Hereford's got the cojones, let's do something with 'em

A while back I asked for suggestions on what we could do to attract tourism to Hereford.
I didn’t get much response, but the best idea came from Jigger Rowland.
So blame him, not me.
Jigger said we should take advantage of our position as the Beef Capital of the World to host the annual World Championship Calf Fry Cook-off.
Why not?
This town has got the cojones to pull it off. In fact, we can supply them in abundance. All we need are the cooks to vie for the title and a crowd willing to shell out a few clams on those oysters.
If we cook up the right scheme, we could make national or even international headlines. We could time the competition with one of the existing events such as the Independence Day celebration or the Spicer Gripp roping.
Just think of the promotional slogans we could come up with.
“You want fries with that!”
“No bull!”
“We’ll steer you right in Hereford.”
“Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire.”
“The reason we’re called the Hostile Herd.”
Maybe we could have our own beauty pageant and crown Miss Calf Fry (or, to be fair, the Oyster King). We could get the Guinness Book of World Records involved and have the International Calf Fry Eating Contest.
When I first came to Texas nearly three years ago, I had to ask someone what calf fries were. I had always known of them as Rocky Mountain Oysters.
I like them, especially fried. I also like liver, sardines, anchovies, crawdads, frog legs and a bunch of other stuff my wife won’t let into the house, but that’s another story.
Right now we’re talking about what separates the bulls from the steers. This could be one of those manly events that are also fun for the whole family.
I guess to make this happen we need to get the chamber on board, or find someone willing to take the bull by the horns. What do you say Jigger?

A swashbuckling Indian?
The news broke on the Internet Wednesday night. I was hoping to go to bed early, but when Disney announced that actor Johnny Depp had been cast to play Tonto in the upcoming Lone Ranger movie, I got caught up reading stories and preparing an update on my Web site (www.lonerangerfanclub.com).
Walt Disney is bringing back the masked man and his faithful Indian companion in a movie produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The producer and actor are the same that breathed new life into pirate movies with Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy.
In grand fashion, Disney announced the Depp trifecta, saying the star will appear as Tonto in “The Lone Ranger,” as the Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland” and once more as Capt. Jack Sparrow in a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.
I don’t know how I feel yet about Depp as Tonto. He is part Cherokee, but he is also quirky and comedic. Those aren’t traits one expects from the stoic sidekick. To be honest, I think he’d make a better Butch Cavendish, leader of the outlaw band that the Lone Ranger has vowed to bring to justice.
That leaves open the question of casting the lead (or will Tonto be the lead in this version of the Lone Ranger?). Personally, I would like to see professional gunslinger Joey Dillon as the Lone Ranger. He’s got the looks, skills, voice and personality to do the job well. He’s a natural.
My gut, however, tells me Bruckheimer is eyeing British actor Jamie Bamber for the part.
Bamber is best known for playing Capt. Lee “Apollo” Adama in the “Battlestar Galactica” series that recently concluded.
Bamber has the heroic look and is a strong lead. He has also recently appeared in a guest shot on Bruckheimer’s “Without a Trace,” putting him on the producer’s radar.
In the meantime, I’m just glad that the new Lone Ranger movie (due out in 2010) is in the hands of Disney and Bruckheimer. It’s a winning combination that is sure to dust off this 75-year-old hero and make him relevant once more in American pop culture.
Hi-Yo Silver, away!

Can McCartney's return save Promise Keepers?

