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Big Country Ce ntr al Texas E d i t i o n
Volume 7 Issue 77
National News and Opinions mixed with Local Small Town History and Story Telling. Representing the Small-Town Conservative Viewpoint, Values & Patriotism!
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In This Issue:
On The Cover Growing Up Small Town Texas Conservative Michael Ramirez Informed Voter Tumbleweed Smith Good Neighbors Treasure Hunters Love Lessons Huddle Up! Breckenridge Wall Distribution Map Word Search Cisco Loboes Territory Welcome to Rising Star This Week In Texas History B.C. The Wizard of ID In Sickness & In Health
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www.MyCounty-Line.com vol.7 Issue 77 “Not Even a Smidgen of Corruption”
The County Line
President Barack Obama Down Plays IRS and Other Scandals
It truly seems to me that this president assumes that We the People are nothing more than a rabble rousing group of befuddling idiots. During a pre-Super Bowl interview with Bill O’Reilly, President Barack Obama once again referred to the scandals associated with his administration as being “phony” and predominantly the result of media coverage by O’Reilly’s host media outlet, Fox News. It absolutely boggles the mind that this president can look anyone in the eye and deny the fact that the American ambassador to Libya along with a member of his staff and two military security personnel were murdered by a terrorist faction while in the service of their country. This president and his administration still to this day maintain that the militaristic invasion at the Benghazi U.S. Consulate was perpetrated by common Libyan citizens in response to an anti-Islamic YouTube video. In addition to acting as a Benghazi Terrorist Plot Denier, President Obama refutes any suggestions that the IRS, under his administration, has targeted any Tea Party organization for political purposes -- claiming that “not even a smidgen of corruption” exists to substantiate such claims. Rather, his excuse is that the highest level officials within the IRS were simply “confused about how to implement the law governing tax-exempt groups” and that there were some “bone-headed decisions” made. Should we even bring up how well the “Obamacare” Afordable Care Act website deployment went back in October? Here was a piece of DemocratDream legislation that has been in the works for over fifty years and after finally getting it rammed through Congress this administration’s Department of Health and Human Services had three years and about $100 million dollars just to build a website to allow consumers the ability to educate themselves on their purchase options. Unfortunately, on launch, this administration couldn’t even keep the website up and running long enough for a few dozen people to sign up for President Obama’s signature pet program and as of mid-December the cost overruns had totalled nearly $700 million dollars. The Healthcare.Gov website debacle has been down played by this administration and the main stream media so much that I can’t even find updated numbers on the cost of its implementation and revisions -- nothing since December 2013. I have located niche industry articles that show examples of certain technological aspects of the website whose costs have more than quadrupled and quintupled since the site went live. But I have not yet seen a figure for any of the outside technical emergency responders that came to the administration’s aid to revive the site once it was dead on arrival. Of course nothing really denotes the Healthcare.Gov website fiasco as being a scandal unless you look at it through the rainbow-colored, warm and fuzzy glasses and realize that former Kansas-governor-turned-Healthand-Human-Services-Secretary Kathleen Sebelius still has a freaking job! Maybe they are keeping her around so that eventually they can claim that she saved Obamacare and then toss her hat in the ring as a potential Democrat presidential candidate somewhere down the line??? Sounds too good to be true? Well did you know that before Obama chose Biden over Hillary as his running mate, that good ol’ Sebelius was a contender for the Vice-Presidential position? Hmmm. Neither did I.
COVER ART: Michael Ramirez
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. B:510-152550100200
C:255075150300
But just to wrap this up as quickly as possible, 64 percent of DEMOCRATS believe that there is/was corruption at the heart of the IRS scandal and the IRS itself has admitted to congressional investigators that it inappropriately singled out Tea Party groups for additional scrutiny. Lois Lerner, the IRS official who supposedly made all those “bone-headed decisions” for Obama, pleaded the 5th when facing congressional inquiry and then jumped ship with an early retirement. Nothing to see here folks. Not even a smidgen, so move along.
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by Mike W. Norris
centric organization, Battlefield Texas, was just outed this past week as breaking Federal voter registration laws by stealing voter registration information directly from the voter registration forms that they were soliciting to citizens in a “Get Out The Vote” campaign? Did you know that the Democrat-centric Battlefield Texas organization is just a watered down, distilled version of ACORN, the same community organizing group that helped get President Obama elected and was later found guilty of extensive voter fraud -- only to dissolve itself into many regional organizations and start over again doing the same old song and dance? Speaking of election fraud, what about the afore mentioned Attorney General, Eric Holder, who dropped charges against “convicted” Black Panther members for voter intimidation when he announced that in his own judgement it is impossible for blacks to be found guilty of racial discrimination against whites because blacks are the minority. So despite convincing video evidence which demonstrated that Black Panther members stood in front of a designated polling place and threatened white voters, the accused were completely exonerated by the United States Attorney General based on racial grounds and not on the rule of law. How Well I sure am glad that we got that out in the open! Lord help us racially motivated can you be and still not be called all if the county clerk advertises tickets to a political event featuring “a Racist?” Conservative Values on her Facebook page. Oh the horror!!!! Speaking of RACISM, did you know that Our Hey, Democrats! Our President, you know, the one YOU voted President is BLACK? for, denies that there was ever a terrorist plot to kill our Libyan Ambassador -- he just happened to get himself blown up, beat down, and nearly burned at the stake over a double-thumbs-down Mohammed movie review of a YouTube video and peaceful protest gone wild. Here’s another one -- Our President, yea, the same one the Democrats voted for, swears up and down that the IRS was just doing its thing when some bone-headed, uneducated, poor little confused Liberal couldn’t figure out how to interpret established law regarding non-profit organizations applying for IRS tax-free status. Something must have confused her about applying the same standards to Conservative organizations that she found no problems with assigning to Liberal organizations. I don’t know how to define a “double standard” but that has got to be pretty close. Right? And how about this one -- Our President, yea that one, appointed a guy to be Attorney General that thinks you and I have to undergo an extensive background check, security clearance, outstanding warrants search, and proctological exam just to think about purchasing a handgun or rifle. Yet this same individual can’t fathom where his department went wrong with allowing thousands of handguns and rifles simply to vanish from gun store shelves here in the United States only to magically reappear in the hands of a few radical Mexican national drug lords. The only thing “Fast and Furious” about that fiasco was how quickly Eric Holder tried to shuffle the whole thing under the rug. Did you know that while nobody was looking, the DemocratPublished by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● Not a Smidgen of Corruption Here
Dateline: January 29th, 2014, Rockwall County, Texas “The Texas Democratic Party (TDP) has called for a criminal investigation into alleged illegal election activity at the Rockwall County Clerk’s office, according to a statement released by the organization Wednesday. In addition, a letter requesting a “cease and desist from unlawful political fundraising activities” was also issued by Chad Dunn, general counsel for the TDP. A statement from the TDP on Wednesday claims the Facebook page of Rockwall County Clerk Shelli Miller advertised the sale of tickets for Saturday’s Rockwall County GOP Reagan Day 2014 event and that these tickets could be purchased in Miller’s office at the Rockwall County Courthouse. Attorney General Greg Abbott is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the event, and due to the involvement of the Abbot campaign in the Reagan Day event, the TDP has asked for an investigation into the alleged illegal activities to be opened. “It is inexcusable to use taxpayer funded facilities for political fundraising,” TDP Executive Director Will Hailer said in the statement. “The Rockwall County GOP must immediately cease their unlawful activities. This is political corruption, plain and simple.” ~http://www.rockwallheraldbanner.com
Oh my gosh! He’s black. You and I noticed it. So that makes us RACISTS!!! That’s OK. I was once called a RACIST just because I didn’t know any black people when I was growing up. That’s really odd because my favorite comedians in high school were Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby. Mean Joe Greene was a national football icon back in the day. Different Strokes and What’s Happening were just as likely to be on our TV as Three’s Company and Happy Days. Face Man was cool but B.A. Baracus made the A-Team one of my favorite shows, fool! Grace Jones and Wilt Chamberlain fought toe-totoe with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the fantasy world of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Michael Jordan was not only a close personal friend of mine, but another Michael Jordan became an international basketball phenomenon during the mid-80’s. Whitney Houston, Prince, Paula Abdul, Mariah Carey, even Milli Vanilli were some of the greatest entertainers of my day. If racism would have me judge an entire group of people based strictly on skin color and what little I knew of them from my limited exposure, then as far as I was concerned BLACK FOLKS WAS AWESOME! It wasn’t until I moved to Georgia and actually interacted with black folks on a daily, personal Continued on page 11...
