On a hot Saturday afternoon, August 21st, a small town congregated to honor a young soldier who lost his life in service of his country in one of those things that should have never happened, a massacre at Ft. Hood, Texas.
Family, friends and classmates of Specialist J.D. Hunt gathered to pay tribute to a young man taken way too early in his life. It was a very well-organized tribute to Specialist Hunt with all the normal participants that you would expect from a small town: the local fire department, highway patrol, sheriff and local police, as well as several from the local community. Two of the extra additions that helped make it a special day and increase the military presence was the Army Band from Ft. Hood where Specialist Hunt was stationed and The Patriot Guard Riders, a group of bikers many of whom are veterans themselves, decked out with veteran flags and the POW MIA flag. I believe they are the same group that shows up at military funerals because of some of the protests that have occurred from the Kansas church that seems to have been causing problems at military funerals across the nation with their war protests. The Patriot Guard Riders that were there did not have to worry about a protest occurring that day because a protest would not have been taken very well by this Southwest community who were there to honor the family and the life of one of their own. There was also a vehicle from the disabled veterans and a vehicle from the Audie Murphy National Fan Club. Many young people who grew up with J.D. and were friends and classmates attended the ceremony as well.
I was able to stop on my way to Altus and present a citation to the family of Specialist Hunt in addition to Congresswoman Mary Fallin who was also on hand to present a proclamation from the U.S. Congress and had some kind words to say about not only J.D.’s service but the service and sacrifice of many of our military people as they put their lives in jeopardy to keep our country free. It was a proud day for Tipton and for the Hunt family who lost a son, grandson, brother and friend in a senseless shooting that happened while he prepared to go serve his country. The show of support was outstanding as the town showed up in droves to honor this young man’s life and to help us remember some basic lessons, the main one being: freedom is not free. I was honored to be an ever so small part in that remembrance and in helping Tipton, Oklahoma swell with pride as they honored their local hero. It was a big day in a small town but very fitting. Rest in peace J.D. Hunt and thank you for your service to our country.
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” ~Joseph Campbell
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
2 Beers and a Safety Slide
It’s funny how quickly a working stiff from a pretty normal job can become a folk hero. The reason that Steven Slater was an overnight sensation was because he melted down just far enough to do what almost everyone who has ever had a job has wanted to do at one time or another. He had obviously had a pretty rough day and the rudeness of whoever the lady was that bopped him on the head with her carry-on bag was just about more than he could take. I can tell ya that there have been lots of times in my life that I know just how he feels. If you are honest with yourself, I bet you do too.
There is an old saying about smiling vs. frowning and it is something like this: “it takes half as many facial muscles to smile as it does to frown”. I think that is a pretty good analogy for what happened on that airplane. Madam X, whoever she was, may have had a hard day too but she chose that day to throw her weight around and forget the golden rule to exercise a little common courtesy. It just so happens that she applied a “pop knot” on the head of a guy who was probably in the same spot and he reacted the way most of us would like to, but never would. I have a theory, right or wrong, that we are going to see more of that kind of rudeness as the “me” generation matures. There are people out there who make careers out of service to others and every one of them are human. They make mistakes, sometimes beyond their control and sometimes not. As human beings and inhabitants of the same planet, I think we owe each other at least a little bit of common courtesy. If Madam X would have just said sorry, Steven Slater probably would have said “that’s okay” and gone about his job. But, the fact is, she didn’t. So, he grabbed a couple of beers, engaged the slide, gave her a good cussin’ (which she probably earned) and went tha’ the house. I think it ought to be a lesson to all of us that common courtesy is evermore important as our lives become faster and evermore hectic. It is quickly becoming a lost art, like opening a door for another or saying “yes ma’am” or anyone of dozens of examples of just plain being nice. I’m gonna tell ya, if there would have been an emergency chute out of the fourth floor of the State Capitol, I would have been tempted many times to pop that sucker and go tha’ house. I’ll promise ya in that toxic environment, there is no shortage of tension. There are a whole bunch of contentious issues and people fight for their deal, whatever it is. They don’t mind steppin’ on ya or whatever to get there. It would be real easy to do like many of us would love to do and “take this job and shove it” just like the ole’ Johnny Paycheck song.
