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Volume 6 Issue 71
National News and Opinions mixed with Local Small Town History and Story Telling. Representing the small-town conservative viewpoint of what makes this country great!
~Mike Norris, Owner & Publisher
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
Monthly Issue
June & July , In This Issue:
On The Cover Growing Up Small Town Texas Conservative Michael Ramirez @The Ranger Library Time Well Spent Tumbleweed Smith Good Neighbors Treasure Hunters Love Lessons Huddle Up! Breckenridge Wall Distribution Map Word Search Cisco Loboes Territory Welcome to Rising Star This Week In Texas History B.C. The Wizard of ID In Sickness & In Health
COVER ART:
“The March to Valley Forge” (1883) William Brooke Thomas Trego (1858–1909) was an American painter best known for his historical military subjects, in particular scenes of the American Revolution and Civil War.
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All. B:510-152550100200
C:255075150300
2013
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vol.6 Issue 71
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On The Cover
Flags of the American Revolution “An Appeal To Heaven” The Tree Flag (or “Appeal to Heaven” Flag) was both a phrase popularized by Liberal philosopher John Locke, and one of the flags used during the American Revolution. The flag, featuring a pine tree with the motto “An Appeal to God,” or, more usually, “An Appeal to Heaven,” was used originally by a squadron of six cruisers commissioned under George Washington’s authority as commander in chief of the Continental Army in October 1775. It was also used by Massachusetts’ state navy vessels in addition to privateers sailing from Massachusetts during and after 1776. “Don’t Tread on Me, Jack!” The United States Navy originated as the Continental Navy, established early in the American Revolution by the Continental Congress by a resolution of October 13th, 1775. There is a widespread belief that ships of the Continental Navy flew a jack (a “jack” is a flag corresponding in appearance to the union or canton of the national ensign) consisting of alternating red and white stripes, having the image of a rattlesnake stretched out across it, with the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” It is well documented that the rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” were used together on several flags during the War for Independence. The rattlesnake emerged as a symbol of the English colonies of North America about the time of the Seven Years War, when it appeared in newspaper prints with the motto “Join or Die.” By the time of the War of Independence, the rattlesnake, frequently used in conjunction with the motto “Don’t Tread on Me,” was a common symbol for the United States, its independent spirit, and its resistance to tyranny. “The Grand Union” The Grand Union Flag (also the Continental Colors and the First Navy Ensign) is considered to be the first national flag of the United States. This flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the British Union Flag of the time in the canton. In the first year of the American War for Independence, the Continental Congress authorized the creation of a navy. A new flag was required representing the Congress and fledgling nation, and distinguished from the Red Ensign flying from British vessels. The Continental Colors were first hoisted on the USS Alfred, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 2, 1775, by Lieutenant John Paul Jones. The event had been documented in letters to Congress. The Continental Colors were used by the American Continental forces as both naval ensign and garrison flag through 1776 and early 1777. “Flag of New England” & “Bunker Hill Flag” The Flag of New England can be any number of banners used to represent Massachusetts or the New England colonies. There are some variations, but common designs include a plain colored field based on the red naval ensign or blue naval ensign of the Royal Navy, which featured the cross of St. George in the canton. A pine tree was added to some flags during the reign of King James II, possibly inspired by the pine-tree shilling which was minted in Massachusetts. In 1707, a proclamation was issued that all British merchant vessels fly the red ensign with the British Union Flag in the canton. The blue Bunker Hill Flag is based on an account from the daughter of a Bunker Hill veteran who told her that he hoisted a blue flag just prior to the battle. Regardless of the authenticity of the account, the blue variation of the New England flag has become a symbol of the Battle of Bunker Hill and was featured on a 1968 US Postage Stamp. “Old Glory” Our nation’s flag consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the “union”) bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The County Line
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We appreciate your support! Mike &rris Ruth No
Sources: Illustration from “History of the US” High School Textbook, 1885; www.wikipedia.org and www.history.navy.mil, “Two Treatises of Government” by John Locke, 1689
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
3Growing Up Small Town
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, Mike W. Norris
The Internal Revenue Service
Intimidation, Regulation and Subjugation by Mike W. Norris
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution empowered Congress with the authority to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the individual states or basing it on census population data -- as was originally required by Article I of the Constitution. This distinction, cleared the constitutional hurdle for a direct tax imposed by the federal government on individual United States citizens. The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution reads as follows: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.” The 16th Amendment was passed by Congress on July 2, 1909 and ratified February 3, 1913 -- a full 136 years and 7 months after the United States declared Independence from Great Britain. This makes me wonder two things: (1) How was the Federal government funded during those first 136 years before the “IRS” existed? ...and... (2) Who was behind the idea to give Congress the power to impose taxes directly on the people in the first place? After a little bit of cursory research on the Internet, I learned that the Federal government was originally funded through taxes levied upon the states based on their respective populations...which makes perfect sense to me because our Federal government was formed as an association of independent states -- ie: The United States of America not the United Citizens of America. The individual states then had the power to tax their citizens appropriately to meet the obligations of the Union. During the Civil War Congress passed the Revenue Act of 1861 which included a tax on personal incomes to help pay war expenses. The income tax provision was repealed by the Revenue Act of 1862 and replaced with a progressive tax -- a tax which had multiple rates of taxation based on an individual’s income. But the most important aspect of the Revenue Act of 1862 was that it had an expiration date -- it specified that it would end in 1866.
The Revenue Act of 1861 had 3 core tax provisions: Import Tariffs on the importation of goods into the country; a Property Tax on real estate that was levied in accordance with Article I of the US Constitution and was apportioned among the several states based on population; and the aforementioned Income Tax. The Act also laid out the groundwork for the structure of the Internal Revenue Service by establishing a system of tax districts, tax assessors and tax collectors. The office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue was enacted on July 1st, 1862. By the end of the Civil War, it is reported that 10% of Union households had paid some form of income tax amounting to 21% of the Union’s war time revenue. After the Civil War Reconstruction, the nation’s income tax structure evolved and mistakes were made. The Supreme Court of 1894 declared the Income Tax of 1894 to be unconstitutional which forced the
federal government to scramble to raise money. From 1887 until 1913, several political groups advocated for a national income tax, specifically a graduated or progressive tax based on income levels -- the more you make, the more you pay. The groups that campaigned hardest for a national income tax would hardly come as a surprise to us today, they were the Socialist Labor Party, the Populist Party and the Democratic Party. After the Supreme Court ruling striking down the 1894 income tax, the effort turned toward a Constitutional Amendment in order to circumvent the limitations imposed by the Founders’ original intent. This effort culminated in the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution removing the barriers against the Federal government being able to impose a direct tax on United States citizens. Since the ratification of the 16th Continued on page 11...