The announcement came to me in an e-mail. Press coverage was practically nonexistent. Bill McCartney is back as the head of Promise Keepers, the evangelical men’s ministry he co-founded in 1990.
I can’t help but wonder if his return is enough to save what’s left of the Denver-based ministry. I sure hope so.
I’ve known McCartney since 1998. I’ve interviewed him several times. He read one of my columns on his former Fourth and Goal radio programs. I have a great deal of respect for the man and the mission God placed on his heart.
Were it not for McCartney and Promise Keepers, I would not be the man I am today. I owe them much.
It was 1996, and I moved back to my folks’ house in Colorado as my first marriage was breaking up. I had been living in North Carolina and all I knew was that the University of Colorado’s head football coach was leaving to run some Christian organization he had founded. I didn’t even know what it was called or what they did.
Shortly after my return, my mother purchased tickets for me and my brother, Don, to attend some Christian event at Mile High Stadium. I didn’t have anything else to do, so I went. What happened that weekend changed me forever. If I thought I was a broken man going through an unwanted divorce, I was about to get a whole new perspective on what it means to be broken.
Speaker after speaker drove home the importance of being a good husband and father. They talked about building up our pastors, reaching out to people of color and breaking down the barriers that segregate our churches each Sunday. Everything I had known about being a Christian man was turned on its ear and spun around like a bad break dance.
I had never heard of being a “spiritual leader in the home” or being a “servant leader.” A couple of the speakers said if you want a trophy wife, start treating the one you have like a trophy. They spoke of putting God and family before self and putting self before career. How many of us still have those priorities mixed up?
I prayed fervently for my marriage and did everything I had the power to do to save it. Unfortunately, forgiveness of my failures and acceptance of my forgiveness were never forthcoming. God granted me three more months with my wife (who had returned to Colorado the following year). But the weekend after I came back from Stand In the Gap in Washington, D.C., she moved out for the last time.
I can’t tell you how difficult it was for me to claim the biblical promises and believe the talk that marriages can be saved with prayer and commitment while my own was coming to an end despite my best efforts.
Stand In the Gap was the pinnacle of Promise Keepers. More than one million men crowded into the National Mall for a day of prayer and fasting. After that, Promise Keepers began to change. The events moved from stadiums to arenas. As the organization sought to stay relevant, the admission fee was dropped and the focus each year moved away from the bread and butter of PK’s beginnings to being little more than sermons on wheels.
Five years ago McCartney left to care for his ailing wife, Lyndi. Tom Fortson took his place. While Fortson is a fine businessman, he was not the inspiring leader McCartney is. Under Fortson’s watch, PK shrank from arenas to churches. Participation dwindled dramatically.
During the years following Stand In the Gap, I remarried and gained three more children – sons! I stood on the principles and values instilled in me through my church and Promise Keepers. Those values helped Sandy and I to withstand attacks on our marriage and family that made what happened to my previous marriage seem like pinpricks.
Today I have a solid marriage to a beautiful and loving wife. I have four children whom I love dearly. I highly doubt I would have any of those things if it were not for Promise Keepers.
Now that Mac is back, I feel great hope for PK. Yes, Lyndi is still ill, but she supports Mac’s return. I hope this will mark a turning point in the ministry. I hope it turns back to its original message. I hope men are once again fired up to make a difference in their homes, churches and communities.
To borrow a clichéd phrase, that is change that I can believe in.

