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Thursday, November 11, 2010 Opinion The Brownsville States-Graphic page A4 P eeples By 28th Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Clayburn Peeples 2nd Tuesday The Brownsville States-Graphic(USPS ISSN 08909938) is published weekly by Haywood County Newspapers L.L.C., 42 South Washington, P.O. Box 59, Brownsville TN 38012. Periodicals postage paid at Brownsville, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Brownsville States-Graphic, P.O. Box 59, Brownsville, TN 38012 “A publication of American Hometown Publishing” DEADLINES: News, Monday at Noon • Advertising, Monday at Noon Classified Advertising, Monday at Noon Society news, Monday at Noon Legals, Monday at Noon SUBSCRIPTIONS (PER YEAR): Haywood County $35; In-state $42; Out-of-state $49 Communications with the newspaper must include the author’s signature, address and telephone number. All letters to the editor reflect the opinions of the writer and are not necessarily those of the newspaper. The newspaper is not responsible for unsolicited material. We reserve the right to reject or shorten letter to the editor. 731-772-1172 Brownsville STATES-GRAPHIC Scott Whaley, Editor & Publisher Vicky Fawcett, Office Manager Terry Thompson Sales Manager Ceree Peace Poston Receptionist Calvin Carter, Staff Writer Julie Pickard, Staff Writer Matt Garrett Graphic Designer Calvin Carter, Staff Writer Julie Pickard, Staff Writer Matt Garrett Graphic Designer Jeff Perry Sports Writer People are still talking, as you would expect, about the stunning victory of Stephen Fincher in the just concluded congressional race. No one alive seems to remember anyone but a democrat holding that office, and as people are wont to do, lots of folks have tried to put it in perspective. “It’s the first time since Davy Crockett that anyone other than a democrat has been elected to congress in this district,” I heard a radio announcer say on election night. “That’s right,” his broadcast partner said, “Davy Crockett was a Whig.” That got me to wondering if they were correct. I knew Emerson Etheridge, our congressman when the Civil War broke out, stayed in Washington for the duration. (He was a Unionist.) And one of Davy’s sons was elected to Congress after Davy’s death. Wasn’t he a Whig too? And the answer is “yes” he was, and so was Etheridge when his political career began, but he had switched to the American (Know- Nothing) Party, and then to the Opposition Party (a collection of politicians whose philosophy was somewhere between Southern Democrats and Northern Republicans) by the time the Civil War broke out. Beyond that, it is hard to say who represented “our district” because district boundary lines change every ten years, and sometimes we gain new seats, but usually we lose them. (We have nine now, but in the 1830’s, we had 13.) But Davy was definitely “our” congressman. Of course Crockett County didn’t exist then, but the parts of historic Madison, Haywood, Gibson and Dyer Counties that make up Crockett County were all in Davy’s district. So Congressman Fincher will definitely hold Davy’s seat in congress, and even if Davy wasn’t the last non democrat to be elected to the seat, he was certainly the most colorful man to ever hold it. One of very few Tennesseans who have become national heroes, Crockett also holds the distinction of being our only Tennessee hero with substantial ties to all three Grand Divisions of the state. He was born, not on a mountaintop, but next to a meandering stream in a valley in East Tennessee in Greene County. He moved west with the frontier and was elected to the state legislature from two different Middle Tennessee counties before moving to West Tennessee. Here, he began his career as a Jackson Democrat, but split with Jackson and became a Whig. A colorful teller of tall tales, he had gained, by the time of his death at the Alamo, almost mythical proportions in the nation’s mind set, so much so that many people were profoundly disappointed when they actually met him. He came across, a contemporary wrote, as “a plain, practical, unassuming man.” Some historians have suggested that he was not nearly so “common” as he pretended to be, but hey, what politician ever was? No matter. To the Whig propaganda spin masters of the day, and the sensational press, he was “The Lion of the West”, a half-man, half-bear Paul Bunyanesque figure who rode alligators bare back, just for fun. In a day when politicians were known to some people only by their reputations, his was definitely larger than life. Of course, some of what they said about him was true. He did grow up in the backwoods, and he did enlist in the army as an Indian fighter. On one Indian fighting foray into Alabama he contracted malaria, and word was sent back home that he had died. He hadn’t of course, and when he returned to his still grieving family several weeks later it was if he had come back from the dead. The legend grew. As a politician, he also benefited from being a natural storyteller, and good storytellers have always had a huge advantage in Tennessee political races. But he got crossed up with Andrew Jackson over the Cherokee Indian removal and settler’s rights, and the Whigs saw a chance to use him to national political advantage, and even discussed running him for president. But the people of West Tennessee, at Old Hickory’s urging, put an end to that discussion by voting him out of office in favor of a one legged lawyer from Jackson. Devastated and disheartened, he set out for Texas and yet another career, delivering one of the all-time great exit lines in American