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4Texas Conservative
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, Chuck Norris - The Man
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In God We Trust United We Stand
By Chuck Norris
Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. Is Your Food Being “Poisoned”?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “poison” as “a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.” The legal definition of the term is “any product or substance that can harm someone if it is used in the wrong way, by the wrong person, or in the wrong amount.” The medical condition of poisoning is even broader: It can be caused by substances that are not even legally required to carry the label “poison.” Therefore, can food become poisonous? Of course it can if it is infected, tampered with or altered in any way that causes it to become detrimental to its consumer. In fact, that’s what we call “food poisoning.” But what about the genetic engineering, tampering or alteration of our food supply? If it causes bodily harm, even over the long haul, could that be considered poisoning? I call again to the stand Dr. George Wald, a Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and one of the first scientists to speak out about the dangers of genetically engineered foods. He explained: “Recombinant DNA technology (genetic engineering) faces our society with problems unprecedented, not only in the history of science, but of life on the Earth. ... Now whole new proteins will be transposed overnight into wholly new associations, with consequences no one can foretell, either for the host organism or their neighbors. ... For going ahead in this direction may not only be unwise but dangerous. Potentially, it could breed new animal and plant diseases, new sources of cancer, novel epidemics.” Last week, I discussed the dangers of genetic engineering to crop seeds and other foods. As a response, one of the readers of “C-Force,” my weekly health and fitness column, asked, “What do you think are the best ways to avoid GMOs when they aren’t even labeled on food ingredients?” Let me tell you how I responded. First, contact your governmental officials, and ask them to endorse or support legislation that requires food companies to start listing whether their products use GMOs. At least 14 states have introduced legislation on genetically modified ingredient labeling, but most face government gridlock. So
take action, and keep foods safe (non-genetically engineered) by contacting your state and federal representatives -- as well as the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- and tell them to legislate that genetically modified ingredients be labeled on every package.
items by frequenting websites such as the one for the Center for Food Safety, another great GMO watchdog organization (http:// www.centerforfoodsafety.org).
--Download the “ShopNoGMO” smartphone app at http:// NonGMOShoppingGuide.com or visit http://NonGMOproject. Ask your federal representatives org to help you locate and avoid to support the new federal labeling genetically engineered ingredients bill, the Genetically Engineered wherever you shop. Food Right-to-Know Act, which --Buy certified-organic and local would require the food industry foods. USDA organic and Nonto label all genetically engineered GMO Project Verified products foods and ingredients. In addition, cannot intentionally include GMO tell your representatives that corn ingredients. and cotton must not be deregulated, because without strict controls, The USDA explains: “The use of genetically engineered crops genetic or genetically will encroach on non-genetically modifiedengineering, organisms is engineered crops, contaminating prohibited in organic(GMOs), products. them and rendering the organic This means an organic farmer crops as nonorganic. can’t plant GMO seeds, an organic The biggest question is: How cow can’t eat GMO alfalfa or corn, can we best avoid genetically and an organic soup producer can’t modified ingredients in our food use any GMO ingredients. To meet the USDA organic regulations, and elsewhere? farmers and processors must show Here are the best ways that they aren’t using GMOs and that I’ve discovered from GMO and they are protecting their products nutrition specialists and resources: from contact with prohibited substances, such as GMOs, from --Educate yourself and your farm to table.” loved ones about GMOs from credible articles, books or videos, The “Non-GMO Project Verified” such as those mentioned on the label is the only third-party nonwebsites below or YouTube’s GMO verification program in “Genetically Modified Organism North America. Its website (http:// (GMO) -- Myths and Truths.” NonGMOproject.org) explains, “Since its incorporation in 2007, --Keep up-to-date about antiGMO trends, legislation and action Continued on page 11...
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5Michael Ramirez ■
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, Political Cartoonist
ADVERTISE NOW -- In Print & Online!!!
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7@The Ranger Library
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, Diana McCullough
By Diana McCullough
The winds of change are blowing, and lightning is putting on quite a show outside my window tonight--we’ll be lucky if it rains. Our weather forecast for precipitation is scanty, and the days ahead may get real hot. “Typical for Texas”—and you know what THAT means: Anything can happen. Today was a normal day at our library. Twenty-seven adults and ten children were counted. Thirty-four names were listed on our computer signin sheet, but only nine books were checked out. Yesterday our library was CLOSED. Yesterday I attended a “Small Library Management Advanced” class at the Abilene Public Library. I hurried into the Abilene Library’s 3rd floor auditorium right at 9 AM. Can you believe the presenters weren’t quite ready? It was a DELIGHT to visit with Irena Klaic, formerly from Croatia, and now from Austin, Texas. Dr. Julie Todaro was our primary presenter, and she led an outstanding program on “Building and Maintaining Partnerships”. Yesterday’s program influenced today’s thoughts. (And you know I laugh at myself!) One of my patrons told me this morning that her small family can’t eat a whole cake, so she cuts it in two and sends half to her neighbor. Then she smiled and said, “He does the same for us—he shares with us, too.” I was thinking about partnerships, but being a “Good Neighbor” might be just as nice as being a good partner. I sat very near the front in yesterday’s meeting, and I was nearly always called on first. I’m not good at a lot of things, but “spouting off” is one of my specialties. Julie is gifted at instigating classroom participation. “Well, Diana,” she asked, “Give me TWO words. What can YOU offer a partnership?” I didn’t hesitate, “ENTHUSIASM,” I answered, then added, “and publicity--I write for the newspaper every week.” Julie, the wise matriarch, corrected me. She said, “What YOU call ‘publicity’ is what I call ‘public relations,’” and I didn’t debate her. It was interesting to hear the answers of each of my classmates. Julie called my writing for the newspaper “cheap” and I was immediately defensive. I said, “Cheap?! It takes my TIME!” Julie laughed, and said, “Did you see her face?” Julie is an effective teacher. Julie asked for two impediments to partnerships in our communities and I answered, “Personalities, and TIME.” Another classmate said, “Local politics”—that sounds so LOW, but Ranger suffers from that impediment, too. When it comes to GETTING THINGS DONE in our communities, Julie asked, “Who will carry the water?” Brigetta from Colorado City said, “We have too many chiefs, and not enough Indians.” Julie encouraged partnerships. She made me think about “synergy”--we are stronger together than we are alone. Yesterday was a good day! Five of us ate lunch together at Bogey’s Hoagies in downtown Abilene, about three blocks from the main library. Afterwards, Comanche’s librarian, Margaret Waring, led us into the “Texas Star” owned by Glen Dromgoole whose work I’ve read again and again in the Abilene Reporter Newspaper. Like usual, I was drawn to the children’s books and now my soon-to-be three year old granddaughter, Landrie, owns an autographed edition of “Texas Cowgirl”. With 15 minutes to spare, three of us quickly journeyed on to “the Nickel”, spelled “NCCIL”--the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, conveniently located only one block away from the Abilene Public Library. The present exhibit consists of art work from the Abilene high schools—and we loved it! Partnerships. The Abilene High Schools joined the NCCIL, and created an
Ranger girls enjoy doughnuts on Friday morning, bought and delivered by Good Samaritan Mrs. Polly Alexander
outstanding exhibit. I also think of the Texas Midwest Community Network (TMCN), doing “what one town can’t do alone”, and I think of our 2013 Summer Reading Club—scheduled for June 10 – 14, and partnering with Cherie Beltran from our Ranger College Library, accomplishing more than just one small entity alone. Who can YOU partner with? What
