Opinions

Well, the re-election President has, once again, resulted in another secessionist’s movement. Actually, it’s more like 40 of ‘em. That’s all we need, another confederacy of dunces. Jeez.

Doesn’t anyone listen to Sam Houston anymore? Back in the day, when the Texans were in a stupid mood, with more testosterone than brains, they fell under the spell of the less-than-astute minds of Mississippi, Alabama, South

Carolina, et al, and made a very bad decision. Those very same Texans then ignored the counsel of General Sam, and paid a dear price for their ignorance.

Try as he might, through deceit and all the political tricks he could muster, Sam failed to keep Texas from joining the Confederate States of America, a dysfunctional group of idiots, miscreants, and wild-eyed dreamers who were willing to trample on the Constitution of the United States of America, and destroy democracy in the process, all for their own selfish gain. As Sam prophesied, the C.S.A. got their butts handed to them, and then had their noses rubbed in their own excrement throughout period of Reconstruction that followed.

My point is that it is a very serious thing to speak of leaving the union, even in jest or to make a political point. Bad things tend to happen when people and states attempt to secede from countries, including the United States of America. As I recall, things didn’t work out too well for the South during and after the Civil War. Things didn’t work out much better for the North, either. The big losers of that war were the American people, at least in the short term. The big winner was democracy, won at an enormous cost in lives and misery.

Now, just because we have elected a president that 80% of the land area of the United States, and a huge majority of counties throughout the land, didn’t support, everyone wants permission to secede. Think about it, if all the states that didn’t support the president seceded from the Union, America would look like an archipelago. It would no longer look as magnificent as it now does on the globe.

There is a site at the White House, We the People, where visitors can submit petitions on a range of important issues facing the country, and the White House promises to comment on them when they reach a certain threshold. I’m sure this promise will not be forthcoming in a timely manner, especially regarding Texas.

Anyway, most of the petitions bear the title, “Peacefully grant the [state’s name inserted here] to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.”

Texas’ petition reads:

“The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government’s neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights, such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it’s [sic] citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”

Well, silly me, I’m fairly certain that the White House will not allow our less than intelligent governor, or anyone else in Texas, have the satisfaction of a serious reply. There is, however, a group of anti-secessionists who suggest that the United States ought give these Texans their wish, designate them illegal aliens, and deport them to distant lands, preferably Antarctica. Then the Democrats could move more people into Texas, reclaim the two Republican seats and the House members, and reclaim control of the House of Representatives. So, the secessionists need to carefully consider all the consequences of such a hasty decision.

So far, the states with the most signatures (in order of number of petitions) are: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. If more people in Mississippi could read and had better internet access, I’m sure they would be better represented.

The 36 states for which petitions have been submitted are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

There is an easier way to get our point across. It’s called the power of the vote. Rather than going through all the trouble of seceding from the Union, why not organize a grass roots movement and vote the scoundrels who don’t put their constituents first out of office. Now, there is a novel idea. Imagine that. We the People don’t have to ask the White House or anyone else for permission to do something, no matter how radical. If our Congressmen and Senators (both state and federal) don’t do what we want, prove to be liars (which they all are), and whore themselves out to the people with the most money, we can deport them back to their home districts.

This fall I was unexpectedly blessed when I was asked to cover the Hedley Owls Football Team. Actually, at the time I didn’t think covering the Owls would be such a blessing. Being a rookie sports writer, I didn’t quite realize how meaningful watching young men struggle through a football season, with its ups and downs and peaks and valleys, would become.

I’m sure that people following the Clarendon Broncos feel much the same way. In small town Texas, football serves as the town’s connective tissue. Following the team is similar to setting down at the dinner table for Sunday dinner, with a big platter of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. It’s almost a religious experience that is meant to be shared with everyone else in the community.

High school football also reflects the civic idea that the residents of Hedley (and Clarendon) should take care of their own and strive for excellence. The teams’ fans unconditionally support (sometimes a little too voraciously) their team through good times and bad.

