatoes. I mean, I can buy and legally grow, poppies… belladonna.. castor beans that produce ricin.. why can’t I grow a plant that has never killed a soul? But at the very least, I would like for someone to explain to me how there exists a medicine that is legal in some states, but not others. What do we have to do, to get all of our politicians on both sides of the aisle to stand up and fight for our right to try?

I reckon if you made it this far, you are truly interested in what happens with the cannabis brouhaha. So, this is the information I have been able to gather pertaining to the current sojourn of Proud Mary through the halls of our nation’s Capital.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) were scheduled to conduct a legislative hearing on Wednesday, October 13th, which included consideration of the bipartisan VA Cannabis Research Act of 2021, HR 2916. So far, there have been no updates, when I wrote this.



The legislation “would direct the VA to conduct clinical research with varying forms of medicinal cannabis to evaluate the safety and effects of cannabis on health outcomes of veterans with PTSD and veterans with chronic pain.”

Now, we all know, this particular plant has been researched more than Donald Trump. Regardless, the VA acknowledging that it is a medicine at all, is most assuredly a step in the right direction.

Another good thing about it is the bipartisan sponsorship. The House bill sponsor is Representative Lou Correa, a Democrat from California, who is a member of HVAC.. and the bill is co-led with Representative Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan. The bill has a Senate companion S.1467, carried by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Democrat Chairman Jon Tester from Montana, and co-led with another Republican, Alaska’s Dan Sullivan.

According to a nationwide survey conducted by The American Legion in 2017, 39 percent of veteran respondents affirmed that they “know a veteran” who is using the plant medicinally. We know, it is probably a lot more than that. And speaking of which…. Twenty two percent of respondents said they themselves “use cannabis to treat a mental or physical condition.”



There is also the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, known as the ‘MORE Act’, H.R. 3617. It has been around awhile but has recently been revamped and come back to life, and is attempting to pass the House once again. It was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee on a vote of 26 to 15.

An earlier version of the MORE Act passed the House of Representatives in December 2020 by a bipartisan vote of 228 to 164… and then it ran into Mitch McConnell, who reacted in true stodgy old RHINO style by blocking all action on the bill. Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has peered over his spectacles and vowed to end federal cannabis prohibition… but so far, no clear results or actions have occurred from him either. It would be nice if we had bipartisan reaching across the aisle as often as we have grandstanding bipartisan bullshit.

None of our so-called leaders want to wade off in the political quagmire of unraveling the red tape that binds our dear Mary Jane. Cannabis in some form is legal for medical use in 37 states, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories. However, it remains illegal under federal law, which really isn’t legally accurate anyway. The federal government still has marijuana listed as a Schedule 1 drug. A Schedule 1 classification means it is a substance with no medical use.



According to Americans for Safe Access, at least 4.3 million Americans use cannabis medicinally through regulated state and local programs, and even the World Health Organization has deemed cannabis to have medical value.

The MORE Act would go a long way toward fixing the problem, by removing cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and decriminalizing its possession and use. It also would expunge certain cannabis offenses and remove quite a few nonviolent offenders from prison.

NORML and ASA, Americans for Safe Access, stand solidly behind the More Act. “If this legislation is signed into law, it will represent one of the greatest reforms of cannabis policy to date,” said ASA Executive Director Debbie Churgai. “Patients will no longer fear losing civil rights and protections, barriers to cannabis research would fall, and insurance companies would be able to cover patient costs.”



The bill’s provisions are currently under consideration by the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Agriculture, Education and Labor, Ways and Means, Small Business, Natural Resources, Oversight and Reform, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Supporters of the MORE Act state it will benefit the cannabis industry of America in the following ways.

Ending the conflict of laws between the federal and state governments on cannabis.

Enabling patients to travel across state lines with their medication without fear of punitive law enforcement intervention, fines or jail time.



Improving facilitation of federal, academic and private research on medical cannabis in the U.S.
Introducing much-needed federal leadership and oversight over key components of medical cannabis policy that states have struggled with, such as laboratory testing and labeling standards, patient access, and medical cannabis businesses practices.

Establishing grant programs for cannabis job training programs, cannabis-related criminal records expungement programs and a national equity licensing program.

Allowing federal permits to applicants with felony cannabis convictions.

Creating an Office of Cannabis Justice to oversee social equity provisions in the bill.



Directing taxes from retail sales to pay for job training, legal fees and health education programs in impacted communities.

Helping disadvantaged business owners to create equitable cannabis licensing programs for individuals impacted by the drug war.

This information can be found at the following website:

www.safeaccessnow.org/more21



I truly hope the Republicans in Congress start paying attention to the skunky air about them… and realize that this is a new day for cannabis and supporting the legalization would bring in more votes than a Dominion voting machine at 3 am.



No longer is this a Democrat issue… it is now a human rights issue.. a scientific issue.. a green new deal. If they are so hell bent on bringing on the Armageddon in Bible in every other way possible, perhaps they need to read the part in Revelation about the plant whose leaves will heal the nations. So put all that in your bong and smoke it, I guess.



– Amy Irene White

New Ride Command Update Expands Bluetooth Connectivity & Adds Speed Limit Overlay  
 
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The story starts with Bandit telling me about a big card game in the Badlands of South Dakota. We were drinking one night down the street from the Cantina getting about half lit. He drank Jack on the rocks, and I was drinking Beam. The only thing left was to break open a bottle of Old Grand Dad and we would have a song.

He mentioned making a run to Deadwood for this big poker tournament. It was by invite only and he had one. I asked him about the tournament, while the music on the jukebox in the background was, “I drink alone,” by Lonesome George. He told me you need references and a wad of cash that could choke an elephant. He used that reference because an elephant is much bigger than a horse–a big fuckin’ bank roll. Two things my Uncle Geno told me was: family first and never cross a 1%er. I would back Bandit.