can WE do to make our community a better place to live, work, and play? In closing, words from Winston Churchill: “If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.” Please take care, and as always… ENJOY READING! www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
8Time Well Spent ■
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, by Kathy Spencer
Lady of Character
The Old Indian Woman By Kathy Spencer MyCounty-Line.com Staff Writer
On the third day of her life, Emalyn made her first trip on horseback to see her Aunt May for the very first time. Wrapped in a blanket and held in the arms of her Uncle John, they made the trip due to her Aunt May’s failing health and the possibility that her aunt would never get to see her newborn niece. This is Albany, Texas. Circa 1928. Even if you talk about Emalyn to someone in her hometown they may not recognize the name but when you mention the Old Indian Woman in the Fandangle, they know exactly who you are talking about. This Lady is an unforgettable character whether in buckskins and braids or everyday attire. She is a fourth generation Texan/Albany. A true daughter of Texas pioneers with the spirit to match. At five years of age, Emalyn Dyemartin, later to be nicknamed (Sam), began driving a tractor. At age seven she received a 4-10 shotgun. At the general store her uncle, Sam Newcomb, owned, she also had the where with all to turn down Clyde Barrow’s (yes, the Clyde of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Fame) offer of five dollars for the puppy she had just gotten to replace her recently deceased family dog. Shunning Clyde’s power of persuasion, he gave up, went inside the store and came back to the front porch of the store to offer her a piece candy. She told him she knew what he was up to and would not get her puppy. He then gave her the whole bag of candy and left with his female companion to visit some people on a ranch south of Albany. Bonnie Parker had accompanied Clyde to the general store there and emerged from the Classy Big Car with riding jodhpurs and Wellington boots. Emalyn was thereafter passionate about having a pair of Wellington boots of her own. She received them later that year. She remembers Clyde having on a white shirt, a really snappy hat and shoes. But the Wellingtons were the big eye-catcher for her. At nine years of age she helped drive cattle to the Lambs Head Ranch located northwest of Fort Griffin. For years to come, that was the life she led, working from the back of a horse. Her Granddad, Art Newcomb, wintered his cows down around the Bosque River and they would drive them back up to Shackelford County. She told me that there were some days arriving back home from work for supper, she would barely get her boots off and stretch out on the porch, only to fall asleep. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that the cowboy has got it made. Ranching is work and she loved it. Her Dad, Frank Dyemartin and her Granddad, Art Newcomb, were instrumental in teaching her about the working ranch ethic and the building of her character. Her Great-Granddad, John Newcomb, drove a leg of the Butterfield Trail Stage Line in this region from 1859 to 1860. As a youngster she remembers sitting under the quilting frame and putting a stitch or two in the quilts her Grandmother, Susan Newcomb, was making. Her grandmother told her when she was tall enough to reach over the side of the frame she could sew on the top face of the quilt. So began her love of quilting. After graduating from Albany High School she attended McMurry College (also, my alma mater. Go Indians!) Then came marriage and babies and all of the living in between. During this time she played various positions on the Snyder, Texas Texettes women’s softball team. She also later became a CNA when she was in Jacksonville, Florida, and a certified security guard in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was in Vegas where she had to throw down, (pull her weapon) on thieves at a construction site trying to make off with a front Continued on page 12...
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10Tumbleweed Smith ■
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, Bob Lewis
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By Bob Lewis Roy’s Adventures on the Midway
Roy Hobbs grew up at Murchison, a small community just outside Athens. He had four brothers, two younger and two older. “I wore hand me downs or hand me ups, so all my clothes were either two big or too small.” Roy didn’t participate in sports while he was in school. “I wasn’t good at sports or anything else for that matter,” he says. “I was excellent at playing hooky, though. I could do that just as good as anybody.” His daddy made syrup. “It was the best syrup you ever tasted in your life. We’d get twenty-five cents a gallon for it.” Murchison is about eight miles from Athens and Roy and his buddies would sometimes hitchhike to or from town. Once, one of Roy’s friends got a ride back to Murchison with a most conservative driver. He told his passenger, “Now I’m gonna slow down and you jump out when I tell you to. I don’t want to wear my brakes out.” One day Roy put a nickel in a marble machine. “I hit the jackpot for forty-five cents. That’s nine nickels. I had friends, you wouldn’t believe how many. I spent all of it but one nickel. I went back to that same machine and hit the jackpot again for nine more nickels. I bought lots of soda pop and candy.” Every fall, a carnival came to town and Roy and a friend ended up in the boxing ring. “We didn’t have any money, but we’d go for the entertainment and try to get in something free. They had these boxers and wrestlers out on this stage and they were trying to draw a crowd by putting kids up there and getting them to holler real loud. They picked me and Davy Jones because we were hollering louder than the rest of them. They invited us to box and we did. We put the gloves on and got after it. He caught me on the chin in the first round and the next thing I knew I heard the referee say ‘three.’ I didn’t hear one or two. I gave him a pretty good fight for the rest of the time and the crowd threw in nickels and pennies and dimes. We gathered it up and I headed for the hot dog stand and bought one for a nickel. It was in a napkin and when I pulled the napkin back to get me a bite, I couldn’t open my mouth. I was injured a lot worse than I thought I was from that lick on
the chin. Anyway, I had to give that hot dog away and that was a low period in my lifetime.” Once Roy hopped on a freight train to take him to a tomato harvest in Arkansas. “We woke up the next morning in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. We finally got to where we wanted to go and found out there had been a drought and there was no crop. If we had been able to pick tomatoes, we would have made fifteen cents an hour.” Roy lives in Big Spring now and keeps his 91-year old body in shape by working out in a gym three mornings a week. After his workout, he sits down with some of his friends and tells them about things. He has made and given away about 300 fancy birdhouses that resemble houses from fairy tales. He also makes walking sticks with saw handles. His faithful dog Hagar is his constant companion. The Chicken Farm Art Center
The place gets jumping the first Saturday of every month. “We have vendors come in and set up. It’s like a mini-fair. We have a great picking circle of musicians who come and play blues, country and just good music, most of it original.” He likes San Angelo. “We travel around a lot and tell people it’s the largest city in America not on an Interstate. Our population is approaching a hundred thousand. We get visitors from all over, including some foreign countries, yet we have people up the street who have no idea what we do. But our name is out there. I’m proud of the art center. I get a lot of calls from consultants in New York and other places wanting to know how to create the atmosphere we have here. I tell them number one, work your tail off for thirty-seven years; number two, invite a bunch of good friends over and sit back and watch them have fun. That doesn’t seem to satisfy some of those folks who call. They want the six-month formula. I don’t know the six-month formula. I encourage artists to follow their bliss, live their dreams. I’ve done that and am very happy. If I had stuck with electrical engineering maybe I’d be retired from Dell now with a big bank account, but I’m not taking anything with me but memories of good friends and what I’ve done. I’m not taking any money with me.” A lot of people drive by the place and are not sure what it is. “But I guarantee you if you just stop in, you’ll meet some of the finest and friendliest and most talented people you’ll ever meet.” The address is 2505 Martin Luther King in San Angelo. Call 325-653-4936. The website is chickenfarmartcenter.com. Roger calls his pottery shop Starkeeper Gallery. He has created a series of dinner plates that reflect a strong appreciation of Southwest Indian and Shaman culture. He has composed a story about Starkeepers that begin with these words: “Hiding the stars among the rocks and cactus at dawn then hanging them back in the sky at dusk..that’s the Starkeeper’s job.”