It will be interesting to watch what happens with Steven Slaters saga. I am kinda thinking that if I am his airline, I would put my folk hero back to work and make it a big deal to be on the plane where he served. Kind of like a back door Sarah Palin. Poof..instant celebrity! Might sell a few airline tickets with that gig. I think the bottom line is that we need to be nice to each other. Common courtesy never goes out of style. Just plain politeness is a common ingredient to getting along with our neighbors. I had an old ag teaching colleague years ago who taught me a valuable lesson after I had problems with a kid in one of my classes. He said “Don, you don’t know what that young man has been through by the time he leaves your class on Wednesday and gets back on Thursday. So, don’t fly off the handle, just consider that he may have had a rough night”. If we all thought like that a little bit more, we would probably have less reason to pull the emergency lever and go tha’ house.
There is an old saying about smiling vs. frowning and it is something like this: “it takes half as many facial muscles to smile as it does to frown”. I think that is a pretty good analogy for what happened on that airplane. Madam X, whoever she was, may have had a hard day too but she chose that day to throw her weight around and forget the golden rule to exercise a little common courtesy. It just so happens that she applied a “pop knot” on the head of a guy who was probably in the same spot and he reacted the way most of us would like to, but never would. I have a theory, right or wrong, that we are going to see more of that kind of rudeness as the “me” generation matures. There are people out there who make careers out of service to others and every one of them are human. They make mistakes, sometimes beyond their control and sometimes not. As human beings and inhabitants of the same planet, I think we owe each other at least a little bit of common courtesy. If Madam X would have just said sorry, Steven Slater probably would have said “that’s okay” and gone about his job. But, the fact is, she didn’t. So, he grabbed a couple of beers, engaged the slide, gave her a good cussin’ (which she probably earned) and went tha’ the house. I think it ought to be a lesson to all of us that common courtesy is evermore important as our lives become faster and evermore hectic. It is quickly becoming a lost art, like opening a door for another or saying “yes ma’am” or anyone of dozens of examples of just plain being nice. I’m gonna tell ya, if there would have been an emergency chute out of the fourth floor of the State Capitol, I would have been tempted many times to pop that sucker and go tha’ house. I’ll promise ya in that toxic environment, there is no shortage of tension. There are a whole bunch of contentious issues and people fight for their deal, whatever it is. They don’t mind steppin’ on ya or whatever to get there. It would be real easy to do like many of us would love to do and “take this job and shove it” just like the ole’ Johnny Paycheck song.
It will be interesting to watch what happens with Steven Slaters saga. I am kinda thinking that if I am his airline, I would put my folk hero back to work and make it a big deal to be on the plane where he served. Kind of like a back door Sarah Palin. Poof..instant celebrity! Might sell a few airline tickets with that gig. I think the bottom line is that we need to be nice to each other. Common courtesy never goes out of style. Just plain politeness is a common ingredient to getting along with our neighbors. I had an old ag teaching colleague years ago who taught me a valuable lesson after I had problems with a kid in one of my classes. He said “Don, you don’t know what that young man has been through by the time he leaves your class on Wednesday and gets back on Thursday. So, don’t fly off the handle, just consider that he may have had a rough night”. If we all thought like that a little bit more, we would probably have less reason to pull the emergency lever and go tha’ house.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Jack Mitchell
I am writing this week’s column just a couple of hours after speaking at Jack’s funeral. Jack Mitchell may well be the toughest man I have ever known. He was a character and teacher in one of the most important chapters in my life. Jack taught me the most valuable lesson I have ever learned and that was the value of hard work. I spent at least three summers on Mitchell family hay wagons where many times we would put up well over 100,000 bales a summer. I have to laugh when I hear people talk about ‘haulin hay’ and they use numbers in the hundreds when we dealt in thousands. The Mitchell family has been in the hay business for many years and in the days before round bales, they provided a much needed service for many area farmers doing the kind of work that many were unable to do. On a good day, when everything was working and we didn’t have any breakdowns, it was not unusual to put three thousand square bales in the barn in a day’s time.
