Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 187, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 25, 2009 Page: 4 of 10
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Sweetwater Reporter
Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Thursday, June 25, 2009
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
Sweetwater 1
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/2354967
Website:
www sweetwaterreporter com
Sharon LFriedlander
puMsiq^ad director
Danica Hickson
business mgr.
Michelle Ashford
circulation mgr.
E-mail addresses:
publisher@sweetwaterreporter com
business@sweetwaterreporter com
advertising@sweetwaterreporter.com
circulation@sweetwaterreporter com
editor@sweetwaterreporter com
composing@sweetwaterreporter.com
Tatiana Hodriguez
managing editor
Pablo Rodriguez
composing mgr.
Bleu Reyes
production mgr.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except j
those labeled “Editorials” reflect the opinions of the writ- j
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
1 feel compelled to write and comment on the health
care controversy and speak to our elected officials |
about their actions. The concensus of your consituant.s {
want you to work together as a team to come up with a
viable solution that provides wellness, affordable insur-
ance and accountability. Stop fear-mongering about the
"dangers" of health care reform and roll up your sleeves
to come up with a solution. Stop listening to special
interest groups who are afraid of losing their cash cow :
at our expense. Stop speaking for me that I want to j
keep my employee-provided insurance. It really isn't
that great. I want more options that will force the free
market to compete and drive down prices. Stop being an
obstacle to the process and be a solution. Oh yes, 1 know
why you are being contrary... You're hoping that this
controversy drags so long that it gets mired down and
we lose interest. Don't forget that we are watching your
action, or inaction, and will remember you at the polls.
Nancy Howlett
Sweetwater
GUEST COLUMN
Act feist on health
care, Obama
President Obama has a green light and open eight-lane
highway for health-care reform, but somehow the guv can’t
put his foot on the gas. I le hedges in neutral while some fellow
Democrats muck up policy and Republicans
,------—demagogue them into mush.
A commanding 85 percent of Americans
ht'.illl W A«>1-1
'line-s Nm\s |«ill
gg^H tro\ opimn
HP IPsM 11111 dial .......Ill coiUjiclr '..111, pi halt
W t insurers - -2 percent are in favor. \ml that
■ includes hall ol sell identified k, publicans
What is Obama afraid of? Hi apparently
PH. dreads repealing tin mist,if. t the Clinton
health proposal. One was letting wonks ere-
Froma ate a mostly finished health-reform produt t.
iiwiira Neither lawmakers nor health-care interests
Harmn liked being kept out of the kitchen.
naiiuii Obama wanted to avoid, as he recently
put it, “my way or the highway' on health
care. But that needn’t mean sitting stalled on the interstate as
friends and foes alike run a demolition derbv over coherent
policy.
Remember how the Clinton plan was ridiculed for being too
complicated. Hillary 's 1.400 pages became the big ha-ha.
And so what are so-called moderate Democrats, fearful of
supporting a public plan, suggesting in its place? Fifty separate
cooperatives, each ran by a board of directors managing its
own risk pool, cutting its own deals with doctors and hospi-
tals.
Only 50?
This proposal push by Sen. Kent Conrad, a North Dakota
Democrat, has the support of some Democrats from fairlv con-
servative states. Conrad says he wouldn't mind one national
cooperative but is concerned it would run into the same
opposition as the public-plan idea. (Again, see the poll num-
bers above.) Does he worry that a Republican will call him a
“collectivist” on Fox? That's going to happen anyway. He can
bank on it.
By the way, the Clinton plan also envisioned regional
cooperatives. They were panned as “too much government
control.”
Some House Democrats have come up with a plan to pay for
health care through a tax on soda. The thinking goes that sug-
ary sodas contribute to obesity, and the tax would make people j
think twice before popping a can of Coke. Mamma mia — and
silence from Obama.
The real worry about Obama's steering ability will come
when the discussions grow really hot over paying for the plan.
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated the cost
of a Senate health-care draft bill at $1 trillion over 10 years.
South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham immediately
pronounced the number “a death blow to a government-run
health plan.”