Later my cousin, Blackie found out that I knew about this poker game and comes looking for me. Blackie comes from Terry’s last name, Black, and his black FLH stripped dresser, plus he wears only black. He heard that I knew Bandit and came to me begging with an offer that was hard to refuse.

Blackie left his home down in Mississippi about 1970 and left behind a little Southern Belle to raise their daughter. He went out and gambled all over the Gulf and up the Mississippi all the way to St. Louis. His claim to fame was cleaning out all the gamblers in high stakes games under the Hill in Natchez, Mississippi. It was all he could do to get to his hot rod Shovel and blast out of town. He became a well-known card shark in the area. I would give Blackie a reference only because he was family and the game had such a huge stake.I worked with Bandit to get everything together that we needed. I knew a card dealer. He managed the Jet Strip Club and was also the card dealer when some old boy slipped-up showing Five Aces in a game of winner take all. Jimmy agreed to deal cards just to be a part of something historical and we would just have to buy a couple of cases of bourbon. One case of Jack Daniels and the other Jim Beam, so he could write it all off on taxes as a business trip.

This was one hell of an entourage and Jimmy brought a couple of hot ladies and drove up in his completely restored 1964 Lincoln Continental with all the upgrades and suicide doors. This car glimmered midnight blue with pearl and had black gloss powder-coated centerline rims all the way around, plus air bags for the suspension.

Our crew was all on dark bikes with a lot of chrome accents. Bandit’s was long and fast, and mine was a 1970 FLH stripped dresser as was my cousin Blackie’s. Lonesome’s rode a 1968 Pan/Shovel 96-inch stroker with a 10-over front end, T.J.’s was an 80/80 Super Glide custom with a 21-inch Speed master on a narrowed wide glide. Franky’s was all drag bars and upswept pipes. Spyder liked those hot rod choppers that Dave Mann painted and pearl black. We looked like a bunch of black stallions pulling a payroll car when we left San Pedro.

I left the house with packed saddlebags like the rest of us. I had on my 5/8s Jak Shirt by 5-Ball Racing, over my Frisco Choppers hoodie, with my custom chaps over Levis. Those jokers had 5 big solid silver conchos on each leg with Mexican braid leather tassels on them. I had my chromed primary chain belt with a big polished stainless steel belt buckle.

The knife I carried was the Arkansas toothpick Bandit always it wanted for his collection. She was a beauty. She had a white ivory handle with raw diamonds inlayed into it. The pommel was solid gold as was the hilt guard all made by T.J.’s neighbor. On the blade center was etched, “Ride to Live.”

The sheath was covered with a diamondback rattlesnake hide and on the bottom was a button of elk antler with a Mexican braided leather tassel that you could tie off on your leg made by a friend of Lonesome’s. The rattler was taken right out of Lonesome’s yard in Colorado. The elk he shot in the high mountains of Colorado with his long barreled 50 cal. Hawkins rifle.

I packed my dad’s old 44 Red Hawk with a 7.5-inch barrel in my custom shoulder holster. The rest of the guys were all dressed to the 9s. Bandit had on old Harley long johns under his Cabela thermal under lined plaid flannel and a brown 5/8s Jak shirt by 5-Ball Racing, and deer skin pants. I had my eye on that high polished Bowie knife of his. The story he told me was that he pulled it off an assailant at the Kern River Run. The handle was said to be a thigh bone from the 7th Calvary with a polished silver cap button on the end and a silver finger guard and that joker was made from Damascus steel, and nobody knew how many layers the old Chinese knife maker used. She was beauty and could keep an edge.

Jimmy looked like one of those old blues guys out of New Orleans. The ladies all love a sharp dressed man and especially when he is hauling your whiskey stash. We didn’t look like a bunch of grubby bikers but looked like a bunch of high roller seasoned bikers. All of us rode high polished machines and wore well-oiled leathers. Lonesome’s attire was cool. He wore a long leather trench coat, and you could snap the coat tails like chaps. He was always into that cool factor but functional.We all packed a myriad of pistols. Jimmy packed a Mossberg 12- gauge pump in his Continental with the slug spacer removed, so he could slip 9 cartridges inside. Jimmy preferred slugs over buckshot. His slugs were German wad cutters, and nobody got up from one of those much less several of them. We all knew what we were getting into before we left except the ladies or so we thought.

The ladies were a sight to behold. Renee had a build that could stop a tank, blonde and well bosomed. Those beauties stood out like the Dagmar tits off a 1957 Pontiac, with an ass to match. Skin soft as a baby’s behind and good-natured personality to boot.
Alison was built the same, but held Bandit’s weakness, a red head. She was one of the ladies who lost her job at the Five Aces after a disastrous poker game. She likes bikers because we don’t judge her for being a dance hall girl. She has an ass that makes you follow her to the back room. Also, good natured, she has a glistening warm smile and can handle any conversation.

Those ladies got into the car, and you could smell the White Diamond perfume and that stuff blows a guy’s mind. Elizabeth Taylor’s chemist sure knew how make a man not forget a lady. Jimmy brought a third unexpected lady. She broke up with her boyfriend and needed a weekend away.

Holiday’s boyfriend just could not deal with her being a dancer. I was trying to place her. I knew her back when I was a real young man, before I was riding with a club. Holiday’s long sultry legs drew my young gaze all the way to the promised land. Something about a long-legged thick wavy brunette always struck a nerve with me. Once again built like a tank when it comes to assets. I guess Jimmy needed two girls to hold the cash and the third one was to keep our attention on the game. Right!!

We all left out of Pedro one afternoon, made a couple of day stops for grub and couple overnight stops. We made Deadwood on the third afternoon. We pulled into the historic town, and nobody even thought about it. The people of Deadwood know bikers and the rumble of straight pipes.

