Posted on 01/16/2009 1:34:00 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
BRINKLEY, Ark. - Wayne Loewer's truck reveals a lot about his life. A 12-gauge shotgun for duck hunting rests on the floorboard. A blue thermal lunch bag containing elk meat is shoved under the seat, left in haste that morning by his teenage son rushing to catch the school bus.
Binoculars in the console help Loewer scan his 2,900 acres of rice, soybeans and corn.
The dashboard radio is set to classic rock, playing the same Lynyrd Skynyrd tunes from Loewer's high school days, when Brinkley was still a thriving small town with stores and a movie theater.
His muddy truck is 900 miles from the kiosks crowding Pennsylvania Avenue selling "Hope Won" T-shirts. But more than miles separate Loewer from the coming celebration in Washington over Barack Obama's inauguration as president.
The 52-year-old farmer is a conservative Democrat who bet on Republican John McCain and lost, a description that would apply to many in the white South. Now Loewer wonders about his place in Obama's America.
"I'm worried that he's not gonna understand the rural way of life," he says.
On this cold January day, Loewer makes his morning rounds -- the irrigation company, the seed distributor, a well supplier -- and everywhere he goes, the same anxieties are expressed.
"That comment he made about guns and religion, it's frightening, you have to admit," says the secretary at his accountant's office.
Loewer agrees. "I don't believe in going around with a gun strapped to your hip, Wild West-style," he says. "But you ought to be able to protect yourself."
He understands the cultural chasm between him and Obama's Ivy League, biracial, global polish. He realizes he is set apart from the 53 percent majority that put Obama in the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
You know, I was just thinking about such a thing for Obama's cabinet appointments. Perdogg had a post entitled The official Obama Cabinet score card which was quickly shuffled to chat. Before Perdogg posted that, I was pondering putting something about the cabinet appointments on my FR home page, which is already cluttered enough as it is.
The cabinet appointments are a shooting gallery! (Another day at work in the pinata factory...)
My thought now is perhaps begging John and Jim for stand-alone FR web pages where only a certain group of people can edit them, something similar to the Wiki pages (but not as manipulated, of course).
I nominate Perdogg for the test case on the cabinet appointments. He's been a noticeable name on the forum, with few, if any strings attached. backhoe's a big boy - you can petition for your own needs. :-)
Alamo-Girl - good to see you on the thread, ma'am. **grin**
IIRC, elk have been established in the Newton County-area. It's not inconceivable that they've got some elk meat in the freezer.
On the other hand, it is very conceivable that a Washington Post reporter doesn't know the difference between elk and deer.
It’s great to see you, too, an amused spectator! I’m so glad y’all are picking up the ball on this administration!
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