O frabjous day! Calloo! Callay! Qdoba is coming to town!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jonesboro, AR | April 5, 2013 - Haag Brown Commercial has closed on a deal to bring Qdoba Mexican Grill  eatery and The Everyday Chef to Jonesboro. They will both be located at a new 8,100 SF building planned to be constructed on the Fairgrounds Re-Development. 

The Everyday Chef will offer kitchen and dining products for the bride-to-be as well as the seasoned chef. It is owned by Ms. Linda Wofford and will be located next door to Qdoba Mexican Grill, which offers a festive high-end fast food environment serving burritos, nachos and grilled quesadillas. Qdoba local owners and operators are Andy Patel, Junior Das and Rick Patel. 

Nix Construction has already started site work and completion is expected late summer. This three tenant brick and mortar building will be located on Parkwood Drive and will face Sissy's Log Cabin and Panera Bread. The development will have access to Stadium Boulevard, which has daily traffic counts of over 32,000 cars per day. Parkwood Center will also be located behind the new Starbucks and Men's Wearhouse center, which is nearing completion. 

Haag Brown Commercial represented the Craighead County Fair Association in the sale of 1.30 acres of land and is handling the leasing for Nix Development. The modern architecture was designed by Cahoon Steiling Architectural Studio. Qdoba Mexican Grill plans to lease 2,500 SF and The Everyday Chef plans to lease 2,700 SF. We will announce the third tenant in the coming weeks.

"Anything Mrs. Linda does is going to be an asset to our community and I love the food and environment of Qdoba! Both of these names are new, exciting, and fun, which fits in well with what we are trying to accomplish with the overall development of the former fairgrounds," said Haag Brown Commercial Co-Owner and Principal Joshua Brown. 

"The fact that this building was pre-leased prior to construction with three quality tenants shows the demand for nice retail space in our market, and particularly in the area of the fairgrounds re-development, " said Haag Brown Commercial Co-Owner and Principal Greg Haag. 

Qdoba Mexican Grill and The Everyday Chef will join recent Haag Brown projects on and around Stadium Boulevard such as Academy Sports, Kirkland's, Mattress Firm, Five Guys Burgers, Cheddar's, Panera Bread, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse, Sissy's Log Cabin and soon to come Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's, Starbucks and Men's Wearhouse. 

ABOUT QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL

Qdoba Mexican Grill is a Mexican kitchen where anyone can go to enjoy a fresh, handcrafted meal prepared right in front of them. Each Qdoba restaurant showcases food that celebrates Qdoba's passion for ingredients, a menu full of innovative flavors, handcrafted preparation and inviting service. Founded in Denver in 1995, Qdoba is among the nation's largest Mexican fast-casual chains with more than 600 restaurants in 42 states and the District of Columbia. Qdoba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box Inc. (NASDAQ: JACK) 

For more information about Qdoba Mexican Grill:

 www.qdoba.com

 www.facebook.com/QdobaofJonesboro

 www.twitter.com/QdobaMexGrill

At the doctor's office

Self-proclaimed idiot!

Jack snack

What happens when a bird gets trapped on the screened back porch after flying through the dog door.

In today’s mail

I snagged this Tepco Western Traveler divided dinner plate for an opening bid of $10.50 on Ebay, fully expecting someone to outbid me. Imagine my surprise when I won the auction.

Tepco was based in the San Francisco Bay area and made a variety of Western themed dinnerware and restaurantware. The Western Traveler pattern is characterized by the stagecoach and Pony Express rider parade around the rim. This piece shows one of 120 Pony Express riders charging off on a fresh horse at one of the 180 Pony Express stations established along the route from St. Joseph, Mo. to San Francisco.

Tepco also made an Early California series commemorating significant events in California history. I have an example of the supreme Early California piece – an oval platter depicting a wagon train of pioneers in mountainous terrain with inscription “Donner Party 1846.”

The Italian immigrant who owned Tepco apparently didn’t realize the Donner Party, stranded in snow at what is now the Donner Pass in the Sierras, descended into cannibalism when his art department offered the design as a joke.

In the mail today

This morning’s trip to the post office netted me an original 13” Wallace Westward Ho Boots & Saddle pattern serving bowl.

It was, of course, an Ebay purchase. I say it’s an original because (1) is has the Till Goodan signature at the back of the saddle and (2) it’s not a reproduction made by True West China, which has the license to make items from the now-defunct Wallace Westward Ho patterns.

I have a similar bowl in the Rodeo pattern made by True West that I picked up in a package deal for a bunch of True West stuff.

I’m still waiting for a 13” True West Rodeo platter that I sniped earlier this week for $39.99, compared with the True West catalogue price of $118. I ordinarily avoid buying True West stuff, but original Wallace Westward Ho platters fetch crazy high prices and don’t turn up on Ebay very often.

“The Devils Ride”–as real as professional wrestling

I find myself up late on Monday nights watching stupid stuff on TV. The Discovery Channel’s “The Devils Ride” is about the stupidest stuff out there.

I’ve watched several episodes of this show, which supposedly chronicles the to-ings and fro-ings of the Laffing (sic) Devils and the Sinister Mob Syndicate – two probably fictitious motorcycle clubs warring with each other in and around San Diego.

The casis belli is rather murky. As best as I can determine, a leader of the Laffing Devils (I can’t type that name without laffing), left or was expelled from the club and went off to form the oddly named Sinister Mob Syndicate, or Sin Mob for short. This was apparently an unpardonable affront to his former brothers and a reason for these guys who have more in common with each other than with anyone else in the world to hate each other.

Unlike “Sons of Anarchy,” TDR constantly hints at violence, but never delivers. The supposed blood feud never escalates beyond shoving matches between fat guys.

Monday night, we were expected to believe that some of the Sin Mob were using a mobile home somewhere out in the country to move big bundles of unspecified contraband which presumably generated lots of money for the club.

So when the Sin Mob “prez”  gave the Devils’ “prez” 24 hours for the Devils to surrender their “cuts” (leather vests with club insignia), a Devil who had joined the Sin Mob to spy on them, led the Devils to the mobile home which they torched, proclaiming they had put the Sin Mob out of business.

Huh? It’s never made clear how that is supposed to work, but then this show requires lots of suspension of disbelief.

Never mind that the camera crew has been following the spy back and forth for weeks, making it obvious to everyone (except the Sin Mob) what he was doing.

Considering that neither club seems able to field more than a dozen members at any one time, you would think there would be plenty of room in San Diego for them to coexist without ever running into each other.

And the insults, real and imagined, that fly back and forth call to mind a pack of bitchy seventh-grade girls.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out what there is about these clubs that makes these guys think they have something to fight over.

It’s as ludicrous as a rumble between chapters of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America and the Gold Wing Road Riders Association.

Mortal combat among fat old men is more likely to result in strokes and heart attacks than heroic victory.

To anyone who rides a motorcycle, “The Laffing Devils” is unintentionally hysterically funny.