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, Chuck Norris - The Man
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In God We Trust United We Stand
By Chuck Norris
Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. A Force More Powerful Than Oscar
I don’t have to explain to anyone how television is much more risqué, with some programs being downright lewd, than it was decades ago. But I want to tell you about something that can change the course of values in television and movies. Once upon a time, about as edgy as it got was Barbara Eden’s “I Dream of Jeannie” character, who showed her trim tummy, and Elvis swinging his pelvis on “The Ed Sullivan Show” -- though the broadcast screen only captured the upper half of his body as he did. Today, of course, we’ve got everything from Miley Cyrus twerking in prime-time music award shows to explicit sexual scenes and over-the-top dialogue in even socalled “family programs,” which are on when kids are still up and surfing channels. While television programming continues to push the edges of licentiousness further every fall, many people, including parents, across the nation are looking for refuges of decency when it comes to entertainment -- and that includes at theaters, too. There is a man who has been in show business for more than 40 years and who is fighting to hold a line on decency, respect and moral boundaries in movies and on television. His name is Dr. Ted Baehr. My wife, Gena, and I are dear friends with Ted and his wife, Lili. Ted is the founder and publisher of Movieguide, which is a family guide to movies and entertainment, and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, as well as a noted critic, educator, lecturer and media pundit. I would encourage parents to check out Movieguide to see what movies currently in theaters or on Blu-ray are appropriate for your children. And I also highly recommend Ted’s latest best-seller, “How to Succeed in Hollywood (Without Losing Your Soul).” Ted’s website explains that his life’s purpose is to be used by God to redeem the values of the media while educating audiences on how to use discernment in selecting their entertainment. I’m proud to be a member of the board of reference for the dynamic organization Movieguide. It has a very long track record of making a difference in Hollywood. As noted on Movieguide’s website, everyone agrees that media have an immense influence on the way we think, act and even believe, and that is especially true of our children. Yet much of what is produced and praised in Hollywood attacks our core values of faith, family and freedom. But we can make a difference! The battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation has never been more important than now, and that battle is taking place at movie theaters and on your TV. How can we ensure that our young people are being influenced positively through media? The answer is simple: Watch; comment; pray and invite; and fight. --Watch. On March 1 at 2 p.m. EST, the 22nd annual Movieguide Awards airs on ReelzChannel. This year’s star-studded gala will be hosted by actor-comedian Bill Engvall, with appearances by “Duck Dynasty” stars Korie and Willie Robertson, “The Bible’s” Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Joni Eareckson Tada, who will exclusively perform the Oscar-nominated song “Alone Yet Not Alone.” (Speaking of faith and family values, I’d like to congratulate Downey and Burnett on their great movie rendition of the life of Jesus, “Son of God,” due out in theaters and other venues this Friday, Feb. 28. It’s certainly going to be a powerful and inspiring way to enter into the Easter season.) --Comment. Go to ReelzChannel’s Facebook page and state that you support Movieguide’s mission and will watch on March 1. --Pray and invite. Keep the telecast in your prayers; share the information through your social media accounts; and perhaps invite someone over to watch it with you. Go to http://www.movieguide.org/help-us-share-the-good-news for sample emails, tweets and Facebook posts -- among other resources -- you can send to your friends to invite them to watch the broadcast, just as I have used throughout my column here.
--Fight. Continue to fight for change. Renew your war on ratings. Change the channel and help change the culture. And stand up for Movieguide’s mission and outreach. By doing the actions above, you and your family will not only make a statement for decency but also stand up for future generations. Help those of us on Movieguide’s board of reference to remind Hollywood that America consists of families who want inspiring, edifying and wholesome entertainment. As Ted wrote me a few weeks ago, “help us to take on the goliath and win the culture for the future of your children and grandchildren. Fight the culture war for your family by watching the battle of the century this Saturday: Oscar vs. ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Teddy! This is a fun but serious battle between: Oscar (the symbol of movie ticket at a time! For more information, go to http:// awards) vs. Teddy (the symbol of the www.movieguide.org and http://www. Movieguide Awards).” On March 1, let’s rally across the cftvc.org, or write to: Christian Film & nation and pay gratitude to those in the Television Commission, 1151 Avenida movie and television industries who have Acaso, Camarillo, CA 93012. given us inspirational entertainment, and Follow Chuck Norris through his official let’s encourage them to continue their social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” fight for the sake of our children and and He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot. future generations by watching -- and com. To find out more about Chuck Norris read features by other Creators Syndicate encouraging others to watch -- the 22nd and writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators annual Movieguide Awards. Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. We all can still change Hollywood and www.MyCounty-Line.com our country one channel and one theater
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By mwnorris It’s election season...time to get your Google on! University of Texas / Texas Tribune Internet Poll
percent. Maxey Scherr had 15 percent, followed by Harry Kim at 14 percent and Michael Fjetland at 9 percent. Voters are largely unfamiliar with those candidates; 74 percent initially expressed no opinion before being asked how they would vote if they had to decide now. “This is what it looks like when you have a bunch of candidates, no infrastructure and no money,” Henson said. “The first person to raise some money and run some ads could really move this.” High numbers of initially undecided voters were evident in races for attorney general and comptroller as well. “Once you get to these down-ballot races, you can expect things to be more volatile,” Henson said. The Republican primary for attorney general is a statistical dead heat between state Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas, at 42 percent, and state Sen. Ken Paxton of McKinney, at 38 percent — a difference smaller than the poll’s margin of error. Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman got 20 percent. When they were initially asked about the race, 47 percent expressed no preference between the candidates. In the race for comptroller, that group
of initially undecided voters accounted for 54 percent, perhaps an indication of continuing flux in the race. Debra Medina, the only candidate who has been on a statewide ballot (she ran for governor in 2010), got 39 percent after voters were asked whom they would support in an election now, followed by state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, at 26 percent; state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, at 24 percent; and former state Rep. Raul Torres, R-Corpus Christi, at 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is the most popular Republican candidate for president among Texas Republicans right now, winning 28 percent of the votes in a hypothetical primary. Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky were next at 10 percent each, followed by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 8 percent each; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 6 percent; and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania at 4 percent. Another 12 percent said they haven’t decided whom they would support.