Hedley’s coaches, head coach Darrell Wallace and assistant coach Garrett Bains, insisted that their players win and lose with dignity, and the players played with class. Coach Wallace, for his part, sometimes got a little carried away when he felt that his players were being unfairly treated, but his passion and the occasional “oops” that followed closely behind is more than justified. We must never forget that these are excellent young men who are putting their bodies on the line for each other, their school, and their community. Over zealously defending them is more a virtue than a fault.

Hedley is Donley County’s only six-man football team and ought to be supported by everyone in the county. They are, after all, our future. As many big city eastern newspapers like to point out, America’s young people are exceptional, clean-cut, and virtuous. I think that the young people from the rural, mostly empty parts of Texas are in many ways vastly superior to their city cousins.

As far as towns go, Hedley probably best aligns with the smaller communities. The Owls have fewer players to represent their school when they strap on their gear, and walk onto the grid iron and compete for football glory. Their hearts, on the other hand, are just as large, perhaps even larger in some instances, and they leave absolutely everything on the field.

As their season progressed, and as the Owls were slowly devastated by injuries to key players, it became apparent that they would not be able to compete as effectively as they could at full strength. Even though they were injured and unable to physically match up favorably with their opposition, they dug even deeper into themselves and exhibited the true grit that has come to define Texas and Texans. Watching these young men grow and compete was something to behold.

As they continue their journeys through life, they will experience joyous highs and terrible lows. The strength of character they exhibited this season will sustain and carry them successfully thorough life – in its fullness – with a little help from their friends and families, their communities, and their faith.

The Owl’s senior class: Nicco Bennett, Tanner Chambless, Andy Munoz Aizaga, Bryan Evans, Brandon Evans, Coltin Kingston, Austin Adams, and Caden Farris have played their last down for Hedley. They exhibited the character and determination that form the foundation of America’s future greatness. These Owls have no quit in them.

Next year’s team will be something to behold too, with the likes of Hedley’s own Lone Ranger, Klaiton Moore (better known as Rooster), carrying the pigskin for the Owls.

We (Donley County residents) are truly blessed to have two fine high school football teams to follow and root for. They represent the essence of much that is pure and good in our society. Let’s not lose sight to that while we count our blessings. Our young people, football players or not, are our strength. We can do better for them.

They do, after all, do us proud.

Whew! Finally! Our trials and tribulations have ended, at least for a few months. Even as my fingers swiftly fly over my keyboard in a futile effort to edify the masses, at least the Donley County portion of the masses, the American people are speaking – with a lisp.

I’m not sure who the winners are. I do, however, know who the losers are, namely truth and integrity. Perhaps the biggest loser was the American electorate. One of the fact checking organizations reported that Mitt Romney spewed forth 19 “pants on fire” untruths, whereas President Obama put forth a puny effort of only seven “pants on fire” lies. (“Pants on fire” lies are better known as whoppers.)

Of course, Mitt’s whoppers were much more egregious, but let’s not quibble – a lie is a lie. I will never forget the startling words of Mitt’s pollster, Neil Newhouse, “We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.” What? Did he really say that?

For sure, the Obama campaign has certainly had its own share of deception and distortion. They lied about Mitt’s positions on abortion and foreign aid. Even so, nothing in it has equaled the efforts of the Romney campaign in this realm. Its flagrant disdain for facts is beyond disappointing.

Yet, We the People don’t seem to recoil against these cynical manipulations of the truth. Regardless of who wins and who loses, the Romney campaign has placed a big and historic bet on the presumption that facts can be ignored, for the most part, without consequences.

This election may go down in history as the moment when truth and lies lost both their honor and stigma, respectively. The Mittster has demonstrated an unrepentant willingness to say anything and everything to win this election. Yet he is running dead even with the president, who’s lies and untruths are not quite so flagrant, but just as destructive to our trust in the democratic system.

What does this say about the American people? What does it say about the value of integrity?

The list of the candidates’ out-and-out lies is too long to list here. Neither candidate wouldn’t acknowledge the truth if it bit him on the butt. They seem to have decided that the only things standing between them and the White House are those irksome little facts. They continue to roll right over them. Perhaps Jack Nicholson was correct when he uttered, “You can’t handle the truth,” in his role in the movie A Few Good Men.

The question becomes: will this outrageous tactic work?

