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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country
of West Texas
Opinion
Squarely
Pegged
By Peggy McCracken
Tuesday, November 21, 2000
Dusty dollars create
money laundering thoughts
Every morning when I start counting the greenbacks in the till, I start
sneezing. Wondering what might be on the money that I am allergic to led
me to consider cocaine dust, since I know dope dealers handle money and
drugs at the same time.
That thought made me curious about the origin of the term "money laundering,"
most often associated with dealing drugs these days. We use it, of course,
to denote money that has been deposited in a legitimate bank account to
"clean it up," or make it appear that it came from a legal source. But
where did the term originate, and why is it called "laundering?"
Here is one theory I came up with on my own. Bankers have been known
to dust money with a colorless powder that turns purple or some other hideous
color on the hands of those who handle the money. Should bank robbers or
embezzlers get their hands on the money, the telltale color would "catch
them red-handed."
Is that how the term red-handed came into general use? And did thieves
launder the money to remove the telltale powder? Do you ever wonder about
such things?
Just this morning I got an email (those forwarded messages I detest)
that talked about some words associated with each person's view of his
place in the universe. Most of us consider ourselves the center of the
universe, and everything else radiates out from there. To Jews, everyone
else was a Gentile. To ancient Greeks, everyone who did not speak Greek
was a barbarian (because to a Greek it sounded like they were saying bar
bar bar). To early Christians, who lived mostly in cities, everyone living
in the country (heath) was a heathen.
You get the idea. And I suppose that is why the term "He thinks the
world revolves around him" denotes anyone who sees himself as the center
of the universe.
I don't know about you, but I find etymology interesting. That's the
study of words and their origin, I think. Castle Publishing gathered up
a bunch of words, expressions and cliches and published a book detailing
the history behind them.
It's hard to pick just one from the thousands in the book, but here
is one that relates to the topic I started with _ money laundering.
Why was the flower known as "lavender" given that name?
It was once the custom for laundresses to place a sprig of this plant
in with the laundry they had cleaned in order to scent it. The Italian
word for washing is lavanda.
Reckon it would help to add a little lavender to the cash drawer? Probably
then my sneezing would increase due to the flower pollen. Probably I should
just use Duz. "Duz does everything." Remember that ancient radio jingle?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Peggy McCracken is business manager and webmaster.
Her e-mail address is peg2@pecos.net.
Your View
Bus drivers not to blame for mishap at band competition
To the Editor:
In a letter recently written by Diane Paz, she states that the Pecos
School administrators are trying to justify their mistakes by saying that
the bus drivers were tired.
We would like to further clarify for the public any questions that might
arise. To begin with, the drivers who participated in that particular trip
were highly experienced drivers who each have no less than 15 years of
experience. We agree with Diane Paz that the administrators are in fact
trying to justify any decision made by school administrators by passing
the buck down to the bus drivers, when in fact we are accustomed to driving
home from trips at 3 and 4 a.m., in the morning so arriving any time before
midnight is a piece of cake!
We'd also like the public to know our responsibility as school bus drivers
is to transport your children to and from a trip with their utmost safety
in mind. Bus drivers don't have anything to do with any decisions made
at all on any trip, other than any safety hazards that might put the students
at risk of injury while they are on the bus. The sponsors and faculty who
accompany students on any trips are responsible for the students!
Thank you,
RACHEL NATIVIDAD
SUSIE ORONA
NORMA SANTIESTEVAN
"Celebration and Thanksgiving"
By PETER ROFF
He's five.
Resting on my chest, his head nestled on my shoulder, a gentle raspemanating
from deep inside him, it occurs that he is a marvel. More than that, he
is a miracle and everyone who knows him is thankful for the privilege.
He is most assuredly five, as he will confidently confirm if asked.
It is quite amazing when you think about it. He weighed just one pound,
eleven ounces at birth. For reference, that's about the same as four sticks
of better. He was also, give or take a few days, 13 weeks early.
He probably shouldn't have made it to five, or even past the first few
days, but he did and he is a joy that could never have been predicted.
My first glimpse of him lasted no more than five seconds. As soon as
the doctor cut him from his mother's womb, a nurse rushed from the operating
room into the waiting hands of a team of waiting pediatric specialists.
It was several hours of anxious waiting before we knew if he would live
through the night. The medical professionals were not encouraging, not
wanting to hold out false hope that his chance of surviving was anything
more than slim at best.