After what are shaping up to be easy primary wins in March for the leading gubernatorial candidates, Republican Greg Abbott starts the general election race for governor with an 11-point lead over Democrat Wendy Davis, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Meanwhile, several statewide races on the Republican primary ballot — for lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller — appear headed for May runoffs. None of the leaders in those races looks close to the 50 percent support they would need to win next month’s primary outright. In the governor’s race, Abbott would beat Davis 47 percent to 36 percent in a general election held today, with 17 percent of registered voters saying they have not made up their minds about which candidate to support, according to the poll. “We’ve been talking since the beginning of this race about whether anything would be different, and we’re not seeing anything that’s different,” said Jim Henson, codirector of the poll and head of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. “There was some talk about how Davis had done better in our last poll, and that was partially an artifact of her rise in the fall, and we’re seeing something of a reassertion of the normal pattern.” In the October survey, Davis’ announcement and sudden political celebrity cut the Republican’s lead over her to 6 percentage points. Now, the distance between the two has widened a bit. “The story of the last four months is, Davis loses a couple points, Abbott gains a couple of points,” said Daron Shaw, co-director of the poll and a professor of government at UT-Austin. “He had a pretty good couple of months. She had a pretty bad couple of months, all without many people paying attention.” Before they get to the general election, each faces a primary election. On the Republican side, the poll found Abbott well ahead of his rivals, with 90 percent support among likely Republican voters, followed by Miriam Martinez at 5 percent, Lisa Fritsch at 4 percent and Larry Secede Kilgore at 1 percent. Davis leads Ray Continued on page 8... Madrigal 87 percent to 13 percent among likely Democratic voters. In the heated Republican primary for lieutenant governor, incumbent David Dewhurst leads the pack with 37 percent of likely Republican primary voters at his side, followed by state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, at 31 percent; Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples at 17 percent; and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson at 15 percent. “Each of them has run a conservative — that’s a small C — risk-averse campaign,” Shaw said. “I get that, but I think two of them are going to really regret it.” The Republican nominee will face state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, who is unopposed in her primary. Van de Putte lagged behind each of the four Republicans in hypothetical general election matchups, trailing Dewhurst 44 percent to 32 percent, Patrick 41 percent to 32 percent, Staples 41 percent to 29 percent, and Patterson 41 percent to 30 percent. Undecided voters made up the difference in each race. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, facing a field of seven other Republican primary candidates in his bid for re-election, won the support of 62 percent of the likely Republican primary voters, followed by U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, who got 16 percent. Support for the rest was in single digits: Linda Vega, 7 percent; Dwayne Stovall and Ken Cope, 4 percent each; Reid Reasor and Chris Mapp, 3 percent each; and Curt Cleaver, 1 percent. In the Democratic primary, the candidate who has been on the ballot the most times, Kesha Rogers, leads the best-financed candidate, David Alameel, 35 percent to 27 Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
8Informed Voter ■
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Voters who identify with the Tea Party remain an important constituency for conservatives. Asked how they would identify themselves if that was a formal party, 37 percent said they would be Democrats, 21 percent said Republican and 21 percent chose Tea. A little more than a third — 35 percent — said the Tea Party has too much influence within the GOP, 29 percent said it has too little, and 18 percent said it has about the right amount. Abbott has burnished his reputation with voters since October: 45 percent said they have a favorable impression of him now, up from 36 percent in the October UT/TT Poll. His unfavorable ratings were pretty stable: 25 percent now, 24 percent then. Davis got favorable marks from 36 percent, compared with 37 percent in October; her unfavorable marks rose to 35 percent now from 31 percent then. They appear to be evenly matched in terms of whether voters know who they are. “Abbott is not Perry, and he’s not Bush,” Shaw said. “Democrats up to now have been dealing with huge name ID deficits. That’s not true for Davis and Abbott. He’s not one of the 800-pound gorillas of state politics.” Cornyn’s numbers have improved, with 33 percent saying they view him favorably — up from 25 percent in October — and 32 percent registering unfavorable impressions, up from 30 percent. Cruz’s favorable/unfavorable marks are now 43 percent/37 percent, improved from 38 percent/37 percent in October. Perry’s numbers improved a bit, to 44 percent favorable and 40 unfavorable now, from 39 percent/43 percent in October. Dewhurst was seen favorably by 31 percent and unfavorably by 30 percent. Everybody else in the race for lieutenant governor had more-positive ratios but was also unknown by more people: Van de Putte, 27 percent to 22 percent; Patrick, 26 percent to 18 percent; Staples, 22 percent to 14 percent; and Patterson, 21 percent to 10 percent. Among voters who support Staples and Patterson, 39 percent registered favorable views of Dewhurst and 27 said the same about Patrick; 29 percent had unfavorable views of Dewhurst, and 18 percent had unfavorable views of Patrick. The rest registered no opinion. The University of Texas/Texas Tribune internet survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted Feb. 7-17 and has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.83 percentage points. For questions of likely Republican primary voters, the margin of error is +/- 4.56 percentage points; for likely Democratic primary voters, +/- 6.04 percentage points. Numbers in the charts might not add up to 100 percent, because of rounding. Partisan Harmony, Dissonance on Education
Increasing funding for public schools and reducing the Continued on page 11...