Bandit just had one condition. He does not sit with his back to the door. “My back is always to the wall of the establishment,” he said. I think it had something to do with Wild Bill Hickock getting shot in the back in the Number 10 Saloon.

“Place all your weapons on the bar,” the big bartender barked.

We sorta conformed, and pulled only the obvious iron and slid it onto the historic bar lid but kept an eye on our shit. The whole bar was lined with either big guns or big knives. Everybody could see everybody’s wares. The only things missing were the brass knuckles, switchblades, and Derringers and pistols. The belt buckle that Blackie wore on his belt was a pair of brass knuckles and the primary chain belt that I wore worked just fine in a brawl. I knew how to use it and wasn’t afraid to whip that bad boy out. We weren’t exactly defenseless.

“That’s it,” The bartender said. “Take this shit off the bar. I just wanted to see it.”

We obliged, ordered drinks and told Jimmy get the ladies their rooms. We would settle-up on the whiskey bill later. We took the Jack and the Jim and put it behind the bar. The Number 10 saloon was so nostalgic and historical it gave me the shivers. The cases were sealed and not to be opened until the start of the tournament.

Bandit ran a special tab, but all other commers had to pay premium price to Melody our bar maid. We drank shots and on ice and that’s it. We agreed, you don’t ruin good bourbon. We finished business with the establishment and went to our hotel.

I think the place was an old Chinese whorehouse. Blackie and I took first watch over the bikes and crew. He with his 38 Diamond back and I had my side-by-side stagecoach shotgun I had bought from Bandido Fred.

I knew Blackie needed sleep for the tournament, so I sent him to bed at 2 a.m. I popped a dexy, drank some coffee and felt ready. I held responsibility for some of this situation. I didn’t want to treat family like some prospect doing chores. The rules were no visitors for the ladies, nobody rides after drinking and nobody packs in town. We still packed wherever we went. The money stayed in the Saloon vault and was sealed with the owner’s name attached and again we had our security close by.

The tournament started at high noon the next day. I was at Bandit’s back with that side-by-side stagecoach shotgun tucked under my coat when Bandit sat down at the high stakes table and Lonesome George was on the jukebox singing ” I drink alone.”

Bandit leaned over to me and said, ” I think you and I have been in a conversation about this very thing before.”

“We were about three sheets in the wind,” I said. “I was thinking it was just a dream.”

Bandit started with four players per table and the other tables had to meet the amount pledged to the pot. The other tables had to play up to what we had to bring, 10 grand. The larger part of the tournament was over within a couple of hours. We were down to a couple of tables. The ladies were serving our crew and taking money and tips from the other tables. They made real good window dressing and good money that night in their sexy dance outfits.

“Why do you go by Holiday?” I asked. That seems like a conflict of interest for a dancer, don’t it?”

“Yep, but I inherited the traits of my great, great uncle.” She glared at me.

In a flash, she had a two-shot derringer in my side.

” Are you going to use that pea shooter?” I asked. “What the hell did I do?”

“Two shots at the same time would leave a real mess,” she said. “Don’t you think I ought to though?”

“Oh Shit!” I spoke. “You are the great, great niece of the Doc. Holiday? The Doc. Holiday? “

“Duh!” she said. “I always thought that you weren’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you were handsome back in our youth. But that didn’t make up for the way you treated me in Reno.”

I told her that I was sorry about all that. “You have to remember my head was all screwed up in those days.”

“That ain’t any excuse for your behavior,” Holiday said.

I told her that I was a young man with an old biker mentality back then and my Uncle Geno built engines for the Angels and women were considered property and to be treated as such. Sometimes their motorcycles were treated better.

“That’s bullshit!” She snapped.

I could feel the stubby barrels against my gut. I told her that I agreed. I scrambled for a way out of this situation. “I always thought you would be a model,” I stumbled, “but you do made a fine-looking dancer.” It dawned on me; she was a psycho. This was no time to dance with a devil in a blue dress.

Holiday stared at me, but I could see warmth return to her features. She withdrew the derringer and holstered that 38 Ruger back in her satin thigh holster.

I took a deep breath and she calmed some. “Do you still have your daddy’s Big Red?”

When I heard one of the crew carried a stainless steel 44 magnum, Red Hawk that belonged to his father, I knew it was you. I pulled my 5-Ball leather vest open to reveal two deep gun pockets. One held that 44 Red Hawk.

“Don’t let the bartender see you,” I said.

She moved close and I could smell her soft perfume and reached into my leather. She snatched that 44 cocked it and before I could stop her shot out the light across the street from where we sat in the back of the Number 10.

The crew snapped and reached for weapons, and all I heard was the cocking of guns.

“Hold it,” I hollered. “I made a mistake and accidentally fired Big Red.”

“Dammit,” Bandit yelled, “Don’t let that happen again or you are out of here. “

“I hear you Bandit,” I said and glared at Holiday.

Holiday looked at me with that angelic face and said “Sorry.” “We’ve come a long way from that night of making love in the surf on Manhattan Beach.”

I was amazed. “You still remember that night?” I said, or she was working me.

” I will never forget it.” She spoke.

“I never meant to break your heart,” I said wondering.

Then I heard Bandit calling the crew to get over to the table.
They eliminated the old New Orleans gambler, and everybody took a break for some breakfast. Everybody playing freshened up and was back before 10am. Bandit, Blackie and the House Owner were still in check with cases and cases of chips.

They played a dozen more hands, and it seem to be a Mexican standoff. Jimmy suggested a winner take all or they could play all day. The question was put to the table. The table agreed. The players matched box per box of chips.

When Blackie sat down, he wore a gamblers short stovepipe hat with a gold band and jewels. ” I got my lucky hat, and I am ready to go.”

We all looked at the flashy hat. Of course, it had a story. He won it off an old Voodoo priest in the French Quarter years ago. I suspected there was more to the story including the scar on the left side of his face. Meanwhile they were all anting up. Bandit yelled at me again, and I left the conversation with Holiday. Bandit picked up on the vibe, “Is this bastard cool?” He asked in no particular direction, and then stared directly at Blackie.

