Editor's Commentary

President Obama is getting frustrated, and he’s ready to kick someone’s fanny.
He just doesn’t know whose tush to put his boot in; and frankly, it probably wouldn’t do any good if he did.

Since the April 20 explosion of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, millions of barrels of crude have spewed into the water, poisoning wildlife and creating an economic and ecological disaster.

And the Obama administration has learned something shocking – something the previous president could have told him: There are some things that government can’t do much about.

Just like President Bush with Hurricane Katrina, Obama finds himself largely powerless in the face of a really big mess. Bush was scorned for leaving local authorities to clean up after the hurricane, and now Obama is being criticized even by members of his own party for his slow response to the oil spill.

But the president says he is concerned and is working closely with experts so he will “know whose a** to kick,” Obama reportedly has told NBC’s Matt Lauer. And he’s been on this for some time apparently.

According to FoxNews.com, Obama told Lauer: “I was down there a month ago before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf. I was meeting with fishermen in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be.”

Meeting in the rain is a big deal and shows he’s very, very concerned. And that’s all Obama really cares about – the public’s perception of him. That why the above comment – and many of his speeches – are so full of the work “I”.  It’s all about him.

But it’s not about him. It’s about the environment and the lives of ordinary Americans on the coast who will deal with the repercussions of this disaster for many years to come.

Obama and the rest of the country are right to be angry about this spill. There clearly should be better safety measures in place if companies are going to drill in water that deep. An investigation is warranted, and somebody somewhere ought to pay through the nose for what has happened.

But there also ought to be an honest look at what role the government played in causing this. No, we can’t blame the government entirely for what has happened. But you have to wonder if BP would have been drilling for oil a mile under the waves of the Gulf of Mexico if it were easier to drill on land. After all, oil companies are pretty good at capping things on dry ground.

Government policies and programs were partially to blame for the financial mess and what happened in the housing market. But no politician took any responsibility for those crises. It’s doubtful that any politician will get in any hot water this time either, although Obama is feeling some heat.

There are plenty of things to not like about President Obama, but this disaster really isn’t something that can be pinned on him. BP will be held accountable, environmental regulators and regulations ought to be scrutinized and held accountable if appropriate, but since he doesn’t have a big red “S” under his shirt and tie, the president can’t do much about what has happened. Unless, of course, he goes all Hugo Chavez on us and takes over BP the way he did General Motors. That may be his kick “a**” option.

Meanwhile…

The fifth Trash To Treasures Garage Sale Event has come and gone, and everything seems to have gone off pretty smoothly. Like any good community event, its success is determined by teamwork and support.

When the Enterprise started Trash To Treasures in 2006, our goal was not to make money for our own garage sale so much as it was to help other people sell their stuff and bring some folks to Clarendon. And we believe it has pretty well worked that way.

To all those folks who put up their $20 for a spot on the map, we thank you. It is you who really make Trash To Treasures work. In addition to paying for those eye-catching pink garage sale signs and your listing on the map, your money goes for regional advertising to bring people from out of town. That is really the key to what makes T2T work for Clarendon and other local communities. The more people who participate, the more advertising we can do, and the more people we’ll have at our sales.

Unfortunately, there are always going to be some who have sales but who chose not to participate in T2T. That is unfair to those who have helped pay for promoting the event and frustrating to those of us who organize it. Of course, a lot of folks don’t understand the behind the scenes work that goes on for this event, and that is probably my fault for not explaining it more clearly.

Trash To Treasures, like so many things in Clarendon and Donley County, works best when we all work together. So again, thank you to those who helped, and let’s all plan to make next year’s event even bigger and better.

Holidays are difficult after you’ve lost someone you love, and so it comes as no surprise that I have a certain amount of dread for this coming Sunday… my first Mother’s Day with no mother.

As I struggled with that realization this week and grasped for the best way pay tribute to Mom, my wife, Ashlee, pointed out that this is also Teacher Appreciation Week. And with just one sentence, she nudged me down the right path… like another woman I dearly loved had done so many times over the years.

Mom’s legacy in her junior high English classroom is well known, and she touched the lives of so many people who went on to become teachers. She was so proud of my brother and his wife as they found their calling in classrooms and was especially full of excitement and encouragement as Ashlee began her own journey towards becoming a certified teacher and launched her pursuit of an Education degree.