“I bought an old, dilapidated chicken farm on the wrong side of town and everybody thought I was crazy. Forty years later I figured out they were right.” Roger Allen has been a potter since becoming fascinated with clay in high school. “I just loved it,” says Roger. “I went to Texas Tech, thinking I was going to be an electrical engineer, but after taking some drawing and architecture classes I found myself in art education. I came to San Angelo in 1967 to teach art in school.” Roger didn’t teach very long. He became an art entrepreneur. He bought three acres of land and established the Chicken Farm Art Center in 1971. It’s a place for artists to live and work and has become a destination for art lovers. The facility is quite a complex now. “We have a bed and breakfast, gourmet restaurant, sixteen artist studios and my pottery shop that started the whole thing. It’s all about art, which means total enrichment of your life. Think what it would be without color and design. Everything man-made starts Tumbleweed lives in Big Spring and produces with a design. Look at the hubcaps THE SOUND OF TEXAS syndicated radio on your car or the dashboard knobs. series. His website is tumbleweedsmith.com Among other things, art makes you think.” www.MyCounty-Line.com
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11Growing Up Small Town
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■ Texas
, Continued...
Amendment during Woodrow Wilson’s tenure as president, our nation’s tax code has become increasingly burdensome and is a tool used by politicians to play favorites and manipulate this country’s free market system to their own political advantage. The federal income tax code and the IRS have been corrupted beyond their original purpose which was simply to be a means of the federal government to collect revenue from its citizens. It has been influenced and utilized over the years by whatever powersthat-be in Congress to enable the federal government to fund its own expansion exceedingly far beyond the original scope of the Founders’ and the United States Constitution. As such, the tax code itself and the IRS agency as a whole, has become an entity that is completely at odds with our God-given rights of Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. Case in point; during the most recent days we have seen how an ambitious Executive Branch of our government is able to wrongly and unconstitutionally influence the political will of the People of this country through the force and threat of the Internal Revenue Service. Now this goes without saying, even if the President of the United States is completely innocent of directing the actions of the Internal Revenue Service in the current
scandal, the mere fact that the IRS may be acting of its own selfdirection with a total disregard for the Constitution or without the authority of Congress or the Executive, such a blatant violation of the Rights of the People should infuriate the entire country and should demand our immediate and full attention! The Internal Revenue Service and the entire US tax code in general, should receive the immediate and unwavering scrutiny of every American and We the People should be demanding that our elected officials zero in on this agency with every intention of dismantling it from the its very foundations. Our Founding Fathers would not tolerate a scandal on the order of magnitude which has become the current Internal Revenue Service. They would utterly and completely legislate it from existence and gladly lay claim to having helped slay that dragon. Our Founding Fathers would preach from the highest hilltops that a People who had once thrown down the chains of tyranny from a far off king should never cower in the face one created in their own name. In fact, I imagine they might expect such a People to be quicker to action so as to avoid the lessons of their time and be more protective of the Liberties they fought and died for. ~mwn www.MyCounty-Line.com
Conservative, Continued...
the Project has grown into a collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, processors, distributors, farmers, seed companies and consumers.”
and sweet corn may be GM. The only commercialized GM fruit is papaya from Hawaii -- about half of Hawaii’s papayas are GM. Even if the fruit or vegetable is non-GMO, if it is packaged, frozen or canned, --Avoid at-risk ingredients that are there may be GM additives.” now largely (roughly 90 percent) produced using GMOs, including --Buy only dairy products labeled soybeans, canola, cottonseed, corn “certified organic,” “No rBGH and sugar from sugar beets. Unless or rBST” or “artificial hormonesugar is labeled as organic or pure free,” because some source cows cane, it likely contains sugar from are fed genetically modified feed or genetically modified sugar beets. injected with genetically modified bovine growth hormone. The Chicago Tribune reported, “These crops (mentioned above) --Support and patronize grocers often are added to processed (and commend their management) foods as oils, sweeteners and soy that offer lines of organic products proteins but also can be part of and eliminate GMO ingredients amino acids, aspartame, ascorbic from their product shelves. For acid, sodium ascorbate, vitamin example, Target, H-E-B, Giant C, citric acid, sodium citrate, Eagle and Meijer recently joined ethanol, flavorings (natural and more than 55 other food retailers artificial), hydrolyzed vegetable -- including Trader Joe’s, Whole protein, lactic acid, maltodextrins, Foods, Aldi, Marsh and Hy-Vee -microbial growth media, molasses, in agreeing not to sell genetically monosodium glutamate, sucrose, engineered fish in their stores. textured vegetable protein, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s xantham gum, vitamins and yeast claim that all their store-brand products, according to the Non- items originate from non-GMO GMO Project.” ingredients. Regarding most fruits and vegetables, the Non-GMO Shopping Guide further explains: “Very few fresh fruits and vegetables for sale in the U.S. are genetically modified. Novel products such as seedless watermelons are NOT genetically modified. Small amounts of zucchini, yellow crookneck squash
Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @ chucknorris and Facebook’s “Official Chuck Norris Page.” He blogs at http:// chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators. com. www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
12Time Well Spent ■
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, Continued...