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By Bob Lewis TAKING TIME TO LOOK AROUND
Usually when we travel by car we are so concerned with reaching our destination we pass right through some interesting places. Such is the case with Calvert. I was there in1986 as part of my sesquicentennial salute to Texas by doing a report from every county in Texas that year. At the time, Calvert was all about antiques. The downtown was full of antique stores. I was in Calvert recently for a meeting and discovered a unique city that has dozens of luxurious homes that are on the national register. They were built by entrepreneurs from the midwest and northeast who came down to Texas in the late 1800’s when the railroads were establishing towns. The chamber provides a brochure containing the history of the homes and directions to them. The meeting headquartered at Ingraham’s Castle, a Bed and Breakfast that was once the city jail. The architect at the time thought any kind of government building ought to look like something out of England, so the jail resembled a castle. Calvert has a German POW camp, a farm where lions and tigers are raised (some of them have been in movies and on stage in Las Vegas) and a world famous chocolatier named Ken Wilkinson who sells his delicious candies all over the world. His place is called Cocoamoda. Besides all the fascinating places to visit in town, the people are the best tourist attraction. Just about everybody we met was a character who knows about the town and loves it. Perhaps the best story I found in Calvert was about Mojo, a term to describe an unexplainable event. Dennis Joyce, the owner of Ingraham Castle, told me about Mojo. In this case, it’s about a boy who turned to stone. “A long time ago, the body of a boy around fourteen years of age was brought to a black mortuary in Calvert,” says Dennis. “He was either killed or died of natural causes. No one seems to know. The people at the funeral home proceeded to embalm him and something went quite
wrong in the process and they don’t know what happened, but the boy ended up being mummified. Experts since them have tried unsuccessfully to duplicate the process, which apparently was about as good as the Egyptians knew how to do. The boy had no identification and nobody knew who he was, so he became known as Mojo and stayed in residence at the mortuary for many decades. Sometimes he was in a closet. They had a casket made for him with a clear glass panel in it, but most of the time he was not in that. He was standing up outside the closet.” Gambling took place at the mortuary after hours and gamblers rubbed Mojo’s nose for good luck. He was dressed in a custom-made pale blue tuxedo. A group of citizens recently decided to bury him. The fire department went to the streets and collected money to give him a proper burial. They put his body in the casket, loaded him on a fire truck and took him to Sunnyside Cemetery for a memorial service. THE HIDDEN GLASS RESTROOMS IN SULPHUR SPRINGS
addition, these are heated and cooled.” The walls are one-way mirrors. “Just like you see in all the cop shows when they interview suspects. You can see them but they can’t see you. So you can sit inside and do your business and watch the world go by, but they can’ t see what you’re doing.” But people try to look in. “All day long. It’s really interesting. A lot of people come from out of town to see them. They’ll approach the restrooms in groups of two or three. Somebody goes inside the bathroom and starts waving or jumping around while the others stand outside and see if they can detect them, which they can’t. Then they take turns going in.” Marc says a lot of people were in on the planning for the plaza. “While we were sitting around scratching our heads trying to figure out what to do, I remembered seeing photographs of a mirrored glass restroom in Switzerland done by an Italian artist who used the glass building as a traveling art exhibit that went all around Europe. So I left the room, printed out some copies of the photographs and passed them around. Everybody said, ‘that’s it!’” As soon as the restrooms were installed, the news hit all the television networks in the US. “It was even in newspapers in England,” says Marc. “The learning channel was just here and did a full day filming of the glass restrooms for a segment it’s doing on outrageous restrooms. We’ve had reporters here from all over. So when we say the restrooms are world famous we’re probably fairly accurate.” Considering all the publicity for Sulphur Springs the restrooms have generated, the cost to build them was a bargain. “Each one cost $27,000. We spent a total of $54,000.” Security cameras are on the square to prevent vandalism. “The cameras are outside the restrooms, not inside.”
Some people go to Sulphur Springs just to use the restroom. The city uses billboards to advertise the unique mirrored cubes that from the outside look like works of art. The four outside walls reflect the buildings, trees, walkways and people and cars passing by the city square. You could call them video murals. If you see the structures for the first time, you can’t imagine what they are. Sulphur Springs has a strange downtown plaza anyway. It used to be a parking lot, but has been changed into an interesting destination. In addition to the restrooms, it has a one and a half million-dollar Veterans Memorial, which is extremely impressive. Usually in Texas county seats, the courthouse sits in the middle of the town square. Not so in Sulphur Springs. The Hopkins County Court House is across the street. The restrooms have become world Smith rolls around Texas looking famous. They are roomy and are fully forTumbleweed people with unique stories. Contact him at ts@ equipped. “Of course you have the toilet tumbleweedsmith.com and the sink, soap, all the necessary items you’d find in any restroom,” says Sulphur www.MyCounty-Line.com Springs City Manager Marc Maxwell. “In Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
11Growing Up Small Town
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■ Informed
, Continued...
and social level that I realized they were just as normal as anybody else. Being black didn’t automatically make you an awesome football player or basketball player. It didn’t make you sing like Aretha Franklin or walk like Jay Jay. So by all means, if Democrats want to call me a RACIST because I dare criticize Our President and his policies, then I would gladly like to point out that his skin color makes him no better president than my skin color would make me the King of France. It is a NON-ISSUE. PERIOD. OH! Speaking of which...If you like your current doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your current insurance plan, you can keep your insurance plan. “PERIOD.” On a similar topic...I’m sure I’ve told you this before, but when I was a senior at Carbon High School I happened to have gotten my hands on some silver paint. No, I didn’t get silver paint on my hands, I got my hands on some silver paint. So while I had this silver paint in my possession, I happened across an open window on the third floor of the CHS school building. Now what was I to do with such a set of circumstances? Well, I’m not sure who’s bright idea it was, but I leaned out the window and painted “Seniors ‘88” on the side of the building. It wasn’t HUGE by any means, but it was easily spotted by Mr. Rogers from ground level and of course a congressional investigation was convened to ascertain the artist who felt so compelled as to embellish the side of the building with such an endearing message. Out of the seven of us....yea, seven, somebody was unable to contain themselves and Mr. Rogers quickly came to the suspicion that it was yours truly who had done the deed. His investigation had been quite thorough before I even appeared before
the committee. So when the question finally came to me, “Mike, do you know who painted ‘Seniors 88’ on the side of the school building?” I confidently answered, “No, sir. I did not have sex with that woman.” Mr. Rogers’ retort was instant and to the point, “Well Mike, I have been told that it was you who did it. Is that true?” Now perhaps I am not quite as educated as our dear president, but when I am caught in a lie I have an established procedure for dealing with the situation head-on. I looked across the desk and met Mr. Rogers’ inquisitive gaze with complete confidence and I gave him a smile like that of the fox who was caught coming out of the hen house and without hesitating I answered, “Yes, sir. I did it.” His next question cut to the chase, “Why did you just try to lie to me about it?” I offered the truth, “Well, I had to at least try to get away with it.” Mr. Rogers nodded and set down my punishment none the less. In all my years of knowing him, I have never once suspected that Mr. Rogers was an idiot or there was ever any great chance that he would have fallen blindly for my attempt at avoiding responsibility for my actions. That is unlike this current President who feels no shame whatsoever in lying to the American People and blatantly attempting to shift the blame for any political embarrassment onto anyone’s shoulders other than his own. It is utterly beneath the status of the Leader of the Free World to act in such a manner. We the People have got to vote CONSERVATIVE during these upcoming mid-terms so we can put the brakes on this Administration’s EXECUTIVE agenda and hold this President accountable. ~mwn www.MyCounty-Line.com
Voter, Continued...