Balloon flower & dog

The balloon man made them for Morgan.

Balloon art for Annette

A balloon guy entertains diners every Tuesday evening at a popular Jonesboro Mexican restaurant.
I noticed this tribute to Mouseketeer Annette Funicello near the cashier station tonight.

I emailed the photo to my friend Doreen Tracey, who was also one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers. Her response:

Life should be lived with laughter, joy, and good friends. Those balloons say it all! Life's a pair of ears.

Love yah doreen

Sonny Landreth is a National Treasure

These other guys are pretty good too.

Godspeed, Annette

Annette Funicello, one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers, died this morning of complications of multiple sclerosis. She was 70.

Here she is with fellow Mouseketeers Cheryl Holdridge (center) and Doreen Tracey. Cheryl died in January, 2009 but Doreen is healthy and happy and living in Simi Valley, Calif. with her son. Doreen will be 70 on Saturday.

Doreen tells me that the last several years of Annette’s life were miserable because of the ravages of M.S.

Multiple sclerosis is a horrible and cruel disease. It claimed my Aunt Ruth in November, 1967 after more than 20 years of suffering.

Guten Morgen

It's a pleasant 61 degrees on the back porch and a fine morning for coffee in the fresh air.
I bought the cup several years ago at a militaria show. It was made by a veteran of the U-505 submarine that was captured in WW II and is now on display at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago.

Attention: BMW MOA members

If you haven't already cast your ballot for the BMW MOA Board of Directors, and you don't know any of the candidates personally, please consider voting for my good friend Charlie (they misspelled it as Charley on the ballot) Parsons. His bio is in the current issue of the Owners News.

I'm voting for Charlie only, so as to maximize the effect of my ballot.

Charlie has been in charge of the coffee at every BMW MOA International Rally since Johnson City, Tenn. in 2009 and is getting ready to do it again at Salem, Ore. in July.

Thanks, in advance, for any votes you can throw his way. I promise he'll represent us well.

One less card in my wallet

As luck would have it, the day I mailed my $29 payment to the American Motorcyclist Association for my AMA Life Membership Plus, which includes road service, I got a letter from Signature’s Nationwide Auto Club telling me they plan to bill my VISA card for $99 on April 28 to renew my membership for another year.

I’ve been with Nationwide ever since I got a free introductory membership in its previous incarnation as BMW/Cross Country Motor Club with my ‘91 BMW K100RS in June, 1991. That’s 22 years ago.

In all that time, I’ve used their road service once – July 24, 2008, when I had a flat rear tire on my 2003 K1200GT just west of Kit Carson, Colo. They picked up the tab on a $404 recovery vehicle bill for hauling my bike 115 miles back to the BMW dealership in Colorado Springs. Considering that I’ve been paying for a membership all these years, they’re still ahead of the game with my account.

I discovered the AMA deal last year when I was up for Nationwide renewal, but I didn’t act quickly enough to avoid being charged for another year. So I rode last year with multiple road service plans.

I phoned Nationwide’s customer service number this afternoon and found myself talking with a black woman whose reading skills were sorely taxed as she worked her way through the script she was obliged to read to me to try to talk me into re-upping. I finally told her to stop reading to me because I was making an informed decision to not renew. Period.

So far as I can tell, these guys no longer have a relationship with BMW Motorrad, so there’s nothing special about their service as far as bike brands go.

And removing their card reduces the lump in my back pocket by about a millimeter.

Gone

After several months of Craigslist ads, we finally found a buyer for the 20 amp freezer that was just taking up garage space.
These guys picked it up a little before noon.

Pending

Commercial real estate? Us?

I can say no more.

This is why the Founders gave us the Second Amendment

From: "Don Hamrick" <ki5ss@yahoo.com>

THE BATTLE OF ATHENS, TENNESSEE — FROM MY OWN RESEARCH —

I have done my own research into the Battle of Athens, Tennessee, 1946, and even traveled to Athens, Tennessee, for that research. The following are the pristine examples of a fight for freedom that I uncovered from my research:

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SOURCE: The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, Tenn., August 7, 1946; pages 1, 6.

Mrs. Roosevelt Grasps Local Facts Better Than Most

Editor's Note — Our attention has been called to Mrs. Roosevelt's column upon McMinn. She seems to have grasped the facts and significance better than any other outside writer:

McMinn A Warning — By Eleanor Roosevelt

New York, Monday — After any war, the use of force throughout the world is almost taken for granted. Men involved in the war have been trained to use force, and they have discovered that, when you want something, you can take it. The return to peacetime methods governed by law and persuasion is usually difficult.

We in the U.S.A., who have long boasted that, in our political life, freedom in the use of the secret ballot made it possible for us to register the will of the people without the use of force, have had a rude awakening as we read of conditions in McMinn County, Tennessee, which brought about the use of force in the recent primary. If a political machine does not allow the people free expression, then freedom-loving people lose their faith in the machinery under which their government functions.

In this particular case, a group of young veterans organized to oust the local machine and elect their own slate in the primary. We may deplore the use of force but we must also recognize the lesson which this incident points for us all. When the majority of the people know what they want, they will obtain it.

Any local, state or national government, or any political machine, in order to live, must give the people assurance that they can express their will freely and that their votes will be counted. The most powerful machine cannot exist without the support of the people. Political bosses and political machinery can be good, but the minute they cease to express the will of the people, their days are numbered.

This is a lesson which wise political leaders learn young, and you can be pretty sure that, when a boss stays in power, he gives the majority of the people what they think they want. If he is bad and indulges in practices which are dishonest, or if he acts for his own interests alone, the people are unwilling to condone these practices.

When the people decide that conditions in their town, county, state or country must change, they will change them. If the leadership has been wise, they will be able to do it peacefully through a secret ballot which is honestly counted, but if the leader has become inflated and too sure of his own importance, he may bring about the kind of action which was taken in Tennessee.

If we want to continue to be a mature people who, at home and abroad, settle our difficulties peacefully and not through the use of force, then we will take to heart this lesson and we will jealously guard our rights. What goes on before an election, the threats or persuasion by political leaders, may be bad but it cannot prevent the people from really registering their will if they wish to.

The decisive action which has just occurred in our midst is a warning, and one which we cannot afford to overlook.

-----------------------------------------

SOURCE: The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, Tenn., August 21, 1946; Page 1,6.

Lincoln Said It And It Applies Now As Then

BY JOHN PECK

"The government, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." Abraham Lincoln

We have seen the latter part of the above quotation exercised here in McMinn County. We now have the opportunity to see the first part of it carried out.

What Lincoln meant was just this: The government of any group of people is in the hands of the people and they must carry on an active part in maintaining their government unless they want to abide by the rule of a few unscrupulous persons who find ways and means of getting the reins of power in governmental offices. If the people as a whole do not maintain a vigilant watch over matters of government a few people, grasping for power and domination find it easy to undermine all the principles of democracy.