The problem isn’t the $1 trillion. It's that the legislation j
would leave too many Americans uninsured. Even the $1.6 tril-
lion earlier estimate is not an outlandish amount to spend on
a decade’s worth of high-quality health-care for all Americans.
The Bush tax cuts will cost $200 billion more than that.
In 2007, the Medicare drug benefit weighed in at an esli
mated $964 billion over to years. And it covers only one
health benefit for one slice of the population. Nonetheless,
Republicans congratulated themselves that the number was
down from an earlier projection of Si.08 trillion. The decline
showed that “competition among private plans had effectively !
held down costs," Bush's secretary of health and human sei
vices, Michael Iw?avitt, announced.
Yet Montana Democrat Max Bancus, who heads the Senate
Finance Committee, now insists on getting the 10-year cost of 1
comprehensive health rare under $1 trillion.
Obama has to pick whom to disappoint and what to light
for. Above all, he should drop the obsession with winning wide
Republican support for health reform. Time to stop idling and
gun it out on tne road.
To find out more about l-'romu llarrop, and read features
hu other Creators Syndimte writers ana cartoonists, visit the
Creators Syndicate web page at www.ereators.eom.
GUEST COLUMN
Love makes no sense
Roses are red, violets are
blue, love makes no sense
to me, how bout you?
Well 1 know I’m not the
only one that thinks this,
mavbe I’m the only
one that thinks it in
this weird way, but
the concept is a com-
mon one. On the
other hand, there are
people in this world
that have gained a
better understanding
of the concept. By no
means will anybody
ever fully understand
the concept of love,
hut some have made
some progress in
being able to explain
it to the rest of us, or at least
attempt to help us.
In the process of my daily
internet surfing, I stum-
bled upon two articles that
brought some insight into
mvoveranaiyzing mind. The
first article was from Patti
Novak, who is known to be
one of America’s toughest
matchmakers, according to
Oprah.
She was offering her
advice and wisdom to three
women. My way of think-
ing has always been that
if you are wanting to find
Mr. Right the only way to
find him is to get out there
and search, search, search.
Apparently, that approach
can set you further off your
path than it can pushing
you forward. When it comes
to dating there is a thin line
that gets crossed. To find
Mr. Right, you do have to
get out there and look for
him because he’s not just
going to magically know
where you live and knock
on your door one day, but
at the same time looking
too hard can make Mr.
Right make a U-turn away
from you. There comes a
point where we can look too
hard and in the process for-
get about who we are and
TEXAS TIMES
what we want. We begin to
become desperate and don’t
realize it. There is someone
out there for everyone, but
that person is only going to
come along when
the time is right.
According to some
of my friends,
there is more than
one right person
for everyone. I
believe that every
person we have a
relationship with
is right for us, at
that particular
moment. Each
person is meant
to teach us a les-
son and help us
grow, but I believe that
there is only one person that
will eventually complete 11s.
There is only one person
that will help us bring all
the lessons that we have
learned together. One per-
son will bring us to be that
person that all those experi-
ences were meant to bring
us to be, the person we are
meant to he when we find
our “other half.”
1 thought that Patti Novak
gave some excellent advice
at the end of the story. She
said that deep down every
single woman knows why
she is single. (I truly believe
this, but just because we
know doesn't mean we want
to accept it.) She offers this
advice,
“This assignment isn’t
for everyone, it's for the
women who really wants to
find love. Find your inner
person.”' She suggests
meditation, but in my opin-
ion there are many ways
to find your inner person.
Each person has their own
way, mine is writing. The
main thing is to find a place
where you can be alone,
clear your mind and pro-
cess your thoughts (even the
ones that you want to avoid.
Those are usually the ones
that give us the best insight
and answers.) She believes
that if every woman took
the time and found their
inner person, we would all
discover that we know the
reasons we are single. She
believes that we each have
our own answers. It is up to
us to find them.
I have learned that some
women, like me, are over-
analyzers. No matter what
the situation or how black
and white it may seem, there
is always something more
to figure out. Relationships
always fall into this catego-
ry for me. It doesn’t matter
how obviously had or good
the relationship was, there
is more to the story. (Maybe
that’s the reason I’m sin-
gle. ) We have a tendency
to want to fix everything,
but we aren’t capable of it.