number of standardized tests students must take top the list of most effective changes Texas could make in public education, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Creating a school voucher program and increasing teacher pay tied for third when the respondents were asked to select one change they would make to public education. Some of the numbers point to partisan differences among Texas registered voters, while others win high marks from both conservatives and liberals. “One of the things that you see here is that, for all the fiscal conservatism in the state and the way that that inflected the public education system in 2011, liking your teachers and wanting to help them is a bipartisan position,” said Jim Henson, who runs the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin and codirects the UT/TT Poll. Henson said voters who said they support Democrat Wendy Davis in the governor’s race favor increasing teacher pay by a 90 percent to 7 percent margin. Voters who support Republican Greg Abbott in that race favor that proposal 62 percent to 34 percent. Broken down another way, a majority of voters across the political spectrum favor increased pay for teachers. The same holds true of proposals to increase incentives for individuals who choose teaching as a profession and to cut the number of standardized tests students are required to take. The partisan differences show up in other numbers, he said. Davis voters favor higher school funding by the same margins as higher pay, while Abbott voters are split down the middle, 49 percent to 48 percent. And vouchers reveal another split: Only 38 percent of Davis voters give them high marks, while 64 percent of Abbott voters said they would be an
effective change to public education. “The Democrats dominate the public education issue, and they advocate spending more money,” said Daron Shaw, co-director of the poll and a professor of government at UT-Austin. “That works insofar as spending more is a way of saying you’re doing something about it. “The correct reading would probably make proponents of both sides pretty happy. There is clearly an appetite for committing more resources to public education,” he said. The poll also asked the respondents to grade seven proposed changes by their effectiveness, a question that produced slightly different answers. For instance, 76 percent said that providing incentives for individuals who choose teaching as a profession would be “extremely” or “somewhat” effective in improving the quality of K-12 education in the state. Increased teacher pay ranked next, at 74 percent, followed by increased funding for public schools and increasing opportunities for online learning. Each proposal was rated “extremely” or “somewhat” effective by more than half of the respondents. “I don’t know if there has actually been a decline in the quality of education or if that’s just the ambient narrative,” Shaw said. “But maybe the appetite for revolutionary change is in the air.” The University of Texas/Texas Tribune internet survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted Feb. 7-17 and has an overall margin of error of +/- 2.83 percentage points. Numbers in the charts might not add up to 100 percent, because of rounding.
~mwnorris Sources: www.TexasTribune.org Ross Ramsey, Feb. 24 & 25, 2014 www.MyCounty-Line.com
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Neighbors, State Farm
WHY YOU SHOULD INCREASE YOUR IRA CONTRIBUTION
One way to have a larger retirement fund is to save more now. There are two limits on this. The first, of course, is how much money you are able to save. Some people have greater resources than others, but you may be able to find ways to save money by cutting back spending on unnecessary items. The second limit is the amount of your retirement savings contribution that is deductible from your income taxes. The greater the deduction, the more value you get from your savings. When the Individual Retirement Arrangement, also known as a traditional IRA, was set up by law in 1975, the maximum amount that investors could deduct was $1,500. It was raised to $2,000 in 1981, and that limit stayed in place for 20 years. It was raised by Congress in 2002, 2005, and in 2008. The 2008 contribution limit was $5,000. More importantly, the law allowed for automatic increases in the IRA contribution limit, without the need to pass additional legislation, to correspond to cost of living increases. Because inflation has been very low in recent years, the 2012 contribution limit remains at $5,000. But that’s only if you are under age 50. If you’ve turned 50 since you last evaluated your IRA contributions, you may be in for a pleasant surprise. After you turn 50, you can contribute and deduct an additional $1,000 per year, known under the law as a “catch-up” contribution. The difference is significant. If you put $2,000 away for 30 years, then your total contribution would be $60,000 – and that’s before earning any investment returns. Put away
$5,000 for 15 years and $6,000 for another 15 years, and your total contribution would be $165,000. Assuming you earn an average annual investment return of 5 percent, the total value of your account may grow far beyond the amount that you have contributed. At that rate, a $2,000 annual contribution will compound to a $139,522 nest egg after 30 years. If you begin saving at age 35, make the $5,000 contribution until age 50, then contribute the full $6,000 starting at age 51, then your nest egg would be $371,461. Years Before Retirement At Age 65 $ 2 0 0 0 Annual Contribution $5000 Annual Contribution $5000 Contribution, $6000 After Age 50 10 Years $ 2 6 , 4 1 4 $66,034 $79,241 20 Years $ 6 9 , 4 3 9 $173,596 $196,254 30 Years $139,522 $348,804 $371,461 IRA_contributions_chart_ revised.png These numbers assume that contribution limits will remain where they are now, but they are expected to increase in future years with increases in the cost of living. Before you make your annual IRA contribution, check with your financial advisor or the IRS to determine your contribution limit. - See more at: http:// learningcenter.statefarm.com/ finances-1/mutual-funds/ why-you-should-increaseyour-ira-contribution/#sthash. RUcG9LQk.dpuf
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13Treasure Hunters ■
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, Jerry Eckhart
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By Jerry Eckhart To see more of Jerry’s treasure finds, search Facebook for “Jerry Eckhart”
markings and showed me the boulder with its carvings One day, back in about 1982, I got a phone call from a rancher near Olney, Texas. He told that marked the spot where me a story that was hard to believe, and invited me to come take a look for myself. they began digging. By what was on the boulder His story was this: The rancher had found some rock carvings on his property and gotten a friend to decipher and by what was drawn them. This friend was apparently pretty good at deciphering because he found a spot where on the map, it was clear he said there was a buried cache, supposedly gold. According to the one who deciphered that this pair had stumbled the map, the treasure was about 20 feet deep or deeper. They began to dig, using a clamshell onto a KGC (Knights of the crane. About ten feet down they came on to a number of logs, laid in a crisscross pattern. Golden Circle) location. These logs were about eight feet long, and each layer lay on top of another. The first layer When the crane operator hit the third layer of logs, it was removed without any trouble, as was the second. triggered a booby trap laid When the crane operator dropped his clamshell bucket for the third layer, it collapsed, by the KGC. Fortunately trapping the bucket. Everything began dropping at once. The weight of the logs and the only thing that was lost whatever was underneath it began pulling the crane boom down. The operator panicked, was the clamshell bucket released the winch drive so that the cable would pull down freely without tipping the boom and no one’s life. into the hole. Cable began spooling off the winch at a high speed and just as the last few feet were left on the winch spool, it stopped. If I remember right, the rancher told me there The landowner wasn’t familiar with KGC and was about fifty feet of cable on the spool to begin with. when I told him its history, The rancher said that just as the last few feet of cable remained on