It has been said that the situation now prevailing in McMinn County puts its citizens in the best position of any county in the state and possibly in the nation as to the control and manipulation of its government.

We are in just that position if the people as a whole will attend the county-wide mass meetings tomorrow night and participate in the election of the representatives of their respective communities who will serve on the Board of Directors of the Good government League of McMinn County.

The people who are elected must have the knowledge that they have the backing of all the people in their community when they go to the various meetings of the Board of Directors and vote on the matters of government that come before that body.

The choice is in your hands; 1. Take an active part in your government, as is your duty and privilege as a citizen, or 2. The next time you find that your government has fallen into the hands of unscrupulous politicians just say, "It's my own fault, I had a chance to do something about it but slept through it."

-------------------------------------------------------

SOURCE: The Knoxville Journal, August 10, 1946; Page 1, 2.

Arkansas GIs Threat New Riots

Say Athens, Tenn., Outbreak May Be Mild In Comparison

Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 9 (UP) — Determined veterans' opposition to entrenched local political machines flared heatedly in several Arkansas counties today, and one GI candidate said the Athens, Tenn., rioting would be "mild in comparison if there are any irregularities" at the polls.

At Malvern, William Weaver, veteran and candidate for sheriff in Hot Springs County, charged his opponent, Ed Deere, was "custodian" of the ballot boxes and warned that "what will happen here" would eclipse the Tennessee GI political revolt.

In Yell County, near the Oklahoma border, a crowd of 1500 veterans prepared for a mass meeting tonight to draft an independent ticket to oppose the machine slate of Chancellor John E. Chambers in general elections in the "free state of Yell."

In Hot Spring County, Weaver and Coyle Collie, veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, are trying to overthrow the long-entrenched machine of Sheriff Jack Knight.

GIs at Malvern planned a meeting tomorrow night. Weaver said "we just want to get a foot in the door of Knight's 'little Tammany' machine."

Meanwhile, a five-man committee of veterans found an 87-vote discrepancy in votes cast for county treasurer, thus placing Norman Gray, veterans' candidate, in a runoff with incumbent Treasurer Ernest Stroud. The first official count declared Stroud the winner with a majority, but disgruntled GI forces appointed the committee last night to examine the ballots.

In Ouachita a hot election loomed in which veterans are opposing veterans.

Despite a no-political clause in its constitution, the Arkansas Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars entered the picture with a statement by State Commander Bob Ed. Loftin, who charged politicians were trying to "use" the VFW vote to influence undecided voters.

In Hot Springs (Garland County), a final move to defeat the only successful GI candidate against Mayor Leo McLaughlin's potent local machine, failed today.

Prosecuting Atty. Curtis Ridgeway, defeated by ex-Marine Col. Signey McMath, demanded a recount, but the new totals changed only two votes.

McMath was the only veteran-supported candidate to win the recent primary.

----------------------------------

SOURCE: The Chattanooga Daily Times, Thursday, August 8, 1946

Repeat on Athens Narrowly Avoided

Crockett County Just Misses Election Day Violence

Alamo, Tenn., Aug 7 (AP) — a Crockett County political leader revealed today that violence similar to that which marked the Tennessee election at Athens last week was narrowly avoided here.

J. T. Green, post commander of the American Legion, disclosed that two mass meetings of veterans were held to dissipate tension among the supporters of an air force veteran, John Paul Butler, 26, who ran for state representative.

"Our boys were ready to go," said Green, "but we didn't want an Athens job here. We want to see what can be done legally in the matter."

Butler, whose campaign was managed by Green, was defeated by former State Sen. W. H. Stallings of near-by Friendship by 14 votes. Green said the result would be contested before the state primary board. "It would have been the same as Athens here," said Butler, "except that we quieted our boys down. We talked them out of using violence."

Butler said his opponent was supported by "a machine."

------------------------------------------------

The Chronology of The Battle of Athens

Election Day, August 1, 1946

9:00 am

Voting poles opened. Voter turn out was heavy.

The First Flare Up — Precinct 1 (Courthouse)

The Jailing of Walter Ellis

Shortly after 10:00 am

Conflicting reports as to when Walter Ellis, GI election judge was arrested, one account says 9:30, another says shortly after 10:00 am, but the overall details are consistent. Ellis was summarily arrested and hauled off to the county jail. He was replaced by Fred West. Dispute over who exactly Fred West was immediately erupted. The sheriff's office described West as another GI; Jim Buttram, the GI ticket manager described him as a deputy sheriff and local bartender.

Ellis was held incommunicado at the county jail, and Sheriff Mansfield's men flatly declined to permit either reporters or Buttram to see him. Magistrate Herman Moses, when asked what charges had been placed declared Ellis had "attempted to perpetrate a fraud" by marking ballots in Precinct 1, at the courthouse. Buttram admitted frankly he did not know what had happened in the voting precinct prior to Ellis' arrest but said Sheriff Mansfield's men refused to permit him to make bond for Ellis or to tell him what charges had been placed against the ex-GI.

The Courthouse (Precinct 1)

11:00 am-2:00 pm

The corridor of the courthouse was crowded with voters, both men and women. Ellis already had been removed, but evidently in fear of some disorder, about 20 deputies, hands on pistols, and blackjacks ready, pushed through the crowd to the voting precinct.

This overgrown combat squad was reinforced by several uniformed and armed city policemen and a state highway patrolman with his hand fingering a heavy revolver.

The deputies ranged themselves around the voting precinct and several, including one dressed like a character from a western movie, placed themselves on the steps where they could watch the entire corridor. Ex-servicemen regard the day's proceedings with varying attitudes but most of them displayed a bitterness seldom seen in the fighting lines. One ex-soldier watching the guarded vote counting before it was moved to the county jail said: "Over there we had something to fight back with." Another remarked, "We just aren't well enough organized and we haven't got guns. We haven't got a chance with this gestapo."

"This is causing a lot of bitterness, and a lot of it will come later today," a man remarked.

The Shooting of Tom Gillespie

Precinct 11, Athens Water Company Building

2:45 pm

Tom Gillespie, a [black] farmer came into the Athens Water Company building, which was serving as the 11th Precinct, to vote. It is not clear which of Cantrell's men positioned himself behind Gillespie to observe his vote but when he was observed to be preparing to vote "the wrong way" the Cantrell man told Gillespie, "You'll have to get out of here. You're voting in the wrong precinct."

3:00 pm

Gillespie protested to Deputy Windy Wise, "I've always voted here before."

For this monumental impertinence, Wise slugged Gillespie with brass knuckles and shot him with what was said to be a U.S. Army .45 as he stumbled out the door. Gillespie suffered a flesh wound in the small of the back and was taken off by deputy sheriffs for what they said would be treatment.

Just to show that the racial question didn't enter into this travesty-on-an-election, the gold starred deputies directed their attention to the GI election clerks and women who were witnessing the count.