end loader. Chief Master Sgt. James Gillispie (the true love of her life) and Sam were married and set off later to discover America. James had retired from the Air Force and wanted to see the U.S.A. from the ground instead of from airspace. For 12 years they pulled their 35 foot gooseneck RV and lived and worked and stayed in numerous locations, Yuma, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada being two of those cities. Being the avid artifact hunter of women’s tools, it was the perfect locale. After raising children and all of the adventures they had, James passed on in 1990. In another era of her life, back again in her hometown of Albany, Sam became attendant and companion to Mr. Watt Matthews, local resident and area rancher. She accompanied him on trips and was one of his caregivers. During her time here she met a lot of interesting people. She had her picture made with the arm
of Prince Albert of Monaco around her. Her observations about others that she met were, “Robert Duvall was kinda standoffish, but nice and polite. Tommy Lee Jones was a lot of fun. Wilford Brimley was really a nice guy. Oh, and so was Red Steagall.” She has a lot of fond memories and those do include her time with the Matthews. She was there to say goodbye to Watt when he took his last breath and left this world behind. Involvement with the Texas Styled Theatre, “Albany Fandangle” -now entering its 75th year, began in 1988 when a local three year old boy wanted to play the part of an Indian boy. When she took him to the auditions, she was immediately cast as “The Old Indian Woman.” Now, 25 years have passed and Sam will take her last curtain call this year as the twilight descends upon the prairie stage of Fort Griffin. After 25 years, she regrets having to
■ Good
miss three performances because of a bad knee injury one year. Her personal character, which has been stitched from pieces like the quilts of past pioneers to create a thing of beauty, is revealed within her performance of the character, “The Old Indian Woman.” When asked about overcoming life’s adversities and heartaches, I saw this woman’s tanned and character lined face become even stronger as she smiled and said of her life, “You just have to take whatever God gives you and go with it.” That has certainly been the case with Emalyn (Sam) Gillispie. Author’s note* I want to Thank You most whole-heartedly, Sam, for allowing me to try and chronicle your story. I should say stories. You are a living history of the ranching heritage of Albany. Also, I must give a word of gratitude to the People of Albany, Texas for their most gracious hospitality and congratulations on 75 years of Fandangle success.
www.MyCounty-Line.com
Neighbors, Clint Coffee CLU ChFC State Farm Insurance® Agent
Mobile Health Monitoring for Seniors
Americans as a whole are getting older and living longer. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 40 million people over the age of 65 account for 13% of the total U.S. population. By 2030, the NIH predicts that number will nearly double to 72 million seniors. And according to the Administration of Aging, people reaching the age of 65 now have an increased life expectancy of 18.8 additional years. With that increased longevity comes many new health challenges, including hypertension, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes. Telemedicine Advances for Seniors
Hospital readmissions currently cost the U.S. healthcare system $25 billion annually. In an attempt to reduce those costs, Medicare penalizes hospitals if a senior is readmitted within 30 days of being discharged. Mobile health monitoring devices can help improve patient care and lower hospital readmissions. In 2012, the American Telemedicine Association estimated that more than 10 million Americans directly benefited from telemedicine services – more than twice the number of patients from three years prior.
Indianapolis-based St. Vincent Health conducted a pilot program in 2012 that used remote video conferencing to connect nurses with discharged patients who suffered from heart failure and COPD. During the two-year study, the program reduced readmissions for participants by 75%. A 2007 study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs found that its telehealth initiatives resulted in a 25% reduction in the number of days of bed care and a 19% reduction in hospital admissions. The Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) national home telehealth program, Care Coordination/Home Telehealth (CCHT), uses mobile messaging devices to send text-based questions from VHA staff to home patients to assess their health status and self-management capabilities. Recently, the Mayo Clinic began implementing a new remote monitoring system that can help doctors review data from heart patients more efficiently. Miniature sensors are attached directly to the skin to monitor the patient’s heart and respiratory rate, ECG, and activity level, then the sensors send the data directly to the physician’s mobile phone for further analysis and follow-up. www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
13Treasure Hunters ■
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, Jerry Eckhart
By Jerry Eckhart To see more of Jerry’s treasure finds, search Facebook for “Jerry Eckhart” For the Love of History
Last month Mike put a little blurb ahead of my column, so I thought I would bring everyone up to date on all the mess that has taken place. First, I had my right knee replaced on March 18, and was doing quite well until, while at the doctor’s office on April 1, I suffered a blood clot which lodged in my right lung. That resulted in another two week stay in the hospital. As a result, I was set back a bunch. I am still recovering and can only do a little each day and have to be careful. It set me at least a month behind in my recovery. When a fellow is sidelined, especially one of my age, he has a lot of time to think. Being interested in history, my thoughts naturally turned to the history I had seen. From a kid in the 1940’s to an old man in the 2000’s, a lot of history has taken place and my life has been a part of it all. I won’t go into all the historic events that have taken place in the last 70 years, but any one of you near that age will know what I mean. I often think of what my dad used to tell me when I was around ten years old. He often said, “Son, you will see man walk on the moon. I won’t see it, but you will.” He was wrong. He did live to see it and was amazed by the event. And then, there was my grandmother, who left Texas in a covered wagon and traveled to the new state of Oklahoma to build a life. When she died in 1990, she has seen the turning of a century, the advent of auto travel and of space flight. Everyone who takes a breath on this planet is a part of history and is living it. That is one of the reasons I developed a love of metal detecting. You see, we are not just a product of our personal history, but of our forefather’s as well. Each swing of the metal detector draws us closer to the past. Each time our metal detector gives off a signal, it is a chance to uncover a part of the past. The artifacts, and yes, even the trash, tell stories of how people lived in earlier days. As we unearth those old relics, the past comes alive. When we dig up horseshoes of different sizes, we reminded of how important horsepower was in the past. We even use that term, ‘horsepower” today to measure the power of our modern engines. Many folks have an idea that everyone who metal detects is only interested in lost; money or lost treasure. Yes, we do find coins and enjoy the finding of them, but some of the best treasures we find are not of a material makeup, but of the friendships we make along the way. Those treasures lie in the kind words someone says to us at just the time when we needed them. It lies in the visits and phone calls we receive when
BOOMFEST FIREWORKS &
Music at The Rocks July 3, 2013 -- 6pm to 10:30pm Location: The North Park Where CR 277 & CR 278 intersect Just north of Hubbard Creek Dam Breckenridge, Texas $10 Admission per car 1/2 Proceeds to benefit Breckenridge VFD For Info, Contact: Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce 254-559-2301
we are laid up. There are also the quiet talks and sharing of thoughts between friends that have little to do with changing the world, but simply communication. Friendships are truly treasures, and perhaps we who use metal detectors appreciate that in greater detail. Perhaps it comes from being out in the midst of God’s world, enjoying
the blessings of nature with a close friend, the sharing of thoughts about what we find and the gladness we experience when our friend makes an interesting find. Those are only a few of the true treasures we find when we head out on the treasure trail. www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
14Love Lessons Learned So Far
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, Vicki Stiefer
By Vicki Stiefer Are Women Crazy?
