Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 162, No. 21, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Page: 3 of 16
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Clferokeeai} Herald ■ thecherokeeari.com
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
3A
EDITORIAL BOARD
Whitehead Enterprises Inc.
publisher
MARIE WHITEHEAD
editor
TERRIE W. GONZALEZ
managing editor
!LaAST I °rward
Are we mothballing our Manifest Destiny?
An old t-shirt worked
its way to the front of
my closet — squished
between other vintage
clothes and faded memories.
The front of the shirt asks,
"Where were you on July 20,
1969?' The answer on the
back of the shirt: the Apollo
11 moon landing.
The world stood still that
day — spellbound by the
television images of men on
the moon —Americans on
the moon. The event was
unprecedented in my 16
years' experience as a citizen
of Planet Earth.
When television newscast-
ers like Walter Or onkite
signed off their broadcasts
for the night, adrenaline
raced through my body and
wouldn't let me sleep. A
friend and I sneaked out of
the house, jumped over a
neighbor's fence and floated
on our backs in a swimming
pool all night long — study-
ing the moon's white glow
and wondering what the
astronauts were thinking.
I fell in love with NASA
and the space program that
night, and as an adult I
followed their successes and
cried with their sorrows.
Coincidentally, another
monumental event will
TERRIE GONZALEZ
herald@mediac1r.com
occur today, July 20. The
space shuttle Atlantis
will touch down at Ken-
nedy Space Center after
a 13-day science mission
to the International Space
Station. Sadly, talks of
the debt ceiling crisis have
eclipsed the fact that this is
the final Space shuttle mis-
sion. There will be no more
breath-taking launches and
heart-stopping touchdowns.
Even more sadly for man's
future in space, the United
States does not have a
replacement for the shuttle
or biter. How will we fulfill
our destiny to "explore brave
new worlds?''
If A+15=0. then "NASA
plus science equals technolo-
gy'" with a trickle-down that
impacts ordinary citizens
in big ways, NASA points
to 1,650 spin-off inventions
in the field of computer
technology, environment
and agriculture, health and
medicine, public safety and
transportation that would
not have occurred without
their partnerships with
private industry.
Take recent advancements
in solar energy for example.
The crystal silicon solar
power cells that provide up
to: 50 percent more power
than conventional solar
cells have revolutionized the
industry.
The technology behind
temper foam, originally de-
signed for crash protection,
is available to all of us in
pillows and mattresses.
Everyday items from
hand-held vacuums, freeze
dried foods and even cochle-
ar implants are modern-day
marvels because of NASA's
innovation.
Are we willing to moth-
ball our Manifest Destiny to
explore space? Do we want
to miss out on amazing new
gadgets and life-enhancing
inventions?
Let's figure out NASA's
next generation shuttle and
decide where we want to be
next year on July 20.
REFLECTIONS
on the trail
Having a 'hot' time in the hot summer
It seems the priority on
everyone's mind and do mi -
nating conversation is, yes,
the heat.
Well, it could be worse, I
remember when we awoke
early, had breakfast and
headed for the cotton patch.
It was warm out there. We
almost prayed for the sight
of the dish towel hanging on
the clothesline. That meant
lunch was ready, or as we
called it. "dinner."
After eating we went to
the front porch, which ran
the length of the house.
Down on the east end, there
always seemed to be a little
bit of air stirring. We would
he on the porch to rest until
time to go back to the patch.
Time passed quickly as we
rested on the porch, but
when we returned to the
field, it started to drag.
I always wanted to wear
something sleeveless with
short pants, but my step-
mother would have no part
of that. "You'll burn up," was
her retort. So, I wore long
pants, long sleeves and a big
brimmed straw hat with a
string to tie it on. Of course,
when all that stuff got wet
with sweat, it wasn't too
bad. Little did I know that
she was doing me a favor.
BETTY EWALT TAYLOR
protecting me from the
sun, but I still didn't get a
suntan.
I really don't believe we
suffered then from intense
heat as we do today. We
didn't have air-conditioning,
didn't even have a plain old
fan. We didn't know how
comfortable life really could
be.
All of our windows were
up, propped with a rod or
slender board, stayed up all
summer, and all door and
window screens were in good
condition, because of flies
and mosquitoes. And, you
didn't stand and hold the
door open for too long at a
time, Hand held fans, usu-
ally from the funeral home,
were welcome when one sat
down to visit or just to rest.
Most visiting was done on
that long front porch, sitting
in a few rocking chairs, or
along the edge of the porch.
Our house once featured a
dogtrot, but we had earlier
closed that in and devoted
the space to closets, because
there were none in the
bedrooms.
