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Dorothy
Brush
"Random Thoughts"
Published Sept. 3, 2003 |
Politics quite interesting
all over the country
We haven't had much to complain about with the weather this
summer. But now at summer's end the temperatures have soared
and discouraged much yard work. That has increased my time watching
television and reading. Politics is always a hot topic and in
California, the question of who should be governor has reached
the boiling point. In Alabama, it is the Ten Commandments that
has citizens fired up.
Kentucky folks in the eastern part of the state are upset
too because of a name change for the Daniel Boone Parkway. It
is now the Hal Rogers Parkway. Rogers is a U.S. Representative
and has served the people of eastern Kentucky for 23 years. The
two-lane main highway wanders about 60 miles through the scenic
mountainous, wooded region. During the autumn color season it
is popular with tourists. The route is the one Daniel Boone carved
out for early settlers to follow across the Appalachian Mountains
and into Kentucky and beyond. It became known as the Wilderness
Road.
The reason given for changing the name is money. Rogers worked
hard to get $13 million from federal funds which allowed Kentucky
to eliminate the toll on the road. So much for a hero from the
past.
Out in New Mexico the emphasis is on an anti-hero, Billy the
Kid. He was one of the West's most famous outlaws. Some consider
his deeds worthy and compare him to Robin Hood. Others see him
as a rotten killer. He was reported to have killed 21 men before
he was 21. Billy met his demise July 14, 1881 from the gun of
sheriff Pat Garrett, according to the reporting of that day.
But there are many doubters. Was it really Billy shot dead? Several
people insisted they saw him after the shooting. Is the body
that was buried Billy?
Hard to believe but Gov. Bill Richardson has stepped in, determined
to find out what really happened to Billy. The Kid was born in
New York in 1860 and was named Henry McCarty, but at a very early
age his mother brought him west to New Mexico. Somewhere along
the line he changed his name to William Bonney, and before long
he earned the alias Billy the Kid.
The governor's interest in investigating the many mysteries
surrounding the Kid was partially sparked by letters Billy wrote
to Gov. Lew Wallace indicating that he had been promised a pardon.
Gov. Richardson has tapped the services of scientists at Los
Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia Laboratory to separate
fact from fiction. Rounding out the group are several sheriffs,
and an attorney from the counties where Billy was involved in
criminal pursuits. A major with the state police and an historian
at the University of New Mexico are also included in the investigation.
Once the evidence is in, the governor will hold a series of
meetings in sites that were Billy's old stomping grounds. Finally,
he will evaluate everything that has been uncovered and then
make his decision on a pardon.
So much for some of the stories I found while hiding from
the summer heat. As for television I learned how to prepare for
an interview. When a thorny question is asked and you need more
time to come up with an answer always start by saying slowly,
"I'm glad you asked that question" or "That's
an excellent question." It will be good to get back out
in the yard even if it is to pull weeds.
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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville
Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.
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