There are some things that
are beyond our control, and
honestly, it's probably bet-
ter that way. The only thing
that we can do is accept our-
selves and figure out our
part in the end of a relation-
ship. I've known it all along,
and I think most women
would (or could) say the
same, but Patti Novak says
it rather well, “Find that
place in your last relation-
ship, who ended it? What
did you do? You CANT fix
them. You can only poten-
tially fix you. So you have to
work on YOU.”
She is right, we have
no control over anybody,
but ourselves. We have to
take responsibility for our
actions because in the end,
a relationship takes two
people, just as it takes two
people in the beginning. A
relationship never starts
unless two people decide
to make it begin and even
though it may feel like only
one person ended it, both
people had a part (hat they
played. Once we take a
moment and step back, we
will see, even if by no fault
of our own, we had a part
in the end. I know that in
almost every relationship I
have had end, was not my
fault by action taken, but
more importantly by lack
of action. Then there are
some where 1 pushed too
hard and pushed the other
person away.
Author Martha Beck
gives hope to single women
by saying, “Perhaps when
our shallow desires burn
away and we write what we
really want, we're primed to
notice veins of gold in every
part of life. “ She is speaking
about how list making has
helped her out in aspects of
her life, work, relationships
and life in general. She con-
tinued on to say, “If you let
go of everything mutable
or temporary and express
your yearning from the pure
core that remains, I suspect
you’ll find the same magic.”
We all know what we
want in life, but as 1 said
earlier, we need to stop
ourselves from getting too
caught up in the pursuit.
The journey is meant to be
fun and a learning experi-
ence. We need to keep our
eyes open and remember
that the main goal is finding
happiness.
Money can not buy hap-
piness, looks will eventu-
ally fade and in the end,
two people are left with
what is inside. To find Mr.
Right, we need to take a
step back, realize what will
truly make us happy and
ask ourselves, in fifty years,
will it still make me happy.
If the answer is no, then you
haven't yet discovered what
you are looking for.
Amanda Moreno is a staff
writer <d the Sweetwater
Reporter. Comments
about this column may he
e-mailed to editor(isweet-
waterreporter.com.
Amanda
Moreno
The tales of Texas legend James Bowie
Every June, residents of
Bowie, Texas participate
in a celebration in honor
of their town's namesake:
.lames Bowie. “Bowie
Days” involves sev-
eral events such as
a rodeo, a bass fish-
ing tournament, and
an antique car show.
The man at the cen-
ter of their celebra-
tion is remembered
today for his color-
ful existence and his
fervent dedication
to Texas’ indepen-
dence.
According to
most accounts, the
legendary James
Bowie was horn on April
10, 1796. Bowie was
raised in Catahoula Parish,
Louisiana and as a teen-
ager, he worked deliv-
ering lumber to market.
When he wasn't working,
Bowie enjoyed hunting
and fishing and especially
the thrill of capturing and
riding wild horses and
alligators.
Though he possessed
an “open, frank disposi-
tion," an insult could
provoke a hot temper in
Bowie. Known for carry-
ing a large butcher knife
his brother had given him,
Bowie became involved in
a duel on September 19,
1827 that would go down
in history as the Sandbar
Fight. The original duel
was between Samuel Levi
Wells III and Dr. Thomas
Maddox, who exchanged
shots hut missed each
other. Another pair of
men, Alexander Crain and
Samuel t uny, stepped in,
and when Cuny was shot,
Bowie, a bystander, fired
at Crain and missed. Crain
then shot Bowie in the
shoulder. Witnesses claim
Bowie drew his butch-
er knife, chased Crain
and stabbed him several
times. Word of the light
got out and Bowie earned
a reputation as the most
formidable knife fighter in
the South. Even Ins knife
gained notoriety, as men
across the South began
flocking to the blacksmith
to have knives fashioned in
the likeness of the “Bowie
Knife."
At age 34.
Bowie took the
oath of allegiance
to Mexico and
made his way
to San Antonio.