history as he did. “Since you have chosen to elect a man with a timber toe to succeed me, you may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.” Where was it that he said it? Well it seems like half the counties in West Tennessee claim it was on their courthouse steps, but the historical record indicates that it was in the lobby bar of the Union Hotel in Memphis that he uttered his immortal insult, however it also shows that he repeated it other places as well, so maybe every claimant is correct. But wherever he was, he meant what he said, and not longer afterward, he stepped on a raft at the mouth of the Wolf River and was ferried across the wide Mississippi River to Arkansas. Thence to Texas. Thence to immortality. King of the Wild Frontier Lately it seems that whenever a franchise or business is mentioned and the word progress is somehow linked to it, we collectively nod our heads in a “Gee, that’s too bad,” motion. With the economy struggling to rise again, it makes sense that our facial expressions go from curious to elegiac settings when we hear about a business. That’s all true unless you’re McDonald’s. Articles across the net are using a word nearly thought absent from the economy’s vocabulary: increase. McDonald’s October sales rose 6.5 percent in the nation over a span of 13 months. Analysts also project global sales would advance for the burger giant by 5.4 percent. Before any health resistance launches its tirade against the House Of Big Macs, I suggest that you choose your words carefully…Mac. My mom works there. You know that American Dream where if you work hard and never give up, the sky is the limit? It’s all myth and legend these days you say? You have to become a part of the dog-eat-dog universe and betray and step over someone to make it? Not so. To me, my mom and dad are the living epitome of what hard work and God’s blessings can bring. Mom started out working in the grills and has worked her way up into the corporate stratosphere so far that my ears pop sometimes when I talk to her. A couple of years ago, she and my dad made their first trip to Hawaii. This year I became a kid again—well a bigger one anyways—when we made a family trip to Disney World. I’m not saying I fully support the replacement of real food by convenient processed food (all the time anyway), but many of these opportunities we have received are thanks to her job. So why is McDonald’s having such a great year compared to other businesses are sulking over low sales? It was a question I asked my mom a few months ago, wondering if business had been difficult. For them, business has actually been doing just the opposite of what other fast food restaurants find happening. She mentioned that part of the reason has to do with the dollar menu, or cheaper items for purchase. Money is tight in a lot of families, and while not always the healthiest option, feeding a family with $15 to $20 rather than doubling that seems like the reasonable option. I believe one could also factor in our society desire for instant gratification, a rooted reason for fast food’s decade long dominance. We want it and we want it now. And McDonald’s, on paper anyway, will deliver it to us, not only faster, but also cheaper. This is perfect for the image for the modern family that doesn’t really sit together at the dinner table anymore. Or, if they do sit together, then you can probably bet it’s in front of the T.V. Some analysts are also pointing the reason for such success at the boom of new items and promotions. Recently, McDonald’s finally threw its hat into the Starbucks arena with its frappes. Personally I didn’t really think too much about them. But many others did, and it seems that the drink, along with its smoothie cousin, has become another success for Ronald. The McRib, also, has made a comeback, and as always, it’s always a big money maker. Having spent some of my teen years working at a McDonald’s during the McRib season, I feel bad for the grill cooks. The McRib is one of the messiest items to put together. That’s surprising, as it’s also one of the easiest sandwiches to put together. Not to mention that aroma from the sauce can be violently penetrating to the nose of whoever is fixing the sandwich, rather than the subtly delicious fragrance it provides to eaters of the McRib. I could never understand this sandwich’s appeal. It’s just meat in barbeque sauce on a bun. However, people treat the McRib like it’s the second coming of Elvis. Guess I’m too unhip for the cult phenomenon. And of course there are promotions like the Monopoly game, driving many people with the dreams of winning big to purchase a Number One. In case you’re wondering, yes, when I did eat a lot of McDonald’s, I used to try playing the game, which was kind of futile on my part because I think there’s some kind of rule that prevents me from participating because of my mom’s job It’s just as well. I was never that good at Monopoly. Now Battleship, that’s a game I could win . Anyway the purpose of this column wasn’t to detract from or applaud the company’s success. I’m just wondering if any of the theories I mentioned before are the reason why the company has achieved success, especially when this nation is making a drive to combat the obesity epidemic. I guess being healthy really isn’t cheap. So, the next time when you order that McNugget meal, ask yourself the reason why you ordered it? Don’t let it stop you from ordering, though. Go ahead, if you want it. Ahem, and no, I’m not just saying that last part because my mom reads all of my articles. Speaking of which, hey, Mom, how’s business? On the rise
