Iowa--where the tall corn--and more grows

I get misty when I think of Iowa.
This was my rant today on Facebook, in the wake of the presidential caucuses:
  "I am really getting tired of all the high techy, big city snobmedia and pundits looking down on their noses and making fun of the Iowa caucuses. Excuse me--they don't fit in your pigeonhole so you can stereotype the people as hicks and the system as archaic? Hey, they use pencil and paper, they get together civilly, vote in a true democracy where every vote counts, and dare to do it differently than any place else in America. You gotta problem with that? If American politicians and the system make a bigger deal of it than perhaps it should be, it's your fault. Iowans are glad you're gone. And besides, you ougtta have to come up here and suffer the winters if you're gonna be so uppity. They can handle it, if you can't."
Pardon me, but it's personal.
Three of my four children were born in that state, and my fourth child, and his family now live in Dubuque, on the northeast side, and "caucused" yesterday. Proud I am.

"Iowa, where the tall corn grows."

My wonderful wife Neysa and I  moved from Oklahoma to Hawarden, in Northwest Iowa on the South Dakota border by the Big Sioux River to teach high school English many years ago, following friends, "establishing" a church, renting a Seventh Day Adventist church, driving to Sioux City and Sioux Falls every once in a while.

I never saw so much green, so much great rolling rich dark glacial farmland, America's Mesopotamia, nestled between two great rivers...full of life, corn, soybeans,  tempered by brutal winters, but with great solid people who valued education and hard work. In northwest Iowa our first son was born, Vance Conrad. Story below.

From there we went to Iowa City to get a graduate degree in journalism, and then to southwest Iowa to be an editor of a semi-weekly paper, the Herald-Journal, in Clarinda, Iowa, where our second son, Travis Austin, and our daughter, Dallas Page, was born.

Then we moved back to Oklahoma to be near family, worked at the Duncan Banner and bought into the Waurika News-Democrat, where our fourth child, Derrick Rogers was born.

Since then there has been happiness and sadness, successes and failures, but Iowa remains, deeply a part of all of us. I can go on and on about its influences in our lives. I understand why it is the original "American Heartland."

Misty-- from an earlier post:

"We headed east over the rolling hills of northwest Iowa  years ago.

"The rising sun turned the mist from the corn golden, as we sped up and down the hills in a light green Volkswagen to the hospital 30 miles away in LeMars. My wife's contractions had started before daybreak, and we left the house shortly after 5 a.m.
"'Come in here, you're responsible for this,' said the red headed doctor O'Toole, handing me a gown and mask, and about noon, a baby boy was born.
"Those memories are still real, and I know his mother remembers even more, because mothers remember more than fathers do, including  more about the births of our other three children. 

Iowan

"Years have passed and there have been lots of ups and downs since then for all of us. But we're blessed with our children and grandchildren. That boy is now M/Sgt. Vance C. Clark, USAF... ."

Our  other Iowans--

A chilly night 

Third time is a charm

My Iowans, Derrick and Naomi, ready to caucus!

 

 

A year's story begins, a day at a time

A walk in Hafer Park today sets me to thinking. If I did this every day for a year, I'd have walked 730 miles by Dec. 31, 2014. And if I took a photo every trip, I'd have quite an album of ordinary things, consuming storage on my computer.
But today was blustery and cold. Few people were out. There will be days when it will be snowing, or icing, or raining, or threatening. There will be days when I'm out of town.
I know this though, if some higher power would guarantee me another year of life if I did walk it every day, I would. But there ain't no 730-more-mile guarantee on this 1944 model.

Anyway, I took two photos today, of a tree stump and a diseased tree, both of which hint at continuing life. Some lovers sat down and carved their names into the stump. Some bug bored a hole through a pasting designed to keep bugs out of a diseased tree. There is a future. These have been enhanced on the computer, because there was no sun for contrast.
This reminds me of the remarkable accomplishment of friend and colleague Mark Zimmerman, who took one second videos every day last year, and pasted them together. 
It's quite a project (warning, one second involves me).
Here are Mark's Facebook comments:

"Each day in 2013 I recorded one second of video. Never thought I would make it to today. 
Some observations on this project-
1. The easiest month was the first
2. The hardest month was the last
3. Had a few technical difficulties (I lost 3 videos throughout the year)
4. If you want to see a much better every day project, see by brother-in-law's Everyday People here
5. I hate "selfies" - but I did a few.
6. The majority of my subjects are my cameras, my pets, and my family (not listed in order of importance).
7. I am ready to have my iPhone storage space back.
8. I lead a pretty boring life (but I am ok with that).
I used an APP called One Second Everyday http://1secondeveryday.com/"

Here is Mark's fascinating journey through 2013, one second at a time, for 365 days. Enjoy

The 24th UCO autumn of change

So much has changed. 