the spool, everything he decided he had had stopped dropping. There was a loud, muffled boom and tons of dirt fell from the sides of the enough of treasure hunting hole, filling it to about three feet from the top. The crane operator said he had had enough. to last him a lifetime. He took his cutting torch, cut the cable from the winch, got into his crane and drove off, Although I didn’t ask him, leaving a shocked and speechless rancher behind. he slipped a twenty dollar The rancher said he stood beside the crater for some minutes, just looking down at the bill into my pocket to pay hole. He said he thought he could get a faint whiff of gunpowder as well. The dust for gas and we went on gradually cleared and he went on to other things, but the entire episode remained in the home. As far as I know, the crater, still about 3 feet back of his mind. He worried over it for several weeks before he called me. deep and 20 feet across still The rancher wanted me to come out and see what I thought and whether it might be worth remains. spending more money on. Since I had known this man for a number of years, I didn’t charge him for looking at it. Besides, I was curious as to the story. We set up a date in late The site lay some half mile spring when I knew I would have some free time and made arrangements to meet. He met back into this man’s land me at Olney, and we drove to the site. Everything was just as he said. The frayed end of the and I sincerely doubt that of the Golden Circle are featured as villains in many works cable rested about ten feet from the hole, with the cable running down into the hole. The this particular landowner Knights of fiction from books to film. Movie poster ©WaltDisneyPictures would let anyone in to look. crane company had already sent him a massive bill for the lost bucket so he was leery of Besides that, there still may spending more money on the project. be untriggered booby traps remaining. I original KGC. There are a multitude of books and writings out there that will give I examined the poles that came from the hole. They were old, and highly calcified, almost won’t even give you his name. you a good history of this group.. It makes to the point of being petrified. Some of them were almost white with calcification. There The KGC (Knights of the Golden Circle) interesting reading, but this particular group were around ten of them laying beside the crater and all were coated with a white crust. I could see that it must have taken something powerful to make the hole almost 20 feet have a rich history throughout Texas and is not one to mess with. ~je are certainly no group to mess with. There across now. are still descendents of the original group The rancher and his friend who deciphered the carvings had drawn a scale map of the who guard the secrets and locations of the www.MyCounty-Line.com THE TREASURE CRATER
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
14Love Lessons Learned So Far
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, Vicki Stiefer
By Vicki Stiefer The Mr. February of the Calendar in My Dreams
Up front I will say that I am man crazy. I always have been, it’s true. I got the same gene my Mom had and her mother before her. And so did my Aunt who is the Alexis Carrington of the family. Mom graduated high school in ‘65 and she had a lot of fun. She was a science nerd and that led to a million dates where she looked across the table at a pair of Buddy Holly glasses with tape wrapped around the middle. While she enjoyed her time with those guys, she also dated the jocks and the boys in the band. She fell in love, ultimately, with a grocery sacker from Safeway who kept a neat flat top and used butch wax to keep it looking sharp and pointy yet totally manageable. When I was in school I had a beloved literature teacher that was beautiful. She wasn’t the normal “mom” teacher. She didn’t wear the pilgrim collar over the denim jumper that seemed to be the style for teachers in the 80’s when I was growing up. Her hair was poufy and her makeup was glamorous and every single girl in my class wanted to look like her. We called her Mrs. MacWilliams and if she was an indication of our future we were ready to ditch the bright blue eye shadow and leg warmers for what she was doing. She was graceful and she had a way of speaking that entranced us all. We believed anything that rolled off of her maroon tinted lips whether it be about the classics or otherwise and she told us, that she saw no reason why you shouldn’t go out with a man if he asked you; provided having a date with him did not upset any family or religious beliefs. She reminded us that you might learn something new and knowledge was power. Now undoubtedly I spent what felt like a bazillion minutes with men who I had nothing in common with in the hopes to gain knowledge. I know though that you can’t learn about relationships and each other for that matter the morning after so sitting through all the bad dates as well as the good ones was indeed the way to go. I am a firm believer in the art of dating and courtship. Making the chase worthwhile because I know that God made men to be fixers and hunters while I am the gatherer. I know that I am his backbone and in many cases can make or break him. Just ask Hillary Clinton. In today’s society however, the chase is alarmingly missing. New Healthcare ads push friends with benefits because birth control is free. Other for profit companies suggest giving contraceptives in place of jewelry. For some women who are afraid of their own sexuality this may work for them. They can continue to hide behind the guise of “my body my control”. I am a woman and I am a sexual being, yes, and God made me very different from a man. They are visual while I need to be “put in the mood” but if you think for one second that a lingering kiss at the door doesn’t satiate a man then you are
crazy. He’s coming back for more. You as a woman, are in complete control already of the situation and you don’t need to declare it in the name of womanhood. While men are expected to be the aggressor in dating, taking all of the risks associated with the fear of rejection, they are built for this. Women ultimately do make the decision but how a woman handles that decision is critical. I have learned that men get hurt much faster than women and hold on to that pain for a much longer time. So, yea, you’re big strong grizzly bear can handle all of his business but if you cut him down after he opened his heart to you he is going to get hurt. That’s why marriage is so sacred, so special and so unique. That’s why 99% of American’s want to be married. The bond is ultimate power. When you make the covenant with God you give your spouse everything you are, have, will ever be. They know all of your secrets, your strong points and your weak points. Vulnerability is a strong emotion on both ends. So in my search for the Mr. February of the Calendar in My Dreams I had to kiss some frogs. I am by no means perfect. I made a ton of
mistakes along the way but learning as I went makes me human and all of the dating made me alive. I haven’t been married very long, but being so intimate with a man has proved to me one thing. All of those women who say “my body my control” really have no idea what they are talking about. Trust me, I know. I grew up with a feminist mother and carried the Rosie the Riveter rallying cry well into my 20’s. Until I learned that Rosie wasn’t doing what a man could do and in some cases doing it better. Men were out doing men’s work and Rosie was picking up the slack. It’s OK to be a strong woman and more than that it’s OK to be a lady and expect treatment in kind. I am a queen and in return I treat my man as such. We have a good relationship based on basic human kindness and celebration of the differences between the 2 of us. It’s not that difficult. If you were wondering who Mr. February is in the Calendar of my Dreams...it’s Mangum PI. No one can wear short shorts quite like he does. ~vs www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
15Huddle Up! ■
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www.MyCounty-Line.com ~ MARCH 2014 v7.77 ~ www.Facebook.com/mycountyline , Matt Swinney
By Matt Swinney February UIL Redistricting
As we head into the “Love” month, the month of February that is, a month that means flowers, chocolate, and “Sweettarts”, for high schools, the month of February, on even years, means school district realignment.