Are women crazy? Wait, first of all, I need all of the men in the gallery to stop raising their eyebrows and keep their mouths closed. Too harsh? Almost every single man I talk to these days say they are simply picking the least offensive in a mate. Has it really come to that? You mean to tell me there is not a single woman on earth cut from the appropriate cloth who has brains and beauty and can manage your household without requiring a restraining order? When I ask this question to the married guys they just knowingly shake their heads at the conversation and give one another the look of support. I’ve even seen a fist bump here and there. As if to say, “I feel your pain brother.” Most guys plead the 5th because a girl is asking, are women crazy? Yes! All women are a BIG Cup O’ Crazy but newsflash you knuckle dragging, selective hearing mouth breathers, crazy is normal. I know the kind of normal men want. The alarm goes off at the same time every day. Breakfast is the same, lunch is the same, job the same, dinner is meat and potatoes and there is some kind of sporting event on the tube. Normal means routine. Normal means “I know how to handle the situation”. Normal is ridiculous! That’s right, ridiculous! If you want normal, go home to your Mommie where you can have 3 hots and a cot every day the same way. I guess you could go to jail to get that too, but I digress. I have secret information about your Mommie. She’s a woman too and women are crazy! She hid the crazy from you. You think she’s sweet and kind and always knows how to fix your owiee, but you never realized she was also calling your Daddy “Daddy” and swinging her underpants from the ceiling fan! I need for a married man to look at his devoted, loving, evergreen wife and say these words, “Honey, your fried chicken tastes a lot better than the top ramen I would be eating if I didn’t have you.” Go on caveman, use your words. Too harsh? I think so but it’s fun to bait a man every now and then. Where I’m really wrong is if the man reading this does all the cooking. Take Chef’s like Emeril, Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay for example. I remember when Justin Wilson was the only male TV Chef, “I guaruan-teee”.
Now, I draw the line with all the fist bumping and eyebrow raising when the crazy used to describe ALL women is psycho. Not all women are psycho. Only a small population of the female sex is psycho. Only 10% I’d say jump on your car to keep you from leaving. Only 10% call your Mom and tell her what nasty things you did to her the night before. Only about 10% bruise themselves and tell everyone else your abusing them. Only 10%, so to say all women are psycho is a mistake, and if you keep running across these women you should take a step back and realize what you are attracted to. Maybe it’s time you turn in your man badge and learn how to knit at the knitters circle down at the community center. This is what is so incredibly great about the differences between men and women! How many times have you heard a man say, “Aw man, she’s great. She’s got me trying things I never wanted to before.” Yes, here is your head slap like the V-8 Commercials. Spicing things up is what a woman is supposed to do. You cannot eat meat and potatoes every single night! Trust me! You’re gut will love me for laying this knowledge on you! Now I just have one follow-up question, how crazy is too crazy?
ADVERTISE HERE!!!
Pearl Power Academy Attention all girls ages 12-18 The week-long event will be hosted at the lovely Myrtle Wilks Community Center in Cisco, Texas. Free of charge, thanks to the generosity of Open Door Ministries, this year’s sponsor. Spaces are limited to twenty participants. Bring a Mother, Grandmother or adult friend to the classes. Moms can attend on a come-and-go basis as needed. We will be discussing topics like manners, choosing a career, how to recognize a ‘Prince,’ designing a wardrobe, nail care, hair care, makeup and much, much more. Exciting guests will make an appearance, including a possible visit from the newly-crowned Miss Teen Texas! We have a blast and give away lots of prizes, as well as make lasting friendships. The final evening is a graduation ceremony when we invite families to see the young ladies receive their tiaras. The dates are July 22-26th, from 6-9pm. For more information or to reserve your spot, please call:
(254) 442-3000
www.MyCounty-Line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
15Huddle Up! ■
www.MyCounty-Line.com ~ June & July 2013 v6.71 ~ www.Facebook.com/mycountyline , Matt Swinney
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By Matt Swinney
After two months of Major League Baseball action, I thought I would recap the season thus far. The Rangers, under head coach Ron Washington, are currently second in the American League West with a record of 36 and 24. They are only one half a game behind the league leading Oakland Athletics. The Rangers are lead on offense by third baseman Adrian Beltre, who is hitting .311 with 13 home runs and 37 RBIs. Outfielder Nelson Cruz leads the team in home runs with 14 and RBIs with 40. Shortstop Elvis Andrus is the head Ranger on the base paths with 14 stolen bases. On the Rangers pitching staff, Yu Darvish has a 7 and 2 record with a 2.77 ERA, while closer Joe Nathan has converted 18 of 19 saves. Pitchers Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando have compiled records of 5 and 2 and 4 and 2 respectively. Expect the Rangers to battle until the last game for the American League West Division crown. Now, a team that’s on the opposite end of the spectrum is the Houston Astros. The Astros, under first year head coach Bo Porter, is last in the American League West with a record of 22 and 39. The Astros are led on offense by second baseman Jose Altuve, who is hitting .297 with 3 home runs and 22 RBIs. Altuve also has 9 stolen bases. First baseman/Outfielder Chris Carter leads the team with 12 home runs and Carter is tied with third baseman Matt Dominguez with 32 RBIs. On the Astros pitching staff, Bud Norris has a 5 and 5 record with a 3.43 ERA. Also, Lucas Harrell is 4 and 7 and Jordan Lyles is 3 and 1. Closer Jose Veras has converted 11 of 14 saves. As I said in my last article, the Astros will continue to play their heart out, but, due to youth and inexperience, they will fall short. But, I don’t think they lose 100 plus games for a third straight year. I think the Astros will win 70 to 75 games this year. The future is for Bo Porter and the young Houston Astros. The future is now for the latest crop of high school and college baseball as the 2013 MLB First-Year player draft. The Astros, who had the first pick in the draft, selected pitcher Mark Appel from Stanford. Appel was 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA, a .203 batting average against, 130 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 106
1/3 innings this year for the Stanford Cardinal. The Rangers, with their first pick, selected pitcher Alex Gonzalez from Oral Roberts University. Gonzalez is listed at 6’3”, 200 lbs. He’s a righty who throws in the lower 90s with natural cutting action, a good slider, and a changeup that is a work in progress. Gonzalez is not thought of as a high ceiling pitcher, but is someone who profiles as a relatively quick mover with mid-rotation potential. We’ll see if Appel and Gonzalez can advance quickly through the minor leagues to make it to the Big Show. That’s how I see it. Take Care and Happy Reading!!!!
www.MyCounty-Line.com
No matter which team you’re rooting for, you can create your own custom team sports apparel and accessories! No Minimum Orders! Quantity Discounts! Shipped Straight to Your Door!