I think one of the ways we
made it through the terrible
heat and hard work was
that Daddy promised us
that if we got the crop "laid
by" by the time the carnival
came to town, we could go.
We absolutely lived for that
late afternoon trip to the
carnival, to ride the ferris
wheel, the tilt-a-whirl and
the merry mix-up. It really
didn't take much to please
teenagers in those days.
We usually were home by 9
p.m. The strange thing was.
we never failed to get the
necessary work done in time
for the carnival. It's funny; it
didn't seem as hot at the car-
nival as it did in the field.
If it' s too hot for you, try
chopping cotton, then come
home and he on the porch.
It's a pretty refreshing
alternative to staying in the
heat too long. Honestly, if
you don't have to be outside,
then don't be. Drink lots,
of good cool liquids and be
thankful for AC.
TAXING I thoughts
The AMT: What's it all about?
T he alternative mini-
mum tax (AMT) is
expanding, and more
"average" taxpayers
are getting hit with this
tax each year. The AMT is
nothing more than a paral-
lel tax. First you compute
your regular income tax,
Then you compute your
minimum tax, and your
"alternative" is to pay the
greater of the two.
Whereas the regular
income tax is computed on
taxable income (adjusted
gross income less itemized/
standard deductions and
personal exemptions), the
AMT begins with adjusted
gross income less deduc-
tions, adds back various
deductions not allowable
lor AMT purposes, ap-
plies an AMT exemption
($48,450 for single taxpay-
ers, 87 1.151) for married
taxpayers) and is computed
on the remaining balance.
The exemption phases out
at higher income levels.
One reason the AMT
could be greater than your
regular tax is that while
the regular tax has gradu-
ANITA L. WOODLEE
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
ated rates (from 10 percent
to 35 percent), the AMT
has only two rates, 26 per-
cent and 28 percent. Many
deductions allowable for
regular tax purposes aren't
allowable for AMT pur-
poses. The most common
of those deductions include
(but are not limited to) the
following:
• Taxes. No AMT deduc-
tion is allowed for state/
local income taxes, real
estate taxes, or personal
property taxes.
• Miscellaneous item-
ized deductions. No AMT
deduction is allowed for
unreimbursed employee
business expenses, invest-
ment expenses or similar
miscellaneous deduction.
• Large investment
income. For the regular
tax, there is a special tax
rate (sometimes as low as
zero) for qualified long-
term capital gains and
dividends, but for AMT
purposes, there is no spe-
cial lower tax rate to apply
to this income.
Congress was successful
in making it difficult to
avoid the AMT. AMT plan-
ning requires the under-
standing of how the AMT
is computed and how the
various AMT non-allow-
able deductions factor into
your tax return. The AMT
can be difficult and compli-
cated. Contact our office if
you would like assistance
in dealing with the AMT.
pd. advertising
ANITA L. WOODLEE,
CPA, PC CERTIFIED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT
111 Henderson • Rusk • 75785
Phone:903-683-1002
www.anitawoodleecpa.com
Visit our web site for new tax
tips and financial calculators
W5 ONE smu
STEP FOR A
ONE GIW4T LEAP FOR
MANKINP/
Mvm
BK& BACKWARD
FOR m UNTO? 6TA1K
Published weekly each
Wednesday by
WHITEHEAD
ENTERPRISES, INC.
Texas' oldest continuously published
weekly newspaper, established as the Chero-
keeSentinel, Feb. 27,1850, and consolidated
with The Cherokeean, The Alto Herald and
the Wells News & Views
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Cherokee County $23/year
Outside Cherokee County $25/year
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RUSK, TX 75785
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Texas 75785
CONTACT US:
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(903) 586-7771 Jacksonville
(903) 729-6889 - Palestine • (936) 858-4141 - Alto
Marie Whitehead
editor, advertising sales
(903) 683-2257
mwhitehead@mediactr.com
Terrie Gonzalez
managing editor
(903) 683-2257 ext. 107
herald@mediactr.com
Robert Gonzalez
advertising sales
(903) 683-2257 ext. 102
rgonzalez@mediactr.com
Gloria Jennings
general news
(903) 683-2257 ext. 106
news@mediactr.com
Quinten Boyd
general news, sports
(903) 683-2257 ext. 109
chreporter@mediactr.com
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(903) 683-2257 ext. 108
advertising@mediactr.com
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classifieds, subscriptions
(903) 683-2257 ext. 101
classifiedads@mediactr.com
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advertising sales
(903) 683-2257 ext. 103
sales@mediactr.com
HIGH POINTS I*- El Camino Real
Folks along El Camino
Real got pretty ex-
cited last week when
a cloud came over our
little town and dropped
several drops of rain. It
was too little too late, but
just seeing a cloud block the
sun for a few minutes and
hearing a little rumble of
thunder gives us some hope,
Some folks say that it will
take a hurricane to pull us
out of this drought, but the
last few hurricanes we've
had just brought lots of wind and very
httle rain. I don't care how it comes as
long as it's wet and stays a while. Fortu-
nately your four bits' worth of news hasn't
dried up like everything else.
