Now and Then
Conservative apologists for the oil industry defend the recent record profits of these mega-corporations by arguing that there is nothing wrong with these windfalls, because they are still realizing the same percentage of gross sales as profit. I don’t know the exact numbers, but let’s say they were making 10% profit when their basic raw material, crude oil, was selling for less than $40 a barrel. When that price rose to over $70 a barrel, they still maintained that 10% profit over gross sales. I agree that is good business for them, but is it good for everyone else? 
First, I want to correct something I said last time. Bill Maher’s show is on HBO, not Showtime. I don’t understand how I got that wrong because I watch it every week. If you have never seen it, you oughta check it out.
When I have the TV on during the day, I usually watch the news channels; MSNBC, CNN and yes, even Fox. (I try to keep it “fair and balanced.”) So, that means I saw a lot of coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings.
Samatha got some bad news this past week. You see, she was a big fan of Don Imus’ show, and now he’s off the air. I hated to see that happen, too, but I am not usually up that early in the morning to watch him. My wife and I did not understand the magnitude of the controversy. If you have ever watched his show, you would know that the man is not a racist. He just made an unfortunate bad joke that got blown out of proportion.
I don’t know whose idea it was, but there is a very smart Democrat (or maybe it was a group of them) in Washington. I have not heard any of the pundits say this, but the Emergency Funding Bill for the Iraq war is brilliant.
I don’t watch much TV because the other folks in my home do not share my taste in programming, but the other night, after everybody else was asleep, I was channel surfing and came across an extremely interesting program on C-SPAN. It was a press conference by a conservative group called the American Freedom Agenda. Their stated goal is to restore the checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the Executive Branch.
With the war in Iraq now into its fifth year, it is no wonder that it is a major issue in the upcoming Presidential election. The US has already been fighting there longer than it took to defeat the Germans in either World War. The battle for Baghdad has lasted longer than the American Civil War. Only the conflict in Vietnam has taken more time and that is no coincidence. The US does not like to admit that they are not going to win and the results of these longest of American wars will almost certainly be similar.
As you probably realize from previous columns, I don’t like President Bush very much. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the worst Chief Executive in my lifetime.
So you may be surprised to learn that I feel sorry for the man sometimes. He must realize by now, if he has any intelligence at all, that he has messed up royally by invading Iraq. And the policies of his administration in dealing with the ensuing occupation have been just plain wrong-headed. There have been any number of disastrous decisions.
Last week I started telling about three boys on a berry picking excursion. Now here is the rest of the story.
For just a moment, time seemed to stand still. The snake hesitated, the boys froze and even the leaves stopped moving, as the wind hushed. There was a moment of absolute calm. Then, from far off in the distance, came the caw of a lone crow and everything happened at once. The snake started to crawl away, its sinuous coils glistening in the bright June sunlight.
June 17, 1970 dawned over Eastern Kentucky with all appearances of being a typical day in the hills. When he woke, thirteen year old Brian certainly had no inkling that it would turn out to be memorable. Since his family home did not yet have indoor plumbing, his first action was to go outside for relief. As he stood on the front porch inhaling the sweet perfume of the honeysuckle and enjoying the caresses of a midsummer breeze on his shirtless upper body, he felt that life couldn’t get any better. His chores had all been accomplished yesterday; the garden was cleaned up and the lawn was mowed. That left today open for anything. The possibilities seemed unlimited. Since this was only June, school was so far in the future that it didn’t loom over his freedom yet. Summer vacation seemed to last as long as the academic year back then.
Brian was brought out of his reverie by two simultaneous sensations, the aroma of food wafting through the screen door and his stomach growling a demand for it. Deciding that he agreed with his belly, he proceeded inside and back to the kitchen, where the rest of his family was already having breakfast. The smell that enticed him inside was coming from the pancakes his mother was frying. He helped himself to a stack of three from the heaping platter, slathered butter on top of and between them and ladled on home-made syrup from the pan that was being kept hot on the back burner. Leaving his plate on the table, he went to the refrigerator for something to drink. Inside there were 2 gallons of milk procured from his grandparents’ cows. While he was pouring a glass from the half empty jar, he noticed that the other had a thick layer of cream separated out on top. This gave him an idea. That cream would taste great with some fresh huckleberries.
I have had some requests for the early Zeke Howard stories, so here is the first one again.
Hey, Blue! Where ye at old dog? Here, boy!
That’s a good dog. I’m glad to see you, too, old friend. If I had a tail, I reckon I’d be waggin’ mine, too.