It's my 24th autumn at UCO.  Parking lots are crammed and students crowd the sidewalks, visiting and  heading to and from classes.
Most of these students weren't even alive when I started work here, and the freshmen were born in 1995.
Venturing across campus, listening to music blaring, letting the energy of hope and youth sink in, I'm amazed at the changes.
The students all have mobile phones, iPods and most have laptop computers, non-existent when I started. They nonchalantly carry backpacks and water bottles with them. There are many more now, about 17,000, and there are many more languages spoken on campus as international students have also increased.
They walk on neat sidewalks across a manicured campus where gravel parking lots once lapped up to buildings.  In 1990, there was little Internet, email was new and strange, and there were only a few computers on campus. 

Media has changed. The student newspaper, The Vista was in its prime, and broadcast was in another department. Today they've merged and are dominated by online news, using new inventions never imagined then--Facebook Twitter, Instagram and You Tube.
Since then Oklahoma survived a terrorist bombing and has been revitalized. America has been attacked and involved in three wars and air travel is excruciating.
My office today is in part of a building that didn't exist then, along with other new buildings dotting the campus. We're still a commuter campus, but there more resident students and a vital campus life, almost non-existent then. The average age of the students has dropped from upper twenties to lower twenties, as more and more fresh high school graduates arrive. 
Then I was old enough to be my students' father...now I could be their grandfather. I've worked under four university presidents, four deans, four governors and four U.S. Presidents. I've endured countless meetings, just as more than 3,000 students have endured me.
The first classes I taught were editing and feature writing. Today I teach classes in social media, blogging, international media and writing. My teaching has changed as I grow more tolerant and aware of what's important and not so. I served 19 years as a department chair, had successes and losses, and wish I'd given it up long before then.

    Teaching keeps you young, and aware that you're not--Clark

I've changed too, with less hair, more wrinkles and weight, though I still work with newspapers. I have written and traveled more. My children are up and grown.  I've survived some trials, tragedies and losses, and enjoyed adventures and happiness, losing friends and loved ones, and making new ones, including being blessed with many great students. And of course, eight grandchildren.
But some things haven't changed at UCO, including the energy of the young, especially at the start of the fall semester. Old North, the 1892 iconic building  is still vacant but being renovated, towering over the campus. And the coeds are always attractive.

Llano estacado, watercolor

9 by 12, 140 pound d'Arches paper--first attempt.

I saw this monster south of Amarillo Wednesday night after attending church with my daughter, son in law and of course three grandchildren. What's amazing to me is that after a trip to the clouds and spirit of New Mexico--as necessary to my life as seawater to tidal pools--this is my first painting. Susan saw the photo--earlier today on facebook--and ooh'd and ahh'd. Love in its many forms moves spirits. I knew when I took it.

For those of you experienced in the Llano--the Staked Plains--forgive me for adding a little relief to the flat horizon. See the facebook posting for reference. I will do better.

Dramatis Personae, part one, of the Facebook Follies

For those of you following recent Facebook exchanges about my  views on The Worst President, aka George Bush, conservatives, et.al.,  I thought you'd like to meet part of the cast who are adding to the conversations:

Clark and Morrison

• Steve Snider, friend from Waurika days, bachelor, big OU fan ( I seem to remember he was a walk-on) and we attended several games together,  exiled to Fort Worth! Hook'm. Most importantly, he's the nephew of my newspaper partner, the late great Don Morrison, "Mr. Waurika Lake," and a plaque I helped dedicate is at the overlook in NW Jeff county. Don was a proud graduate of the H.H. Herbert School of Journalism at OU and used the Waurika News-Democrat in a 30-year fight national fight to get Waurika Lake built. That was back in my Republican days and Don, a lifelong Democrat, who wouldn't endorse candidates in the News-Democrat--"An Independent newspaper"--and I would have our differences. He always argued that the Democrats were for the little guys and the GOP for the rich people. He's upstairs laughing at how I've changed. As a graduate of the Don MOrrison weekly newspaper school, I learned more about quality journalism than you can imagine.Steve  was the town humorist and could get his uncle in stitches with his kidding and parodies, including stopping at Braum's in Chickasha on the way home from the games. Steve swears Don would eat a whole half gallon of ice cream before they got back to Waurika. Steve's parents, George "Brick" and Mary Lacy Snider, were his partners in publishing, until I bought out their share a long time ago. Steve's folks, much to the chagrin of many of the Methodists--their family's church--in town from whence they came, went into religious publishing, moved to Throckmorton and then to Frederick. The name of their paper was The Grape Press. Real faith. They donated their bodies to medical research. So Steve comes by his faith honestly, and I can forgive him for being conservative, and he and I can rattle each other's chains once in a while.
• Sara Beth Lutrick Foote, my cousin and  the reason I'm in love with all redheads, currently of Plum Grove, Texas. Sarah's a young thing, only five years older than me, the daughter of my Mom's sister Gladys and Clark Lutrick (there's an omen). Besides that red hair, I remember most how mouthy she was. When we were visiting in the hot summers of long ago in Houston and I was a kid, I was amazed how sassy she was with her parents. I'd never have been able to get away with it because I "was a good boy," but she did. Now I'm trying to make up for it. It's Sarah's fault if I'm a little outspoken. Sarah and I didn't get to know each other very well as kids, but in recent years we talk often, and her mouthiness has not changed, along with that East Texas drawl. I can talk to her on the phone and my spirits always lift with laughter, because she's always digging at me with that wry Culp humor, and I get to reciprocate. She can take it and dish it out. She and husband Bob live in this great ranch-style house in the country with a big porch and beautiful azaleas along the front and both the Texas and American flags flying. She and Bob are real conservatives --what would you expect from a member of the DAR, UDC  and DRT (United Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the Republic of Texas, for you infidels). Tells you where my ancestry is. Oh, and they are Republicans, but  I forgive them for being acquaintances of the last president. At least we can kid and each other, and still be friends and love each other, and talk. (Genetic Texan blood is thicker than all that).
• Note: I have a photo of Sarah Beth and Bob at a Baylor game, on her facebook page. Can't seem to get it to open from here. Sorry, SB. By the way, it is always Sarah Beth. We grew up where middle names were always used. If someone from down there calls, you know immediately because it is "Terry Mike.")
• Chapter two coming. It's interesting to me that both of these conservatives always mention the abortion issue. I don't know the answer to that, having watched an abortion save a mother's life, but not wanting males to be in charge of women's lives. This deep divide in our country will probably never be healed, but we need to talk. Steve and Sarah Beth are sincere  and ardent in their beliefs.

facebook Fascists

 

Book burners--watercolor

7 1/2 x 11 300# Fabriano Artistico paper

How dare intolerant Nazis cut off my right of dissent, my ability to read, to think, to speak, and then not even have the ethics and guts to take responsibility for such totalitarian acts?

They did. American book burners are back in business.

It happened last week when I posted a link to a NY Times story on the Tea Party movement on this blog and  facebook. Within two days, facebook blocked the link  because some people found the article "offensive." No one had to take blame for that viewpoint--which is allowed under the First Amendment--but there was no recourse against facebook. From now on, it's facebook, lower case--or caste--for me. I understand the need to police pornography, child pornography and other legal items. That's far different than squelching freedom.

But to forbid political discussion because some right-wing wackos don't want another viewpoint published? This smacks of the Inquisition, The Nazis, the Soviet purges, the Red Scare of the 1950s, the oppression and violence of the Civil Rights movement, the legalized terrorism in present day China  and Iran when books were burned, people blacklisted, or simply hauled off in the middle of the night because someone had reported they were Jewish, or people who dared question or oppose authority.

These extreme right-wingers are no different if they can't tolerate differing views and work to silence them

In fact, this anonymous auhoritarianism shows its "true colors," and they're not red, white and blue. Their colors are the colors of tyranny of thought, of conformity, of shouting, of bigotry, of religious intolerance--refusing to e to compromise, to listen, to consider other ideas, even if disagreeing.

These tea partiers are trying to destroy the very freedoms they enjoy--for those who don't agree with them. This action proves they would repeal the First Amendment that gives me the right to think, to speak, to write this blog, to worship when and where and if I want, to gather like they do.

I don't mind argument and dissent...it makes us who we are. John Stuart Mill, in On Liberty summed up the basis of our freedoms. Dissent and disagreement, and free publication of all ideas, is essential for freedom. He believed that we were rational beings and truth would rise to the top, like cream, echoing John Milton's "free marketplace of ideas." Those who try to stifle dissent and refuse to consider other ideas are not, alas, rational. They're fearful, insecure, bigots. They're  the same fearful, narrow-minded bigots that stole my campaign yard sign.  These people are not conservatives--they give conservatives a bad name. Real conservatives want to conserve individual freedoms, not destroy them.

These are the people who have driven Sen. Evan Bayh from the Senate. These are the people who are trying to unseat Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Kay Baily Hutchison of Texas. These are the people who have brought Congress to a standstill. Perhaps the last time there was so little compromise in national politics was right before the American Civil War. Will the country come apart again? I think it already has.

I'll post a link to this scree on facebook. Wonder how long before the facebook fascists disagree, report me as "offensive, and prohibit you from reading it?