I was talking to my old friend Greg Tugman and his brother Mike, who spent as much time on their wagons as I did, and we all agreed “we would hate to have to do that today.” We were young and tough and conditioned to the heat and worked from 7:30 in the morning until sometimes after midnight, seven days a week. Looking back, Jack was probably in his mid-fifties then and he drove a truck during the day for Graves Freightline. We would start in the morning with his son Melvin who had worked for the City of Lawton until midnight the night before. It didn’t matter, we started at 7:30. Jack would get off about 4:00 and would come home and climb on the wagons about the time Melvin was going to work. Greg and I got to work both shifts. But, it was a valuable lesson and it serves me well even today because I learned how to work from people like the Mitchell family who knew the value and instilled that work ethic into a young, skinny kid, not knowing that it would be the most valuable lesson I would ever learn.
It was always a treat when we were hauling hay somewhere close to the Mitchell’s “home place” because Jack’s mother, Mary who we all called “Granny Mitchell”, would always cook a big spread. It was like a feast with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and who knows what else. That was rare but memorable because most days, it was “baloney” sandwiches and cold Dr. Pepper with mustard that was always kept in the glove box of the pickup. We would wear out a pair of gloves about every two days. When the blisters between your fingers got broken, you just moved the hay hooks in between another set of fingers and kept going. We also wore out a pair of leggins’ at least every year and treated wasp stings with Garrett Snuff. We prayed for rain on a daily basis, seldom if ever getting our prayers answered. We went about the business of putting up winter forage for cattle across Comanche County and points beyond.
There are enough hay haulin’stories to fill a book. I will never forget one summer when we hauled prairie hay at Ft. Sill for the “Hunt Club” where all the little fancy military girls kept their Hunter jumper horses. We pulled in on the East Range and saw 9,000 bales spread out across endless rows in that native grass pasture. It was the roughest haul that I remember and you could barely stay on the wagon because of the holes from years of artillery shells. I even remember one day on that particular hay field when I grabbed a bale of grass hay and flipped it over, only to find a rattlesnake sticking out. It didn’t take long to jump back and make sure it was dead. It was tough, brutal, hot work. I can only remember quitting because of excess heat two times during the time I worked for them. We didn’t need the weatherman on TV to tell us to drink plenty of water. We had no time for heat advisories. We had hay to get in and we got the job done. We made lots of money. Although it was not much per hour, we just worked lots of hours. I think over the years, I have given it all back to various chiropractors but we would never dare whine. There were only two periods in the summer that we could count on not working. One was the Fourth of July. Not the whole weekend, just the day. The other, was the Lawton Rangers Rodeo week. Make no mistake, we did not get the week off. We just got off early enough to go to the rodeo.
I doubt if Jack Mitchell really realized what he was doing for me. Many times I thought he was trying to kill me. But again, as I stated earlier, it was probably the most valuable lesson I ever learned. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jack and his family for making me who I am and instilling a “never say quit” work ethic into a skinny kid. I said at Jack’s funeral “if we could put Jack Mitchell in charge of this whole generation of young people today, this country would be way more productive, a lot less whiny and we would not need welfare”. I will never be as tough as Jack but I owe him. So, I just wanted to spend this week’s column saying “thank you Jack, and may you rest in peace.”
I was talking to my old friend Greg Tugman and his brother Mike, who spent as much time on their wagons as I did, and we all agreed “we would hate to have to do that today.” We were young and tough and conditioned to the heat and worked from 7:30 in the morning until sometimes after midnight, seven days a week. Looking back, Jack was probably in his mid-fifties then and he drove a truck during the day for Graves Freightline. We would start in the morning with his son Melvin who had worked for the City of Lawton until midnight the night before. It didn’t matter, we started at 7:30. Jack would get off about 4:00 and would come home and climb on the wagons about the time Melvin was going to work. Greg and I got to work both shifts. But, it was a valuable lesson and it serves me well even today because I learned how to work from people like the Mitchell family who knew the value and instilled that work ethic into a young, skinny kid, not knowing that it would be the most valuable lesson I would ever learn.