Blackie jumped up and started to draw down on the table, reaching inside his flashy black coat.

“Blackie!!!” I yelled. “I will have a pair of holes of 00 buck shot blown into you before you can skin the hog leg.”

“Can I have a minute?” I asked Bandit. I need to deal with some family business.

“Make it snappy before he gets shot, we’re burning daylight,” Bandit said.

Blackie and I went to the back of the room, and I threw back my 5/8s jack shirt and showed him my 44 Red Hawk and Blackie said, “You still got your daddy’s Red Hawk?”

“You really pissed off the family with that stunt you pulled,” I said.

“I didn’t have any choice and I had my reasons.” Blackie said, but didn’t look serious. He wanted to get back to the game.

“Leaving that little Southern Belle with a daughter to raise is unforgivable,” I said.

He said, “I got a daughter?”

“Yep,” I said and was beginning to wonder why I invited him. He was always a piece of shit. “I should settle this now, but since you are blood kin… Just don’t fuck up here.

“When all this is over, there is going to be a reckoning to be had,” I said, my hand still on Big Red. I felt a firm, but soft hand grab my arm and I looked over and there was Heavenly.

“Don’t do something you are going to regret Doll,” she said.

Bandit yelled again, “Let’s play goddammit!”

“What is he short by?” I asked the table.

“He’s short three grand,” Jimmy, the dealer said.

“Yep,” Bandit said. “You really want to do this?”

“Yep,” I piped up before Blackie. “He is blood family and I just want to give him a chance for this 100-grand pot. We are all brothers baptized in blood, sweat and 60-weight motor oil and this is the life of a 1%er.”

“Chance of a lifetime,” Bandit said and looked at me with a grin. “How long did you practice that before you said it?”

“Are we ready?” Jimmy asked impatient like, and all the three players agreed. Bandit had enough money in the till along with the whiskey sales. The house owner was cool and as shady as the Gem owner was in the 1800s. Blackie had on his lucky hat and then the Redhead came blazing through the door and sat down next to Bandit. Bandit said,” I got my lucky charm and let’s play.”

The chip cases were emptied onto the stained felt… The crew were all gathered around the mountain of chips, and we all had something to say about it.

T.J. said, “Holy shit!”

I told him, “You got that right.”

Lonesome said, “I wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of loot.”

Spyder said, “I would get me a boat in the Bahamas and just fish with a bunch of pretty girls.”

Frankie said, “I would open up a speed shop and tattoo parlor.”

Bandit said, “What would you do Gearhead?

“I would build that custom hot rod Knuckle with that wishbone bobber frame, candy apple red with morono paint and gold and chrome accessories with a 96-inch stroker motor and a NO2 system for kicks.”

Bandit said, “Yep that sounds like you.”

Jimmie asked the question again, “Are you gentlemen now ready?”

The table agreed to play. Jimmy then said, ” Gentlemen raise your glasses.”

Everybody had a double shot of whiskey in their hands passed to then by the bar maids.

“May the best man win,” Jimmy said and toasted.

We all tossed back the shots and slammed the glasses down on the table. “The table rules are what is in the pot it is. No raises and the game is 7-card draw.”

Bandit said, “Forget it. I feel lucky with the Redhead by my side today, so let’s play 5-card stud and be done with it.”

“What the fuck,” Blackie muttered. He’d been looking for and opportunity to pull something for two days, but Bandit kept an hard eye on him through each hand.

Jimmy said, “What you got Blackie?”

Blackie lifts his left hand and splays the cards, an Ace of clubs, Ace of hearts, eight of hearts, eight of clubs and eight of spades. He drops his right hand under the table and hopes on of the hotties will distract the players.

Bandit winks at the Redhead as she returns with drinks. She knows the drill and drops a drink in Blackie’s lap, pulls his cuff into the open and yanks out another Ace.

Bandit glares at Blackie. “Guess you’re going to play the cards you were dealt, or die trying.”

“A full house, not bad,” Jimmy said. “Bandit, what do you have over there?”

Bandit sat there like he was frozen in time. He slowly picked up his hand and looked at each card carefully. Jimmy makes the call down to Bandit again, and the Redhead nudges the big man and said something in his ear. In the meanwhile, you can hear an old barn owl hooting out on the front porch.

Bandit lays out his hand. He drew a royal flush all diamonds and an Ace high. Those of you that don’t know that hand it is a 10, Jack, Queen, King and an Ace all in diamonds. Bandit’s crew starts yelling and screaming. We all drank and partied the rest of the evening and the background music of the jukebox was I gotta get paid by ZZ Top.

Bandit gave Jimmy a good tip for dealing cards. Jimmy tipped the ladies and they let everybody sitting in the bar drink free the rest of the evening and closed the doors for the players, the crew and security

I asked Bandit” would you grant me a favor?”

He said, “It depends.”

Bandit said” Why, he tried to cheak?”

“Blackie and I have family business to finish, and it might take that bike to make him answer to the family.”

Bandit said,” It looked like you were going to put a slug in him back there. You take the bike to the kid in Florida.”

I told Bandit “That idea still might not be off the table yet. And thanks.”

Bandit said, “Do what you have to do. I’m splitting the pot with the crew.”

We both laughed. “I will only do this for brothers and sisters.”

“He also said” We have built bikes, been to Bonneville, been to Sturgis and on an occasion or two been through Hell and back and I will grant you this.”

Blackie came over to the table to put his hat on the table, keys and pink slip. Bandit took the gold hat band with jewels and gave him back his top hat and then he slid his keys and pink back over to me. “For his kid,” Bandit said.

“And fuck you, if you don’t like it.” Bandit said to Blackie.

“I don’t understand!” Blackie said.