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that facts and the people who check them don’t carry the same weight that they once did.

The extremist on the far right and far left have created marvelous disinformation machines, which both explicitly and implicitly make the argument that facts are exchangeable and have been co-opted by nefarious operatives on the other side. Both sides have declared war on facts in what they claim is an unscrupulous war on the truth. This is patiently false and untrue, but it works on some.

How is it that so many people are willing to support men who they don’t believe are honest and trustworthy? Voters also don’t really believe that Obama and Romney really care about their problems. Who votes for men who they think don’t care about them?

Knowing what we know about the president and Governor Romney we must ask ourselves this question: are we granting them the liberty to lie? If so, why?

Until We the People rise up as one as say, “enough is enough,” this absurd folly will continue.

Now, I realize that in days gone by, politicians conducted venomous personal attacks on each other. James Madison, in one election, was accused of pimping out Dolly and her sisters for votes. Accusations of miscegenation (which later proved to be true) were directed against Jefferson. Jefferson’s supporters flung accusations of bestiality and other assorted sordid activities at John Adams, at one time or another.

Adams’ supporters responded by slamming Jefferson with, “Jefferson is an atheist, mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.” Unfortunately, such a sacrifice is not unknown to our modern campaigns as we continue to witness the intense desire of political hopefuls (presidential, congressional, and state) who seem willing to sacrifice anything – their families, friends, and even their integrity to get elected. I could go on ad-infinitum.

Now, thanks to the Citizens United ruling by the United States Supreme Court, the candidates’ supporters can spend billions of dollars in good, creative lies and untruths. Wow! Lucky us. Can you image, spending billions of dollars trying to land a job paying a few hundred thousand dollars a year? Is it just me, or do things seem a bit out of balance?

It now falls upon us, We the People, to put a stop to this madness. Then again, we seem to tolerate the demeaning way our politicians treat us rather well. Perhaps we deserve what we get.

Every now and then, all communities – large and small – benefit from copious infusions of bright, frisky All-American youth. Clarendon College delivered just such an infusion last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

Thanks to creative administration, faculty, staff, and students, Clarendon College once again blessed this community and region with a superlative college rodeo competition, better known as the Clarendon College Stampede. If you weren’t there, you missed a wonderful opportunity to watch America’s youth at their best, competing for personal and institutional glory.

Late last Wednesday, and early into Thursday morning, you may have noticed that beautiful downtown Donley County began filling up with pick-ups, horse trailers, and a cornucopia of college kids, enthusiastically spending their money at our local businesses. There were hundreds of them, dressed to the nines in Western wear, and eagerly looking forward to competition and excitement – ‘twas a lovely sight indeed.

They represented 16 colleges and universities from Texas and New Mexico. Watching these college kids going about their business with determination and spunk renewed my faith in America’s future. My generation may be jaundiced and jaded, but folks, many of our young people are bubbling over with optimism and the can-do spirit that made this country great. Their promise runs deep.

When the rodeo actually started, and the competition turned serious, these young people exhibited the character, self-discipline, and determination needed to lead this great nation into a prosperous and long-term revitalization.

Watching them competing against each other and the rodeo stock provided by Bad Company Rodeo was an entertaining reaffirmation of all that is good in rural America. I continue to believe that rural America is the primary keeper of our most precious traditional democratic values. Values like hard work, self-sufficiency, responsibility, and determination were on full display during the various competitions. I don’t really care who the individual winners of each event were. To me, they were all winners simply because they chose to dedicate themselves to being the best they could be during the hard fought competition.

The bucking horses, for the most part, were majestic and gave the riders all they could handle. The young bulls, as pesky and ill-tempered as my ex-wives, were quick to shed their riders and send them frantically scrambling for safety. I can only imagine the courage needed to voluntarily sit astride 1,000 pounds of meanness, massive muscles, and menacing horns. Even the pick-up horses looked askance upon the young bulls and did their best to stay out of their way when it was necessary to help the contestants safely get off the backs of the furious beasts.

The barrel racers were easily the most graceful contestants. With braided manes and tails, and fully adorned with plenty of bling, the horses made a fashion statement of their own as they responded to the commands of their nubile riders, riding hell-bent for glory.