She never tired of teaching, whether it was at school, in Scouts, with a civic group, or just by lending her proofing and grammatical skills to a former student who found themselves overwhelmed a bit by that first big high school report or college term paper.

But what she is not famous for are the daily lessons in life that she imparted to her sons. She was the “Teacher of the Year” on more than one occasion, but to Russell and me, she was the “Teacher of a Lifetime,” imparting wisdom that transcended the diagramming of a sentence or the conjugating of a verb. These lessons do not gather dust in a basement box of teaching material but live and breathe with us every day and hopefully will continue to live in her grandchildren.

So pay attention, class. Get out your yellow paper and red pens, and let’s review a few things.

“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Whether you’re just wanting some Rice Krispie snacks or you’re trying to persuade someone to your way of seeing things, a kind word and some gentle diplomacy almost always work. Get to know someone, become their friend, and they will be more likely to help you when you ask a favor.

“Always be prepared.” This wasn’t just a Boy Scout motto at our house; it was a way of life. From plenty of food in the pantry or freezer to having extra rolls of toilet paper stashed in the bathroom, we were ready for just about anything. First Aid materials and medicines were always available, flashlights were at the ready, and there were almost always snacks in the car. A rain slicker or chemical hand warmer packet was there if it was needed, and there was bottled water in the basement. But it wasn’t just disaster that she was prepared to face. She kept new games and toys stashed away for times when young nieces and nephews – and in later years, grandkids – would come to family functions at the house and need some distraction to stay out of the adults’ hair. And if a relative or family friend showed up unexpected for Christmas, somehow she had something under the tree for them.

“Salt makes food better.” To heck with these Health Nazis, my Mom knew this truth about food preparation – you’ve got to add some seasoning, and salt is the best way to bring out the flavor. You better taste it before you salt it at Helen’s table because you could be darn sure she had already put it in there.

“That will be stinking by morning.” In other words, get up from in front of the TV and carry out the trash, Son. You sure don’t want the packaging from tonight’s chicken or whatever that was that we just cleaned out of the fridge to ripen while we’re asleep.

“Quit piddling around.” Procrastination never got anything done, and she especially had no tolerance for it if she had asked you to do something.

“Be sure you get a good date.” This had nothing to do with girls. No, this was more serious – it was about grocery shopping.

“You’ve got to eat the last bit of cheese.” This is the secret to homemade macaroni and cheese. Now I know plenty of mothers do it straight out of a box, but you’ve got to make it yourself to have something really special. It takes just the right amount of salt (see above), the right amount of boiling water, just enough milk and black pepper, and, of course, Velveeta cheese. The last cube (or two) has to be eaten by whoever is cooking it (or whoever is helping). It’s a tradition my family still lives by.

“When I was a little girl….” This was the start of a lot of stories, particularly one about cabbages that I won’t bother you with. But regardless, it was something important that you were about to learn regarding family history or the way things used to be. She said that line so often that my Dad on a few occasions would start off by saying, “Now, son, when I was a little girl….”

“You’ve just got to have faith.” Probably the best advice for life that she ever gave me. When things looked bad or just were going in the wrong direction, she would tell me to have faith that things would be alright. God is always with you, and more often than not she had found in her life that things generally worked out for the best. Nine months ago in the ICU, this was an increasingly hard one to remember, much less live by. Now as I wonder what path to choose from day to day and especially how to raise our only Estlack girl, I can still hear her whispering, “Have faith, Son. It will be alright.”

As usual, I suspect my Mom will be right about that. I believe all of us in the family will be alright because we carry her with us and because she taught us the most valuable lessons of all.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

Two statewide candidates for office impressed the members of the Panhandle Press Association last week at the group’s 100th annual convention in Canadian.

Attorney General Greg Abbott addressed newspaper men and women on Thursday night, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White spoke at the Friday Luncheon.

A third statewide candidate, Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky, who is running against Abbott, was scheduled to appear at the convention but was unable to attend due to a bout of pneumonia.

Abbott spoke on a subject near and dear to the members of the press, that being open government, and specifically the Texas Open Meetings Act. Abbott’s office has come up with innovative ways to educate elected officials about the requirements of the law, although it remains unclear how many of them actually appreciate the spirit of the law.

Abbott specifically addressed a lawsuit that is being brought by several parties which seeks to undermine the penalties for violating the Open Meetings Act by arguing that the law infringes on the free speech rights of elected officials by restricting what they can say to each other outside of an open meeting. In other words, some elected officials want to be able to discuss in secret the business that ought to be public. Abbott said he is prepared to defend the Open Meetings Act all the way to the US Supreme Court.