“You will,” Bandit said and started to push his chair away from the table.

I am basically a gear head. I have always been in love with the internal combustion engine. They fascinate me, especially old ones. My dad taught me four cycle theory when I was about 7. I watched him overhaul his flathead Ford in 1952. The truck was only two years old and ran fine. I don’t know why he wanted to overhaul it. He had to pull it with the tractor to get it started because it was so tight. It ran fine after that though. Dad was a natural mechanic and I guess I got it from him. He was trained on tanks and other military hardware in the army.

He landed at Normandy and fought all the way to Berlin with Patton. I found out years after he passed away he had to clean bodies out of tanks and salvage parts to keep them running at the Battle of the Bulge. He never talked about that stuff to me.

He got dysentery that winter (1944). Colon cancer killed him in 1961. I’m pretty sure that affected the cancer.

I had two years of auto mechanics and one year of welding and general metals in high school so when I graduated, I had some basic skills which have carried me my whole life.

I joined the Navy as soon as I graduated and they trained me in aviation electronics. I had an aptitude for that, but I didn’t like it as well as working on cars and motorcycles.

My first job after the Navy was working on utility trucks the electric companies use. I perfected my welding skills and built some custom springer front ends and about four girder front ends from scratch in 1969 and 1970.

Over the years I have been an oil field welder, a heavy truck mechanic and I’ve worked for Chevy dealers and Ford dealers as a heavy line technician and an automatic transmission technician.

For fun I built hot rods and choppers. I should have stayed with the aviation electronics. I could have retired from Lockheed Martin. Oh well, hindsight’s a bitch.

In 1929 they had a 420 cubic inch straight-eight with 325 horsepower. It was big and heavy but would outrun anything on the road then. All those old engines had compression ratios of around 6 to 1. If they were brought up to around 10 to 1 and we installed modern carburetors, they would make serious power.

In 1917 Nash had an overhead valve six that was about like Chevrolet’s in the thirties. Chevrolet had a V8 based on the Curtiss aircraft engine in 1918. They only produced them for one year. Nearly all the design used in today’s engines was actually developed from 1915-1930. Much of it came about because of war.

The Liberty motor originally developed for heavy WW1 bombers is a 1100 cubic inch V12 that looks like 6 Harley-Davidsons staked together. It had 12 individual cylinders on a long common case, single overhead cams driven by shafts and bevel gears, rocker arms and hemi heads and was running strong in 1917. As soon as the war was over, they were sold as surplus and most found their way in boats. It was the rum runner engine of choice. There were still a lot of them running in the late 1940s.

In 1932 Ford decided to build a V8 for the common man. Cadillac ran Flathead V8s for years in their Lasalles. They had overhead V12s and V16s in their big cars. Those cars were for the rich only.

With the advent of the depression no one could afford cars like that. The Ford V8 is a horrible design, but by installing 2 water pumps and huge radiators on them, they would run for years. It was only 221 cubic inches and had 85 horsepower, but the cars were so light they were fast. That is why they made such great hot rods. I have a full fendered ‘34 right now with a 350 Chevy in it and it only weighs about 2500 pounds.

The problem with the Ford engine included the exhaust ports all the way around the cylinders through the water jacket and out the bottom side of the block. This really heated the water and was prone to cracking exhaust ports. It’s hard to find a good flathead Ford block. Because they were so cheap, they were everywhere in the ‘50s and started a huge aftermarket industry of speed equipment. Thanks to nostalgia this stuff is still being made today.

Cadillac had a much better flathead V8 that came out in 1937. It was 346 cubic inches and had 150 horsepower at 3600 RPM. Not bad for the times.

They are very reliable and durable engines. Many are still running without ever being apart. They had the exhaust ports come out the top right beside the intake ports. They had beautiful black porcelain coated exhaust manifolds right beside the carburetor. They also had hydraulic lifters. They are very quiet and smooth.

The trouble is they weigh over 800 pounds. Hot rodders were not interested until the new overhead valve Cadillac V8 came out in 1949. They and the ‘49 Olds were the engines of choice for hot rods everywhere. They were stuffed into ‘49-‘51 Fords that ran moonshine. Norm Grabovski put one in a bucket-T and it became the Kookie car on 77 Sunset strip. All that stuff fascinated me and still does. I want to build a rod with a nail-head Buick right now.

The cars and motorcycles of today run awesome and last a long time, but they do nothing for me. People who can work on those old engines are few and far between. We are a vanishing breed. In a few years if a collector wants to keep the old stuff running, he will have to get out the old manuals and train some young guy with an aptitude for it.

How to think about our energy future
Is humanity’s continuing—and expanding—use of fossil fuels a moral choice or an immoral choice?

At the Center for Industrial Progress, we reject the common standard of minimizing human impact.

Our standard of value is: maximizing human flourishing.

To discover what will maximize human flourishing we must think full context—we must carefully look at the benefits, risks, and side effects of all our alternatives. We reject the common method of thinking out-of-context.

Thus, when we consider fossil fuels, we do not write them off as bad because they cause some man-made CO2 and some man-made warming.

We look carefully at the full context of their potential impacts on human flourishing now and in the future.

Fossil fuels & human flourishing: the benefits
The unmet need for cheap, plentiful, reliable energy:

— There are 7 billion people in the world who need cheap, plentiful, reliable energy to flourish. Some 3 billion have virtually no energy by our standards, which means we need vastly more energy.

— It is extremely difficult to produce cheap, plentiful, reliable energy. In the entire history of humanity, only three industries have achieved this on any scale: the hydrocarbon (fossil fuel) industry, the nuclear industry, and the hydroelectric power industry.

The unique ability of the fossil fuel industry to meet our energy needs:

— The fossil fuel industry produces over 80% of the world’s power because it is the only industry that has figured out how to produce cheap, plentiful, reliable energy for electricity, transportation, and heating on a scale of billions.