It was always a treat when we were hauling hay somewhere close to the Mitchell’s “home place” because Jack’s mother, Mary who we all called “Granny Mitchell”, would always cook a big spread. It was like a feast with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and who knows what else. That was rare but memorable because most days, it was “baloney” sandwiches and cold Dr. Pepper with mustard that was always kept in the glove box of the pickup. We would wear out a pair of gloves about every two days. When the blisters between your fingers got broken, you just moved the hay hooks in between another set of fingers and kept going. We also wore out a pair of leggins’ at least every year and treated wasp stings with Garrett Snuff. We prayed for rain on a daily basis, seldom if ever getting our prayers answered. We went about the business of putting up winter forage for cattle across Comanche County and points beyond.
There are enough hay haulin’stories to fill a book. I will never forget one summer when we hauled prairie hay at Ft. Sill for the “Hunt Club” where all the little fancy military girls kept their Hunter jumper horses. We pulled in on the East Range and saw 9,000 bales spread out across endless rows in that native grass pasture. It was the roughest haul that I remember and you could barely stay on the wagon because of the holes from years of artillery shells. I even remember one day on that particular hay field when I grabbed a bale of grass hay and flipped it over, only to find a rattlesnake sticking out. It didn’t take long to jump back and make sure it was dead. It was tough, brutal, hot work. I can only remember quitting because of excess heat two times during the time I worked for them. We didn’t need the weatherman on TV to tell us to drink plenty of water. We had no time for heat advisories. We had hay to get in and we got the job done. We made lots of money. Although it was not much per hour, we just worked lots of hours. I think over the years, I have given it all back to various chiropractors but we would never dare whine. There were only two periods in the summer that we could count on not working. One was the Fourth of July. Not the whole weekend, just the day. The other, was the Lawton Rangers Rodeo week. Make no mistake, we did not get the week off. We just got off early enough to go to the rodeo.
I doubt if Jack Mitchell really realized what he was doing for me. Many times I thought he was trying to kill me. But again, as I stated earlier, it was probably the most valuable lesson I ever learned. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Jack and his family for making me who I am and instilling a “never say quit” work ethic into a skinny kid. I said at Jack’s funeral “if we could put Jack Mitchell in charge of this whole generation of young people today, this country would be way more productive, a lot less whiny and we would not need welfare”. I will never be as tough as Jack but I owe him. So, I just wanted to spend this week’s column saying “thank you Jack, and may you rest in peace.”
Let's Rodeo!
About the time you read this, one of the greatest shows in Oklahoma will already be under way: The Lawton Rangers Rodeo. For 72 years a group of guys that call themselves the “Lawton Rangers” have been year after year putting together one of the big events for PRCA cowboys and cowgirls across the nation. For those of us who grew up here, it is a time honored tradition. It is not a matter of whether or not you are going to the rodeo. The question usually tossed about among Southwest Oklahomans is which night or nights. As a kid, I really looked forward to getting out of the hay field and going and saddling a horse to ride in the grand entry. It is always fun and a lot of times a rodeo in itself because a lot of those horses don’t get ridden until August. The grand entry is almost never without a blowout or a wreck.
One thing the Rangers have changed this year in their week long celebration is that they have discontinued the rodeo parade. I announced at their parade for many years and was always honored to help such a great group. But, I watched the numbers dwindle as the years went by. It seems a shame, but I think it is a reality in our modern society that people just don’t want to brave the heat. We have all become soft. As my friend Mike Fortney says “we all have air conditioner poisoning”. It is just harder to get people out in the heat to watch an afternoon parade. I am fully in support of the Rangers canceling that event. It is just kinda sad that they had to. I guess nothing is forever. In our fast-paced, air conditioned, internet society, it seems like people don’t have time anymore to cut a watermelon or watch a parade, or heaven forbid, wait for homemade ice cream from a hand-cranked freezer, which is probably another article in itself. Hand-cranked ice cream, which I am lucky enough to remember, tastes better than ice cream from those electric gadgets that make ice cream now. I’m not sure how to prove that but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of medical fact. Even with the canceling of the rodeo parade, it won’t dampen the excitement at the LO Ranch when Charlie Throckmorton flips the switch on that microphone and welcomes the crowd before a big night of professional rodeo. Usually, by that time of evening, it is not quite dark but at least the sun has started down and it is starting to get bearable outside and whether you are a seasoned rodeo fan or a newcomer to Southwest Oklahoma, you are in for a real treat as pro cowboys and cowgirls try to make a check.
