In case you've been wondering why acquitted weed lover and Shawn Kemp protege Travis Henry hasn't hooked up with any of the NFL teams in sore need of a proven 1200-yard ball carrier (we're looking at you, Houston), the answer isn't that he's been blackballed by the league (although in all seriousness, the Deuce is pretty sure that is the real reason), or that he's taken a roadie position on the Cheech and Chong reunion tour, or even that he's hanging around the Pepsi Center on a PUMA safari. No -- Travis is unavailable because he's fighting America's greatest enemies, in the heart of Colorado:
It started innocently enough: Qatar-based al-Jazeera decided it would film the locals in Golden, the home of Coors beer, as they watched the convention from a biker bar Wednesday night. This would allow al-Jazeera's viewers to see Bill Clinton and Joe Biden through the eyes of those in a small American town that could pass as a set for a Hollywood Western.
City leaders at first offered to host a pork-free barbecue for the Jazeera crew, then abandoned that plan when angry residents protested. But the Buffalo Rose, a 150-year-old saloon here catering to bikers, offered to let al-Jazeera broadcast from its bar.
The result: a sort of 21st-century shootout at the O.K. Corral on Wednesday night under the shadow of Lookout Mountain, where Buffalo Bill is buried.
Word spread that three rival biker gangs -- the Sons of Silence, the Banditos and the Hell's Angels -- declared a truce for the night so they could meet at the Buffalo Rose in a united protest against al-Jazeera. But the network stood its ground and set up its cameras.
Across the street from the bar, two dozen protesters under the watchful eye of a statue of Adolph Coors waved American flags, blew air horns and revved motorcycle engines. "Al Jazeera is terrorism," announced one sign. "Go home, Al Jazeera -- Voices for al Qaeda and bin Laden," proclaimed another. The protesters had shirts printed up for the occasion, saying "Buffalo Rose/Tokyo Rose" in English and Arabic, although they botched the Arabic translation. One biker covered his T-shirt in thoughtful, handwritten messages, such as "Islam Sucks" and "Al-Jazeera: Anti-American Pond Scum." . . .
The regulars at Buffalo Rose took the Qatari invasion, and the demonstration, in stride. "Al-Jazeera? Is he here? Where is he?" inquired Travis Henry, sipping a Bud Light.
There you have it. Travis Henry, freed from the petty iron grip of Roger Goodell and Pat Bowlen, has joined a biker resistance group dedicated to saving America -- or at least the glorious state of Colorado, which Travis has so embraced -- from the scourge of Islamofascism. Even the most rabid NFL fan would agree that his cause is far nobler than three yards and a cloud of dust.
We have to believe this is he case, as there obviously could only be one dude in Colorado named Travis Henry. At least only one who thinks that Al Jazeera is some guy, and not a TV network. That's gotta be Our Travis. Semper fi, brother.