Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 08:44 AM
 Edited By: fish_antlers on 1 Dec 2005 08:55
Are you a thrill seeker / risk taker? Or are you a stupid MF ?
Seriously, I want to know where some of you guys fit in. I am speaking in general, but mainly I want to focus on your street riding habits. This is sort of a spinoff from another thread, but I feel this subject is worthy of it's own thread.
I like to think that I take calculated risk. Granted sometimes my calculations have been off and I've got hurt, or at a minimum had the shit scared out of me. Sportbikers can be a fickle bunch at times. We critique people all the time for doing the same shit we are guilty of doing, taking chances. Don't get me wrong, if a guy is clearly riding over his head someone needs to try and put him in check. But what if someone is riding in their comfort zone, a zone that just happens to be a few clicks above what is deemed sane / safe? I mean really, we are all taking chances by just riding a motorcycle, not to mention a very fast motorcycle. You don't have to push the envelope to get into a bad situation on the street. I will admit that you increase the chances of becoming killed or seriously injured when you up the pace.
But what if that's your pleasure??? What if just tooling along being a model citizen isn't your deal??? I know most everyone here will say that there is a time and place for wicking it up and railing. I agree, and that is the only time I give a shit about. I rarely ever ride in town, the backroads off the beaten path are where Lil' Red and I experience what I define as motorcycling bliss. Sure there are times when road conditions, and even a little traffic dictate that I slow down. I'm fine with that because I DO want to be around for as long as possible.  But during the time I am here with the living I want to be happy. Nothing makes me happier than doing things my way, and when I ride I mostly ride for the sheer excitement of it. Which means I break the law a lot, take chances, and generally am a goddamned hooligan, plus I'm man enough to admit it unlike a bunch of other saints that ride sportbikes.
I can hear it now, "Take it to the track"!!!
Fuck the track, I am far too broke for that shit. Plus why take a porker like the 12 to the track. It's a real world machine and I use it to MY ability in IT'S element. Plus, even if I wanted to ride on a track there are none in my area. I'd have to go to Nashville to do so. Besides I am not talking about 10 / 10ths riding here. Only a fool would do that. I am talking about a nice 70% or so. At least fast enough to keep your mind in the zone and the adrenaline flowing. You guys know what I mean. Not goddamned suicide missions, riding a nice hot pace within your abilities. Read it again YOUR ABILITIES.
I can't count how many times I've been scolded by another rider who couldn't keep up. "You're crazy, your gonna get killed if you keep riding like that". What was the crazy stunt I pulled to receive this kind of treatment??? Nothing, just riding my ride. No hairy scary moments, no crossing the centerline, nothing. Just a hotter pace than his is ALL. I had a friend who really got on my case one day and I asked him one question which shut his butt up. He was telling me how fast he was going trying to keep up, and finally after he almost crashed a couple times he gave up and let me go. I asked him, "how many times did you see my brake light come on"? He look puzzled for a second, then he said " I saw it flash a few times". I then told him that I was, as Mark Day puts it "Cruising with the top down". Which simplified means, riding fast enough to keep it fun and interesting. If Don could've kept up better I'd have edged more towards a little hotter pace. Since he couldn't keep up I settled for my minimum pace.
I've had Mark Day blow by me on the outside of a turn on the Cherohala Skyway like it was nothing. Did I jump his ass for that at the next stop??? Nope, because he's a grown man that was riding well within his abilities. Abilities which exceed mine. Is he a goddamned idiot? I think not, I think he was having a damned good time, just like I was. To me that's what it's all about.
My attitude towards riding isn't PC, nor am I. Fuck the do-gooders and hypocrites that are just as guilty of taking chances as the next guy, but scold a faster rider for riding in HIS comfort zone. If Mark Day had been all over the road, crossing the centerline, and sliding like Gary McCoy that might have drawn a little criticism from me. But that redheaded bastard was just ridin' his ride, livin' life, and having a good time with his buds.
I take chances, that's what I do. I ride fast, my definition of fast, which may or may not be fast to you. I ride wheelies, lots of 'em, and some of them are scary fast and dangerous. I lay darkies sometimes like there is no tomorrow, because there may not actually be a tomorrow. In short  , I try to live life to the fullest and sometimes that means taking chances. It's a theme that is ever present in most every aspect of my life. I work hard, play harder. Yeah it's cost me in the past, and I'm sure it will cost me in the future. But I am willing to pay the price, no matter what that may be. As many hardships as I have endured over the span of my 36 years, nothing has ever taken my spirit and zest for life.