The attorney general also said that the act needs to be reviewed since social networking Internet sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are blurring some of the lines about what is acceptable communications.

Another topic on Abbott’s agenda is a lawsuit the State of Texas and several other states have filed questioning the constitutionality of the new federal health care law. Abbott said the law’s requirement that every American must purchase health insurance would dramatically expand the powers granted Congress under the commerce clause, and he noted that there would be no limit to what the government could force you to buy.

The act also tramples on the tenth amendment, Abbott said, which reserves the right to regulate health insurance to the state governments.

White, the former mayor of Houston, made a strong impression with members of the press just by showing up after Governor Perry was “too busy” to address the group, and he followed that up by making a lot of sense during his remarks.

White focused on public and higher education as a key responsibility of state government and specifically criticized Perry’s veto of some funds for community colleges three years ago. He said he wants to work with everyone for what is best for Texas and pointed to his record in Houston of strong fiscal policies, bi-partisan accomplishments, and re-election wins with 80 and 90 percent of the vote.

White also said he would listen to as many points of view as possible even though he wouldn’t always agree with every view.

The mayor praised the press and said democracy has four main pillars – an educated people, a method by which the people get information about the government without bias (i.e., the press), people willing to run for office, and people getting out to vote.

Both White and Abbott are to be commended for making the trip to Canadian. While they both no doubt relished the opportunity to address dozens of journalists, their appearances shows a respect not just for the press but for you, our readers. These men took the time to come to a rural West Texas town because they knew it was a way to speak to you through columns like this. And that respect is something to consider as you prepare to cast your ballots this November.

A tip of the hat…

One of the most talked about conventions of the West Texas Press Association continues to be the 2006 convention in Clarendon. Four years later, members of the press are still bragging on it and telling your humble editor what a good time they had here. Now the members of the Panhandle Press Association also have a convention to talk about, and the 2010 gathering in
Canadian will likely be the yardstick by which future PPA conventions are measured for many years.

The convention, which is usually held in Amarillo, was returned to its birthplace this year to celebrate the past 100 years. The Canadian Record, led by Laurie Ezzell Brown and Mary Smithee, hosted the event; and together with the people of their fair city, they put on a first class convention with venues, speakers, and meals that just blew the socks off everyone in attendance.

If you haven’t been to Canadian lately, it’s time to take a road trip. You will be impressed.

And a sad goodbye…

The Enterprise family lost one of its own last week – Bob Kidd, the grandfather of Contributing Editor Ashlee Estlack and Office Director Anndria Newhouse. He left his mark on his family and his community through his love and service. He is missed, but we still hear his laughter in his children and grandchildren. We will cherish his memory forever.

The forced departure of City Administrator John Webb provides Clarendon with a chance to chart a new course and make plans for the future… as soon as it gets over the past.

The Board of Aldermen fired Webb on March 23 with a 3-2 vote at a called meeting, and those in favor of giving him the ax have been tight-lipped on their reasons.  Mayor Chris Ford has consistently cited “a lack of confidence” as leading to the termination. It’s a phrase that says a lot even though it says nothing specifically.

It wasn’t too much earlier in the year when the mayor and Alderman Larry Hicks both expressed their satisfaction with Webb’s performance. Something must have happened that made Ford lose confidence and led Hicks to actually make the motion to dump Webb. With all the deliberations happening in executive session, we’ll probably never know for sure.

What’s done is done, and it’s time to move on. The board needs to get back to the business of governing the city, and that means putting their differences on the Webb issue to the side for the good of Clarendon.

There is a lot going on right now. The interim administrator, Phyllis Jeffers, is taking the helm and making preparations for upcoming budget decisions, and two ladies are learning the ropes of the city secretary’s job. With an election coming up and at least one new face definitely coming on the board, it will be a while before we have anything resembling normalcy at City Hall.

Once things settle down, it will be time to look at finding a permanent replacement for Webb.

Yes, we do need a city administrator – someone whose job it is to oversee the $1.7 million annual operation of the City of Clarendon; someone who is knowledgeable about codes, municipal law, public works, and a host of other issues; and someone who can provide leadership on a daily basis.

Whoever that person is needs to also understand a few basic facts.  Number one, Clarendon cannot possibly afford a police department so don’t even bring it up – just work with the sheriff as best you can. Number two, don’t intentionally and willfully antagonize city volunteers.