He was gener-
ally well liked
by those he met
along the way, as
he was well trav-
eled, conversa-
tional, and gener-
ous. On a darker
note, Bowie had
a love for gam-
bling and oper-
ated under a mountain
of debt. When he arrived
in San Antonio, he pre-
sented letters of introduc-
tion to affluent Mexicans
such as Juan Martin de
Yeramendi. Bowie gave off
the impression of wealth
and ingratiated himself
with the Veramendi fam-
ily. On October 5, 1930,
Bowie officially became
a Mexican citizen. A few
months later, he married
Ursula de Veramendi
and they settled in San
Antonio.
Shortly after his mar-
riage, Bowie set out to
reclaim a legendary silver
mine west of San Antonio
from hostile Indians. Ilis
defeat of the Comanches
and other Indians who
roamed the region earned
him further acclaim as
a skilled fighter. Bowie
earned the position as
a colonel of the Texas
Rangers, and lie went on
to lead an effort to defeat
Mexican troops in the
Battle of Conception. A
man serving under Bowie
during that battle said he
was a born leader, never
needlessly spending a bul-
let or imperiling a life.”
But the role that would
win Bowie a permanent
place in Texas history was
Ills leadership in the Battle
at the Alamo. I11 1836,
Army Chief Sam Houston
got word that Mexican
General Santa Anna was
driving a large force to
San Antonio. Bowie was
sent to defend the Alamo
with 30 men in tow. Upon
his arrival on January
19, Bowie found an exist-
ing force of 104 men with
hardly enough artillery to
defend the Alamo.
Through his connection.-,
to influential Mexicans
in San Antonio, Bowie
learned that Santa Anna
was on his way with a
force of 4,500 men. Bowie
pled with the government
for more men, rifles and
resources. In a letter to
Governor Smith, Bowie
said "the salvation of Texas
depends in great measure
on keeping Bexar out of
the hands of the enemy.”
Houston had instructed
Bowie to remove the artil-
lery' and destroy the for-
tress. Bowie refused.
Nearly 10 days later,
William Travis arrived at
the Alamo with 30 troops,
and shortly after, Davy
Crockett arrived with 12
men from Tennessee.
After a power struggle
with Travis, Bowie became
ill and physicians were
unable to diagnose him.
Bowie was bedridden and
Travis became commander
of the forces Santa Anna
arrived on the outskirts of
San Antonio several days
later and began their siege
of the Alamo on February
24. According to one
reporter’s account, when
Travis realized they would
likely be defeated, he drew
a line in the sand—calling
on those who were willing
to die in the fight to cross
it. Bowie requested that
The SWEETWATER REPORTER
(USPS 5300-860) is published daily
except Saturdays and holidays by
HPC of Texas, Inc, (Periodical
Postage Paid) 112 W 3rd,
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
Postmaster Send address changes
to SWEETWATER REPORTER
PO BOX 750,
SWEETWATER TEXAS 79556
City Delivery $8 50 pet month, $85 00
per year 6-months $45 50
3-months $24 75 By mail $75 per
year in our retail trading none Other
rates available on request
Crockett and others carry
his cot across the line.
On March 6, the
Mexicans attacked the
Alamo and all 188 defend-
ers were killed. Accounts
of Bowie's death vary.
Perhaps the most accu-
rate version depicts
Bowie on his cot with his
“back braced against the
wall, and using his pistols
and famous knife” before
he was killed. When his
mother was informed of
his death, she said of her
son, “I'll wager no wounds
were found in his back.”
Killed while defending the
Alamo and his beloved
Texas, Bowie’s colorful
legacy will continue to be
told and retold for genera-
tions to come.
Sen. Cornyn serves on
the Finance, Judiciary
and Budget Committees.
He serves as the top
Republican on the
Judiciary Committee's
Immigration, Refugees
and Border Security sub-
committee. He served pre-
viously as Icxas Attorney
General, Texas Supreme
Court Justice, and Bexar
County District Judge.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention ot
the newspaper's editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher's liabil-
ity for error is limited to ttie
amount paid for advertising.
1*1’* MU'li'MS 4 tiODHM.Krvi .lil \| MU' 4V | i*i
♦
Reporter
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View one place within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 187, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 25, 2009, newspaper, June 25, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth561369/m1/4/?q=%22~1~1%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.