My life behind enemy headlines

Welcome to my life behind enemy headlines.
One of the nice things about being the Managing Editor of the Hereford Brand is that I have an element of control over what goes into the paper.
One of the curses about being the Managing Editor of the Hereford Brand is that I have an element of control over what goes into the paper.
The election season a full upon us. As a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years experience, I know and understand the importance of being fair and balanced in our coverage, especially when it comes to politics. For most of my professional career, that has meant living behind enemy headlines. It’s meant giving voice to views and opinions I oppose.
As the News Editor of The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, N.C., 13 years ago, part of my job was to write about half the editorials. Many of those editorials I completely disagreed with. It made me sick to carry the torch of causes that burned me up inside.
In hindsight, I can see that writing those editorials made me a better writer and a much better reporter. It also deepened my own beliefs and convictions. It gave me a better understanding of why I believe the things I do.
Up until now, every newspaper I’ve worked for has had left-leaning tendencies – some more so than others. Don’t think for a minute that the media in this country aren’t staunchly biased toward the left. The Fourth Estate is thoroughly entrenched in liberalism. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, but those exceptions, like myself, are very few and very far between.
Up until my move to Texas nearly three years ago, I was registered to vote as unaffiliated or independent. That allowed me to keep myself politically neutral on paper. When I moved to Texas, however, I registered as a Republican. My beliefs are mostly in line with the GOP and, when undecided, I usually vote Republican as a fall-back position.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am part of the Christian right. My number one criteria in selecting a candidate is whether or not they’re pro-life. In general, that excludes most Democrats.
Last week I ran a story by my wife’s aunt, Deby Trosper, who lives in Wasilla, Alaska, and has worked for Sarah Palin, who is the Republican vice presidential nominee. The purpose of running the story is two-fold. One, it gave Brand readers a perspective they wouldn’t get any where else. Secondly, it is full disclosure that I have a close connection to Palin, though I have never met her, nor anticipate doing so.
What I didn’t know at the time is that Trosper is a Democrat. That further demonstrates to me that Palin is willing to cross political lines to find the best people for the job.
Anyway, I digress. As the Managing Editor of the Brand, I will do my best to present a fair and balanced perspective this election season. Please keep in mind that, outside of local politics, I am limited to what The Associated Press sends us for political coverage.
I will do my best to see that Barack Obama gets as much space as John McCain. Also keep in mind that it pains me to do so. I hate giving equal weight to people and issues that conflict with my belief system. At the same time, I hope you will trust me, based on my record, to make sure that no voice is stifled.
On that note, I want to hear from you. There is less than two months before we go to the polls. The Hereford Brand welcomes and encourages letters to the editor. We will accept all election-related letters up until Oct. 24. We will not run any after the Oct. 26 paper because that does not give anyone time to respond in print before the election.
All letters to the editor must be signed. Please include a contact phone number (which will not be published) so we can verify authorship of the letter if necessary. Letters can be e-mailed to news@herefordbrand.com or sent to our office at 313 N. Lee.

Did I catch you peeking?

(Note: This story was written about a year ago but never published. I feel it is too important to be left untold. The story has been edited slightly and the last names of most of the subjects removed. It is important to not that everyone in the story gave permission for their names to be used. I chose to remove the last names because I have not received their permission to run this story on my blog. Each of them gave permission to include their names for publication, so I feel confident using their first names here. If after reading this you feel a need to get help, please contact any one of the churches or ministries mentioned. They will be glad to help.)

For Rick, it all began with peeks at dirty magazines when he was just a boy.
Ron fell into the trap in his teens.
Neill was already retired when got hooked.
Rusty couldn’t admit he had a longtime problem until four years ago after his wife caught him with porn — again.
The price each of them paid for their sexual addiction was high. But the benefits of breaking the addiction were far greater than living a life of guilt and shame.
Rick followed the path of lust to the beds of prostitutes. It cost him his marriage and his job as a pastor. He has since confessed and repented and is once again pastoring a church in Arizona.
Neill now works full-time on his computer at home mentoring other sex addicts from around the world.
Ron and Rusty sought help and now co-lead a recovery group for addicts at Trinity Fellowship Church.
Each of the men have a different story, but they all follow a similar path. Each got hooked on pornography and the self-gratification that went with it. Most of them went deeper into their secret fantasy life.
Each hid their addiction from their families, got caught and went to counseling. Now each of them are working to help others with the same problem.
Wib Newton, a licensed practical counselor and executive director of New Hope Counseling and Resources (www.newhoperesources.com), counsels men with sexual addictions and also leads workshops on the subject.
“Most of the ones I see, their life is becoming out of control and maybe it’s affecting their work or maybe it’s affecting their marriage and the majority of them get caught,” he said.
Newton said sex addiction has been around as long as the human race. In the last century the introduction of Playboy and other pornographic magazines and films increased the problem. He said it grew worse with home video.
“The Internet has come on and blasted this thing to a whole new level,” he said.
He said with the Internet and other technologies, gaining access to pornography has never been easier. He said computers and cell phones make access to it easy, affordable — often free — and anonymous.
“After they act it out, they feel shame and shame powers that addiction,” Newton said.
He said most men are going to have some kind of urge or prurient interest in the female body, but said it becomes a problem when it becomes obsessive and out of control.
“It is now in control instead of me in control. That’s where denial comes in. You have to admit that it’s causing trouble,” he said.
Like any other addiction, Newton said it must escalate in order to reach the same level of pleasure.
“You have to have more and more stimulation to get the same level of satisfaction. ... It has to go to the next level to get the same result. That’s how it starts and it just progresses,” he said.
Quite often admitting a problem comes from getting caught by a spouse or employer.