Alto said good-bye to one of its lon-
gest running mayors last week with the
passing of Frank Ed Weimar. He was 88
years old. He was our mayor for 25 years,
and he was the man responsible for Alto
having its own natural gas company, a
decision that has kept Alto going finan-
cially for many years. Frank Ed was our
newspaper man and served as owner and
editor of our hometown newspaper, the
Alto Herald for 40 years. The Weimar
family had the paper from about 1896
until 1978. When I first started writ-
ing this column, and needed information
on an Alto subject. I could always count
on Frank Ed. Frank Ed and his wife Jo
Frances were a big part of our community
throughout their lives. Keep his family in
your prayers this week as they mourn his
passing.
Many of our area youth will be play-
ing in baseball and Softball tournaments
across the slate. They have been busy
raising money and getting packed up for
their trips to the championships. One
team of young girls is going to be play-
ing in Brownwood this week. Can you
imagine how hot it will be in Brownwood,
Texas? Don't get me wrong — I'm rooting
for the home folks, but I'm going to do
it from my chair by the air conditioner.
Good luck to all our area youth who are
participating in tournaments this week.
Play hard and be safe.
I promised you last, week that I would
continue the story of Russell Crawford
Mitchell, the grandfather of Margaret
Mitchell, the author of Gone with the
Wind after he left Alto. This is a por-
tion of a letter Margaret Mitchell wrote
to Colonel John William Thomason Jr. in
Washington, I).('.
"My Mitchell grandfather, though
Georgia born, was one of Hood's Texans,
First Regiment of Infantry Volunteers,
Company I; he enlisted in Alto. Texas,
July 10, 1861, fought in eleven battles
and was severely wounded at Sharpsburg
(Antietam)—so severely wounded that
when the litter bearers dumped him be-
hind the church with the other wounded,
his cousin by marriage, Surgeon General
CHRIS DAVIS
elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
wasting time on him when
he would live only a few
hours. This incensed my
grandfather for he felt that
this was a reflection on his
stamina. To be sure a min-
nie ball had gone through
the back of his head,
fracturing his skull in two
places and he had minor
abrasions, here and there,
but he felt that Dr. Roach
was speaking through ig-
norance, He said as much,
rose up, and picking up
another cousin, who was shot through the
lungs, set out for Richmond. He walked,
hitch-hiked or was carried all the way,
swimming a river or two on the road and
arrived in Richmond eventually, still
carrying his cousin who was somewhat
the worse for wear by that time. The
Richmond hospitals were full of erysipelas
at that time and Grandpa thought they
might be unhealthy for a man with a head
wound, so he swung on a flat car and went
south to Atlanta. And very hot weather
too, He lived till 1905, acquired twelve
children and a considerable amount of the
world's goods. He devoted a great deal
of his leisure time to telling Dr. Roach
what a poor diagnostician he was. Till I'm
tolerable certain, the doctor wished that
he had died at Sharpsburg.''—Margaret
Mitchell.
Russell Crawford Mitchell was known
to have a very short temper after the
minnie ball split his skull, but I figure he
was just permanently disappointed over
not being able to return to Alto after the
war. He practiced law in Florida for a
while, but was disbarred for assaulting
a state official and returned to Georgia.
I'm sure that Florida state official didn't;
realize that Mr. Mitchell had hved in Alto
or he wouldn't have antagonized him to
the point of assault. Alto folks don't nor-
mally take to that sort of thing too well. I
thoroughly enjoyed researching one of our
historic residents, and I hope you liked
reading about him. The next time I watch
Gone with the Wind I'll have a whole new
perspective on it.
I mowed down most of my garden over
the weekend. I thought about planting
another crop of peas, but the ground was
so dry and hard, I didn't even want to deal
with the aggravation of worrying about
enough rain to get them to come up. I'm
still picking a few tomatoes, but they
ought to be gone in a few more days. It's
just about time to plow everything under
and start waiting for spring so I can start
it all over again.
The dog days of summer are rapidly
approaching, and news will be scarce. If
you've got anything going on around your
place that needs telhng then be sure and
let me know. I'll keep an eye out for any-
thing new happening up and down this
stretch of the King's Highway. I'll see ya
next week! And remember. Nothing can
Roach, declared there wasn't any use in be truly great that is not right.
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 162, No. 21, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 20, 2011, newspaper, July 20, 2011; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201609/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.