North Texas has one of the largest (for its size) entrenched bureaucracies, run by some of the most petty bureaucrats I've ever come into contact with. And I am retired (after over 33 years) from working for one of the most legalistic agencies in the State... Child Protective Services. I have joked many times that I would rather deal with the administration of the FBI and/or Homeland security than the NT bureaucrats.
When FFR and I were selling t-shirts we attended a meeting with the Athletic Department to discuss some ideas for sports gear. We had just engaged a flag/banner company to make NT battle flags for sale and we had a sample for all the athletic department staff to look over. Well, one of the people at the table was a petty bureaucrat that I had not ever met, but FFR knew him. Almost from the day that the battle flag had been created (thank you drex) this pin head declared that it was illegal to produce such a thing. He almost single handedly shot down the use of it by his petty rantings. Well, FFR anticipated that he would be there harping about the flag, so he contacted a staff attorney at North Texas and ran this by him. The attorney said that there was no such law, and that North Texas could wave it's green Texas Battle flag all it wanted. The attorney gave permission for Rick to quote him on that at our meeting. Well, when the time came for us to present a sample of the battle flag this pin head didn't waste a moment. He conjured up his most dismissive voice and said "well, I can tell you right off what's wrong with this product.....it's against the law to produce it". FFR then proceeded to tell everyone at the table that that was wrong, and said that the NT attorney, whose name he gave, said so. The aforementioned pin head then had to finally shut up about it.......but very grudgingly.
But the most annoying thing about it was that NOT ONE PERSON sitting at the table from the athletic department ever uttered one word of descent to this pin head. Not one question like "did you check with our attorneys about that? or "where did you get your information about that?" Had it not been for FFR's due diligence, they, (including Rick V.), would have all sat there and let him shoot the battle flag down.
This is how things got done, or not done, back in the day. And from greenjoe's own experience, it looks like things haven't changed much.