A pastor's story
Rick caught a sexually transmitted disease after his first encounter with a prostitute.
“I told my wife and we both got treated,” he said, adding that “it was a very difficult time for her and for the two of us.”
He said his addiction started in elementary school when “I found pornography in the alley coming home from school one day.” As time passed, he found more.
“I remember having a very excited feeling but also at the same time a sense of something not being right,” he said.
As he grew, his interest in porn expanded to include self-gratification and then visiting adult book stores and X-rated theaters.
When he graduated from Bible school and got married, he thought he had broken his addiction. Four years into his marriage came the first visit with a prostitute, followed by extreme guilt and deep feelings of suicide. His family had moved from Texas to California, back to Texas and on to Indiana, where he became the pastor of a church. He had four children and two very public and very private lives.
“I missed a lot of time with them (children). I became very good at manipulation and good at acting,” he said. “I was co-chair of the PTA and was pretty involved in school.”
But he continued to see prostitutes and frequent adult book stores. One day his wife suspected something and confronted him.
“I came out in the open. I confessed a lot of behavior to her, her parents, my parents and others,” he said.
He left the church and returned to Dallas to work outside the ministry. During that time he saw a counselor and attended Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings.
His wife left in 1992 and in 1994 he moved to West Texas to try and reconcile with her.
“Too much damage had been done,” he said.
She filed for divorce in 1995 and it became final the next year.
“It ended up costing me my marriage, my family and eventually my work, too,” he said.
Newton said Rick’s story is not uncommon.
“Pastors have high stress and low accountability,” he said. “They’re set on pedestals and can’t be reached.”
Neill, who mentors sex addicts in The Way of Purity course at www.settingcaptivesfree.com, said he counsels a lot of pastors.
“Best estimates are that one out of three of the men who enroll in The Way of Purity are either pastors, ministers or have some other high profile job in a church or ministry, such as worship leaders, youth ministers, etc. Many of the young men who come to our course are studying for the ministry.
“If I had included Sunday school teachers, the ratio would have been much larger. We cannot know the exact number of who does what, because they don’t have to tell us what their occupation is,” he said.
Neill estimated that since 2002 he has mentored 1,200 men and he communicated with 40 to 45 a day via e-mail.
“Not all of them will finish,” he said. “That sin has a real strong pull.”
He said The Way of Purity is different from most sex addict recovery programs in that it is biblically based and not based on a 12-step program.
The program led by Rusty and Ron at Trinity Fellowship, as well as ones led by Newton are based on the 12-step model. Ed, who has had his own struggles, leads a non-denominational group in Canyon for addicts of all types called Celebrate Recovery. It, too, uses a 12-step method.
“The only thing that can come out of this is good,” Ed said.

