Back before the bike, I was first and foremost a rodeo bull rider. Wait a minute, no I wasn't. But I guess I wish I was. No, again, not really. Tough life making money riding bulls. But I guess I wish I was as tough as a bull rider. These guys are cowboys in the truest sense. And that isn't a bad thing. Here in California, and more specifically the Bay Area, we don't get the mentality of the hard scrabble ways of the cowbow..the redneck..the shitkicker. We think we have the answers and can drone on at length as to why our policies are this or our policies are that. We all run with a nickels worth of information and can second guess the need to cross the road. The bull rider comes from a place where things are a lot more simple. You get on the bull, you go out into the ring and you ride that beast for 8 seconds without gettin' throwed, and you are a man. Cruel to the animal? Maybe. Pure at the most fundamental level? Absolutely.

I watched a documentary last night called Rank. A must view if for no other reason as to open your eyes to the ways of the other side if you skew left, vegetarian, educated. It shows three of the best from 2004 vying for the championship and the title "World Champion Bullrider." They all want the $1,000,000 bonus that comes with the title, but they all seem to covet the belt buckle a little more. The three in the running are what you'd expect. One is young, worships God, and wears a helmet. One is old and has secured the championship the last two years and comes from Brazil. The third is somewhere in between and is a pure cowboy hat and all. He's razor thin, bowlegged and competes on a broken ankle having been stepped on during the last stop on the tour. All are dripping with testosterone. They say things like, "when I'm done, I'm gonna do nothing but kill shit (in reference to hunting)," and, "we were just kids when we was married, so we were just tryin' to figure it out (he's 21 now having been married for two years)," and, "I don't show my wife much affection as my parents did not show affection to each other--it is not our way (Brazilian)." Through it you see glimpses of how some have been raise proper. One cowboy incessantly tips his cap to each lady he passes as he walks down a hallway and goes stone cold silent as he listens to his Grandma. They worship a higher being, the armed services, and the flag throughout. They make no excuses for their love of their country or the actions we have taken current or past. And they make no attempt to see anything wrong in that. It's that simple. There is some value in there even if they think NPR is some minor league Pro Rodeo association. A good view to be sure.

Johnny GoFast