This being an election year just adds to the color and the personality of this great sporting event. Most of the candidates for elected office, whether local, county or state, will be at the rodeo grounds passing out literature, shaking hands and kissing babies. Everyone knows that a very high percentage of Southwest Oklahomans will be there. It is a great time for you to meet your candidates if you don’t already know them and put a face with the names on those signs that you see all over the place.
Another great part of the Lawton Rangers Rodeo is the fact that the Rangers have historically done a great job of honoring our military in Southwest Oklahoma. A lot of young kids in the army come here from all over the world and, for many of them, this is the first rodeo they have ever been to. It is a great time for them to experience some western hospitality that the Rangers are so good at providing. As a community, we have not always been as good as we should at honoring our soldiers but the Rangers have always properly thanked them. In fact, they always have one night devoted to the soldiers where they have their own section. For many of those young people who are in basic training, it is their first night on the town in several weeks for a little much deserved R&R. It erks me occasionally to hear somebody complain about military night when the lines at the concession stand are long and the seating is tight. Those same kids are probably headed to Iraq or Afghanistan somewhere in the near future to make sure we have the freedom to go to a rodeo. So, be courteous and be sure to tell them thanks.
One thing the Rangers have changed this year in their week long celebration is that they have discontinued the rodeo parade. I announced at their parade for many years and was always honored to help such a great group. But, I watched the numbers dwindle as the years went by. It seems a shame, but I think it is a reality in our modern society that people just don’t want to brave the heat. We have all become soft. As my friend Mike Fortney says “we all have air conditioner poisoning”. It is just harder to get people out in the heat to watch an afternoon parade. I am fully in support of the Rangers canceling that event. It is just kinda sad that they had to. I guess nothing is forever. In our fast-paced, air conditioned, internet society, it seems like people don’t have time anymore to cut a watermelon or watch a parade, or heaven forbid, wait for homemade ice cream from a hand-cranked freezer, which is probably another article in itself. Hand-cranked ice cream, which I am lucky enough to remember, tastes better than ice cream from those electric gadgets that make ice cream now. I’m not sure how to prove that but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of medical fact. Even with the canceling of the rodeo parade, it won’t dampen the excitement at the LO Ranch when Charlie Throckmorton flips the switch on that microphone and welcomes the crowd before a big night of professional rodeo. Usually, by that time of evening, it is not quite dark but at least the sun has started down and it is starting to get bearable outside and whether you are a seasoned rodeo fan or a newcomer to Southwest Oklahoma, you are in for a real treat as pro cowboys and cowgirls try to make a check.
This being an election year just adds to the color and the personality of this great sporting event. Most of the candidates for elected office, whether local, county or state, will be at the rodeo grounds passing out literature, shaking hands and kissing babies. Everyone knows that a very high percentage of Southwest Oklahomans will be there. It is a great time for you to meet your candidates if you don’t already know them and put a face with the names on those signs that you see all over the place.
Another great part of the Lawton Rangers Rodeo is the fact that the Rangers have historically done a great job of honoring our military in Southwest Oklahoma. A lot of young kids in the army come here from all over the world and, for many of them, this is the first rodeo they have ever been to. It is a great time for them to experience some western hospitality that the Rangers are so good at providing. As a community, we have not always been as good as we should at honoring our soldiers but the Rangers have always properly thanked them. In fact, they always have one night devoted to the soldiers where they have their own section. For many of those young people who are in basic training, it is their first night on the town in several weeks for a little much deserved R&R. It erks me occasionally to hear somebody complain about military night when the lines at the concession stand are long and the seating is tight. Those same kids are probably headed to Iraq or Afghanistan somewhere in the near future to make sure we have the freedom to go to a rodeo. So, be courteous and be sure to tell them thanks.
