Veterans Day - Today and Everyday

Today is a day to remember our veterans and all who has served in the American Armed Forces. Today is a day we need to reach out and tell them Thank You for a job well done. Today is a day we need to stop and think about the freedom we have is because of veterans who have come before us. Today is the day we need to decide to make every day VETERANS DAY! THANK A VET TODAY AND EVERYDAY!

Saturday's Virgin Ride

This past Saturday I worked an extra job as a motorcycle escort. I have done this before but only for trucks. Well, I had my first funeral escort. My two riding buddies were one of my partners that goes back 17 years and the other is one who took me under his wing when I started riding the wing.

They were both giving pointers up until the last minute. They decided to do the bump and run. That is where they both will play first and second bike and I will be third bike. I am to relieve them at their posts while they jump ahead to the next one. The bump and run is to get us virgins used to the game without putting the extra pressure of first bike on us.

The common one is leap. this is where the bike takes an assignment (intersection or ramp) waits until the possession has passed and then speeds up to the front. The leap gives all the bikes to be all positions and the work and danger is shared amongst all the bikes.

This possession wasn't too long as possessions go but the travel distance was. We started out on the south side of Houston and went to the north side of Houston. I wasn't scared but I was alert for danger. Danger which could come from anywhere. The most common are cars not yielding right of way to the police motorcycle and funeral possession. Others are cars deciding to cut through the possession and cars in the possession who decide to not to go to the cemetery and cut out in front of the police bike.

It was a good day because we got the funeral to the cemetery and we did it safely. I got a job well done by my riding buddies which meant more then anything. Then I got invited to another job that they were short on so I went and rode forth bike on that one. I have shown them what I can do and I think I did it well. The invite tells me that they trust me enough to ride with me, Because it is safer to ride short then with a motor who is unsafe.

The money for funerals is good because of the dangerous fast pace of it. The next time I am going to earn my keep by leap frogging instead of the last bike position. I respect my fellow riders and I want to earn respect from them. I think by answering the phone for the truck escorts that I have done in the pouring rain and now moving up to the funereal rides I am earning their respect.

As always, be safe and ride safe!

I Found It, You Caption It!

Motorcycle Therapy

I am still on call this week but I left the car at the station. I took the bike last night. I figured If I do get called out to a scene, I have everything I need anyway. If it is North then I can stop and get the car. I haven't been on the bike for almost two weeks. I needed to get on and ride. The ride home was great. I have a police escort this afternoon, so I wanted to get all of my skills sharpened. There is a new shopping center that is opening up at the exit that I take to go home. This shopping center has a fire lane that is in front and behind all the stores. this fire lane is striped the same size of a normal street. However, the advantage is in the rear of the stores there is no traffic and concrete on both sides of the lanes for trucks.

I go back there and practice my turns, u-turns, and circles. When I normally ride it is on freeways and county roads, I want to make sure I don't loose my skills. So there I am, in the service area of the shopping center doing circles, figure eights and u-turns. If someone was watching they would have called the cops because they thought I might have been drunk. All of the exercises I was doing has a purpose out in the field.

I felt more comfortable on the bike afterwards, and I feel that I have more control. I did not go down while I was doing any of the exercises which was good for my pride. Once I got back on the county road, I used the stripes as cones and used the road as my personal track.

Driving Home was rather cheap therapy for me. Enjoy the weekend!

Tie Post 16 - Palacios Collection

A new "Collection" debuts on the Texas Ghostrider. Yes this new "Palacios Collection" comes from a fellow blogger (http://ruralsouthtexaslife.blogspot.com/) and Texan. She took the time out of her busy schedule and dug through some boxes to find this collection. I will be posting additional "Palacios Collection" pictures as time permits.

I would like to thank her for thinking of me and sending me this new "collection".

Grieving in Texas

A day to grieve for the lost of American lives at Fort Hood, Texas.


I am so glad I can update this post by removing the mourning of the officer. She is a true hero and she is a survivor!


'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'

-Mark Twain

I guess I was a little of both yesterday.

Blog Coins or Challenge Coins

I have received a nice little gift from my buddy The Farmer up in The Great State of Montana. He calls them "Blog Coins" and they represent the writer of the Blog. He could not have been more right on the mark with me. I am truly honored and humbled to accept this gift from him.

I appreciate the time and effort it took for him to forge this coin for me. I think he is onto something and maybe this is a new fad. Blog Coins, I like the idea.

I carried these today and I will in the future. There is a tradition in the military service to have a challenge coin on your person. This tradition has moved to the law enforcement profession and I own a couple of them. Never be without your challenge coin because you will be buying the next round. You may also be "volunteering" for the next call for service but no one wants. We use them for heads and tails and of course the challenge of having one. They promote the department or unit you maybe in, they are good keep sakes for officers who you meet from different parts of the country or world, especially if those officers worked with you on a case or assignment.

Google "challenge coins" and there are several different orgins. I believe the story that it originates in world war two. Whenever, it did come about, it needs to stay and so does these new "Blog Coins". So Farmer, THANK YOU!

To go to the Blog of "The Farmer" go to http://pluharsrant.blogspot.com/

Vote

I am not going to tell you how to vote. I am not going to tell you what to vote on. I am going to tell you to vote. We may cancel each others vote out, but at least we will all be heard. Take the time out to VOTE. We are not under attack by snipers or bombers like the polls are in other places. The death squads are not roaming the streets telling you who to VOTE for.

We have soldiers defending our freedom so please exercises THAT freedom and VOTE! Then THANK a US SOLDIER for allowing you to VOTE. My friends, we blog and argue and debate each other, I value your opinions and I listen to them and you listen to me. That is AMERICA. America, home of the free by the vote of it's people and the protection of it's citizen soldiers. By voting you participate in the greatest American debate, the future of our country, May GOD Bless Her and the American people!

Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead. It has it's orgins in several different cultures and religions. The main focus is remembrance. Remember those who has lived and passed before you. The Day of the Dead is a celebration of life and death. So on this November 2nd, remember the ancient ones, remember those who have passed, remember and give thanks to them.

Wrongfully Accused

I was chatting with someone and of course the topic turned to law enforcement and criminal justice. The person was saying that cops would frame someone just to clear a case. The argument started, Why would I frame anyone just to clear a case? That is the most stupidest statement I have heard in a long while.

I much would rather let 10 guilty walk then charge one innocent person. Wait, make that 100 guilty walk to 1 innocent conviction. No, that is still to low, how about 1000 guilty to one innocent. In my mind that is still unacceptable. Why is that unacceptable? Because, in America we value freedom. I don't know of any police officer who would frame anyone or to make up evidence.

Why am I so comfortable in letting guilty walk free? I know they will offend again, and we can charge them then. An innocent man does not have a chance to get back the time that he would have been in prison. I have a case now, where I have identified the suspect in a few cases. I can't prove the charge so I don't. In the mean time they have re offended a couple of times and they have been charged in those cases. So, the guilty will in up in jail.

I guess there is too many television shows that glamorize bad cops putting people in jail at all cost. Maybe it is time to glamorize the good cops who bust their butts everyday making sure that the right people are put in jail.