Apparently, their presence was embarrassing to the professional election thieves. Election Judge (and deputy sheriff) Karl Neil, pistol on hip, ordered Mrs H. A. Vestal and five other women to leave the polls. "Get out!" said Neil.

The women stood their ground. "We have a right to watch you count the ballots," one said.

Go on, get out of here!" shouted Neil, and the women filed out, protesting.

This wasn't enough. Four GI's remained to keep the ballot thieves in line. They were James Edward Vestal (Mrs. Vestal's son), Charles Scott, Jr., Charley Hyde, and J. P. Cartwright.

The [Cantrell] machine had six of its bigger bicep boys there, three wearing sidearms. Deputy Neil then ordered Cartwright and Hyde to "go up in the front and sit down." They said they couldn't see the count from there. "Go on up front and sit down, you don't have to see us count 'em." snarled a muscular thug.

Cartwright said he wouldn't stay if he couldn't witness the count, so he and Hyde left. This left Vestal and Scott as the only GI watchers for Precinct 11.

When Cartwright and Hyde emerged, a roar of anger went up from the hundreds of citizens across the street. The eight or nine deputies in front of the waterworks office fingered their weapons. Charles Scott, Sr. sent word in to his son and Vestal to "come on out. We don't want you boys alone in there with those gangsters."

GI Judge Bob Hairrell Beaten 3:15 pm

Bob Hairrell, GI judge, beaten by Minis Wilburn, officer of the election, 12 precinct, North White Street, Athens.

The First Poll Closing (Illegally)

12th Precinct, Dixie Café

3:55 pm

The first closing come at the 12th Precinct, back of the Dixie Café and next to the county jail. The legal closing time was 4 pm. The door was locked and Sheriff Mansfield's men lifted an automobile to the sidewalk, placed it directly in front of the precinct door. Two other cars were placed across the narrow alley to block access to the area of the voting place, and sheriff's deputies, hands on their pistols, guard against entry into the area.

4:15 pm?

While GIs watched with a scowl Sheriff Mansfield and a dozen of his deputies piled into two cars and drove off to the 11th Precinct at the Water Commission office. There, deputies, with guns ready, kept all observers away from the sidewalk in front of the office, and a throng of several hundred watched silently from across the street.

Vote Counting

11th Precinct, Water Commission Office

4:20 pm?

Inside, according to stories the GIs told later, Charles Scott, Jr., and James Howard Vestal, watchers for the GI ticket, were ordered to take seats in front of the room, while the vote counting, by Cantrell men, went on at the rear. Vestal and Scott demanded that they either be permitted to see the ballots or be allowed to leave the area. The sheriff's men refused and ordered them to, "Sit down, you're staying right here." They sat down. A few minutes later, Scott told the machine politicians again that they were leaving. At this, the machine men barricaded the ex-GIs behind a counter and locked the door.

4:45 pm.

"We jumped on the counter, climbed over it and tried to get out. The door was locked," Vestal said "and Charlie hit it with his shoulder. They were right at us and trying to slug us with knuckles and their guns. He broke the glass and we stumbled through. Charlie was cut around the shoulders. I got cut a little too, and fell down coming through the door." The door was a plate glass set in a wood frame.

A Sickening Sight

Then over a thousand people witnessed a sickening sight. Vestal who was until January of this year a first lieutenant in the army engineers corps and twice wounded in the Pacific, scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from a gash in his left hand. Scott too, picked himself up. Through the broken glass, immediately on their heels squirmed Deputy Sheriff Wendy Wise, a shiny .38 revolver poked out in front of his nose. He shouted something which was lost in the moan which went through the crowd. Women screamed; one shouted, "Oh, god, here it comes." From a long line of ex-soldiers on the sidewalk across the street came gasp's, then cries "let's go get 'em!"; "No, we got no guns, stay away from them .45s." Vestal and Scott, whether heeding Wise's orders or through quick instinct, threw their hands high above their heads and walked slowly and alone across the empty street to the refuge of the crowd. Wise leveled his revolver at their backs, then whirled with the instinct of the gunman to one side and then the other to insure against a potshot at himself from the crowd — then aimed again at the backs of the veterans. George Spurling, another deputy, popped up at Wise's side and slowly brought his pistol down in the direction of the retreating boys, aiming either at them or some of the jeering GIs on the sidewalk to which they were going. He and Wise for a few seconds gave every appearance of being trigger happy. It seemed to us, standing just across the street, that Spurling was in the act of pressing his trigger when another deputy half grabbed his arm, gave him a half-dozen swift slaps in the ribs as a signal not to fire. As Vestal and Scott completed their long, measured march, their GI comrades, boiling mad by now, cried to Wise and other deputies, "Throw down your guns and come out in the street and we'll fight you man for man.

4:50 pm

Wise ducked back into the Water Commission Office.

4:55 pm

But further activity was forestalled when Chief Deputy Boe Dunn drove up in a blue sedan, with two ex-soldiers, Felix Harrod, election clerk, and Tom Dooley, election judge, for the all GI ticket were, being forcibly held and transported by Dunn's group, as six men piled out. The deputies formed a cordon from the precinct to the car and Dunn himself went in and stole the ballot box. At least 15 pistols were trained on the citizens of Athens as the deputies rolled away with the ballot box. They went straight to the county jail. Several citizens broke from the crowd, shouting, "Get your guns, boys, get your guns!"

Vestal and Scott Taken To The Hospital

Vestal's wounds were treated by Dr. C.O. Foree in the physician's clinic. Two stitches were required to close the slash on his ankle. He also suffered a cut hand. Vestal was a first lieutenant in the 3rd Combat Engineers, 24th Division. He was overseas 30 months, was hit by a Jap hand grenade once and wounded by artillery fire once. "How did today compare to fighting overseas?" he was asked. He was quiet for a moment. "Well, today it made you madder than it did over there. And it was closer range."

First Violent Incident in McMinn County

Kennedy's Essankay Tire Company

5:10 pm

W. O. Kennedy, Republican election commissioner and crowd of veterans walked to Kennedy's garage and tire shop near the center of town. Two deputies, with badges and sidearms walked toward the crowd. This was a mistake as this was most assuredly seen in the abstract a representation of a decade of tyranny and oppression of a despotic government, the Cantrell political machine. The crowd was quickly inflamed at the arrogance of the two deputies and suddenly there were yells of "Kill them, kill them" sounded in the streets. The deputies drew their guns and prepared to shoot down anyone who came near.

It is the trained and instinctive nature of veterans of war to react offensively at such an oppressive act committed by the deputies. Otto Kennedy and his civilian task force accepted the challenge. They rushed across the street and overwhelmed the two deputies before the pair could choose a target for their fire.

W. O. Kennedy, his two brothers and several other furious vets attacked the deputies with a proper assault and battery upon their faces and ripping their clothes.

The crowds packing the main square heard of an impending attack by the sheriff's force and rushed to the scene.