So where do you fit in. Do you never take chances??? Do you take an occassional chance? Do you take a lot of somewhat calculated risks? Once again I am NOT talking about friggin' suicide missions.
Gap rally riders, don't be hypocrites. You know who you are, and if any of you get up on your soapbox I will call you out like the traitors that you are / will be.
One last thing, there are certain things you must deal with when you ride like I do. The only other guy I know that can really relate to this is Otis. That is one of the reasons I like that MF. This pic is something that I've seen a gazillion times since I got my license. Everything that's worth a damn comes at a premium.
Flame on safety nazis, hypocrites, and do-gooders.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
  
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fish_antlers
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The Truth is Out There
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posted December 01, 2005 08:56 AM
*editted title to "MF" until there are some new topics on the board as title shows up on homepage sidebar...
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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Ninjaman12R
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Posts: 4767
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posted December 01, 2005 09:04 AM
quote:
*editted title to "MF" until there are some new topics on the board as title shows up on homepage sidebar...
Fuckin' PC do-gooder biatch!!!!!!!!!
Try and overlook me fish, I scored some good weed and watched the director's cut of Woodstock last night.  That in itself explains much of this topic eh???? LOL
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Otis
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Captain Kickstand
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posted December 01, 2005 09:23 AM
Well, I agree with everything you wrote Rick. Not much of a suprise if you think about tthough considering that even though you are a dumbass redneck and I am dumbass Yankee, we ride and party exactly alike. How many times have we been pulled over by the police now together? 3? Like I told you each time though, it's the price you pay if you want to pay. Although that $1000 incident sure did hurt.
And for you other readers, Mark Day pulled the "pass me on the outside on the Cherahola" with me too. Fast bastard made it look like a walk in the park for him. I wasn't upset at all, quite frankly it was most kick assed thing I had witnessed and I told him so.
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fish_antlers
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posted December 01, 2005 09:25 AM
no prob... just dat 3 latest topics end up on da homepage... after dat.. we dont care much...
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 09:42 AM
hmmmm.....
Interesting question Chris, how many times have we been pulled over by "The Man"?
Let's see, there's the obvious $1,000 incident with Officer Ulery. Then this may you, Harry and I got the tickets in NC for, was it 87 in a 55??? Then we got pulled over on 411 and the trooper let us off with a verbal warning. (rarity now days) He's the one that warned us about the major sting that was gonna take place at the gap. That's 3 right there. Can't really count the Officer Tampon experience because we were stopped at a gas station when we got swarmed. I still think there has been a couple of times we've been stopped and let go.
Were you with us the day that trooper was standing out in the middle of the road as we topped a hill at about a buck fitty??? It was the day mark took us up around Oak Ridge and Lake Norris. I think you got there the next day???? Either way, it is a common theme for both of us. I can't even begin to think of all the tickets we've gotten while NOT on the gap trips. It's funny, but not funny, and damned expensive.
You fuckin' law breakin bastard!!!
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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NinjaNick
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'08 ZX14 (Blue)
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posted December 01, 2005 10:12 AM
Edited By: NinjaNick on 1 Dec 2005 10:19
Been pulled over 1x while in Indiana, because I didn't know it was a cop. It was an unmarked camaro.  Other than that, been looked at by cops turning on lights for me going the other way,coming out of a side road and etc, well over 20x just last year. Blow by them and act like I never saw. Just keep pushing it and take a left, right, right, left...and continue what I was doing. 
On a 2 wheeled rocket there is no reason unless they already got your license plate. Which is rare unless they were right behind you at a stop light or something. Then again, I'm never in town, except to pump gas. Tickets are for suckers that curl up in the fetal position and wait to get it on the side of the road. No need to stop unless they're right behind you, cuz god knows they can't get you otherwise if you're smart enough to get off the road ASAP and act like nothing ever happened.
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CrotchRocket
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Bracket Racing with Betsy
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posted December 01, 2005 10:19 AM
I remember those days Rick and Chris while at DG1...
I was in the 2nd group to take off from The Alcoa Kawasaki dealer, I was with Horsepower Mike, Steve-TurboBlew and company and on the way to the Cherahola and we were, I mean I was at 195 on the speedo as I was in the back of the pack...I'll never forget DG1with the unrestricted 200mph speedo 12...
Im a Thrill Seeker... Risk Taker, all the time...Stupid MoFo, yeah I got married and now divorced and will never get married again...So, I aint no Stupid MoFo no mo!!!