State Question 744: A Major Wreck for Oklahoma.
I usually write these columns pretty carefully and try real hard not to blast through the door with guns blazing so as not to offend a reader. But, this one is gonna be different. As Marvin Crabtree used to say “take a deep seat and a long, distant look cowboy because this deal is for real”. State question 744 sounds real good if you say it real fast and it is going to be sold to you, the voter, as another one of those “for the kids” deals. And, who is not for the kids? We all are. If you are already bristled up, ready to jump on me, you better pack a lunch because I am telling you “SQ744 will lay waste to the Oklahoma budget”. Oh, it will put more money in education all right, but at the expense of what? That is the question. This year alone, if 744 would have been in place, it would have required us to put an additional $800 million into common education. Great for education, but where do you want to make the extra cuts? Senior nutrition, roads and bridges, healthcare? You pick a category. There would have been another $800 million taken away and forced to go into education. Again, I am going to reiterate that I am not against education. I spent 13 years as a high school teacher, I was educated in public school and my kids go to public school. I am absolutely for education. This state question, if it passes, will be extremely detrimental to everything else in the state budget. This year, education received the smallest cuts of any state agency. We try hard to take care of education. We want schools to be able to function and function well. But, we have a responsibility to spend your tax dollars responsibly.
I can already hear some of you saying that this is just a Republican rant. But, there have been many top Democrat state officials who have openly voiced there opposition to SQ744 as well. Lieutenant Governor, Jari Askins, called SQ744 “well-intentioned” but said that it would “hurt other areas of education such as early childhood and career tech”. “It would also erode dollars for higher education putting more pressure on students and tuition and fees would increase too”, Askins said (Tulsa World, 2010). State Attorney General, Drew Edmondson, opposes SQ744 and questions whether the measure would be enforceable. “Money to fund it would come from the budgets of other agencies” he said (Tulsa World, 2010). Even Governor Brad Henry weighed in when he told The Daily Oklahoman (2010) that he opposes SQ744. “I suspect right now that the initiative will not pass” Henry said. He goes on to say “if it looks like it has momentum and may pass, I may speak out more publicly than I already have”. Three of the highest ranking Democrats in our state very openly opposed. Here is what Senate Pro Tempore, Glenn Coffee, had to say. He called SQ744 “one of the most dangerous things ever to go on the Oklahoma ballet.” “It is going to force incredibly difficult decisions if it were to pass”. “It would force cuts in other parts of government with no easy ability to recover those revenues” he said. House Speaker, Chris Benge, also weighed in and said “it would be devastating to the state budget.” “$850 million is either going to be done by tax increases or cuts to areas like healthcare and it should be noted that just because you are against 744, it doesn’t mean that you are against education” he went on to say (Oklahoma City Friday, 2010).
Here are just a few highlights of what could happen under SQ744, should it pass. It could bring massive reductions in state funding for state officials at all levels, and would likely destroy rural fire departments and rural economic programs. If you think it is hard to keep REAP funded now, wait and see what happens if this measure passes. So, I am encouraging you to vote no on SQ744. I know that there are those of you who say that we do not adequately fund education. But, understand, the state budget is a much bigger picture than any one single agency. In good times, we try our best to make sure that education is adequately funded. In bad times, such as we have had this year, we try very hard to spare our educational system from cuts that are so deep that they cause detriment to the business of educating our kids. This year, many agencies were cut deep while education faired pretty well considering the situation.