First False Alarm

Cries of "here they come" sent the onlookers scattering wildly for shelter but the garage garrison stood firm and waited for the assault. When no more gunmen appeared alter five minutes the crowd came out from the hedges, homes and parked cars.

By now there were literally thousands of people — mostly men — strung along a three-block area. They were frightened people, and people who were ashamed of their town's politics, but something in the attitude of these embattled veterans held them.

Second Alarm Netted Two More Deputies

The veterans waited. The mob huddled back against the store as soon as the shot came. Another thunderous warning, "Here they come," emptied the streets. It was an anti-climax. There were no onrush carloads of deputies. Only two deputies appeared.

They had guns of course. But the group at the garage had two guns now. Kennedy's rangers made short work of them as they had the first two. The second pair were marched into the garage to join the first pair. Chattanooga Times reporter Richard Rogers attempted to mingle among the crowd when he was spotted as an unrecognizable intruder by a veteran and that veteran challenged him for his business being there. The reporter identified himself and was promptly escorted into the garage were the captured deputies were. In any act of revolt there is the human nature to extract the same king of punishment upon the tyrannical proponents that they had inflicted upon the citizenry. The veteran guards over the four deputies, in using intimidation and humiliation tactics common in any war goaded any one or all the deputies to attempt anything to give justification in the veteran's desire to shoot them, saying "Go ahead, you sons of --------. I'd love to kill every --------- one of you. The reporter's escort pushed him closer to the deputies quite possibly to provide the reporter the opportunity to interview the prisoners, saying to the deputies, "Here's a reporter."

Third Alarm Nets Three More Deputies

This interview arrangement was interrupted with another alarm warning from outside. "Here they come!" The reporter's escort spun around, and ran outside again. One guard ran after him. This left the four deputies with one veteran guard and the reporter. The lone guard threatened the prisoners saying, "If those guys get in here and get me, I'll kill you first." Another yell bellowed from the street. A veteran stuck his head through the door and shouted "Watch out! They're going to rush us." The reporter ducked behind a stack of tires.

Just then there came the loudest most frightening, skin crawling roar of voices those people could emit. The reporter saw the lone guard waving one gun in his direction and upon seeing its muzzle, comparing it to the size of Chattanooga's Braided Tunnel, he jumped through the window which was behind him and the stack of tires.

Now out on the street the reporter had seen that the crowd had grown and saw one carrying a 12-gauge shotgun and another had a repeating rifle. Unexpectedly, three deputies appeared on the street. Two were overcome immediately. The third was overpowered by Otto Kennedy, throwing himself upon the larger man, shoved his own .45 against the fellow's face and the fight went out of the deputy. That was the last capture of the engagement.

Transport Seven Captured Deputies Out of Town

5:30 p.m.

The crowd remained in the streets. The veterans pleaded for volunteers to haul the deputies out of town, and one by one, citizens came forward with automobiles.

One of these was an aged gentleman who operates a hardware store near the Essankay garage. He introduced himself as Emmett Johnson. "Do you live in Athens, sir?"

"I do. And today I'm ashamed of my home. These gangsters have disgraced us. If the boys want my car they can have it. They can have anything. They should have started cleaning up on those crooks a long time ago." As the deputies lives were in grave danger they were put into cars and driven out of town. Then the crowd was told to scatter. The crowd reluctantly dispersed.

W. O. Kennedy Interviewed By Five Chattanooga Times Staff Reporters Kennedy agreed to an interview with the Chattanooga Times. Five of the Times staff drove a mile into the country to Kennedy's home. At the Kennedy home were Otto Kennedy introducing his brothers J.P. and C.O.; J.B. Adams, his son-in-law, and Frank McCracken.

Otto Kennedy revealed the deputies were out-of-towners. And one claimed he got arrested this morning on a traffic charge and instead of paying the fine they made him a deputy and gave him a gun.

Second Ballot Box Taken To Jail

6:35 pm

The sheriff's men, assisted by state highway patrolmen and city policemen removed the automobile from in front of Precinct 12 (Dixie Café) and carried the ballot box into the McMinn County bastille, where presumably, Ellis and several other GIs still were being held incommunicado. As the sheriff's men carried the box across the jailhouse lawn, they were preceded by two men armed with shotguns and followed by four more equipped with heavy-gauge shotguns and high-powered rifles. Apparently pistols, of which several hundred were on display, were not longer considered to handle the occasion.

GI's Gather At GI Headquarters

7:30 p.m.

GI's Converge On The Jail

8:45 p.m.

A crowd of about 500 armed with pistols and light rifles moved on the jail.

Battle Begins

9:00 pm

Ralph Duggan, a former Navy lieutenant commander and a leader of the ex-GI's said the crowd was "met by gun fire" and because they had "promised that the ballots would be counted as cast," they had "no choice but to meet fire with fire." Violence flared anew with GIs reported firing on the county jail. Shooting began around 9:00 pm for the first time. Sheriff Pat Mansfield Interviewed By Chattanooga Daily Times Via Telephone

10:00 pm

Sheriff Pat Mansfield breaks off telephone conversations to Chattanooga Daily Times, stating "I can't talk anymore — there's mob violence at the County Jail right now. Things are too hot here now. I haven't got time to talk to you — I'm standing in front of the door." he said hurriedly as he hung up the telephone.

Sheriff Pat Mansfield and Deputies Threaten Hostages

11:00 pm

Sheriff Pan Mansfield and deputies threatened to kill three GI hostages held within the jailhouse. The three GI hostages are Felix Harrod, Tom Dooley and Walter Ellis.

Thousands of Rounds Exchanged

11:35 pm-12:40 am

Thousands of rounds of shots were exchanged between ex-GIs and an estimated 75 deputies barricaded in the McMinn County jail. No state guardsman had arrived at 12:40. Former soldiers were pouring lead into every opening in the brick jail. The officers' returning fire was weakening. Some GIs were firing from ground level across White Street. Others were on roofs on the Power Company Building and other near-by structures.

Tennessee State Guard Mobilized?

12:00 am (midnight)

State Adj.-Gen. Hilton Butler announced that he was mobilizing the Sixth Regiment of the State Guard in connection with election violence in McMinn County. This report was later proven untrue.

GIs Cut Telephone Lines To The Jail

1:00 am

GIs cut telephone lines to the jail. The officers, inside the jail, were out of ammunition or running extremely low. Firing of the GIs included rapid bursts of 10 or more shots. Apparently they were using some automatic rifles.

Last Warning! Deputies Threaten Hostages' Lives

2:00 am

Deputies sent out last warning that they would kill three GI hostages within the jail immediately if the firing did not end.

GIs Replied With Ultimatum Of Their Own

2:20 am

GIs issued an ultimatum to the deputies to come out with hands upraised or the crowd would rush the jail.

GIs Escalate The Fight With Use of Dynamite

2:59 am

The ex-GIs went into action with demolition charges — home made, but effective. After a fourth blast had rocked the jail one of the deputies leaned from the building and shouted "Stop that blasting. We'll give up — we're dying in here. Firing continued a few moments then stopped.