— Since the energy industry is the industry that powers every other industry, the fossil fuel industry increases productivity and prosperity in every area of life, from agriculture (diesel-powered farm equipment) to hospitals (24/7 electricity).

— The only industries that can meaningfully supplement fossil fuel energy are the nuclear and hydroelectric industries, which are widely opposed by environmentalists. Even without this opposition fossil fuels would still be irreplaceable for decades to come. Hydro is limited by lack of suitable locations. Nuclear has the long-term potential to expand greatly, but is many decades away from
scaling to the level of billions.

— For these reasons, any restriction on fossil fuel use would do devastating damage. This must be factored into all policy debates over restricting fossil fuels to reduce CO2 or other byproducts.

About the author: Alex Epstein, founder of the Center for Industrial Progress, is a
humanist philosopher who seeks to identify the full context of industrial and environmental controversies.

His New York Times bestseller The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels has been widely praised as the most persuasive argument ever made against climate catastrophism and led The McLaughlin Group to name Epstein the most original thinker of 2014.

Fossil fuels & human flourishing: environmental concerns. The number one environmental concern: climate impacts

— To assess the climate-related impacts of fossil fuel use, we have to carefully assess the consequences to human flourishing of :

1) the warming impact of CO2,

2) the fertilizing effect of CO2,

— The warming impact of CO2 is mild and quite possibly positive–in no way does it justify restricting fossil fuel use whatsoever.

— It is a proven but little-known fact that the greenhouse effect of CO2 is a diminishing,
logarithmic effect; each molecule of CO2 warms less than the last.

— The belief that increases in CO2 will cause runaway warming are based on speculative
climate dynamics represented in models that have utterly failed to predict climate.

— Global average temperatures and CO2 levels are near all-time lows from a geological
perspective; today’s CO2 levels are an estimated 1/20th their all-time high (a highly fertile period).

— Warming is almost universally desired among civilizations, with cold-related deaths
dramatically greater than heat-related deaths. In general, life thrives under warmer conditions.

— The widely ignored fertilizing effect of CO2 is significant and positive, yet ignored; a proper energy and environmental discussion must take it into account.

— Increasing CO2 levels is a proven driver of plant growth, which is why greenhouses contain 3 times as much CO2 as our atmosphere.

— Satellite data show dramatic increases in plant growth in uninhabited locations as CO2 levels have increased over the past several decades.

— Increased CO2 has also contributed significantly to crop yields and helped millions avoid malnutrition or starvation.

— The widely-ignored protecting effect of fossil fuels is spectacularly positive; it has helped us take the inherently dangerous climate and make it far safer than it has ever been.

— While the climate debate treats the global climate system as naturally stable and safe, it is in fact naturally volatile and vicious. Climate safety requires climate protection through
development and technology–both of which are fueled by affordable energy.

— The international disaster database, which tracks climate-related deaths–including deaths from flood, droughts, extreme heat, extreme cold, storms, and wildfires–shows a 98% decrease in the rate of climate-related deaths since significant CO2 emissions began 80 years ago.

— Fossil fuel use doesn’t take a safe climate and make it dangerous, it takes a dangerous
climate and makes it safe.

For a full analysis of the environmental impacts of fossil fuels, including air, water, and resource impacts, see the book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.

Help change the conversation

If we truly look at fossil fuel energy by the standard of human flourishing, we discover that it is not an immoral product we need to restrict but a moral product we need to liberate–just as we need to liberate other persecuted sources of energy such as nuclear power and hydroelectric power.

Our society’s lack of a clear,
pro-human, full-context framework for thinking about energy is leading to disastrous, anti-fossil-fuel, antinuclear, anti-hydro policy decisions that are already harming millions and will harm billions.
A fast, easy way to make an impact is to share this document with your friends, family, coworkers, favorite commentators, and elected officials.

Go to IndustrialProgress.com/fossilfuels to get a PDF to share with others.

Fay Taylour, known as ‘Flying Fay’, was an Irish world champion Speedway rider who was often seen on a Douglas. Between 1927 and 1930 she was known as the ‘Queen of the Dirt Track’, and was the first woman to race in England.

Taylour achieved success and set track records in Australia on her DT/5 until women were banned from Speedway racing in Australia and the United Kingdom in 1930.

It was while on tour in Australia that Taylour learned that women had been shut out of all motorcycle racing.

Like similar events, the Mid-South M.I.L.E. left bikers energized and motivated to continue the fight to defend our freedoms. Thanks to the organizers who invited the MRF to attend and the volunteers who put on a fantastic event. As you might guess, the hospitality room was Texas sized with great food and drink. And it’s true everything’s bigger in Texas!

We are counting down the days until the 30th Mid-South M.I.L.E. in Kansas next year.

Following extension after extension, deferring action for more than a year, the so-called infrastructure bill, or highway bill to reauthorize highway funding projects, passed on November 12, 2021 after the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to the Senate’s version and passed a 5-year, $1.2 trillion highway funding bill, dubbed the INVEST ACT.

Unfortunately for bikers who have lobbied Congress extensively on various transportation issues contained in the House measure, after all this time there’s scant little to celebrate. The Senate version does include reestablishment of the Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) to advise the U.S. Department of Transportation on motorcycle matters, and allocates increased Section 405 grant funds dedicated for motorcycle safety.

BUILD BACK BATTERY
Now that President Biden’s scaled back $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill is law, Democrats are setting their sights on his Build Back Better Act, furthering the administration’s electric vehicle agenda, including tax incentives of up to $12,500 per vehicle to spur consumer demand for EVs and establishing a network of 500,000 EV chargers nationwide by 2030.

Transportation officials are touting the Build Back Better as a key part of Biden’s plan along with the new infrastructure package to help achieve the president’s EV sales goal of having half of all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric.