This is, I suspect, the way it is for many parents in the same situation.
It is likely better for hope to spring up from the nothingness of despair
then to have false hopes dashed by reality if events turn to the worse.
Of course, faith must accompany hope for, without faith, there is no
person or power in whom we may surely place out trust.
The agonizing months of hospitals and home care and helplessness eventually
past as worry was replaced by anticipation of forthcoming milestones, traditional
and otherwise. Along with first steps, first words, and the first tooth
go, for him, the last night in the hospital, the last oxygen tank, and
the last tube feeding.
It was an arduous and emotionally draining task for which my wife deserves
the credit for overseeing to completion. It is, under normal circumstances,
difficult to maintain the integrity of a household with growing children
in today's world. With a child in the hospital, it is close to impossible
without strong bonds.
He is, like all children are, special. There seems to be, except for
his smaller than average size, no lasting harm resulting from the conditions
of his birth. And the size issue appears to be resolving itself as well.
In the school picture he brought home, the vague outlines of a handsome
and manly face that will someday supplant the lean and tender baby face
that so many know so well are starting to make an appearance.
He greets each day with a smile, eagerly anticipating the challenges
ahead of him before bedtime rolls around again.
Like all children, he wants time, attention, and things. Like too few
children, he is willing to share these things with others. He is a five
year old who gives because it is right and because he is confident that
the love he gives away will be paid back in abundance.
He is moving, slowly, from boy to man. As slow as it is, it is still
faster than we like. Our time with him grows shorter by the day. The job
of preparing him to go out the front door for the last time began the day
he walked out the front door under his own power for the first time.
His smile and his embrace of life are infectious. No adult can meet
him without discovering that his happiness is contagious.
He's five, and so much more. He tops the list of things to be thankful
for.
He is a blessing and a treasure and a wonderful gift. He is a human
equivalent of a shiny Christmas package wrapped just a tiny bit askew with
a bright satin bow. The world would do well to have more just like him.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Peter Roff writes political analysis for United
Press International. A well-known political writer, he is a frequent commentator
on Fox News, MSNBC and radio. He can be reached by e-mail at peter_roff@hotmail.com
Eagle Mom touched by team support
Dear Editor:
As the mother of a Senior Fighting Eagle, I want to say thank you to
Rosa Guerrero and her staff for the support that they have given our boys
ALL season.
Thank you to Cristina who worked with me on the parents ad for the paper
and the ad with all of the signatures, and to Jon who reported the story
after a heart break loss. Thank you to all of the busisnesses who decorated
and showed support for our boys. Thank you to former Coach Hewitt and wife
who braved the cold with their small children.
To all of those who stayed for the entire game, a special Thank you.
You who did all of this for our Pecos Eagles will hold a special place
in this mother's heart as well as others for your support and encouragement.
To those of you who left with 2-3 minutes left to play and/or those
of you who showed up for this one game, sat quietly and wouldn't even purchase
a program so that you would know who was who and made it difficult for
loyal fans, parents, and grandparents to view the game, shame on you!
Our boys deserved better than that.
Thank you to our coaches for the hard work and long hours. A special
thank you to your wives and families who have supported you and our boys
and have given up family time with you so that you could work with our
boys.
But most of all to the 2000 PECOS EAGLE FOOTBALL TEAM, you are the pride
of our hearts and the love of our lives. You gave us a memorable season.
Thank you. To the Eagles who will lead the 2001 season make up your minds
now and bring the play-offs back to Pecos.
MELODY HUFFMAN
Hand counting more accurate
I have done 10 manual recounts and everyone of them has changed the total
that was first provided by the machine count. Are machine recounts better
than hand counting? I don't think so. Section 127.201 of the Texas Election
Code states that: to ensure the ACCURACY of the Punch Card voting system,
the custodian of the Election Records SHALL perform a manual recount of
all candidates on at least 1% or 3 precincts, which ever is greater. Does
this sound to you like the State of Texas trusts the machines exclusively?
As to the chads, it should be noted that there are at least 25 chads
that can be punched on the Florida ballot, and in the handling of the punch
card some can fall out from races that are not even affected.
There are 10 candidates for president, a U S Senate Race, a US Congressional
race, and numerous state wide and district races that also can be punched.
So if a chad from the U S Congressional race falls off on the floor what
significance does it have?
BOB DEAN
Reeves County Democratic Chairman
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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Peggy McCracken, Webmaster
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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