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
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If you do business in Breckenridge, contact The County Line to advertise here for an unbeatable low, monthly cost!
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
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2013 EASTLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL VOLUNTEER BENEFIT TOURNAMENT
The Eastland Memorial Hospital Volunteers would like to thank the following Sponsors for their continued Support. Without you, this tournament would not be possible!
GIFT OF HEALTH SPONSORS $1500 or MORE: Vicki Bradley; Stanley Ford INTEGRITY SPONSOR $1000 or More: Kennedy Financial
AccessCare; Bird Electric; Billye Bradley; Jeff &
Basic Energy Services; Eastland Co Newspapers;
MIRACLE SPONSORS $500 or More: Crowder Construction; EBAA Iron; Financial Corp; First Financial Bank; Frac Tech Services; Insurance Partners; Jim & Leslie Keffer; KASS Land Services; Kelly & Glen Swift; Ken & Sammie Blades; McAnear Machinery, LP; Mike Batteas Pump Service; Production Meter Testing; W H Hoffmann, Jr. RECOVERY SPONSORS $300 or MORE: AG Texas; B&W Clinic; Bent & Bermuda Grass Of Texas; Bill & Helen Meyer; Earl & Mary Ragland ; Edward Jones; Girling Home Health; Jim Farrar; Larry & Vicki Armstrong; Larry & Cathy Vernon; Lyn Smith; Martha Pigeon; Michael Norris (County Line); Moylan Construction (MOTEC); Robert Deluca, DO; Tommy & Mary Warford; Watson Electric (Ben Bundick); W.B. Byrd & Associates WELLNESS SPONSORS $200 or MORE: Aaron Insurance Co.; Bryan’s Signs; Dirk & Vicki Zollinger; Eastland Drug; Ernie’s Spanish Kitchen; J & W Services; John Liddell; KATX 97.7 Radio; KRP Insurance; Sandy Hazelip; Texas Hospital Insurance Exchange; White’s Ace Hardware HOLE SPONSORS $100 or MORE: Arther Business Products; Blake Fulenwider Dodge; Brandon’s Dozer Service; Buck Wheat Resources; Cafe Rico; Cindy Carlton; Delta Flex Travelers, LLC; Diagnostic Management Group; Donnie Cate CPA; E & E Kustom; Eastland County Tire; Eastland Count Vet Clinic; Edwards Funeral Home; Elite Plumbing; Emmett & Kay Lasater; First United Methodist Church; Fullen Motor Co.; Germania Insurance; Guardian Title; Hanlon Gas; Hayden Photography; I-20 Bail Bonds; J & J Air Conditioning; Joel’s Paint and Body; Ken’s Motorcycle Shop; Kimberly Fullen-State Farm; Lazy 3 Animal Clinic; Marci & Lee Roy Pearson; Microplex News; Pam Thomas; Pat & Donna Hogan; Raymond James & Assoc.; Russell’s Auto; Security Title; Solid Rock Sports Camp; Sonic Drive-In (Cisco); Sonic Drive-in (Eastland); Stephenson Oil & Gas Inc.; Sterling Monument; Town & Country Real Estate; Tucker Farm; Williamson Surveying EAGLE SPONSORS $75.00: Briley Well Service; Clint Coffee State Farm; Everisto’s Tire; Greer’s Western Store; Joey Carlin Insurance AUCTION DONORS: Classic Creations Jewelry; Colleen & Al Heyser; EMH Sunshine Shoppe; Gold Lantern; Higginbotham Brothers; Janice Winge/Telitha Bush; Ken & Sammie Blades; LaQuinta Eastland RAFFLE DONORS: Bealls Department Store; C & H Monograms; Coats Furniture; Cookie Petree; Eastland Drug; EMH Sunshine Shoppe; Lighthouse Hospice; Lynda Walls, LMT; Meghann’s Market; Natures Massage (Krystal Duncan); Sammie Blades; The Cliffs Resort; Trish Garrett; Vanessa Wilson, LMT; Vicki Armstrong DOOR PRIZE DONORS AND OTHER SPONSORS: Andrea Bacon; Ben E. Keith; Bombshell Beauty Parlor; Clint Coffee State Farm; Comet Cleaners; Commerce Street Floral; Eastland Dry Cleaning; EMH Sunshine Shoppe; First Financial Bank; Flying Scissors Salon; Francies Deli; Golden Touch Tanning; Great Times Furniture; Hardin’s Bar-B-Que; Heaven Sent Floral; ICON Investments; Janie’s Salon; Jay Way; Kokomo Construction; Louise’s Cafe; Main Street Oil & Lube; Mane Street Salon; Marcia’s Creations; Maverick Barber Shop; Natures Salon; Pizza Heaven Express; Pizza Pro; Pulido’s Mexican Restaurant; Redstone Barber Shop; Sammie Blades; Security Title Company; The Dog HouseBreckenridge; The Station; Vicki Armstrong; West Texas Golf
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Independent Reps Do you enjoy speaking to people face to face, getting to know them, learning what goes on behind the scenes in their small businesses and helping people who spend every day trying to make their living while helping support their community, friends and families?
There are thousands of small businesses in our area that would benefit from getting to know The County Line. And we’re looking for people like you to help spread the word and introduce The County Line to them and their customers! The County Line doesn’t look for “onetime” ad sales...we want to partner with businesses who are going to make it through hard work and sweat, crazy hours and stubborn determination to succeed. The last thing they need is more hassles and the last thing they can afford is advertising that never gets seen or heard from! They need advertising professionals who listen, who have the talent and skills to bring their ideas to life, and a devoted readership that is eager to get its hands on every issue -- all at a price that is affordable and reasonable.