I can already hear some of you saying that this is just a Republican rant. But, there have been many top Democrat state officials who have openly voiced there opposition to SQ744 as well. Lieutenant Governor, Jari Askins, called SQ744 “well-intentioned” but said that it would “hurt other areas of education such as early childhood and career tech”. “It would also erode dollars for higher education putting more pressure on students and tuition and fees would increase too”, Askins said (Tulsa World, 2010). State Attorney General, Drew Edmondson, opposes SQ744 and questions whether the measure would be enforceable. “Money to fund it would come from the budgets of other agencies” he said (Tulsa World, 2010). Even Governor Brad Henry weighed in when he told The Daily Oklahoman (2010) that he opposes SQ744. “I suspect right now that the initiative will not pass” Henry said. He goes on to say “if it looks like it has momentum and may pass, I may speak out more publicly than I already have”. Three of the highest ranking Democrats in our state very openly opposed. Here is what Senate Pro Tempore, Glenn Coffee, had to say. He called SQ744 “one of the most dangerous things ever to go on the Oklahoma ballet.” “It is going to force incredibly difficult decisions if it were to pass”. “It would force cuts in other parts of government with no easy ability to recover those revenues” he said. House Speaker, Chris Benge, also weighed in and said “it would be devastating to the state budget.” “$850 million is either going to be done by tax increases or cuts to areas like healthcare and it should be noted that just because you are against 744, it doesn’t mean that you are against education” he went on to say (Oklahoma City Friday, 2010).
Here are just a few highlights of what could happen under SQ744, should it pass. It could bring massive reductions in state funding for state officials at all levels, and would likely destroy rural fire departments and rural economic programs. If you think it is hard to keep REAP funded now, wait and see what happens if this measure passes. So, I am encouraging you to vote no on SQ744. I know that there are those of you who say that we do not adequately fund education. But, understand, the state budget is a much bigger picture than any one single agency. In good times, we try our best to make sure that education is adequately funded. In bad times, such as we have had this year, we try very hard to spare our educational system from cuts that are so deep that they cause detriment to the business of educating our kids. This year, many agencies were cut deep while education faired pretty well considering the situation.
The Year of the Wasp
I posted something on my Facebook page the other day and I said “I bet I have been through over 10 cans of that 20 foot wasp spray trying to kill nests of those pesky yellow jackets”. That was a week or so ago. Since then, I have probably been through another three cans. I had a neighbor come help me work some calves at my house the other day and we had to kill about three big nests before we could even sort cattle. We found one big nest on the head gate of the chute. I am glad we found that before we got the first calf in because that could have been a major wreck. We found a couple more under the barn by the gate where the cattle come in. I don’t know what is causing these little suckers to be so prolific, whether it is global warming or the oil spill in the Gulf or maybe even terrorists. I will tell you one sweet thing; those little dudes are everywhere.
Since my Facebook post a week or so ago, I went out after being gone for a week and was gonna kill a nest under an arbor that we have by our back porch and ended up getting stung. Not just stung in the arm or in the hand, but on the end of my nose. While I was shooting one nest there was another one about two feet away that I didn’t see. I was missing them, but they weren’t missing me. Other than the pain of the sting, I normally don’t have a lot of reaction to wasps or things like that. My wife, however, does have bad reactions when she gets stung and it’s never a good deal. Even a horse fly made her arm swell this summer to where we debated on going to the doctor. So after getting stung right on the end of my snoot, it’s not war anymore it’s “holy jihad”! Within a 100 yard radius of the Armes’ house, if it flies, it dies. I grew up here so I know the difference in most wasps. I don’t’ get too worked up over a dirt dauber because they are usually just busy working making mud nests everywhere. I don’t know that I have ever been stung by one. I’m sure they have the ability to sting but they normally don’t. They go about their business and you go about yours. But, I’m sorry; I officially now hate all wasps. I’m not sure what they volume discount would be on wasp spray but I have now become a wasp spray conessuier. I think I have used every brand out there this summer, from Lowes to Wal-Mart to the Co-op. I have killed wasps under trailer fenders, under the eve of the house, cattle chutes, even in trees. And, I’m just getting warmed up because those little yellow jackets are like little F-1 fighter jets and I think my next step may be a flame thrower. I know an old buddy, who I won’t name, who is really into Vietnam era weaponry and I’ll bet you a dollar bill that he would know where to get a flame thrower. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even ask him but I am tired of those little rascals buzzing around and causing trouble. So much for the theory of a good, cold winter reducing bugs. It may affect some of them, but I think it just gave the wasp population a steroid injection.