Division 2 in football. This is the new Class 1A. The Bulldogs will be joined by Albany, Baird, Cross Plains, Gorman, Perrin-Whitt, and Santo. The Bulldogs’ basketball district will be different than their football district. In basketball, they will be in District 10-2A. The Bulldogs, in basketball, will be joined by De Leon, Goldthwaite, Hamilton, Hico, Santo, and Tolar.
The University Interscholastic League, the governing body for high school sports, realigns every high school based on enrollment. Normally, high schools are placed in classifications with Class 5A being the highest and Class A being the lowest. Now, for the first time in history, the UIL will add a Class 6A for the 2014-2016 sports seasons. So, beginning in the Fall of 2014, there will be a Class 6A, followed by Class 5A, 4A, Finally, let’s take a look at a 3A, 2A, and A. couple of six-man football schools, the Strawn Greyhounds and the Basically, it eliminates the six-man classification. Gordon Longhorns. In football, the Now, I don’t want the six-man football fans to shout at me and say, Greyhounds and the Longhorns “What about six-man football?” Don’t worry. Six-Man football will be will renew their six-man rivalry in the new Class A, Class A will be 2A, etc. That also means 5A schools, as they will be in District 101A, Division 1 (Six-Man). The if they have a school enrollment of 2100 or higher will be Class 6A. Greyhounds and Longhorns will As we take a look at the area teams and what district they will be joined in District 10 along with participate in, Cisco and Eastland will renew their football rivalry as Gustine, Lingleville and May. In they will both be in District 2-3A, Division 2, which is the old Class basketball, the Greyhounds and 2A. The Loboes and Mavericks will be joined in their new district with Longhorns will be in District 18Henrietta, Holliday, Jacksboro, Millsap, Nocona, and Wichita Falls City 1A along with Gorman, Lingleville, View. In basketball, though, Cisco and Eastland will be in District 8-3A, Huckabay, and Lipan. along with Breckenridge, Clyde, and Dublin. If you would like to take a look at As we take a look at the Ranger Bulldogs, they will be in District 8-2A, the realignments yourself, you can
go to the University Interscholastic League’s athletics page on their website at: http://www.uiltexas. org/alignments. A lot of people may ask, What happened to Aledo? Did they move up to the new Class 6A? In a word, NO. The Aledo Bearcats, who won the Class 4A state football championship and won in a game 91-0 and got national coverage in the team that lost filed a lawsuit against Aledo accusing them of bullying, will actually move to Class 5A, which is the new Class 4A. They will be joined by Burleson, Burleson Centennial, Cleburne, Crowley, Everman, Granbury, and Joshua. It will be interesting to see how these teams perform in their new districts. Good luck to all these teams, and make sure you fans cheer them on to victory. Happy Reading!!! ~ms www.MyCounty-Line.com
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Independent Reps Do you enjoy talking to people and meeting new people??? There are thousands of small businesses in our area that would benefit from getting to know The County Line. And we’re looking for people like you to help spread the word and introduce The County Line to them and their customers! We don’t look for “one-time” ad sales...we want to partner with business owners just like us! The last thing they need is more hassles and they don’t need advertising that never gets seen or heard from! They need someone who will listen, someone who has the talent and skills to bring their ideas to life, and a devoted audience that is eager to get its hands on every issue!
We Believe in Small Business because we ARE a small business! If you’re interested in being part of something that truly has growth potential and truly needs the right person for the job, then what are you waiting for? Contact us on:
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18The County Line
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■ , Mike W. Norris The County Line Distribution Area
■ The
County Line Word Search
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Visit www.MyCounty-Line.com Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
20This Week In Texas History
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, by Bartee Haile
By Bartee Haile TEXAS WAS ELVIS’ LAUNCHING PAD TO STARDOM
Eighty-eight thousand paying customers packed the Astrodome on Mar. 3, 1974 for Elvis Presley’s two sold-out performances, his last at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. “He went off to Texas and came home famous,” Elvis’ mother marveled early in her son’s fantastic career. The Lone Star State was not only his launching pad to stardom, but also where the King of Rock and Roll got his second wind. Elvis was fresh out of high school and just 19 years old, when he signed on as a regular with the “Louisiana Hayride,” a popular country music radio program broadcast from Shreveport with loyal listeners in 13 southern states. Unlike the purists at the “Grand Ole Opry,” who snubbed the newcomer after his one and only appearance, the “Hayride” warmly welcomed the white boy from Memphis who sang black rhythm and blues.
laced critics, and the swivelhipped singer with the seductive voice was the devil’s disciple. Some communities took stern and occasionally bizarre precautions to protect impressionable youth. In San Antonio, for example, rock and roll was banned from jukeboxes at public pools to keep the kids from dancing together in swimming suits.
