Quote of the Month
“Hope: it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope can be effective. A lot of hope can be dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it’s contained.”
—President Snow
The Hunger Games
Fed’s Attempts to Seize “Colors” Revived
In an apparent attempt to bleed targeted motorcycle club’s resources, federal prosecutors have filed an appeal of the 9th Circuit dismissal of the government’s case, where they tried to seize the trademarks and logos of the Mongol Nation. In the original decision in favor of the club’s first amendment rights, the Justice Department was ordered to pay $253,206 in legal fees to the attorneys who challenged it.
On July 11, prosecutors filed an appeal, claiming that “a select group of the gang, so-called ‘full-patched’ members,” had obtained federal trademark protection for “two marks used by the gang to identify members and to terrorize enemies.” The filing called the Mongols’ registration “an audacious, novel move.”
The original case dates back to 2008, when then-U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien in his own novel move tried to seize the Mongols trademarks, saying that “If the court grants our request… then if any law enforcement officer sees a Mongol wearing his patch, he will be authorized to stop that gang member and literally take the jacket right off his back.” That attempt failed, as outlined above.
In a related case, a Michigan federal judge, U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland, issued an order claiming that another club, the Devils Diciples, (Joanne, this is the correct spelling) trademarks were subject to forfeiture following conviction of three members in Detroit of charges of racketeering, perjury and obstruction. The club has temporarily shut down its website, www.devilsdiciples.org “because the Department of Justice has felt it necessary to include us in their witch hunt we have to be careful what we do and show, so until we beat them in court, we are going dark. But, we will always be here. DFFD!”
Waco Attorneys Want District Attorney Removed
Two of the defendants in the Waco, Texas shooting trial, Christopher Eaton and Owen Bartlett, have filed suit to have District Attorney Abel Reyna removed from the case, citing financial conflict of interest. Reyna has been named as a defendant, along with two officers and a Texas Department of Public Safety officer in a civil suits involving 15 other bikers alleging unlawful arrest and due-process violations.
Attorneys allege Reyna has a financial incentive to pursue cases against the bikers, arguing that Reyna is pressing a flawed prosecution because he's personally named in a civil lawsuit filed by the bikers. They are calling for a special prosecutor to handle the cases. Sources: KWTX-TV, Waco Tribune-Herald, Associated Press
Captain America Motorcycle Builder Cliff Vaughs Dies At 79
Cliff Vaughs was a photographer and journalist when he met Peter Fonda at a news interview. As luck would have it, Fonda was looking for someone to build bikes for their new movie, and Cliff, who was good friends with motorcycle shop owner Ben Hardy, stuck a deal to purchase a few cop bikes and customize them. That, as they say, was history. They went on to design the Captain America and Billy bikes, two motorcycles indelibly engraved in motorcycling history, the film spawning fandom as wide as the magazine you hold in your hand right now.
Cliff dropped off the radar shortly after the movie and ended up on a sailboat in the Caribbean, then as a tourist guide in Florida. He finally ended up in a veteran’s home in San Diego. One account is that when one of the supposed Captain America bikes went for auction he immediately denounced it as a fake, and saved an unwary bidder $1.4 million. Peter Fonda went on to acknowledge Cliff’s importance in the making of the film, and led to greater respect of the motorcycle chopper culture.
Cliff Vaughs died July 2, and the custom motorcycle world owes him a debt of gratitude. Source: Hemmings Motor News
Harley and the Davidsons
A new miniseries has been announced, with the focus on the early days of the Harley-Davidson motor company. Starring Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones) as Walter Davidson, Robert Aramayo, (Game of Thrones) as William "Bill" Harley, and Bug Hall (The Little Rascals) as Arthur Davidson, the show chronicles the company in the early 20th century.
The motor company opened it’s archives, giving the producers historical information to form the characters. The company however has no financial stake in the film. The bikes were all made from scratch, from information supplied from the historical treasure trove the company has amassed. The show airs in three two hour blocks, September 5-7 on the Discovery network.