O'er the land of the free, and home of the brave.

The star spangled banner.   America's most beloved (and highly misquoted) national anthem.  Go ahead.  Try to sing the whole thing without looking up the lyrics.  Bet you'll mess up somewhere in the middle.  Why?  Because it was originally written as a poem, not song lyrics, by this man -- a lawyer.

Sir Francis Scott Key.  The original lawyer joke.

While he may have penned a very wordy anthem, he did so straight from the heart.  And that's what truly matters.  Actions from the heart may not always be neatly wrapped in a pretty box, but they have meaning.  They are genuine, honest and true -- three things we all want. For our anthem.  For our country.  For our world.

The scene that inspired the song.

Now, Sir Francis was clearly a very patriotic man, as were most people during that time period.  It was the war of 1812, after all.  If you weren't patriotic, you probably weren't living in a country during its infancy. You know what other group is highly patriotic?  I'll give you one guess.

Come on, you've got this!

That's right!  Bikers. The patriotism bikers display is as heartfelt as the national anthem itself.  And like the anthem, bikers aren't always neatly wrapped in a bow. They may be a little rough around the edges, but their loyalty to America never falters.  Whether through patches that honor fallen heroes, or via rides that support our men and women in uniform, one thing is clear.  Bikers respect those who fight for and have fought for freedom.  This is important to remember today, on September 11th, and every day.

You'll be hard pressed to find a biker that doesn't have a patch like this.

Here in NY, there were a dozen or so rides honoring those who gave their lives 11 year ago.  The same holds true all over the country... and all over the world, for that matter.  You see,  freedom isn't just an American thing.  It's a human thing.  It's what binds us as a species.  It's our common thread.  Bikers know this.  And one day in the not so distance future, everyone else on the planet will know this too.