Getting help
“Men fall into that trap thinking that when I get married all my sexual wants will be fulfilled,’” Rusty said.
He said fatigue, boredom and stress are often the triggers that send men, and women, seeking porn. Newton said most people have unresolved issues from their childhood, such as having been sexually abused themselves, are typically the underlying issues that cause them to seek the self-fulfilling pleasure in porn.
“A lot of guys don’t want to admit they have a problem with porn,” he said.
Ron said pornography was no big deal when he was a young man. It was in the open at his home, sometimes sitting on the coffee table. Because it was there, he didn’t obsess about it. It wasn’t until he got married and became a Christian that he realized how strong a hold it had on him.
“It’s a totally different addiction — more severe than a drug addiction,” Ron said. “It’s an internal high ... you’re not fighting an external substance, you’re fighting yourself.”
The men said the two key components to overcoming a sex addiction are to first admit the problem and then to seek the help of others of the same sex who will help keep you accountable.
“We urge them to get an accountability partner,” Neill said, adding that his program requires men to answer three specific questions about their addiction each day, such as if they’ve seen porn or acted out sexually.
Rusty said sex addicts cannot break the habit alone.
“You can’t do this by yourself. You need an army around you to support you and protect you,” Rusty said. “Instead of white-knuckling it by yourself, we give you a number to call.”
“You have to be God with skin — give them a real person to relate to,” Ed said.
Ron said he did not know where to turn to get help.
“I surrounded myself with a group of men that would hold me accountable,” he said.
He said an addict needs to have someone who will check on them and ask direct questions to make sure they’re staying clean.
Newton said it takes a fast of about 90 days for the brain’s chemistry to return to normal levels from an addiction. Ron noted that even then, the urge will always be there.
“The temptation never leaves,” he said. “I’ve been sober from pornography since July of 2001. .. Will I tell somebody that I’m 100 percent cured? No.”
Andrew Comisky left the homosexual lifestyle 30 years ago and now helps sex addicts of all kinds with his Kansas City-based Desert Stream Ministries. He was recently in Amarillo to lead a series of lessons at MORE Church.
“(Recovery) has to involve community. It can’t just be the sexperts,” he said.
Comisky said an addiction to sex “frustrates and fractures the good desire to relate to human beings. It creates a grandiosity, creates a narcissism.”
He and the others said another key to recovery is confidentiality. They said sex addiction is so taboo in society that the shame of getting caught creates a lot of anxiety.
“You need safe places where the secrets are safe,” Comisky said.
The hardest part of recovering, the men said, is coming clean with the wives.
“We make sure that they know,” Rusty said.

Wives tales
Rusty’s wife, Tammy, co-leads a support group for women with Ron’s wife at Trinity Fellowship.
“She has told me that without exception the women come in there and think it’s her fault that he has fallen,” Rusty said.
“The spouse needs to be considered in this,” Newton said.
He said most wives feel shame and hold themselves responsible for their husband’s addiction.
“After a year of treatment ... the wives were able to see for the first time a healthy husband. They’re happy they can finally get what they were looking for when they got married,” Newton said.
The road the women must take is long and difficult. Tammy said her Living In Freedom Everyday support group spends the first seven weeks just dealing with the grief process.
“Women have the same problems as men do. The spouse has lost the idea that this is my Prince Charming, this is my one true love,” she said.
She said after dealing with the grief process, they take a break and then come back for more healing.
“After grieving we focus on the fact that it’s not the woman’s problem ... they cannot control it and they cannot change it,” she said.
She said the LIFE group takes 28 weeks and is done in sections. She said each session is like peeling the layers off an onion. It gets deeper and more intense and makes you cry.
“My biggest thing, I felt like I was alone. I didn’t know if I was crazy for feeling these things I was feeling or crazy for thinking this is OK. I wanted my marriage to work,” she said.
She said each time she caught Rusty she would relive the gamut of emotions and questions such as “Should I leave?” “Should I give up on him?” “Is there something I can do to change him?”
“Every time there was a fall, I’d go through the same reaction,” she said.
She said she and her husband found support groups they could join at Amarillo South Church. Once they completed the classes, they decided to try and help others with the same problems through their church at Trinity.
“Pornography has different levels and that’s what the woman needs to know,” she said.
Newton said women are increasing in numbers with sexual addictions themselves and blames the Internet for a lot of it. While there are no local support groups for women who are addicted or for their husbands, he said many counselors are equipped to handle those situations.
Ron said going through the program and then turning around and teaching it has been tough.
“If we can change one man’s life, my story and all the junk I went through, it’s worth it,” he said. “Most men just give up. If God won’t take this desire from me, I’m going to embrace it. Most men we get, they’ve given up on God healing them.”
Ron said he understands but wants men to know one thing.
“God loves you and he’s never given up on you,” he said.