Number three, know how to fix a pothole but don’t think it’s your job to do it – just make sure it gets done. And number four, listen – to the board, to your staff, and to your citizens.

Clarendon is a city with great potential. We have a great town, but it could be so much more than it is. We need to realize that ourselves, and we need someone to lead City Hall who believes the same thing. Then we all need to work together to make some things happen around here.

It is time to move forward.

Meanwhile…

If any third-rate, backwater nation ever wanted to attack the United States of America, now would be the time to do it after President Barack Obama showed his foreign policy naiveté last week and publicly and proudly limited the circumstances in which America would launch a nuclear strike.

This is administration has seems to have an interesting philosophy – a strong oppressive government at home and a weak, sissified posture abroad. The president hugs on dictators, bows before foreign monarchs, and then publicly snubs America’s greatest allies.

Last week he took the nuclear option off the table for almost every non-nuclear nation for anything they might do to us, including terrorist, biological, chemical, and cybernetic attacks. Put poison gas in the New York subway, and Uncle Sam promises to respond with spit wads, slingshots, and economic sanctions.

It’s very idealistic to think that we can all live together in peace and harmony and that if we will just be nice, no one will ever hurt us. Unfortunately, history and human nature proves otherwise. Strength is the only sure protector of peace, and a willingness to use overwhelming power is a powerful deterrent to those who might try to hurt us.

The fact of the matter is that we are not likely to be attacked by a nuclear power because Russia and China have the sense enough to know that we will turn their countries into glow-in-the-dark parking lots. But there are fringe countries out there that despise the United States and would love to kill a few thousand people here except for the fact that we might push the button on them.

Heck, the only country we have ever nuked was a country that didn’t have nuclear weapons of its own. It worked out pretty good, too. Japan surrendered right away.

I have always believed that, for security’s sake, America must have the standing policy that we will simply and totally destroy anyone who tries to attack our sovereign soil. We shouldn’t fight endless wars; we should end them as quickly as possible. If we had dropped a nuclear bomb on the Taliban in 2001, we could have been through with this whole War on Terror mess a long time ago.  We just couldn’t get enough of the little bastards in the same place long enough to do it.

But now that option is off the table, and I fear it will soon be open season on America.

President Bill Clinton once declared, “The Era of Big Government is over!” And it now appears that he was right. We will soon be longing for the days of “big government” now that the “Era of Gargantuan Government” – or possibly the “Era of Omnipotent Government” – is upon us.

The Imperial Congress narrowly approved the hostile takeover of the American health care system Sunday. The bill was hailed as a way to extend health care to some 32 million Americans who are currently not covered by insurance of some kind. In typical liberal fashion, the other 275 million of us are supposed to feel good about supporting and caring for those 32 million helpless individuals.

If you voluntarily want to help someone by paying for their medical bills, that’s called charity. But when the government forces you to give up your money and your rights in support of someone else, that’s not charity. It is tyranny.

It is true that there are people in circumstances that are difficult and that there are people who genuinely need a helping hand. But there are also a great many people in this country who are freeloaders and only want something for nothing. This health reform caters to the second group while pointing to the sad stories of the first group.

It is, in fact, none of the federal government’s business whether you have health insurance. Constitutionally, it is really none of its business whether you ever even go to the doctor or get treatment for an illness. That’s up to you and private medical service providers.

But the reality of the situation is that the government has made this its business. With Medicare and Medicaid and a host of regulations, it has thrust itself into the doctor-patient relationships of millions of Americans. And no one can really say that it has been a financially sound decision. Medicare and Medicaid both have budget woes; and Medicare, like Social Security, is currently on the road to bankruptcy.

It makes no sense for the government to further tangle up this mess. A better solution would have been to enact market-driven reforms and gradually reduce people’s dependence on the government. The opposite is now happening – more government and more dependence. Politicians and bureaucrats will gain more power; and if they can’t squeeze enough taxes to cover the cost, Uncle Sam will just put it on his Chinese charge card.
Someday – some sweet day – either the federal government’s finances will collapse, or the People will take this country back. Let’s hope it’s the later, and let’s hope that day is in November.

Meanwhile…
Barack Hussein Obama is destined to be remembered as one of the greatest men in American history.

(I’ll pause as you catch your breath.)

Yes, the health care reform bill is now the law, and President Obama will justly get the credit for it. He will be mentioned in the same breath as Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and take his place in the pantheon of American Presidents… or at least Democrat Presidents.

