Independence Day 2020: Missing The Aging Rebel Donald Charles Davis

“I stood upon a high place,
And saw, below, many devils
Running, leaping,
and carousing in sin.
One looked up, grinning,
And said, "Comrade! Brother!”- Stephen Crane

 It is July 4th. Independence Day in the United States. It is also 2020.

 In 2020 we have had COVID-19. We have seen our country shuddered and ordered to shelter in place, as if we were the British waiting for the Luftwaffe to bomb any visible light during the Blitz. We have seen police exert extreme force. We have seen young, disaffected youth violently destroy property and generally display the wanton use of force that they have decried. Historical monuments were removed or destroyed in some senseless, impotent act of rage, which was essentially saying "We don't like the things you've been saying so we're going to trample on your free speech and freedom of expression. Because we're passionate about Free Speech unless it is Free Speech that offends us or speech we can interpret as infringing on our rights, which of course come before your rights. We have a vague notion of ideas like privilege and injustice, but rather than articulating them in a sane and reasonable fashion ? We're going to loot and burn shit- cause you owe it to us."

Today is the Fourth of July. Here in the United States we celebrate it as a national holiday, Independence Day, and we even tag on a Federal Holiday. The entire country received a $1200 block of government cheese this year as our reward for sheltering in place, and it was supposed to be a direct cash injection to make up for the fact that restaurants and bars closed. Oil refineries were even shuddered because of OPEC price wars. The price of gas became so goddamn low, oil refineries sent their workers home. The Defense Production Act was invoked so that we would have enough masks and respirators. Suddenly the First World Problems were the same as Developing World Problems as Third World Problems.

We  celebrate the 4th of July due to fact that the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 2nd, 1776. When it came down to nitty gritty of "Live Free or Die", the actual act of loading the Brown Bess with powder, wad, an a ball and firing on the British ? It is said that less than 3% of the "United States" population actually raised arms and fired a shot in anger against the British. Yet, we celebrate the Holiday because of the romantic notions of Declaring Independence, Rights Inalienable to Men, All Men Being Created Equal. So many fine notions, yet this year has been the year in which the romance of living in a "free country" was finally questioned by the masses. Prior to this year, the men who lived free lives and questioned the romantic notions were termed by United States government as Outlaw Motorcycle Organizations, or failing that the G applied the following terms: militias, soverign citizens, Mormon ranchers 7th Day Adventists, or just guys like Randy Weaver. This Year of Our Lord 2020, the entire United States population got to see what life was like for Randy Weaver in living color, on the Tubes, the TV, cellphones, and even in the remaining printed media. They might have even had it come up their block during a riot.

People who had long looked down on the quaint small towns suddenly flooded them to get away from the next time a cop killed someone, and riots began. Yet, this was not the year for listening to the theme song from Green Acres. Real estate agents smugly smiled as people fleed their "Cities Too Busy to Hate" and paid inflated prices for land and homes in rural areas. COVID numbers soared.

It's okay though, just listen to the mass media. Have beer, watch NASCAR- now with 99% less Confederate Flags. Koz, Carr, Ciccone, and Company can kick back by the pool. Maybe they will invite Byrd over for cocktails, drinks with umbrellas in them- that is, if Byrd can afford the gas money between paying legal bills. Maybe Billy Queen can limp there on his last leg.

The thing I miss the most today is not riding in a pack. It is not hitting the hotel where the run is and jumping like a mad man into the pool, have stripped my cheap leathers, relishing the water after the sun has baked me after a 6 hour ride. The thing I miss most is not the drone of a Harley Davidson Shovelhead, Evolution, or the tinny exhaust note of those odd TC's. I certainly do not miss water cooled Harley Davidson's. I have not heard them, I have not ridden them, and I do not intend to. Harley Davidson is the paper tiger now, it used and sucked the life from the Outlaw Motorcyclist Image, charging exorbitant prices for bikes only the very rich could easily afford. That's capitalism I hear you say. It is. It certainly is capitalism, capitalism mixed in with good old fashion exploitation and heaping help of hospitable bullshit. A Harley advertisement pre-2016 was like watching a Roger Corman biker exploitation film. The whole business turned my stomach.

July 4th is typically the time of the Aphellon. What the hell is an Aphellon I hear you ask ? The Aphellon is the point in the year where the Sun is furthest from Earth. Literally we are farthest from the light.

Do I miss the light ? Do I miss the sun ? As a matter of fact I'm getting to that. This year on June 19th, 2020 - Rebel, government name Donald Charles Davis of the California Republic died. He'd fought for his life as a result of an accidental fall. Don had been fighting for his life for a long time. He talked about "Gidget"- the woman he loved- and we learned her name is Marnie Levy. Marnie Levy needs help with end of life expenses, her GoFundMe for Rebel is here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/memorial-donald-charles-davis-rebel

Literally at the point we're furthest from the light, the Earth being furthest from the Sun, the year being all down hill from here with only 180 days left ? It is the day that the light in the motorcycle community is furthest from us, the Stephen Crane of Motorcycle Clubs has died, the only real journalist to objectively cover motorcycle club news with an sense of propriety about what is and isn't appropriate to publish, has passed away. I do miss the journalistic light in our community- the man who took on the Waco Massacre, the framing of Dave Burgess, Operation Black Rain. I do not miss him nearly as much as those who knew and loved in day to day life, I can't. I only knew Don through his heart, of which he gave a small piece away in each article he wrote, of which he gave large pieces away in books he fought to finish. This is the man who literally consulted on the case which held the Iron Order to task, and yet kept on going after the judge said the Iron Order can freely kill innocent women. This is the man who suffered Koz's lies, Jarrett's smug Texas bullshit, and suffered with the Mongol Nation, the Hells Angels, the American Outlaws Association, the Pagans, the Sons of Silence, the Bandidos, the Banshees, the Warlocks(FL), and the Warlocks(PA), and every other quote "OMO" as they faced the wraith of an enemy with an unlimited budget and no scruples.

It is less bright Independence Day for sure. I will miss exchanging emails with Rebel. I will miss committing thought crimes in my missives to the man. I will miss his Dispatches from the Outlaw Motorcycle Club Frontier. I will miss his wit and his kindness. I will miss his respect for free speech. Until I can get my webpage up, this serves as my place holder. Free speech by all will be tolerated here. Disrespect for clubs, patch holders, and others will not be tolerated- everyone is welcome, even LEO's, so long as they respect edict. Threats and promises will not be tolerated. Otherwise, we are the Saloon Society, this is our Dialogical Saloon for a bit, if you care to add something- please do.