Perhaps the most unusual event, excepting the double mugging – in which the contestants generally had the crap beat out of them by the stock, was the goat tying. What in the world were those tiny little goats thinking as those huge steeds bore down on them at full speed, only to veer away at the last minute? Then the agile young riders jumped off their steeds, using Newton’s laws of physics to accelerate as they ran towards the goats, sometimes biting the dust, sometimes busting their bums. Anyway, when the young women finally got to the startled little goats, they commenced to pick them up, slam them down onto their backs, and vigorously tie their feet together.

I’m fairly certain that the little goats were not willing participants in this event. While observing the goats being led to their holding pen for the event, and exhibiting the characteristics the crack journalist that I aspire to become, I noticed that the goats locked all four of their legs as they were pulled, plow-like through the area dirt, leaving nice little furrows behind them.

Now before the animal rights people get their panties in a bunch, please note that the little goats were not hurt in the slightest manner, other than having the crap scared out of them as they observed the steeds charging hell-bent for leather towards them. I’m not even sure they were scared. I’m simply projecting how I would feel onto them. Truth be known, I would have gone through several rolls of toilet paper.

I don’t know who was most responsible for bringing this Stampede to Clarendon College. Whoever it was deserves a pat on the back. I feel certain that the Stampede pumped a generous amount of cash into our local economy while providing the contestants with a wonderful opportunity for much needed competition. That, folks, is what is known as a win/win result.

Clarendon College, the Pearl of the Plains, continues to provide enormous benefits to our town, our region, and our youth. We best not forget that.

This weekend’s fiesta of cultural delights is shaping up to be one of those magical fall experiences that I love so much. Even Mother Nature is excited, and plans to come dressed in her finest autumn splendor.

In case you’ve been so enraptured by the presidential debates that you’ve lost track of our local happenings, this weekend promises to be a veritable feast of cultural experiences. You see, this is the weekend of the first ever Clarendon College Stampede NIRA Rodeo, majestically enhanced by the annual Clarendon Arts Festival, graciously presented by Les Beaux Arts Club.

The Clarendon College Stampede, which is a National Intercollegiate Rodeo, opens Thursday, October 25, and runs through Saturday, October 27. The Stampede will begin at 7:00 p.m. each night.

There are over 400 rodeo contestants from 16 colleges and universities, including Clarendon College, West Texas A&M, Frank Phillips College, Texas Tech University, Tarleton State University, along with a nice assortment of colleges and universities from around the Southwest and Oklahoma.

Events will include bull riding, barrel racing, bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and an open double mugging each night. So, come prepared to witness and enjoy an excellent rodeo.

The Stampede is produced by Bad Company Rodeo. If you’ve never witnessed a Bad Company Rodeo, you are in for rocking, rolling extravaganza. These people know how to produce memorable rodeo experiences, so come prepared for good music, good riding, big time thrills and big time spills.

After you’ve enjoyed yourself at the rodeo, watching the young college contestants test their skills against the rank rodeo stock, you can then head on over to the Clarendon Arts Festival and partake of the cultural delights offered by Les Beaux Arts Club of Clarendon. The festival will be held at Donley County Activity Center.

A preferred buyers’ reception kicks things off, and will be held on Thursday, October 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you are interested in buying excellent art at a discount, there is still time to get registered to attend the reception. Call Tommye Duncan at 874.2224. If she doesn’t answer, leave a message and she will get back to you. A $100 deposit is required if you want to buy great art at great prices. Entertainment for the reception will be provided by The Jazz Standard of Canyon, Texas.

This year, the Arts Festival will have 10 booths, presenting art in several different mediums, including water colors, acrylics, and oil paintings. Additionally, mesquite wood inlaid with turquoise will be exhibited. There will also be fine photography, unique jewelry, along with other assorted crafts, including colorful hair bows.

Les Beaux Arts Club wants to encourage our young artists to participate in the festival this year. A “Kids’ Corner” booth will offer our young artists, age’s k – 6, a chance to develop their interest in art at a young age. The festival’s presenters want to promote art to younger kids, especially those who like to draw.