Two years ago this column said that the Democratic Party deserved a candidate like Barack Obama – someone who believes wholeheartedly in the goals of the national party and will stand up for and work hard to achieve those goals. And that’s exactly what they got – a man who inspires his party and takes the country in the direction he believes it should go.

Now unfortunately, that direction is one in which the government runs every damn thing and freedom, personal responsibility, and a market economy are just ideas that receive lip service.

Critics of the Democratic Party have for years said the party stood for weak foreign policy, government regulation of the economy, higher taxes, higher spending, and the expansion of the welfare state to take care of everyone from the cradle to the grave.

To be sure, not every self-labeled Democrat in America believes all that or wants it to come true. But that is what the national party stands for, and it is evidenced by the actions of Mr. Obama and all the leftists, commies, social radicals he has surrounded himself with and by the mindless lemmings who clearly make up the majority of Democrats in Congress.

The health bill is just the first accomplishment that Obama’s future biography will list. Within it is the nationalization of the student loan program. And if health reform was passed this easily, it won’t be long before the federal government moves to approve sweeping energy legislation and enact further controls over the financial system – whether the American people want it to or not.

Under Obama and his followers in the Congress, the American government is moving to the left and drifting even further from its Constitutional moorings. It remains to be seen how far the People and the States will let this go, but it is certain that reversing this course will be extremely difficult.

It’s not nice to take pleasure in someone’s failures, but I have to admit I laughed out loud when the International Olympic Committee picked Chicago as its least popular choice for the 2016 games.

I don’t harbor any ill will for Chicago itself. The Windy City is a fine location as far as places known for machine politics go. But what tickled me was the egg dripping off the face of President Barack Obama and that old wind bag, Oprah Winfrey.

Suffering from a bit of insomnia in the early morning hours last Friday, I found myself watching the coverage of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics. It was painful to watch as they trotted out their perpetual mayor and the committee was subjected to political correctness and affirmative action at work. There was the white guy, the black woman, the person in the wheelchair, and some dude with a French accent, who was hailed for being the architect of Chicago’s Olympic bid. And, of course, we had to hear all about the first lady’s father’s health problems and her comparing that to the struggle of an Olympic athlete.

It was torturous to say the least, and I guess the OIC felt the same way. The only good thing that came of the presentation was that it cured my insomnia, and I soon drifted off into a nice, deep sleep.

Hopefully, the American president learned a valuable lesson from this. Don’t worry about your “star power.” Make some decisions about the War on Terror or study up on the benefits of free market capitalism. Focus on what’s important and show some leadership.

Our Heartfelt Thanks

Words cannot express the gratitude that we, the family of Helen Estlack feel for the people of Clarendon and Donley County who have been so loving and supportive of us in our time of sorrow.

Friendships are never held so dear as when the loss of a loved one reveals their truest meanings. Your many kindnesses have sustained us and blessed us in ways we will always cherish. Helen loved life and each of you. That so many have returned her love to us fills our hearts with comfort.

We would especially like to thank the professionals at Clarendon Family Medical Center and Sheppard’s Crook Home Health for caring for Helen during the summer and to the nurses, doctors, and technicians at Triumph Hospital and Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo for their tender care. Thanks also for the professional and caring service of Robertson Funeral Directors and to Rev. Terry Lowe, Judy Lowe, and the staff and members of the First United Methodist Church for everything you did and said to make things easier for us.

A special thanks to the Kidd and Nunley families who frequently watched and cared for Helen’s grandkids so her children could spend time with her.

We would also be remiss if we did not mention the friendship and dedication of Anndria Newhouse, Julie Shields, Ashlyn Tubbs, Kari Lindsey, and our many contributors, who kept this newspaper on a steady course during the last couple of months.

We wish we could name you all individually, but it has truly been overwhelming the depth and breadth of love and support that this community has shown us. Helen always believed that Donley County was the best place to live, and she worked to promote it every chance she got. Your actions – whether in the form of donations to memorial funds; gifts of plants, flowers, or food; or a simple kind word or remembrance – have justified everything she felt for the place that was her home. You have all been wonderful, and we thank you so much. May God enfold you with his blessing and loving care.

Roger, Ashlee, Benjamin, and Elaina Estlack
Russell, Scarlet, Nathan, and Daniel Estlack
Donna and Larry Hicks and family