Well you caught me with your bullshit meter, way to ruin my point haha

 

It's all good! I agree with everything else you said.

 

Sorry if i'm missing something but i thought i read the OP said only 80% of his club were vets. If that's the case, having a vets patch will solve very little if anything for the club. They can't technically form a vets only club with 20% non-vets. Only the 80% could even wear the patch without IMO disrespecting every vet in the US. If you didn't serve you have no right to wear a patch representing that you did whether it's to get some heat off the club or not. Seems like this thread can be checked off as invalid right now. But again, just my opinion.

 

Why does everyone feel they have to be part of a club? Maybe because I move too much (active Army) to settle down but everywhere I go I have or make friends who I ride with and party with...never felt like I had to create a club to have a better time. Much respect to the real clubs out there but I've never figured out the fascination of casual riders and patches / clubs.

 

Honestly, this is one reason I will probably never join a MC. I hate the idea of someone bowing up about what I'm wearing. Then again, after 23+ years of uncle sugar telling me what to wear, you'd think I'd feel differently.

Funny story--a bunch of pilots here in Korea bought scooters and cuts proclaiming themselves "Sons of Pilsung" (Pilsung is the 25FS motto, and means "certain victory" in Korean). The local VA club hassled them about it.

 

Do what you feel is right . To allow any other so called club to tell you what to do is slavery. I find it hard to stomach a group of true vets putting up with that.

 

Maybe the VMCs "put up with it" because we choose to operate within the traditional MC world. And by choosing to show respect to those who have gone before, whatever type of MC, we go some way toward earning respect back from the other MCs. Many of the MCs put on rides and other events that support kid's teams, charities, and downed riders. If you want support for your events you start by being a part of the community. Then you step up and support the other MC's events. Working with your fellow clubs is part of the brotherhood beyond that of your own club. While obviously not quite the same it is similar to the cooperation among the services, or among different units of the same service; each doing their part to achieve some particular, and often common, goal. Yeah, that is stretching it, but maybe you can understand it that way. It has nothing to do with kow-towing to another MC, or as you put it, slavery.

 

Something I'll toss out for consideration: If you form an MC, and collect dues, fees, etc., and deposit those in a bank, they are taxable by the IRS. To get around the tax-thing the MC needs to apply for 501(c)(xx) status. There are numerous exempt categories that can be used. The usual one everyone seems to know of, 501(c)(3), is one of the most difficult to obtain. In fact, several MCs I can think of that have that designation probably do not truly qualify for it, unless they set it up separately from the actual club. But that is their business...

A (c)(19) organization is a vet group. To qualify you have to be 75% vet, and your vet + lineal descendants, spouses, etc. must be 97.5%. If you are going to accept tax deductible donations to support your own club (not what you raise for other orgs - VFW, Legion, Wounded Warrior, etc.) you must be 90% war vets. As usual, the IRS makes it complicated, LOL.

The process is tedious, but relatively straight-forward (except for the (c)(3) application), and the IRS lady I dealt with was extremely helpful.

 

Damn just ride!

 

I'm start'n a circle jerk! Aanyone wanna join?!