Sarah Palin from someone who knows

(Editor’s Note: Deby Trosper is the aunt of Sandy Southern, wife of Managing Editor Joe Southern. Trosper was born in Texas, but has lived most of her adult life in Wasilla, Alaska. She has known and worked for Sarah Palin for several years. Trosper was asked to share her experiences with the Republican vice presidential nominee for the benefit of the readers of the Hereford Brand.)

While driving my son to school a week ago Friday, I turned on the local radio station to hear that Sen. John McCain was getting ready to announce his running mate for vice president of the United States. I turned up the volume just as the announcer said “Todd and the children” were already gathered on the stage.
That was all I needed to hear to know history was about to be made. I anxiously called my husband to turn on the television and check out what was happening. It was an exciting day for Alaska, and more so for Wasilla, where Sarah Palin had been mayor before becoming Governor. The whole state was abuzz within an hour. The phones were ringing off the wall with family and friends calling to ask opinions and share their excitement with us.
The whole state of Alaska shares the pride of the nomination. Alaska is the largest state in the union, but the smallest when it comes to knowing your neighbors, whether they live next door or four hundred miles away in Fairbanks.
It is not unusual to fly from Anchorage to any other town in our state and run into someone you know. This is how Alaska is. There are no strangers. And that is how Sarah and her husband have always been.
Sarah’s parents have always been known and loved in the community. Her father retired from teaching in a local school and her mother is a retired school secretary. Todd Palin’s parents also live in Wasilla and are very involved in the community. There is never a doubt of how proud both sets of parents are of their children and grandchildren.
I had the privilege of meeting Sarah Palin when she was on the City Council. The community had decided to build a large neighborhood playground. It took five days of hard work with folks from all over the area pounding nails, hanging swings, painting wood and watching the children paint the “accessories” that still decorate the playground.
I was in charge of signing in the volunteers and making sure they knew where their designated assignment for the day was. When the playground was finished, a paper chain of love the school-age kids had made circled around the area. There was a community link of people holding the circle of love. After an announcement of the park being opened, everyone tore their piece of chain, and hugged their neighbor for a job well done.
Sarah was in that circle and had been part of the working team for the whole week. The park helped to bring our community together.
Through the years to follow, there were casual meetings and greetings around town with Sarah. Being active myself in the community, we would run into each other on occasion. I came to the decision I did not want to do anything for a year and stepped back from the volunteering in the different nonprofits I was involved in. One morning my phone rang around 8:30. It was a man I had never heard of asking if I could come to City Hall for a meeting regarding bricks.
Trying to shake the sleep from my head, I asked him to repeat himself. Once again he asked if I could come to City Hall for a meeting regarding bricks. I told him I did not have a car that day, and had other plans. He became very insistent and offered me a ride. Finally giving in, I put on a pair of cut off jeans and a tee shirt. Bricks always insinuated a dirty job of some kind to me.
I was quite embarrassed when I was taken to an office with the several business people dressed in professional attire. I sat and waited as no one was saying anything until a woman came into the office smiling and started talking with everyone. I was introduced to her and she began telling me about selling bricks for a fundraiser. She had headed up a project in Anchorage to raise funds to build a downtown park.
After listening to her talk for a while I finally asked what did all this have to do with me. “The city of Wasilla wants to build an Armed Forces Honor Garden, and Mayor Palin said to ask you.” I immediately exclaimed I would not do it on a volunteer basis as I was trying to take time off. As it turned out, the mayor wanted hire me as the fundraiser for the project, which involved selling engraved bricks to raise money. After hearing that, I apologized for my casual dress and accepted the job.
The job turned into an experience that changed my life. I was given the opportunity to be creative and offer suggestions for the garden. There are six flags flown around the national flag with points for each branch of the military. Bricks honoring soldiers who served or are serving in the military were placed under the flag of their branch. This is referred to as the “Circle of Honor.” The bricks leading up to the circle were purchased by the community along with benches and trees to line the “Path of Freedom.” The Armed Forces Honor Garden is at the opposite end of the park strip from Wonderland Park, our community playground.
The fact that Sarah had entrusted this project to me was an honor. To hear all the stories of those lost to battle from different wars opened my eyes to what our freedom in this country is really based on. I will always be thankful to Sarah for giving me the opportunity to realize this.
When Mayor Palin became Governor Palin, it still was not unusual to see her around town and at different events. She has never lost the “hometown” friendliness she has always had, and never turned away from a hug.
A few days ago I heard the news of her daughter Bristol being pregnant and I could not help feeling sad for the whole Palin family. In all the excitement for Sarah, a cloud of lies turned the story into sheer ugliness to shadow the Palin family.
I have always admired and had a special fondness for Sarah, not only from getting to know her during my work with the city for the Armed Forces Honor Garden, but from when we were all helping to build the Wonderland Playground. All of the family, as well as Alaska, have been on cloud nine.
The family members are strong Christians and know God is in control of the situation. Sarah has always been pro-life which is evident in little Trig, their Down syndrome baby. She knew he had Downs when he was still small enough to abort, but she and her husband Todd announced that he would be a special baby.
Now they have put the situation with Bristol in God’s hands. For heaven’s sake, ff the press cannot find dirt, they make up what they can.
Sarah didn’t tell anyone about being pregnant with Piper while she was mayor. She delivered her and was back in the office within a few days with Piper in a baby carrier. She knew she was a servant of the people and did not want to let anyone think she couldn’t do the job entrusted to her.
I watched Sarah make her acceptance speech to run as vice president with Sen. McCain. It was wonderful hearing her introduce her family, talk of her abilities, and show a sense of humor with the hockey moms. She is down to earth, but very strong in her beliefs. I have been asked by friends and family if I think she will be a good vice president, and my reply is, “She will do whatever she needs to do because she knows she is a servant of the people.”

