Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Opinion

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By Smokey Briggs

Tuesday, July 13, 1999

Secretary of Navy
should be horse-whipped

And if I could get my hands on Richard Danzig, our current Secretary of the Navy, I would teach him the penalty for mocking an institution built and maintained by proud and honorable men.

Something which he is not.

He, like the man that appointed him, is a self-adoring, travesty of a human being lacking the backbone of an oyster.

And, like his mentor, he would like to re-mold the world to make it a more comfortable place for morale cowards like himself to dwell.

A place where words like manhood, duty, honor, and integrity give way to words like inclusive, gender-neutral and empowered.

Phooey!

Recently, Gen. Charles Krulak stepped down as Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was the 31st Commandant.

He is a decorated veteran of Viet Nam where he slogged through the jungle at the head of a rifle platoon and later, two rifle companies.

Gen. Krulak, like his father before him, dedicated his life to the Corps.

All change of command ceremonies are solemn events steeped in tradition. They are events that can bring tears to the eyes of battle-hardened veterans as comrades-in-arms say their formal farewells.

The change of command for the commandant is even more so.

At Gen. Krulak's ceremony, Danzig, as secretary of the navy, was present and spoke.

During his speech, he noted that Mrs. Krulak, the General's wife, had married the Corps along with marrying her husband.

"It is the only "menage a trois" that the Marine Corps approves of," he said.

To say that this tasteless piece of sexual innuendo was inappropriate is the understatement of the century.

It is the equivalent of cussing in church.

Danzig communicated a lot in those few words.

He communicated his utter disregard for the traditions and honor of the Marine Corps specifically , and the rest of military in general.

He communicated his complete lack of understanding for what it is that drives men to serve and sacrifice for their country.

He communicated his complete lack of understanding for what it is to be a man.

He also painted a pretty good picture of what it is to be a liberal man in Bill Clinton's world.

I am only disappointed that Gen. Krulak did not punch him out once he was officially retired and could do so without striking a person above him in the chain of command. (Although far, far below him as a human being, and not in the same universe as a man).

For Danzig to say this at Gen. Krulak's final ceremony was criminal.

The man should be horse-whipped.

Better yet, he should be forced to enlist, and shipped to either of the Marine Corps recruit depots.

I do not think he would ever be heard from again.

If he were, he would have learned what manhood means, and why his "witty" comment was so profoundly disgusting at such a ceremony.
 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Smokey Briggs is the editor and publisher of the Pecos Enterprise whose column appears each Tuesday. He can be e-mailed at: smokey@pecos.net

Our View

Independence Day holds special meaning

In that editorial we saluted the courage that it took to sign the Declaration of Independence.

It takes great courage to back your words with action when the penalty may be death.

And the 56 signers of the Declaration did just that.

Just for the record, their courage and conviction cost many of them dearly. Many paid the price with their own blood, and the blood of their families.

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons in the war and another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 died from wounds and hardship while serving in the Revolutionary Army.

Carter Braxton saw his fleet of merchant ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home to pay his debts and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family constantly. He served in Congress without pay, and kept his family in hiding. He lost everything and ended up a pauper.

Vandals and soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middelton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British general, Cornwallis, had taken over his home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly urged General Washington to open fire. His home was destroyed.

Francis Lewis had his home and property destroyed. The British jailed his wife and she died in jail.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives and his fields and gristmill were destroyed. For more than a year he lived in hiding in the forest.

When he returned home he found his wife dead and children vanished. He died a few weeks later.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

These men were not wild-eyed idealists. Most were well-educated, and men of above-average means.

All were financially secure.

But they valued liberty over their property and comfort, and even their lives.

On that grand piece of parchment they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

In doing so, they gave birth to a free nation that is the birthright of all Americans.

And for this, we owe them a great debt.
Your View

Former Pecosite has pleasant experience

Rather inadvertently and completely unplanned, I made a new friend I thought you ought to know about.

On Friday night, I stopped at the market on the way to a reunion-get-together. Unknown to me, my checkbook and address book fell out of my hip pocket in the parking lot. I did not discover the loss until later. After retracing everywhere I was prepared to call the bank to stop payment on checks and head for the ATM as there was a fair amount of cash inside.

However, when I returned to the hotel there was a message that a Mr. Garcia had called saying he had found something that belonged to me. I called the next morning. Mr. E.M. Garcia said that he had found my check book and address book. He insisted on bringing them to me at the Quality Inn. He was there in 15 minutes and handed the items to me personally. I thanked him profusely and tried to reward him for his effort, but Mr. Garcia would not take a thing. He said he was just glad to help.

I want to commend Mr. Garcia and let all of Pecos know of his very generous deed. He is certainly to be commended for his honesty and thoughtfulness. It reflects favorably on my home town of which I have always been so very proud. And I am proud to say there's another person in Pecos that I have had the honor to meet.

Sincerely,

DICK HOLLOWAY
309 Willow Springs, Ct.
Coppell, TX 75019

Fish,Wildlife Service strives to assist everyone

We received a letter, dated March 17, 1999, from the Honorable Jimmy B. Galindo, Reeves County Judge, stating that the County was preparing an environmental assessment for the Madera Valley project. The letter stated that the County determined that the project would have no effect to any species listed as threatened or endangered and asked if we agreed with their determination. Since it is my job to administer the Endangered Species Act in West Texas, our office responded on April 21, 1999, that we concurred that the pipeline itself would not affect any listed species. However, we did inform the County that we were concerned about the potential for additional ground water use to dry up springs in the area, which are home to several endangered species. We requested that the County, as part of their environmental assessment, include an analysis and documentation of the aquifers and whether the existing wells and the new wells are located in areas that affect the springs. We had not heard anything more on the project until we read your article. My staff has since followed up with both the County and Madera Valley to assist moving the project forward.

We have raised the same concerns with the County and Madera Valley for previous projects as early as 1994. That same year, we provided Federal matching funds to the State, through a grant program under the Endangered Species Act, to support the necessary ground water hydrology studies to answer some of these concerns. However, after accepting the money in 1994, the State turned the money back in 1995 without conducting the studies. We will continue to work with State agencies and local groups to learn more about the aquifers that support the springs that contain endangered species, to the extent that we can and our assistance is desired.

It is my position that we do not put the needs of endangered species ahead of the need for health and human safety. We try to work with development projects, such as this one, to facilitate project implementation, while ensuring that protected natural resources, like endangered species, are not unnecessarily or irreversibly impacted. West Texas should be proud of the unique and sensitive spring habitats that highlight the desert landscape and are home to rare plants and animals that occur nowhere else in the world. We believe they are worth protecting, but it is only possible with the cooperation of local citizens. The availability of water is a critical factor in conservation of endangered species and the long term future of the human communities in West Texas. It's all of our jobs to find the balance that will allow both to co-exist.

Sincerely,

DAVID C. FREDERICK
Supervisor, Austin Field Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
 

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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
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