The Deputies Surrendered

3:02-3:30 a.m.

The officers began filing out of the battered building. They were searched, and roughly, by the attackers and marched back into the building to be locked in cells under guard of the ex-GIs. When Wyse came out, several in the crowd surged forward and mauled him with fists and elbows before he could be returned to comparative safety of the bullet scarred jail.

Riots & Destruction Begin

3:45 a.m.

Automobiles belonging to deputy sheriffs overturned in streets, smashed and burned.

4:00 a.m. Sunrise.

Battle over. The veterans armed with rifles were patrolling the streets to maintain order by sunrise.

George Woods Concedes

5:00 a.m.

By telephone George Woods concedes GI victory.

Paul Cantrell Concedes Defeat

7:05 am

Frank Cantrell, Mayor of Etowah issued the following statement: "In behalf of my brother Paul Cantrell, I wish to concede the election to the G.I. candidates in order to prevent further shooting. (Signed) Frank Cantrell.

Deputies Released From Jail 9:00 a.m.

GIs Disperse 10:00 a.m.

Three-man Commission Elected

4:00 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 3

Three man commission chosen as governing body by mass meeting at Court House. Volunteers by hundreds offer assistance in setting up government framework.

Cleansing & Restoration

4:00 p.m. Friday to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3

Curious crowds mill streets as the new government cleans up "hot-spots." Beer sales banned. Town is orderly.

Rumored Biggs-Mansfield Invasion Sets GIs On Alert

9:00 p.m. Saturday

Rumor and newspaper story from Knoxville sets off high strung nerves with the report that Biggs and Mansfield will attempt to storm Athens.

1,500 Citizens Converge On Athens

9:00 pm

Fifteen hundred citizens pour into Athens with firearms to back the new government. Telephone calls from neighboring cities pledge aid if needed in defense of the town.

GIs on Patrol

7:00 p.m. Saturday Aug. 3 to Sunrise Sunday, Aug. 4

Athens is patrolled by GIs and citizens.

George Woods Returns to McMinn County Under GI Escort

4:00 p.m. Sunday, August 4

G-I CLAIM ELECTION TO OFFICE — ISSUE STATEMENT

This special announcement was hand to the Daily Post-Athenian and Radio Station WLAR at 3:02 A.M. by the Non-Partisan Candidates for immediate release shortly before the exodus of imprisoned officials in the county jail:

"The G-I election officials went to the polls unarmed to have a fair election, as Pat Mansfield promised. They were met with black-jacks and pistols.

"Several G-I officials were beaten and the ballot boxes were moved to the jail. The G-I supporters went to the jail to get these ballot boxes and were met by gunfire.

"The G-I candidates had promised that the votes would be counted as cast. They had no choice but to meet fire with fire.

"In the precincts where the G-I candidates were allowed watchers they led by three to one majorities.

"THE G-Is ARE ELECTED AND WILL SERVE AS YOUR COUNTY OFFICIALS BEGINNING SEPT. 1st, 1946."

The G-I Candidates, thus claiming election to officer are:
Knox Henry — Sheriff
Frank Carmichael — Trustee
Bill Hamby — Circuit Court Clerk
Charlie Pickle — Register of Deeds
Campaign Mgr for the G-Is was Jim Buttram.

George Woods returns to McMinn County under protection by the GI-Citizens Government.

Sheriff Mansfield Resigned

5:00 p.m. Sunday

Word is received from Nashville that Mansfield had resigned as sheriff.

George Woods Declares GI's Elected

10:00 a.m. Monday, August 5

George Woods signs election certificate declaring GIs officially McMinn County Officers.

Taxes done and filed

I started working on our income tax returns about three weeks ago, then got distracted by other stuff.

I finally came back to the project this evening and plowed through it using H&R Block tax software – the same company I’ve used for several years.

I just finished the federal and state returns and e-filed both, so I can now move on to other matters.

AP drops “illegal immigrant” from the stylebook – more evidence of a world gone mad

‘Illegal immigrant’ no more

Posted the AP Blog on 04/02/2013 by Paul Colford

The AP Stylebook today is making some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally.

Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explains the thinking behind the decision:

The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.

Why did we make the change?

The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as “undocumented,” despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)

Those discussions continued even after AP affirmed “illegal immigrant” as the best use, for two reasons.

A number of people felt that “illegal immigrant” was the best choice at the time. They also believed the always-evolving English language might soon yield a different choice and we should stay in the conversation.

Also, we had in other areas been ridding the Stylebook of labels. The new section on mental health issues argues for using credibly sourced diagnoses instead of labels. Saying someone was “diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of schizophrenic, for example.

And that discussion about labeling people, instead of behavior, led us back to “illegal immigrant” again.

We concluded that to be consistent, we needed to change our guidance.

So we have.

Is this the best way to describe someone in a country without permission? We believe that it is for now. We also believe more evolution is likely down the road.

Will the new guidance make it harder for writers? Perhaps just a bit at first. But while labels may be more facile, they are not accurate.

I suspect now we will hear from some language lovers who will find other labels in the AP Stylebook. We welcome that engagement. Get in touch at stylebook@ap.org  or, if you are an AP Stylebook Online subscriber, through the “Ask the Editor” page.

Change is a part of AP Style because the English language is constantly evolving, enriched by new words, phrases and uses. Our goal always is to use the most precise and accurate words so that the meaning is clear to any reader anywhere.

The updated entry is being added immediately to the AP Stylebook Online and Manual de Estilo Online de la AP, the new Spanish-language Stylebook. It also will appear in the new print edition and Stylebook Mobile, coming out later in the spring. It reads as follows:

illegal immigration Entering or residing in a country in violation of civil or criminal law. Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant. Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.

Except in direct quotations, do not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegalsor undocumented.

Do not describe people as violating immigration laws without attribution.

Specify wherever possible how someone entered the country illegally and from where. Crossed the border? Overstayed a visa? What nationality?

People who were brought into the country as children should not be described as having immigrated illegally. For people granted a temporary right to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, use temporary resident status, with details on the program lower in the story.

No Colorado- or New York-style anti-gun legislation here

I’m on the email list for the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) and this appeared in my in-box this week. Makes me proud to be an Arkansan.