Tourism in Hereford? It could happen

There are three things, besides relatives and friends, which will make people drive long distances to visit: Natural beauty, manmade wonders and really special events.
Think about it. Would there be any reason to visit New York City or Las Vegas if it were not for manmade attractions? Would anyone visit the mountains or go to the beach if they were not so beautiful to behold? Would anyone make a pilgrimage to Woodstock, N.Y., or Gettysburg, Penn., were it not for what happened at those places?
Probably not.
A few years ago, my hometown of Longmont, Colo., opened up a huge area for development by extending a major highway through what had been prime farm land. It crisscrossed a creek that runs through the south end of town.
I argued then that the city would be wise to follow the lead of San Antonio and create a kind of River Walk along the creek. It would have given people a reason to come to Longmont from out of town.
Instead, the river runs virtually ignored and the road is now lined with big box stores and half-empty strip malls. Farther up the creek, the city’s mall is rapidly losing tenants and has recently been declared “blighted” in an attempt to get some Community Development Block Grant money to redevelop it.
What does this have to do with Hereford, you ask?
Probably nothing.
Hereford is a thriving farm community now bolstered by two ethanol plants and a growing dairy industry. And if that’s all Hereford wants to be, that’s all well and fine. I like Hereford. It’s a nice, friendly place with good people and a good work ethic.
But say, for instance, that we wanted to become something of a tourist destination, how would we go about that? What does Hereford have, or what could it have, that would cause people to go out of their way to come here?
At the risk of getting shouted down on the streets, I’d dare say it isn’t natural beauty. Sure, it’s scenic here, but there’s nothing here that can’t be seen for miles and miles elsewhere in the Panhandle.
It doesn’t seem too likely that any manmade attractions will be built here; at least not in the foreseeable future. Of course, if we had someone with the wealth and eccentricity of Stanley Marsh 3 in Amarillo, Hereford just might have something that would make people go an hour or two out of their way to visit here.
Absent an eccentric millionaire, that leaves special events to bring out-of-towners to Hereford. Naturally, the Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping event brings in a good crowd, as do some of the other sporting events and community festivals. But what would bring in really big crowds, say tens of thousands of people? Would we even want something that big here? Maybe a few thousand people perhaps?
What kind of an event would draw such crowds that aren’t already being done in the area? Comic conventions and film festivals are popular, but there are no industries here to support them. A music festival would be a thrill, but it’s hard to compete with the offerings in Amarillo and Lubbock.
Halloween is coming up. Rather than do haunted houses, I think a grand costume ball would be fun and different. I think a nonprofit agency could make a pretty good haul and get a lot of publicity with one.
Another idea might be to host some kind of a big cowboy event here, like they do in Lubbock with the Cowboy Symposium. I think it would be neat to see someone build an Old West movie lot here and try to lure some Hollywood gold this way.
If nothing else, it’s fun to think about. If any of you have a great idea, drop a line. I’d be glad to share it with readers.