Children are encouraged to bring their drawings and paintings with them to the festival. Their work will be exhibited in the “Kids’ Corner” this weekend. So, get your children busy drawing and painting, and encourage them to bring their work to the festival.

There will be refreshments available for sale. St. Mary’s Catholic Church will offer breakfast burritos and cinnamon rolls Saturday morning. Sunday at noon, St. Mary’s will serve an enchilada dinner.

Saturday, October 27, hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, hours are from 11 a.m., to 4 p.m.

Doppler Dave says that Mother Nature will bless these events with a lovely fall weekend, with crisp, clean air and gentle breezes to add a touch of color to our cheeks.

So, let’s all get out and enjoy our cultural heritage this weekend, enjoy our beautiful autumn weather, and most importantly – enjoy each other as we celebrate life and learning.

Is there a way to overcome religious intolerance? In America, the question holds critical importance because American society is highly religious and remarkably diverse and – on religious matters – considerably more politically polarized than 25 years ago.

The United States prides itself on welcoming people of different faiths. The Bill of Rights begins with a guarantee of freedom of religion.

Over the last generation Americans have grown more comfortable talking about race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, but not faith. It’s too personal and divisive – too explosive. We haven’t completely figured out how to conduct a productive conversation among people whose cherished religious beliefs – exclusive God-given truths – cannot be reconciled.

Many Americans harbor unfavorable attitudes toward those who harbor different beliefs, notably Muslims and Mormons, but also evangelical Christians, Catholics, Jews, and the most disdained group of all, atheists.

The Bill of Rights also promotes freedom of speech – even hateful speech. When it comes to free speech, it is always edifying to see how people deal with opinions, particularly religious opinions they despise.

Take for example, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. That name always gets folks’ blood boiling. Anyway, this group is based in Topeka, Kansas, and their point of view may reasonably be described as loathsome to most people in America.

Westboro’s philosophy is rooted in Marxism – Groucho Marxism. “Whatever it is, I’m against it,” Groucho sang in “Horse Feathers.” That pretty much sums up this ugly, hateful group. It seems to be anti-everything and is conspicuously anti-gay and anti-Semitic, and has gone the extra mile to earn the scorn and contempt of most Americans by picketing the funerals of soldiers and Marines killed in combat. It calls those deaths God’s punishment for America’s acceptance of homosexuality.

Since being obnoxious and intolerant does not violate the Constitution, and since these people are clearly beyond reasoned argument, and since there are so few of them, you might have thought that a wise response would be to ignore them. That’s what prudent people have sensibly urged. However, good, decent citizens– and more than a few indecent ones – have started gathering around to taunt the Topekans.

They do so in a manner that makes America an inspiration to the world: They shout sexually charged vulgarities and other choice insults and threats. These are not exactly teachable moments. Free expression has been reduced to distasteful simultaneous monologues between the bigoted and the crude.

“A free society must oppose absurd attempts to silence people and to suppress ideas or to ban books that disagree with us,” according to Michael Meyers, executive director of a major metropolitan civil rights coalition. “The fable of ‘protecting’ our children from the ‘hate speech’ is exactly the cry of those who have long opposed positive social and cultural change.”

Even so, isn’t hate speech deplorable? Some people define hate speech as an opinion they dislike, Mr. Myers said. Besides, he said, “hate speech is not unconstitutional or illegal.”

A censorious streak runs stubbornly through this country that regards itself as a bastion of tolerance. It has led to the removal of a billboard that challenged immigration policies and of another that quoted a biblical passage condemning homosexuality. It kept an antiwar message from being put up in Times Square during the 2004 Republican National Convention. It stripped shelters of notices about a free health care information line for gay men and lesbians. Many other examples abound.

Besides being “lazy and disreputable,” censorship can boomerang, Mr. Myers cautioned. Let it prevail and there will be nothing to top other towns and cities from suppressing the speech that we revere – that in favor of pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-defense of marriage act, plus many other examples.

Even though we may hate each other’s hate speech, we must not become intolerant of intolerance. When we do that we get on that slippery slope that is a very real threat to our republic, and put democracy and the free exchange of ideas, regardless of how loathsome they may be, at great risk.