Dallas police were out in force for Elvis’ 1957 concert at the Cotton Bowl, and hysterical young women kept them hopping. Many had to be peeled off the eight-foot fence surrounding the stage, while Elvis faithfully fulfilled his Saturday obligation in Shreveport and others fainted from the excitement spent the rest of the week looking for work in Texas. A good night’s and had to be carried to first-aid take in those days was $75, which had to be split three ways after gas stations. and expenses, but he gladly would have performed for free. For his Hound Dog finale, Elvis In Gladewater Elvis sang his heart out from the back of a flat-bed truck jumped off the stage and got down on a baseball diamond, while an oil camp recreation hall near Hawkins on all fours on the football field. put a roof over his head. The earliest known film footage of the future To the delight of the crowd and the horror of the cops, he grazed on the musical monarch in action was shot at Magnolia Gardens in Housto. grass to the refrain of his canine Between October 1954 and early 1956, Elvis played nearly 200 gigs in theme song. 57 Texas towns. Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the opening act for Elvis received his draft notice the several engagements at Fair Park Auditorium in Lubbock, and the rising week before Christmas in 1957. He star made two stops in 1956 at Waco’s Heart O’ Texas Coliseum. His rejected special treatment, which Fort Worth venue was the old Cowtown Coliseum, site of the world’s would have let him spend his first indoor rodeo in 1908. enlistment entertaining the troops, By the time Elvis returned to Houston in June 1956 for a standing- in favor of serving his country as room-only encore at the City Auditorium, Heartbreak Hotel and an an ordinary soldier. April guest shot on the “Ed Sullivan Show” had made him a nationwide sensation. Four months later, screaming fans filled the Sam Houston Private Presley was sent to Fort Hood for basic training and later Coliseum to the rafters for his two high-energy shows. lived for six months in a modest A Texas songwriter contributed the breakthrough ballad Heartbreak frame house off base. When Hotel. Mae Boren Axton, born in Bardwell and raised in Fort Worth, Gladys Presley took sick on a visit was inspired by a suicide’s farewell note that contained the phrase “I to Killeen, Elvis drove his mother walk a lonely street.” Elvis achieved the unforgettably eerie effect to Temple and put her on a train which gave the melancholy song such a unique sound by recording it in back to Memphis. But she died a stairwell. within the week, and her devoted son never got over the loss. Rock and roll was controversial, satanic music according to strait-
During the 1960’s, the only place millions of Elvis fans could see their idol was the local picture show. But his film career gradually ran out of gas, and “Change of Habit” released in 1969 was his 31st and last movie. The next year, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offered Elvis the much-needed opportunity to shake off the road rust and get back in the touring saddle. But when only 16,000 showed up for the Friday matinee, the crestfallen crooner feared the worst. That evening Elvis looked out his hotel window at the traffic jam clogging every asphalt approach to the Astrodome. “Well, I’ll be damned!” he declared with a giant grin. “I guess I still got it after all.” He sure did as his six shows drew 207,000 to the Dome. Elvis Presley played his last date in the Lone Star State at Memorial Auditorium in Austin on Mar. 28, 1977. Five months later, the King was dead at 42 -- the exact age that for so long he had fatalistically predicted. ~bh “Texas Depression-Era Desperadoes,” Bartee’s new book, is ready for immediate shipment. Order your signed copy at barteehaile.com or by mailing a check for $26.65 to “Bartee Haile,” P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549. Bartee Haile welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions at P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549 or haile@ pdq.net and invites you to visit his new web site at barteehaile.com.
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21B.C. ■
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23The Wizard of ID ■
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, by Parker & Hart
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www.PeachyTurtle.org
February 2014
As with all things, Ruthie’s story moves ever on. The highlight of this month culminated in an overnight stay in Fort Worth for out-patient surgery. On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, Ruthie and I woke up at the La Quinta Inn on Bryant Iving over near the Hulen Mall on the south side of Fort Worth. We had spent the night there because of our familiarity with the area and because it’s only about 10-minutes drive passed the TCU campus to the Plaza Medical Center. Ruthie was scheduled for an 11am procedure and had to report to the hospital outpatient check-in at 9am. She was scheduled as the first surgery of the day for the vascular team. We arrived just moments before 9am and were promptly escorted to the registration desk. Moments later, we were taken to her surgical prep room where she was instructed to disrobe and put on her hospital gown; her vitals were recorded and all was well. As they were drawing her blood, I snapped a photo with my phone:
After that, we were mostly in a holding pattern waiting for them to transport her to the operating floor where we would speak to the anesthesiologist and her surgical team -- including her doctor. We didn’t have to wait very long. The transporter came in and I went with them in the elevator to the operating floor. We rolled into the staging room that had surgical prep bays on one side and recovery bays on the other. The nurses’ station was at the end of the room and the charge nurse introduced herself as they rolled Ruthie’s bed into the first bay next to the nurses’ station. We met with some of the surgical team and they informed us that we were all set to go. “As soon as Dr. Anderson comes in to meet with you we will be ready to go.” Well....the good doctor was running late. Really late. Painfully late. Frustratingly late. 11-o’clock came and went. 12-o’clock...and 1-o’clock. No doctor. We sat and watched as other patients came and went...and returned from their procedures. Ruthie slept through most of it, but I was uncomfortably forced to make due with a rigid frame office chair with a low back...so I couldn’t even stretch out and recline into a semi-horizontal position. I eventually gave up and started pacing around Ruthie’s bed... offering encouraging words to her every time she opened her eyes and asked me “What is it?” Suddenly, at almost straight up 2pm, the surgical team surrounded us and briefly spoke to the prep nurse. She informed me that they were taking us to the O.R. and that she would show me the waiting room as we went. As we pulled out from behind our privacy curtain, I briefly caught a glimpse of Dr. Anderson as he walked through the staging area with cellphone in hand. Only a few seconds later, Ruthie’s nurse was pointing me in the direction of the waiting room and Ruthie disappeared through the double-doors of the OR. Standing alone in the hallway, I looked at my phone and noted the time -- 2:08pm! I went to my assigned waiting area and took a seat...expecting the doctor to drop by at any moment to at least shake my hand and apologize for whatever delays were out of his control. That
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never happened, of course. At 2:36pm the waiting room phone rang but before I could get to it the ringing stopped. Then my cellphone rang; it was Ruthie’s nurse and she reported that Ruthie was all prepped and ready to go. She asked if I had spoken to the doctor and I replied no, but I saw him walk by with his cellphone earlier. She apologized and asked if I had any questions. I asked her about the temporary catheter that I understood was to be replaced...she informed me that they would not be replacing Ruthie’s catheter during the procedure -which was a surprise. I told her that I had no other questions, which it wouldn’t have mattered if I did at that point. but I told her that I was going to leave the hospital to go get something to eat and she could contact me on my cell number for updates. It was 3:20pm when her doctor called my cellphone to report that Ruthie had done very well. He was very confident that her new fistula would be ready to use in a few weeks (6- to 8-weeks) so it looked like a success. It was after 4pm before I got to see my girl again. She was in pain and her arm was bundled up like she had broken it and it looked like it was in a cast. Ruthie’s discharge nurse didn’t let us sit around for very long and sometime around 4:30pm Ruthie and I were sitting in the Jeep in the hospital parking lot getting ready for our drive home. Ruthie tried to eat some Wendy’s chicken nuggets but her tummy was too queezy. She slept almost all the way home. We accomplished what had to be done...but God willing, next year’s Valentine’s Day is not going to be spent anywhere near a hospital! Next year, dinner and a movie!
Donations may be made to: Farmers & Merchants Bank
Ruth Norris Benefit Fund
930 East Main Eastland, TX 76448 (254) 629-3282 Credit Card donations can be made online at:
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Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com