On November 19, after months of negotiations including hijacking the infrastructure bill until this “human infrastructure” measure could be acted upon, House Democrats passed the Build Back Better with no Republican support.

Included in $495 billion worth of climate initiatives, there’s proposed refundable electric vehicle tax credits, not just for new cars, but up to $4,000 for used electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, and also includes incentives for buying electric motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles which would be eligible for up to $7,500 or half the vehicle’s price.

MOTORCYCLING IS LESS DANGEROUS THAN HORSE RIDING AND SKIING
It turns out that horse riding and skiing are more likely to land you in the hospital needing medical treatment than getting out on your motorcycle, according to a new study that reveals motorcycling actually isn’t as dangerous as other less regulated pastimes.

A study on a decade’s worth of data from the U.S. National Trauma Data Bank has grouped the reasons as to why Americans have landed in the hospital to be treated for injuries. It found that motorcycling isn’t as dangerous statistically as other activities that don’t require so much training.

Motorcycling injuries accounted for 0.14 out of 1000 hours of riding. By contrast, horse riding has 0.49 injuries during that timeframe, with 37% of those requiring care for trauma to the thoracic region (chest and upper back area) and a fifth suffering a head injury.

A quarter of those would go on to require intensive care, plus one in ten needing surgery.

NEW HEADS-UP HELMET DISPLAY TECH HAS ALMOST LIMITLESS POTENTIAL
Swiss firm Aegis Rider AG is using augmented reality to create a helmet that seamlessly integrates information into the view ahead. It’s an idea with virtually limitless potential, from providing real-time hazard warnings by highlighting threats as they emerge, to coaching the rider with suggested speeds and cornering lines, or presenting safety instructions superimposed on the road itself.

Already undergoing tests as a third-generation prototype, the system features on-bike cameras and a central computing unit allied to sensors monitoring speed and lean angle as well as GPS data to locate the bike. This gets cross-referenced with detailed maps that include info about speed limits and road characteristics.

Although it would be possible to display such warnings on a traditional dashboard, there’s a risk that this would take the rider’s eye off the road, so the system is integrated with an augmented reality helmet with heads-up display in the visor.

The system also monitors the helmet’s precise position and orientation in relation to the bike, so the warnings can be superimposed at just the right spot. Aegis Rider is supported by ETH Zurich university where company founder Simon Hecker was awarded his PhD for research on autonomous driving systems.

He said: “I ride a motorcycle myself, so I’m aware of the large gap between the safety systems of modern cars and motorcycles.”

Initially, Aegis Rider want to have a version targeting tech-savvy early-adopters in production by next summer, with later developments leading to more affordable, mainstream versions in the future.

SMART MOTORWAY U-TURN
After investing £6 billion ($8 billion USD) into the smart motorway project since its inception, British Transport Secretary Grant Schapps is reportedly having second thoughts following a report by a national UK newspaper.

The report, compiled by the Mail, raises questions specifically around All Lane Running (ALR) roads, meaning the removal of the hard shoulder to create an extra lane of travel. After reading it, Sec. Schapps is said to have claimed he is not totally against ceasing further construction of the roads.

It is also reported that a former senior transport official claimed that the roads had not improved journey times and that quite the opposite, they could be hurting the economy.

You’d expect the government’s math and economic foresight to be sound, but DfT scientist David Metz has been quoted as saying that ‘biased’ economic modeling was used and that much of the motorway network will have a negative benefit economically; “If better economic modeling and analysis had been done, we wouldn’t have been investing so much money in these roads… So to a degree, this money has been wasted.”

He went on to say, “Consultants like to please their clients so there’s a bias to provide the kind of outcomes expected.”

BIKE MODIFICATIONS THAT EFFECT EMISSIONS ‘LIKELY TO BE OUTLAWED’ IN U.K
The Department for Transport (DfT) in the United Kingdom has clarified its position on the anti-tampering proposals it revealed recently in a meeting with the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC).

The wording of the original document made it seem that any modification from a motorbike’s OEM parts would become illegal, sparking uproar in the biking community. And while the DfT has now made it clear that this is not the case for all parts of your bike, exhaust systems remain firmly in the crosshairs.

The proposals are aimed at ensuring the motorcycles can no longer be legally modified to generate more pollution, which would rule out many performance exhaust systems and power commanders. The proposals have also been designed to stamp out the practice of modifying electric bicycles and e-scooters to make them faster and more powerful.

“Although we are pleased to learn that riders will not be banned from modifying their bikes if this does not reduce environmental performance or increase speeds beyond a particular motorcycle’s design specification, this leaves several areas where legitimate reasons to modify could still be denied,” said Craig Carey-Clinch from the NMC. “There is also a large question mark about how the proposals will affect older motorcycles.

‘DUTCH REACH’ IS THE LAW IN THE NEW BRITISH HIGHWAY CODE
The new rule in the Highway Code is aimed at protecting cyclists, those on motorcycles and vulnerable road users, when drivers are getting out of cars.

If someone was to say ‘don’t forget to use the Dutch Reach’ what would you immediately think of? AMRoadsmart surveyed 10,000 motorists, and found that 85% of those asked had no idea what a Dutch Reach was, instead perhaps wondering why they were being offered something so lewd.

Under new rules in the updated Highway Code, the Dutch Reach is primarily a method aimed at protecting cyclists by simply using your furthest hand to open the car door as you exit your car, naturally making your body turn towards the door and increase your chances of spotting an approaching person/motorcycle/cycle.

Despite being termed as an aide to cyclists, this newly introduced law will also benefit motorcyclists and scooterists who are filtering past – and now recognized as vulnerable road users in the newly updated rules.

Implemented under Rule 239 of the ‘Waiting and Parking’ chapter, the new rule will read:

“You should open the door using your hand on the opposite side to the door you are opening, e.g. use your left hand to open a door on your right-hand side.