We Believe in Small Business because we ARE a small business! If you’re interrested in being part of something that will truly value your efforts and reward you accordingly, then what are you waiting for? Contact us on:
www.Facebook.com/mycountyline -orVisit our website at: www.MyCounty-Line.com
HOLE-IN-ONE-SPONSOR: Dr. Simpson & Family Special Thanks to our Volunteer Auctioneer: Earl Ragland Extra Special Thanks to LAKESIDE GOLF COURSE and their wonderful Staff, and to the Lakeside Ladies Golf Association for their assistance with our tournament! Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
18The County Line
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■ , Mike W. Norris The County Line Distribution Area
■ The
County Line Word Search
Published by Michael W. Norris d.b.a. Wolverine Design P.O. Box 1156 Eastland, Texas 76448 http://www.MyCounty-Line.com info@mycounty-line.com
Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
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Visit www.MyCounty-Line.com Published by Mike W. Norris dba Wolverine Design ● PO Box 1156 ● Eastland, Texas 76448 ● http://www.mycounty-line.com
20This Week In Texas History
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, by Bartee Haile
By Bartee Haile Army Officer Helps Himself to Priceless Art Treasures
From Germany on Jun. 19, 1945, Lt. Joe Tom Meador wrote the folks back in Whitewright, Texas to ask “if my packages are getting home.” Two months earlier almost to the day, the 87th Armored Field Artillery occupied the medieval town of Quedlinburg 100 miles southwest of Berlin in the closing weeks of the Second World War. During a routine search, “an intoxicated soldier,” according to the official Army history, stumbled across “valuables, art treasures, precious gems and records of all sorts” in a mine shaft outside of town. The priceless items, revered for their historical significance as much as their beauty, included the Samuhel Gospel, an illuminated Latin manuscript from the ninth century with a jewel-studded cover; the Evangelistar, a printed manuscript with jeweled cover dating back to 1513, and personal possessions of the first Saxon king who united the German states in the 900’s. For centuries the Lutheran church had been the depository for this treasure trove, and neither Napoleon nor even the Nazis got their hands on it. Anticipating the chaos and looting certain to accompany the collapse of the Third Reich, the Quedlinburg “hoard” was secretly hidden in an abandoned mine shaft. The officer in charge of the unit assigned to guard this fantastic find was a 29 year old first lieutenant from a small Texas community north of Dallas and a stone’s throw from the Red River. An art major in his college days at North Texas State, Joe Tom Meador knew just enough about the Middle Ages to recognize a golden opportunity when he saw it. Not long after Lt. Meador and his men moved on, church officials learned to their horror that the most valuable artifacts were missing. They filed a complaint with the U.S. Army, which began a slow-motion investigation that ended in 1949 when Quedlinburg vanished behind the Iron Curtain. Meador was discharged in 1946 but not before facing a court-martial for swiping silverware from a Bavarian castle. He taught school for awhile in New London until his father took sick, and he had to go home to help his brother Jack run the family business. For the next three decades, Joe Tom led a double life. Five days a week, he could be found behind the counter at the hardware store or in his backyard tending his prize-winning orchids. His weekends were spent in the gay district of Dallas, where he invited much younger men to his apartment to see his eye-popping souvenirs from the war. Prostate cancer cut short Joe Tom Meador’s masquerade in 1980. In his will he left everything to his brother Jack and his sister Jane, wife of a Mesquite dentist. There was no mention of the German loot, but that was okay. They knew where to find it. Joe Tom had never parted with a single piece of the Quedlinburg spoils. For him money was no substitute for the pleasure of possessing the wonderful works of art. That was not the case with his greedy siblings, who wanted to cash in on their illegal inheritance. It is not clear whether Jack and Jane understood they were committing
a crime by trying to profit from their dead brother’s plunder. That is, not until they approached a Dallas appraiser in 1983. “I could immediately see that the box contained very fine and rare manuscripts in jeweled bindings,” the appraiser later recalled. Angered by the careless way they had been handled, he “scolded (the Meadors) for treating such objects as if they were last year’s telephone directories.” Brushing aside the criticism, the man and woman asked how much the two pieces were worth. Millions, the appraiser answered, but that did not matter since any attempt to sell them would amount to trafficking in stolen art. Subsequent events showed the Meadors were willing to risk arrest and possible incarceration if the payoff was big enough. Three million dollars must have sounded about right because that was what they sold the Samuhel Gospel for on the black market in 1990. Apparently Jack and Jane never imagined the illicit sale would put a German bloodhound on their trail. In a matter of months, the art detective fingered Lt. Joe Tom Meador as the thief and his brother and sister as accessories after the fact. He even bluffed the president of the Whitewright bank into confirming the rest of the Quedlinburg “hoard” was in his vault. The sole concern of the German government was the return of the national art treasures, but Washington insisted upon putting the Meadors behind bars. When a federal judge in Sherman threw out the indictment on a technicality, the IRS took its best shot. While the case was front-page news, the Meadors’ most ardent defender was a columnist with
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He bought Jack Meador’s story that Joe Tom found the Quedlinburg treasures “in the gutter” and kept them out of Russian hands. Then out of the blue in 2000, the IRS agreed to let Jack and Jane Meador settle a $10.7 million tax bill for a measly $135,000. Neither one spent a night in jail before dying six weeks apart in 2003. Bartee Haile welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions at P.O. Box 152, Friendswood, TX 77549 or haile@ pdq.net and invites you to visit his new web site at barteehaile.com. www.MyCounty-Line.com
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Proud Parents!
mother, Ruthie broke out in tears. Needless to say, it was a moment that we sometimes questioned if Ruthie would be able to enjoy. But all worries aside, it was and she did. The first couple of weeks of summer were fairly uneventful. Ruthie’s dialysis routine has been unchanged since getting out of the hospital back in January & February. But she has been having a hard time keeping her appetite up and there have been days that she has gone without eating. But in general, for three weeks from the week of the graduation she has been doing pretty well. On Friday, June 14th, Ruthie woke with an irritation in her throat that caused her to gag almost constantly. This has not been too unusual since her stroke as we have seen it several times -- but it usually passes once she gets up and moves around. I have attributed it to her laying down and the muscles in her neck and throat not being as strong as they once were. But as the day wore on and she went to dialysis, her blood pressure rose to an alarming level and the gagging never stopped. By the end of her dialysis session, the charge nurse at the dialysis center had called the paramedics and Ruthie was transferred over to the Hendricks ER and later admitted. Ruthie spent the weekend and the first part of this week laid up in the hospital bed. Having Sherrie out of school helped as she spent her very first night at her mother’s side in the hospital -something that I was extremely proud of her for doing. (This was in addition to having taken her mother to one of her dialysis treatments the week before!)
Since last issue, Ruthie and I have become the proud parents of a high school graduate. Sherrie smiled all through the graduation ceremony and Ruthie eagerly perched on the edge of her wheelchair and watched Sherrie’s every move. Afterwards, Sherrie found us in the crowd of people trying to locate loved ones and share congratulations, and when Sherrie hugged her
Donations may be made to: Farmers & Merchants Bank
Ruth Norris Benefit Fund
930 East Main Eastland, TX 76448 (254) 629-3282 Credit Card donations can be made online at:
www.PeachyTurtle.org her college orientation in a couple weeks and shortly after coming back from that she will be moving out to attend summer band, then the college fall semester will begin.
Maybe there will be fewer surprises this summer. It was about this time last year that the doctors gave up on Ruthie’s transplant kidney and she went back on We’ve gotten Ruthie back home now and I have dialysis last July, so it’s been a year now. been able to complete this issue of the paper (more or less) with fewer distractions. Sherrie has been My how time flies. much more of a help these last few weeks than I expected and I am especially glad of that. It’s made my daily routine somewhat easier to stick to and has allowed my two favorite girls to spend some much-needed time together. As good as it is though, it will be short-lived. Sherrie goes off to
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