 

Arkansas: Pro-Gun Action Dominates 2013 Legislative Action

Arkansas continues this year to make solid improvements to our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, as the 2013 Regular Session proves to be one of the most productive for pro-Second Amendment legislative reforms in recent memory. This week, Governor Mike Beebe (D) signed into law two more NRA-backed bills.
The first, House Bill 1503, the Firearm Retailer Protection Bill, was signed into law on March 26. This new law will protect lawful firearm retailers from illegal gun sting operations such as those orchestrated by billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Anti-gun extremist Bloomberg has sent hired agents into other states to attempt deceptive illegal firearm purchases in an effort to blame federally licensed firearm retailers for gun crimes in New York City and around the country.
Yesterday, Governor Beebe signed House Bill 1819 into law. This law is an important amendment to the Emergency Powers statute, and will prohibit any Arkansas Governor from imposing restrictions on the transfer or transportation of lawfully possessed firearms during a declared State of Emergency. We thank Governor Beebe for signing these important pro-gun reforms.
In addition to these new laws, several other pro-gun bills are awaiting action.
Senate Bill 858, which would establish that Arkansas recognize any valid Right-to-Carry permit issued by another state, passed in the state Senate by an overwhelming 34-1 vote on Tuesday. Introduced by state Senator Jason Rapert (R-35), this important reform would replace the current conditional reciprocity standard. SB 858 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and could be considered on Tuesday, April 2.
Senate Bill 896, introduced by state Senator Bryan King (R-5), has also been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and also could be heard on Tuesday. This legislation is a companion bill to Senate Bill 71, also sponsored by Senator King and signed into law by Governor Beebe in February. SB 71 removed the absolute prohibition on concealed handgun carry license (CHCL) holders from carrying a concealed firearm for personal protection into any church or other place of worship. Churches and other places of worship can now decide if CHCL holders will be allowed to carry concealed firearms on their property. SB 896 would address places of worship that also have a private school (grades K-12) on the same property. Because Arkansas law prohibits CHCL holders from carrying their personal protection firearms onto any school property, SB 896 is necessary to create an exemption for those properties that have the dual function of acting as both a house of worship as well as a private school.
Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to support SB 858 and SB 896.
Finally, we alerted you last week to House Bill 2162, introduced by state Representative Eddie Armstrong (D-37), which sought to allow the destruction of any firearms that have been seized by law enforcement in Arkansas. Current law stipulates that all unclaimed seized property, with only minor exceptions, be sold at public auction. HB 2162 would not only allow for seized firearms to be destroyed (currently not part of the exceptions), but would also allow only Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders or another law enforcement agency to acquire any firearms that are not destroyed but allowed to be sold. HB 2162 passed in the House Judiciary Committee and could have been considered on the House floor. Thanks to your calls, HB 2162 has been amended to make it slightly better by removing the destruction option, and it was then sent back to the House Judiciary Committee. Please contact members of that committee and urge them to work with the NRA to make additional necessary changes to this legislation. Contact information for members on the House Judiciary Committee is provided below:

Representative Marshall Wright
Representative John T. Vines
Representative Darrin Williams
Representative Jim Nickels
Representative Mary L. Slinkard
Representative Nate Steel
Representative Matthew J. Shepherd
Representative Jeremy Gillam
Representative John W. Walker
Representative Sue Scott
Representative Mark D. McElroy
Representative David Kizzia
Representative Stephen Magie
Representative Charlene Fite
Representative Bob Ballinger
Representative John Baine
Representative Wes Wagner
Representative Micah S. Neal
Representative Mary Broadaway
Representative Monte Hodges

Treat time

Sitting at attention for treats.

49 years a Tau

I got an alumni questionnaire in the email the other day from my fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega.

The deeper I got into the lengthy survey, the more acutely aware I became that I’ve been a pretty crappy alumnus.

I read the ATO stuff that comes my way, via email or snail mail, but I’ve only been back to Indiana State University a couple of times for ATO alumni events. And I’ve been very very stingy when it comes to giving money to the fraternity – mainly because I don’t have much to spare and because there are more than enough guys to carry the load.

I’m 400 miles from ISU, but there’s an ATO house on the Arkansas State University campus that I drive past frequently. I’ve thought of dropping in and introducing myself, but then I try to imagine how I would have reacted if some 67-year-old alumnus from another chapter dropped in to the ISU ATO house when I was an undergraduate. I’m sure I would be uncomfortably non-plussed. Better to just wish them well when I drive past and let it go at that.

And wear my ATO t-shirt now and then when I go into town for coffee and Wifi.

Company for dinner

Wallace cowboy china rides again!

In today’s mail

It looks like a Wallace Rodeo or Boots & Saddle dinner plate, except it’s about 2” wider, has no center artwork and was made by the Syracuse (I flinch at that name after Syracuse beat I.U. last night) China Co.

The sequence of the brands is the same as the Rodeo/B&S dinner plates.

The seller said it’s an example of the Syracuse “Buckaroo Pattern” but I can’t find any reference to such a pattern.

I got it for an opening bid of $15.

Corinne Joy Brown, the author of “Come and Get It!,” the definitive reference book on cowboy dinnerware, responded to my query thusly:

“Syracuse took over the production of Wallace China from about 1960 until it closed. (It's in the book under the Wallace history section I think.)
That would explain the border with no center design-- merely a cheaper add-on, or co-ordinate for all the patterns. I doubt if it had any such name. It may have been a restaurant special order.
It's a good collector's piece at a good price.”

New socks for Maria

Pretty festive, huh?

Pretty good showing when you’re up against the biggest newspapers in the state

Well worth your time

If you care about journalistic integrity, the First Amendment and the future of this country, you owe it to yourself to watch this video.

Pat Caddell is the most important voice for journalistic integrity in my lifetime and he raises all of the right questions.

Cranky

Since I have a sinus headache and am feeling cranky, this would be a good day to list some things I don’t give a shit about and don’t want to be bothered with:

• Ashley Judd’s non-candidacy
• Gay marriage
• Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy
• All of the teams in the NCAA Tournament that are not Indiana University
• Windows 8
• Anything Joe Biden thinks or says
• The HurryCane
• Zombies and vampires
• Video games
• Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, and all the other “talent” shows
• Mesothelioma lawsuits
• What the CEO of Starbucks thinks or says
• Sushi
• Games on Facebook

I could go on…

Trashmobile

Walking through the parking lot at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Saturday afternoon, we came across this amazing trash-filled car parked in a media spot.

Our friends figured out whose car it is, but I won’t share the name. The front seat was awash with newspapers and other paper to the point where some of it had avalanched onto the floor on the driver’s side and could conceivably interfere with the operation of the accelerator and brake pedal.

The back seat bore testimony to the owner’s fondness for Sonic cuisine. We noticed there is a Sonic drive-in across the street from Oaklawn.

If this car were a home, it would almost certainly be condemned. Safe to say the driver can’t offer anyone a ride.

Fifty years? Really?

Today’s mail included this postcard inviting me to return to Terre Haute next month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the chartering of the Zeta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.

Seeing this photo of the founding members on the steps of the former Tirey Memorial Union Building triggered a series of flashbacks to my years at Indiana State.

I was in the first ATO pledge class after the chartering, accepting my white and gold pledge pin the evening of Dec. 9, 1963. That means the guys in this photo were my mentors and tormentors during pledgeship.

I have particularly fond memories of Reed McCormick, the guy in the top right corner of the picture with his hand on the stone railing. Reed was from my hometown of Delphi, Ind. and we became close friends. Reed died a year ago this Thursday of a heart attack in Arizona.