“This will make you turn your head to look over your shoulder. You are then more likely to avoid causing injury to cyclists or motorcyclists passing you on the road, or to people on the pavement.”

QUOTABLE QUOTE:

“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

~ Hermann Göring (1893-1946), Nazi military leader

 

 

ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).

THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

Sam Burns sends me images several times a week. One time, not long ago he sent me some shots from a builder in Europe. I could never put it all together to create a feature. But just the other day he sent me a serious batch of shots of this Sportster project in an old Amen sprung frame.

He also included just enough crumbs on the path to lead me to a shop and Ryan Woods, the Chief of Chrash at Chopper Chrash http://chopperchrash.bigcartel.com/
Awesome.

Ryan sent me the following info about this project, and bada bing we had a cool feature to share with our readers:

One day I found a pair of Olds Cutlass marker lights and hung them from the back of the frame and that snowballed into the whole Hurst, Olds 442 theme.

Once I made the new taillight buckets and welded them up I decided to cut the original left-side shifter pedal, turn it 45 degrees and weld the Hurst Indy shifter to it with a linkage through the frame connecting it to the trans.

My buddy Ron Harris of Chop Docs Choppers painted everything white like the Hurst Olds 442 and painted Miss Hurst Linda Vaughn on the tank. Once he was done we called in my buddy Pinstripin Mikey to frame and stripe it all out.

Steve from Paughco reached out to me on my Instagram (@chopperchrash) and said they believe Ron Paugh made my springer a billion years ago before the company really took off.

I wanted something other than the typical 21-inch front spool wheel, so I modified a 23-inch x 1.60-inch wheel from a Honda XL250 and slapped that sucker on there.

The headlight was found by scouring eBay UK until I came across the Butlers Saucer Lamp Mark II. I had never seen one before, so I had to have it.

Billy (@speedmillbikes) made a lot of the cover plates, brackets, battery box etc. I’ve still got some tweaking to do with the hydro clutch setup since all parts, including the tamer had to be handmade, milled and whatnot. It took longer than expected but I’m stoked with the final product.

–Ryan Woods
https://www.instagram.com/chopperchrash/ Ryan Woods on Facebook

All creative projects have their hiccups. Ryan whispered, “Hurst so bad.” Among other names he’s called this custom Sportster are the Iron Headache and the Sportsturd. ChopperCrash took some photos at Weems Motor Co. Tampa and Robinson Motorcycle Sales and Service, Daytona Beach. Sam Burns said, “He also gave a shout-out to Mikey Ayers, Pin Stripin by Mikey, for helping with the mounting of that damned springer.”

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving 2021.

–Bandit

Paughco

As Jiffy Tune Racing’s Eric Stahl and his team were crossing the country and heading to Wisconsin’s Road America for the second race in the lauded MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series, tragedy struck.

En route, the truck and trailer hauling Stahl’s modified Harley-Davidson Electra Glide caught fire while on the interstate, the trailer bursting into flames and belching dark clouds of smoke. Soon the Dodge truck was also engulfed, with the keys to the trailer (which held the team’s tools) lost in the truck.

It was a total and devastating loss, leaving nothing but a crisp skeleton of iron, and it dashed any hope Stahl had as a privateer racer of beating the deep-pocket OEM-backed teams and racers.

“When I first saw the fire, it was like a huge hole in my stomach…to see your life’s work gone in a fire is very heartbreaking,” Stahl told American Motorcyclist. “That one right there really pulled me down to my knees.”

Stahl purchased the Electra Glide in March in preparation for the series and poured untold amounts of money and time into getting it race worthy, all while securing sponsorships to lessen the financial burden privateer racers face doing what they love.

First, Stahl shared the news on social media and it spread like wildfire. Then he set up a GoFundMe account, which raised $12,872 from 126 donors. A nice and generous sum for sure, but a far cry from the cost of a tricked-out performance bagger that conservatively runs between $20,000 and $80,000 depending on the modifications.

As the news spread and the outpouring of condolences flowed over, Wisconsin’s House of Harley-Davidson and The Motor Company reached out to him with a plan.

“I was getting a lot of calls and texts and was ready to head home. But I kept on getting this one call that I was ignoring because it was just all too much when someone told me ‘Hey, the MoCo is trying to get a hold of you,’” Stahl said. “When they told me they had a bike and mechanics ready to get it race-worthy, it was almost as shocking and emotional as the fire because we could still continue to race. [The King of the Baggers] is a short series and you have to make the best of it.”

Once the new bike arrived, the team worked feverishly with the support of House of Harley-Davidson to get it ready as the clock was ticking down to race day. One by one they handled all the things needed to turn a bagger into a competitive race bike that could go head-to-head against the other Harleys and the lone Indian Challenger.

“Stahl and his team hit every bump in the road, but we are so proud we could help him finish the race,” said House of Harley-Davidson General Manager Tom Donnelly.

Crew Chief Travis Blasier of Blasier Performance Door County said the outpouring of support was, “one hell of an experience.”

“From Eric’s rig burning while driving from California to actually competing…it has just been an amazing journey,” he said.

“This is what it’s like when the Harley-Davidson racing family comes together,” said Harley-Davidson Senior Public Relations Manager Paul James. “When we saw the news, we put our heads together to see what we could do.”

A true comeback story, there was so much emotion for Stahl — and the entire team — when he took the new bike out on the track at Road America. And despite a mechanical setback in practice that had the team working through the night again, he finished 8th in the June 13 race, which, given the circumstances is still an admirable finish in a race currently dominated by big-spending teams with professional racers and plentiful budgets.

“I couldn’t give up on account of my family,” Stahl said. “Getting to this level of racing is not easy with all the sacrifices we’ve made. For everybody that put in the time and the effort, they were counting on me and I had to keep pushing forward.”

Family. It’s a big part of what makes motorcycling so special. Because, really, in that larger sense, we are One Big One.