Cant say I got any trophies from the Hiway Patrol Thats because, umm never mind...
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Jason Miller StreetBike Seminars
*****DragRacers do it better, because they dont cut Corners*****
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NinjaNick
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posted December 01, 2005 10:25 AM
Edit****
2x, one time in Indy and another time when I got a concious and "WAITED" for the cop and he said,"THANKS for stoppping." and he STILL raped me with a 90 in a 55zone. He got me while I was hitting brakes, which I never should've done. But It was a waste of big money and $1000's in insurance cost, cuz that fucker treated me like my life didn't matter. I don't need money he must've thought. I don't have no bills, he must've thought. Fuck him for not being easy on me after I showed pity on him and waited for him to catch up on the side of the road. ASSHOLE! Ever since then unless they got my plate from behind me, they just get ditched. It's so easy also.
So to the ones that ride like on a cruiser who will loose their license forever if they stop to pull over all the time they speed,"I'm a stupid MF" To those who ride away from traffic on back roads giving it hell, I'm a "trill seeker".
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GUNNER
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posted December 01, 2005 10:27 AM
Yea I got to say that some of these guys need to learn the art of disappearing It's just a quick little left and shart little right drop over that hill and get out a sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn that's a catchy little song there
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NinjaNick
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posted December 01, 2005 10:30 AM
WORD
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NinjaNick
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posted December 01, 2005 10:33 AM
quote:
Yea I got to say that some of these guys need to learn the art of disappearing It's just a quick little left and shart little right drop over that hill and get out a sight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn that's a catchy little song there
Not just a song, it's the rules for wise talented men.
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GUNNER
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posted December 01, 2005 10:40 AM
One of personal favorites it the Bo and Luke Duke Shuck and Jive!!!!! It's where you turn around and pass them headed the other way. Gawd what fun that one is!!!!!! But you better know the roads where you're doing this, and you had better be headed back out of town! This one really pisses them off for some time! It works like a champ though. I always wave at the bastid just about the time we meet and look eye to eye! There's NO WAY on earth they can get turned around and catch you unless you're just a stupid fuck that waits for them at the corner gas station because you think it's all over with and you won. If you stop it had better be two counties over, or it better be somewhere out of sight that you plan on staying for a while.
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frEEk
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ummm... yeah
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posted December 01, 2005 10:52 AM
i doubt anyone here (or hardly anyone) is 100% one or the other. i'd say i used to be 60% stupid MF and now down to about 30%. i'd like to say 10% but a couple times nearly going off the edge of the far side of the road around a tight decreasing blind corner on an unknown road in in cali leave me without any defense against being (occasionally) large part stupid.
i woudlnt get so pissed at the "safety nazis" and the rest who tell u to slow down tr take it to the track tho, cause face it: they're right. we ARE playing a game of russian roulette after all. of course easier riders (and non riders) take chances too, in all kinds of activities, but it's all about the size of the chance, primarily how liekly u actually are to bite it. when u'r talking abotu railing knee down on public streets, that has gotta be on the high end of the risk spectrum. as to cops writing u the big tickets... yeah i fuckin hate it too, but again, we're aware of the rules before we started, and i'm sur eat least some % of said cops are genuinely concerned for our safety and trying to entice us to slow down. of course to those that are jsut meeting quotas or rasing revenue i say a big "fuck you" and get a life.
take it to the track: a damn good idea, but as u alludded to, expensive. plus, i can't help but htink boring. i like riding on teh st cause i can ride new roads for days, rather than have a single 1min lap and be done with teh exploration. if tracks were a common convenience and cheap (or better yet, free like roads), i'd be all over it and wouldnt bother doing anything beyond 10 over on the street. no such luck tho, esp not around here.
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 10:56 AM
Oh how I am loving this!!!
We got some crazy sumbiatches chiming in now. I didn't really touch on the topics of ignoring blue lights and failing to pull over / evading. Odds are that if you can ride, you'll never have to exceed your normal Sunday afternoon backroad pace to put a smokin' on the Crown Vic. But be advised, the mighty Motorola is mucho fast. Switchbacks and direction changes that eventually lead you to your "hideout" are paramount. You stay out on the open road and you will more than likely be toast. There are many factors to consider before making the decision to run. That subject deserves it's own topic IMHO.
