| I was listening to talk radio this morning. I | | | | side, triangle! Just you try and park or have |
| know it shouldn't, but I do. Sometimes the | | | | access to the side of the road to park, |
| host seems sane and sometimes you get a real | | | | stand, picket, or protest!I put that "free |
| stinking day, with the stinking-thinking of a | | | | speech" right in quotation marks for a |
| Ghost-host, who is apparently havin' a bad | | | | reason. It seems that there is none today in |
| day.How else could someone talk so darn mean? | | | | this country. You can get arrested for |
| It seems as if the far right, that's my | | | | wearing a "Veterans for Peace" tee shirt at |
| opinion, takes what they call "the high | | | | the VA hospitals! Don't laugh. And don't be |
| ground" on a subject, and then they get right | | | | surprised. I have heard warnings of this |
| down in the sewer! Not with their use of | | | | coming to your area soon!What with eighty-odd |
| vulgar language or cussing, but the good ole' | | | | newly announced, roads such as that of the |
| acceptable English words can be formed to do | | | | TTC, or superhighway, is soon coming to your |
| more than what a sword could do! This is | | | | area and is not remote prospect anymore. |
| because it would be a "sword fight", and not | | | | Changing roads, such as our new 121 State |
| a one-sided combat! You see, from my | | | | Highway (I think) extension into one of the |
| perspective, the "target of the radio host | | | | many converted, taxed, paid for, roadways |
| usually does not have the forum anywhere near | | | | into money machines for Spain. Yep, another |
| as formidable as the talk show host. So it is | | | | toll road! Handled, managed, maintained, and |
| like watching, or listening in this case, to | | | | repaired, by a company from Spain. The |
| an unarmed combatant going up against a man | | | | company is said to be owned by the King of |
| with a sword. You hear nothing from the | | | | Spain. I think I saw that coming when I saw |
| "target-victim"! Even if the victim is | | | | signs around here saying, "This section of |
| semi-famous, or semi-infamous, he or she, has | | | | roadway adopted by....". It figures, don't |
| absolutely nothing, virtually, to say as they | | | | it.So as you drive down a toll road your |
| are "slaughtered"! This kind of combat, | | | | Grandpapy paid for with his tax money, paying |
| unlike a true debate, you know, a debate | | | | the Spanish Crown as you go, and come to any |
| between peers, not at all like the ones we | | | | seaport, (they are all transferred now |
| have been exposed to whenever we are | | | | anyway, no tip of the hat to public outcry I |
| subjected to the horror of Presidential | | | | think, by the Saudi buying the several |
| "Debates", but real debate, before an | | | | companies!) to ship your cargo upon a Chinese |
| audience that contains no "Fan Club", nor | | | | Freighter, using the port owned and operated |
| much of a "Party" to hone our word-battle | | | | by the Saudis, you are probably driving a |
| into a "prime time made for TV" show.I'm not | | | | truck registered in Mexico. You would |
| talking about having a political opinion here | | | | probably be coming from the new Kansas |
| folks. I mean, we all have an opinion on most | | | | Mexican Port , I am not at all kidding you |
| national and state issues. Some even have | | | | here! You see, we don't actually "Do" |
| opinions about local issues! Imagine that, if | | | | anything now. Except pay and pay and pay!When |
| you will. But to get on the radio, in this | | | | that super-duper-highway gets to cutting |
| case its KLIF in Dallas, and say something so | | | | Texas in to two states, I wonder where the |
| cruel that it curdles me, then it must be one | | | | famous will live? I mean, it has to be one or |
| of the lowest of the lowest "below the belt | | | | the other? I reckon. So which will have all |
| hits" I ever heard!Cindy Shehan is at, or | | | | the political power, and who will be left |
| will soon be, in Crawford, Texas. She will | | | | "sucking hind teat" as my old Grandpa used to |
| not be in that little town exactly, but out | | | | say.Well, I went around the long way din't I? |
| in the countryside on a County road, or FM | | | | But that is typical of me. I can get back to |
| road. She is going to picket the Presidents' | | | | the point fast enough. Cindy Shehan is, |
| ranch again. Now, I have been there. I mean, | | | | according to this radio talk show "Monster", |
| I have visited the location. Only after and | | | | controlled and funded by all that is evil and |
| in-between the commotion, I did visit to get | | | | horrible on the far left. And I guess that is |
| my bearings, sort of get the lay of the | | | | true! And the "hunger strike", if there is |
| geography, because there was a major | | | | one, "isn't"! I guess that too. But still, |
| controversy about roadsides, right-of-ways, | | | | even I know that these several radio talk |
| etc. That is a mental throw-back to my days | | | | show stations, and probably more to the |
| spent in Vietnam.I was in Vietnam.The setting | | | | point, the talk show host, is funded by big |
| is a flat black dirt land. A deep ditch, oh, | | | | "business" types on the far right, if not |
| about twenty feet at a straight-straight down | | | | actually funded by an arm of the U.S. |
| angle in the area to drain the land. If you | | | | Government!Now, don't you doubt for a minute |
| can picture that. And this ditch, as so many | | | | you are not a victim of propaganda! For you |
| used to do back near where I grew up, goes | | | | are. You are bombarded with it from your |
| down and into whiterock. Whiterock is like | | | | early coffee until you turn your lights out |
| chalk, and just as brittle and white. There | | | | at night. All financed by the U.S. |