I can still conjure up the names of many of the guys in this photo – Otto Berlin on the right of the charter, Chuck Cerny on the right end of the first row and Dan Fitzgerald over his left shoulder, Larry Thompson in front of Reed, Marty Aimone in front of him, Don Prior at the left end of the second row, and so on…

It’s astonishing to realize this was a half-century ago. It seems like only a few years. Now we’re all in our late 60s and early 70s – old men whose memories of fraternity life harken back to the Animal House days.

I don’t plan to return for the 50th anniversary celebration next month. I went back in the fall of 2005 for the dedication of the new ATO Fraternity house and felt oddly disconnected, probably because none of my pledge brothers showed up.

I can’t see driving 900 miles to experience that feeling again.

Monday, Monday

I realize my friends up in Indiana are up to their eyeballs in snow and it would be silly of me to complain about the weather, but I can’t help it.

I don’t think the temperature got higher than 45 degrees today and it was a chilly 37 degrees when I dragged the trash to the curb just now.

Maria determined that our cherry trees, lilac bushes and dogwood tree are primed to bloom any day now if and when the weather warms.

If the Weather Channel website is to be believed, we’ll break into the 50s on Wednesday and the 60s on Sunday with next week being a reasonable facsimile of Spring. It’s about time.

We’re in the midst of a complicated transaction which I may or may not be able to blog about later. Just wish us luck and let it go at that.

An afternoon at the races

Several of us adjourned to Oaklawn Park for an afternoon of horse race wagering after the APME awards luncheon yesterday.

I lost more than I won betting on horses in five races, but it was great fun hanging out with smart newsies.

That’s Barry Bedlan, assistant Associated Press bureau chief for Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas, seated to my left, and his compadre, Kelly Kissel over my right shoulder.

I decided to show Maria what the old downtown Hot Springs looks like, with the bathhouses and all before we left town this morning. We ended up having breakfast in a nifty 1940s style café called the Pancake Shop. I had a ham and cheese omelet and Maria had French toast. Maybe we’ll try the pancakes next time.

Here’s a 360° view of the place.

The fabulous red gavel

For Maria's service as president of the Arkansas AP Managing Editors Association.
I'm so proud of her

Checking in from behind an invisible firewall

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – I’m taking a break from APME morning seminars to hang out in our room here at the Clarion Resort on the Lake and blog.

This trip is also a field test of the Norton Hotspot Privacy software I’m reviewing for the Amazon Vine program. I’ve installed it on my netbook (which I’m using at the moment), Maria’s notebook and my iPhone.

Since I have no way to know if it really does make me invisible to hackers and identity thieves, I have to be content with at least the illusion of being protected. And the realization that LifeLock will kick in if someone does get past the Norton software.

Maria, being the Arkansas APME president, led a spirited and wide-ranging discussion on new media and other topics this morning. It was so spirited that it ran 25 minutes over the planned stopping point, but nobody seemed to mind and everyone in the room was fully engaged in the conversation. That’s the mark of a well-run discussion.

We have an awards luncheon at 11:30 a.m., after which some of us will adjourned to the horse racing track. It’s been decades since I’ve been to a horse track and I don’t think Maria has ever been to one, so it should be fun wagering a few bucks without a clue to what we’re doing.

The view from the seminar room

Probably beautiful on a sunny day...

On the road

We're in Hot Springs for the Associated Press Managing Editors convention.
The AP feted us last night at the Bleu Monkey and now we're starting a morning of seminars.

Frohe Geburtstag, BMW!

Another reason why ethanol is bad

Think Ethanol is Evironmentally Friendly? Think Again. by William F. Shughart

Driven in large part by government biofuel mandates on oil refineries, U.S. farmers converted more than 1.3 million acres of grassland into corn and soybean fields between 2006 and 2011, according to a newly published study by scientists at South Dakota State University. In corn-belt states like Iowa and South Dakota, about 5 percent of pastureland is being converted into cropland every year.

This pasture destruction not only will almost surely lead to higher beef and milk prices, but to serious environmental harm.

Caveat emptor!

I found this knife for sale on Ebay this morning, represented as a “Vintage German WW2 folding paratrooper knife waffen Eickhorn.”

Besides the fact that this was never used in World War II and is a post-war fantasy piece, made in England, there are lots of things that scream “fake!” about it.

Like for instance the fact that German paratroopers were members of the Luftwaffe, not the Waffen-SS. And the RZM mark was for National Socialist Party items only – not for the Luftwaffe or any other branch of the Wehrmacht.

And then there’s the issue of details – the SS eagle is sloppy and poorly executed. The Eickhorn company would never have let a piece of crap like this out of their factory.

At the moment, four hapless suckers have bid this item up to $104.95 with four days left in the auction. I sent a message to the seller, advising him that he is misrepresenting the item. We’ll see how he responds.

“Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich” by Lt.Col. Thomas M. Johnson, considered the definitive reference book on the subject, has a passage devoted to these fakes.

Johnson says they were made with an artificial patina to appear old. He also opines that they have no place in a collection of legitimate Third Reich edged weapons.

This is what a real WWII German paratrooper knife looks like. It’s a gravity knife with a wooden handle. I have one in my collection along with a present-day German paratrooper knife, which is unchanged in design except it has a metal handle.

To deploy the blade, you point it down, flip up the thumb lever and press it. The blade drops into position and locks there until you point it up and press the lever again.

The knife also has a fold-out marlin spike used for separating fouled parachute lines.

The paratrooper knife was intended for use as a tool – not as a fighting weapon – with which the paratrooper could free himself from his parachute upon landing.

Happy Birthday, Dad

My father was born 103 years ago today.

He died in 1997 at the age of 87 and I think of him and miss him every day.

I like to think my career in journalism made him proud. He was an independent insurance agent but confided that he really wanted to be a newspaperman.

Interestingly, I had dreams of being a musician, so my two sons made that their destiny.

This photo was taken in October, 1977, when Dad was the same age I am now. I like to think I look younger, but my perception is highly subjective. I can look at photos of my parents in their 20s and 30s and, because they were 30+ years older than I, see their photographic image as being older than I am.

Dad loved his family, dogs, the Chicago White Sox, and golf. He lived all of his life in Carroll County, Indiana, with the exception of a couple of winters in the 1980s when he and Mom tried being snowbirds in Leesburg, Fla. where his brother John had retired.

He quit smoking in his 60s after the removal of a cancerous node on one of his vocal cords reduced his voice to a whisper. He liked a beer now and then, but I never saw him drunk. And he swore sparingly. Never heard him say the “f” word.

He always rooted for the underdog. His father was a Democrat in the days of William Jennings Bryan and Dad saw the Democrats as champions of the poor. His favorite president was Harry S. Truman. He would not recognize his party today. Neither would Harry.

I never appreciated how luck I was to be able to pick up the phone and call him when he was still alive. I wish I had his number today.