I will give one tip to those who MAY do this someday, check yer fuel gage.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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NinjaNick
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posted December 01, 2005 11:01 AM
There is always more than just 1 bike "you" on the road. I can be across the whole county in MINUTES. They have no proof it's you. I've been gone after about 10 minutes after the incident and passed a few sherrifs and they just cruise by not knowing anything. But most of all sometimes I'll just head far away and continue riding somewhere else. Or head home.
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GUNNER
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posted December 01, 2005 11:01 AM
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've run out of fuel before and was lucky enough that I had a huge lead so I still managed to pull off at someones house and hide out. It was a tense moment for sure!!!
I agree 1000% on the fuel gauge deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you do evade never make the run more than a couple of quick minutes and get parked. Open road runners find themselves in the county sex farm!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 11:29 AM
freek, as always, you make some good points my brother. I'd love to have the loot to buy a track bike and do track days. It could possibly give me enough of a "fix" that I wouldn't feel the need to blast the backroads in such a rapid manner. But that's just the way the cookie crumbles I guess. I just can't condemn a guy for riding a pace that feels good to him as long is he is in his "zone of comfort". Seasoned riders are going to make obvious adjustments due to weather and road conditions, even themselves. I know if I'm not "feeling my oats" it definitely factors in heavily. But either way, it's still taking chances and though increased speed means increased chances that injuries will be more severe, dead is dead. As far as I know death has no severity levels, and most of us operate our bikes at levels of speed that can yield that, even when we think we are behaving like model citizens.
To the evaders in the crowd, the pic above is a sad one. Fuel gage on one bar, no exit close by, and in all honesty I didn't have it in me to run. Plus I did the unthinkable, even though it was a knee-jerk reaction, I did nail the brakes the instant I saw him.
This was the end to a long weekend spent mostly at a bike rally and I was shot. I knew I was toast as I unintentionally did the mother of all rolling stoppies trying to heal the bike down asap when I saw the THP car nestled down in the tall grass in the median. The trooper was not impressed at all, nor did he think it was a Kodak moment. A couple of seconds after I snapped that pic he scared the crap out of me by screaming over the PA on his cruiser to PUT THE CAMERA UP!!!!!!!!
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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zx11_12
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posted December 01, 2005 12:42 PM
I'm so slow no one ever thinks I'm riding hard. ;-)
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12r1
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posted December 01, 2005 01:01 PM
I'll fit in well with you other hooligans just fine. I SO wish I had a couple of you to ride with.I'd show you a hell of a time.
Someday, it's gotta bite me, and hard. But, it's my thing, I don't try to justify it to the "responsible" citizens, and totally my fault whatever happens. Every time out, I'm blitzin' blind mountain twisties, or lettin' it fly on the highway. I did'nt buy a 12 to commute.
I am all 3 of the types you speak of. Everyone around me say I'm f'd in the head.
They're probably right.
jeff
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 01:14 PM
Jeff,
Rock and roll brother, as long as you aren't putting other people in harm's way it's all good. You know your limitations, and you know shit can get nasty. A man does what he thinks is right for him. I 'spected to see more safety nazis and do-gooders chime in, spouting off paragraphs from their model citizen handbook.
steve,
I know better, and damned if you don't a look a bit smaller than I remember. Make that WAY smaller. It's been almost 4 years since I've seen you.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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zx11_12
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posted December 01, 2005 01:17 PM
Edited By: zx11_12 on 1 Dec 2005 13:18
Yeah, I'm about 130lbs smaller than last time you saw me, Makes the bike feel a lot faster. ;-)
I'd love to get back down for another DG# if you guys would allow a Honda in the mix.
Steve
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 01, 2005 02:03 PM
Jesus H. Chris Steve, that is a MAJOR weight loss. Kudos to you my brother!!! I know that your bike does feel MUCH faster. I lost a little under half the amount of weight you lost and the ol' 12 definitely seems much spunkier.
You're welcome at DG anytime brother, no matter what you ride.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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zx11_12
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posted December 01, 2005 02:17 PM
How far are you from Knoxville? I get down there every year for the Honda Hoot. Would be cool to ride together. I'm usually at Deals Gap 2 or 3 times per year.
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Ninjaman12R
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Posts: 4767
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posted December 01, 2005 02:33 PM
I guestimate around 325 - 350 miles from Knoxville.
A few of us Smackhouse Crew regulars are still going to Deal's Gap every Mid-May. Stay tuned on the board as we will start keying up when spring gets closer. We usually stay in Townsend, but we have also discussed an alternate location. Chris burned half of the fence down around our cabin this past May in a drunken rage.
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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