| is only the one paved road that winds down | | | | Government, or the cronies of whoever is in |
| and around so curvy that you begin to doubt | | | | office. We are the same as every other |
| that it goes anywhere except back to town.In | | | | country! We have "suicided" non-essential |
| the old days of road construction I think the | | | | persons, we have "arms cut off", we have |
| county just followed the old dirt roads | | | | "propaganda", we have "corruption", we have |
| "donated" right of way, winding back and | | | | "murder in the name of the state", we have it |
| forth from the front yard of one home to the | | | | all. And "payola, to control'a" is not beyond |
| front yard of the next. And that is why we | | | | the pale! Not with so much at stake. That is, |
| have such curvy FM highways. Well, they have | | | | the stake is being driven into the very heart |
| straightened them out a bit, a show of | | | | of this country to "meld" it to the world |
| cut-off "old roadbed" is here and there.Past | | | | Government. To kill it, and if you don't |
| this main point of our focus, the road hits a | | | | believe that, you are kinda simple, ain't |
| junction. It is nothing more than the meeting | | | | ya?There is one small detail that stands in |
| of two roadbeds, and it is just the same type | | | | the way of all this. And that is the "middle |
| of old roadway, that is, the same type | | | | of the kingdom". Not "The Kingdom", that |
| construction. The pavement from this new | | | | comes later, that one is only spiritual now, |
| roadway meets ours, but divides, going off at | | | | for some. But the middle of America. It is |
| an angle in both directions, constructing a | | | | still alive. Still has a heartbeat. As a |
| small "Y:" looking spot in the middle | | | | matter of fact, it has a heart! Which is |
| containing a small bit of land, much as you | | | | saying more than the "Monsters" of talk radio |
| would see anywhere, but why here? I have no | | | | have! To prove that to me again this morning, |
| idea. But it is all paved, except this | | | | one national talk show host said something |
| landed, grassed center of the "Y", showing it | | | | horrid! It was in order to "put down" Cindy |
| is a bus route. In this country they put down | | | | Shehan and her efforts, whether good or bad, |
| a whiterock based road over all the dirt | | | | that is beside the point, "she hasn't (even) |
| roads used at the very least, and then soon | | | | put a tombstone on her sons' grave yet!"Now |
| as they can, budget-wise, the county paves | | | | by God, that is uncalled for! That is not |
| each of those roads. I can remember when the | | | | only hurtful it is a disgrace. Even an old |
| county roads were dirt, those are roads that | | | | battle-horse, half-blind and half-dumb old |
| actually outline each county, as if it were a | | | | salt like me, has a heart, and that was hurt |
| border crossing or something. As a matter of | | | | by those words! Can you imagine that being |
| fact, it was, to a point, and still | | | | said of or about your family? That ain't |
| is!Anyway, these County unpaved roads had | | | | hitting below the belt. That is, instead, |
| fences along the sides if you were lucky. And | | | | right out of the pit of Hell! Typically talk |
| at times and at such places around, there was | | | | radio is a hard line, but this is talk show |
| and is, more than a handful of cattleguards | | | | radio, at its best! Come on man, have at |
| in the roadway, where the county right of way | | | | least some dignity!Dan BunchCopyright 2006 by |
| and the property owner kind of have dual | | | | Dan Bunch All Rights ReservedDan BunchDan |
| possession. There is the assumption that you | | | | Bunch is of Native American Melungeon |
| are entering into the land owners property, | | | | heritage. His mother a naturalized citizen, |
| including the roadway, as in Texas the | | | | his father, a United States Army veteran of |
| property line is often in the center of the | | | | WWII, born in Texas a Cherokee-Melungeon.Dan |
| road, even in towns. Why this concentration | | | | Bunch, totally ignorant of his African and |
| here with the lay of the land and road | | | | Melungeon heritage, spent his formative years |
| junctions? Because it became as much a part | | | | in Whitewright, Texas, where he was exposed |
| of the controversy and story as the picketing | | | | to the typical "White" American youth |
| and protesting in front of the "ranch" did! | | | | experience of; school; football, baseball, |
| "Ranch" is in quotes here because it is not | | | | and boxing, and farm work. He enlisted in the |
| at all a ranch. Believe me, there is not much | | | | United States Navy Reserve at the age of |
| to see, not worth making the trip! Its more | | | | seventeen while still a junior in high |
| like the plowed ground between Israel and | | | | school. He has had a multitude of experience |
| Palestine held high ground than it is a | | | | in business. He attributes his interest in |
| ranch!This is the battleground for Cindy | | | | many subjects to his early career as a |
| Shehan. There is now signs posted every ten | | | | newspaper boy in his hometown of Whitewright, |
| foot, almost, that deny anyone the right to | | | | Texas.He married his high school sweetheart |
| park along the roadbed. So to avoid a ticket, | | | | Gayle in 1965, a brilliant woman with a |
| and perhaps incarceration, you have to be | | | | professional carreer in finance. They have |
| very circumspect as far as parking and | | | | two children and five grandchildren. Dan |
| distance if you want to exercise your right | | | | Bunch is a graduate of Grayson Co. Jr. |
| of "free speech". Even the "Y" spoken of here | | | | College, which he attended upon his return |
| has its many signs, one for every direction, | | | | from active military service in Vietnam. He |
| embedded within its very small ten foot a | | | | was aboard U.S. |