If you happen to drive by my place and see an old boy running with some kind of aerosol can in his hand, it’s probably me and I have probably just succeeded in making a new nest mad. I guess I should be glad that we have that stuff because I remember back in my old hay hauling days, all we had that would work quick was gasoline. You know the obvious drawbacks to that, but it would kill em’ grave yard dead. We had a lot more misses in those days. It was fun after my Facebook post the other day, some of the responses I got. A couple of my old cattle showing friends said the best wasp spray they had found was leg adhesive. That’s right, the same stuff we used to pull up the hair on a show calf’s leg. Leg adhesive was always the strongest and they said it would glue their wings down. One friend even said it was kinda nice to watch them suffer. After that sting on the nose, I might have to agree. So, if you go into your local hardware store and can’t find wasp spray, it’s probably me stocking up my underground bunker getting ready to wage war. I know the only real cure is winter time but because I just recently got powerfully close to 50, I hate to wish my life away and hurry the seasons along. In the meantime, I will be having a daily wasp killin’ at the Armes’ ranch.
If you would like to contact me while I am at the Capitol, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-522-8502 or send an e-mail to donarmes@okhouse.gov.
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
“When you are in politics, you are in a wasp’s nest with a short shirt tail.” –Mark Twain
Since my Facebook post a week or so ago, I went out after being gone for a week and was gonna kill a nest under an arbor that we have by our back porch and ended up getting stung. Not just stung in the arm or in the hand, but on the end of my nose. While I was shooting one nest there was another one about two feet away that I didn’t see. I was missing them, but they weren’t missing me. Other than the pain of the sting, I normally don’t have a lot of reaction to wasps or things like that. My wife, however, does have bad reactions when she gets stung and it’s never a good deal. Even a horse fly made her arm swell this summer to where we debated on going to the doctor. So after getting stung right on the end of my snoot, it’s not war anymore it’s “holy jihad”! Within a 100 yard radius of the Armes’ house, if it flies, it dies. I grew up here so I know the difference in most wasps. I don’t’ get too worked up over a dirt dauber because they are usually just busy working making mud nests everywhere. I don’t know that I have ever been stung by one. I’m sure they have the ability to sting but they normally don’t. They go about their business and you go about yours. But, I’m sorry; I officially now hate all wasps. I’m not sure what they volume discount would be on wasp spray but I have now become a wasp spray conessuier. I think I have used every brand out there this summer, from Lowes to Wal-Mart to the Co-op. I have killed wasps under trailer fenders, under the eve of the house, cattle chutes, even in trees. And, I’m just getting warmed up because those little yellow jackets are like little F-1 fighter jets and I think my next step may be a flame thrower. I know an old buddy, who I won’t name, who is really into Vietnam era weaponry and I’ll bet you a dollar bill that he would know where to get a flame thrower. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even ask him but I am tired of those little rascals buzzing around and causing trouble. So much for the theory of a good, cold winter reducing bugs. It may affect some of them, but I think it just gave the wasp population a steroid injection.
If you happen to drive by my place and see an old boy running with some kind of aerosol can in his hand, it’s probably me and I have probably just succeeded in making a new nest mad. I guess I should be glad that we have that stuff because I remember back in my old hay hauling days, all we had that would work quick was gasoline. You know the obvious drawbacks to that, but it would kill em’ grave yard dead. We had a lot more misses in those days. It was fun after my Facebook post the other day, some of the responses I got. A couple of my old cattle showing friends said the best wasp spray they had found was leg adhesive. That’s right, the same stuff we used to pull up the hair on a show calf’s leg. Leg adhesive was always the strongest and they said it would glue their wings down. One friend even said it was kinda nice to watch them suffer. After that sting on the nose, I might have to agree. So, if you go into your local hardware store and can’t find wasp spray, it’s probably me stocking up my underground bunker getting ready to wage war. I know the only real cure is winter time but because I just recently got powerfully close to 50, I hate to wish my life away and hurry the seasons along. In the meantime, I will be having a daily wasp killin’ at the Armes’ ranch.
If you would like to contact me while I am at the Capitol, please do not hesitate to call 1-800-522-8502 or send an e-mail to donarmes@okhouse.gov.
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
“When you are in politics, you are in a wasp’s nest with a short shirt tail.” –Mark Twain
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