Mark, I did notice that some combined statements like :

IF JUNK & %11110000 = %11110000 THEN 'LOOK AT CURRENT STATE "this doesn't work"
don't work unless surrounded by parenthesis are :

IF ((JUNK & %11110000) = %11110000) THEN 'LOOK AT CURRENT STATE "This works"

I noticed it with such directives as the "&" and the "%".