Playing football just a fantasy now

Football nerd.
Yeah, that’s me. I like football well enough, I suppose. I used to be nuts about the game. Not so much anymore.
There was a time I could have told you the name of every player on the Denver Broncos by their number alone. I never missed a Broncos game, either live or on TV. Heck, I even went to Denver Gold games (do you remember the USFL?).
On my first wedding day, the Denver Dynamite was playing for, and won, the first-ever Arena Football League championship. I remember my father in-law sneaking out of the reception every so often to listen for an update on his car radio.
I used to hate football. I’m no athlete. Never have been. The neighborhood kids always cheated at sports (though half the time I didn’t know they were cheating) and I always lost bad and hated playing because of it.
I finally took interest in football when the Broncos went to their first Super Bowl. They played the Cowboys. It was the first time I’d ever watched a football game. I came away not so much a Broncos fan as a Cowboys hater.
I went to a private Baptist school in junior high the following year. My last year there we got a new coach and he made me go out for football because I was the biggest kid in the junior high. I went out … and loved it. I was on the junior varsity and we only played six-man flag football.
That fueled my love for the game when I returned to public schools in high school. I went out for football at Niwot High School and played all three years. It was a small school and everyone made the team.
I was a JV bench warmer my first year. My junior year, I was a two-way starter on the JV and a varsity bench warmer. That was the peak of my football experience. I played nose guard and center. I also happened to play behind two all-state players. I only saw limited mop-up duty my senior year. Still, I was a Cougar. I wore the uniform. I belonged. I was a football player! Man, that’s good for the ego.
In college I played intramural flag football. We were the Bandits and we weren’t half bad. That ended my playing days, however. I went on to become an armchair quarterback, as it were. I faithfully followed the Broncos. My dad became a season ticket holder and I got to go to a lot of games. In college I became a very good football photographer. I even won some press association awards. I took advantage of my position over the years to photograph all my college home football games, the Broncos, the Vikings, the Gold, and even the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks in the World League of American Football.
When the Broncos finally won their two Super Bowls, I was on top of the world. I got to cover the two victory parades. For a couple years my world revolved around the Broncos.
But then something changed. I began to see professional football for what it was – a business. I got so disgusted with players who made a mint yet committed crimes. The cost of fandom keeps going up. Buying tickets and memorabilia is outrageous.
Eventually, I got to the point where I didn’t live or die each week depending on how the Orange and Blue did on the field. Sure, I love the game and I’m still a big fan, but there are things I’d rather do than spend endless hours in water cooler chatter about football. If I watch more than one game a week I feel like I’ve wasted my time.
I do play fantasy football. I guess that keeps my interest going. But that, in my opinion, is what makes me a football nerd, not an armchair quarterback.
It’s football season once again. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the high school football games. Who knows, if the Herd does well, I might find a renewed love for the sport. Even if they don’t, they’ll still have a fan in me. I wish the boys well this fall.