A Nation of Cowards????

Our current Attorney General, Eric Holder, has been quoted as saying that America is a "nation of cowards when it comes to race."  

One of the bright spots in this early "WTH" moment has been the focus by some on the true history of race in our country.  First Glenn Beck brought David Barton to his show to give some true history of the contributions of black Americans (I refuse to hyphenate, we are all Americans) to the revolution.  One of my favorite segments was about James Armistead who was one of our country's first and most important spies.  He was one of many black patriots whose story was taught in American history classes, until Woodrow Wilson and the Progressive movement decided to remove their story from history in order to create a repressed class of citizens dependent on, or "owed" by the government.

I won't go into a rehash of Mr. Barton's biographies, but will mention two of my favorites from Texas history.  The first is the basis of a character in my favorite book, Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove.  In the novel, the two former Texas Rangers, Gus and Call, depend on a former slave who has worked with and for them since their ranger days, Deets.  In the opening scene of the book, Deets is returning from a three day trip to San Antonio after making their bank deposits.  They send Deets because they trust him, and who would expect a black cowboy to be carrying that much cash?  Deets is based on a real hero of the old west, Bose Ikard.  Ikard was a hired hand, and former slave, who worked with and for Oliver Loving, and after Loving's death, Loving's partner, Charles Goodnight.  Gus and Call are partially based on Loving and Goodnight.    Goodnight said of Ikard, "he was my detective, banker, and everything else in Colorado, New Mexico, and any other wild country I was in."  When Ikard died, Goodnight had a granite marker engraved with the following epitaph, which will seem very familiar to Lonesome Dove fans:  "Bose Ikard served with me four years on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, never shirked a duty or disobeyed an order, rode with me in many stampedes, participated in three engagements with Comanches, splendid behavior."

Could anyone, black or white, ask for a better memorial?  Sounds like the rampant racism we were taught in history classes?  Hardly, and this was in Texas, shortly after the Civil War.  

The other story comes from a historical marker less than five miles from my parent's house in Young County, Texas.

 After reading this marker on one of my trips home, I did some research on Britt Johnson.  (Once again, thank you Al Gore for the internet!  You deserve a massage!)  Johnson was a former slave who became a respected and much sought after scout and mule driver.  While away on a trail drive, his brother and son were killed by raiding Kiowas and Comanches.  They also kidnapped his younger son and wife.  Johnson trailed the kidnappers until he found them.  He lived with them for a winter and negotiated the release of his family.  This act made him famous in the area where such raids and kidnappings were common.  He tracked down and either negotiated the release, or rescued victims of at least two other raids.  Unfortunately, this did not endear him to the Comanches and Kiowas.  As the marker above relates, the Kiowas eventually got their revenge on Johnson and two other black men who were accompanying him in Young County.  Johnson's exploits in the Elm Creek Raid, where Goodnight was also a major participant, were the basis for John Ford's movie, The Searchers, starring John Wayne as a character based on Britt Johnson.   

As these two stories illustrate, even in Texas, shortly after the Civil War, Americans "judged (others) based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin."  Just as Dr. Martin King dreamed.  Why is our current department of justice not living up to this heritage?  Is it possible that Mr. Holder and President Obama are cowards when it comes to the issue of race in America.  What would happen to their agenda if the race card were removed from their playbook?  I guess we can dream too.

Hometown

One advantage to business being down this winter is that I'm not working 60-80 hours a week this year.  That leaves some time to do more recreational activities.  Of course the disadvantage to working less hours with slower sales is the decrease in income.  That seems to be one of the unfair facts of life.  If you are making money, you have no time.  If you have time, you are not making money.  Such is life.

So, I have been reading more than I have in several years.  Two books I read this week both have hometowns and roots as a major theme.  The first one is Larry McMurtry's wrap-up of his first protagonist, Duane Moore from The Last Picture Show.  In this new book, Rhino Ranch, Duane feels disconnected from his hometown of Thalia.  A wealthy philanthropist has started a preserve to save the rhino and the town welcomes the business and money, but not the people involved.  Duane is torn between loyalty for his town and disgust for the way they treat outsiders (anyone who hasn't lived there for their entire life).  And even worse, as he ages, he is becoming one of the outsiders.  His successful oil company is now being run by his son, and now if the young people know him at all, it is just through stories or rumors about his series of wives and scandals.  He even goes through the stereotypical you young 'uns get off my lawn old man stage.  Well, sort of.  His involves the omnipresent meth cookers.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has read the previous books in the Duane Moore saga:  The Last Picture Show, Texasville, and Duane's Depressed.  It's a good, quick read.  As longtime Dallas sportswriter, Blackie Sherrod once said, McMurtry has written great books and good books.  The story might not be great, but he can't write a bad book. 

The second book I'm reading this week is John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

I think I'll write about it in tomorrow's post.