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Summertime and the living’s smoky

Tomorrow is the start of Summer. You could have fooled me. What was all this hot, dry weather we’ve been through, it seems like forever?

The National Weather Service says our official weather station, the Jack Brooks Regional Airport in Nederland, Texas, reports that average rainfall for the county is down by 20.06 inches since Jan. 1, 2011. It’s been hot, too. That isn’t so unusual for this time of year. It is windy as it sometimes can be just off the Gulf Coast. The extreme dryness from the drought has brought about wildfires in this and other parts of Texas as well as a good chunk of the Southwest. Just a spark is all the dry grasses need, plus a little of the Gulf breeze turned into a heavy gust of wind and you have yourselves a conflagration.

Authorities say a wheel bearing started what is said to be the second-largest fire in East Texas history. The Texas Forest Service said today that the now-named “Bearing” fire has burned about 14,000 acres along the Trinity and Polk county line. That is almost 90 miles northeast of Houston. Two homes were burned and dozens have been evacuated, the forest service said, adding that the fire is about 40 percent contained.

A couple of good ol’ boys doing some target practicing on propane bottles sparked a wildfire near Sam Rayburn Reservoir dam in Jasper County. That is about 120 miles northeast of Houston and about 50 miles west of Fort Polk, La., if you are Army or ex-Army. I am ex-Navy, by the way. The fellow heading emergency management in the area of that fire said about 4,000 acres and seven camp houses were destroyed. I happen to know that emergency management guy up there in Jasper, Sabine and Newton counties. He is a guy named Smith. I think they named a cough drop after he and his four brothers. Smith also said there were some worries about some electricity outages because of fires being close to power lines. I suppose that had something to do with the fire being named the “Power Line” fire.

I have seen droughts, hot weather all in a tiresome combination to start huge wildfires. They don’t just happen in remote areas where ne’er-do-wells are target practicing with possible explosives in an area that is dry as “all get out.” All get out is a technical term used in East Texas meaning “really freaking dry.” I remember back in the summer of ’98, in the last century, when some big crowning fires burned right inside the city limits of Waco. The local fire department there along with help from multi-governmental federal and state firefighters staged at the Texas State Technical College Airport got on that fire which threatened to take a good part of Cameron Park and did a great job of getting the blaze under control before it did more harm. I have said here before and I will say it again. I lived and worked in Waco for seven years. I met a lot of really nice people. Although I never really cared for the place, Waco had a few marvelous spots and Cameron Park was definitely a crown jewel.

Today, here in Southeast Texas, the weather has been more like a normal summer day you would experience. The high temp was about 90 degrees. There was about a 20 percent to 30 percent chance of rain today. Looking at the radar earlier, I would say the coverage was much greater although what we got today was literally a drop in the bucket. Starting tomorrow there is a pretty good chance of rain for a couple of days, up to 70 percent. That would be nice to get some substantial rain. But, says meteorologist Jonathan Brazzell, of the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, La., “Rainfall amounts will in no way end the current drought. It should provide some short term relief on the order of a few days to a week.”

In the meantime, if you are interested in keeping up with what’s going on in Texas and elsewhere with the wildfires here are some good sites:

Texas Forest Service — It gives a summary of each day’s fires and numbers in Texas.

U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center — Dandy little site with various interactive maps showing wildfires throughout the county.

InciWeb — The Incident Information System gives a plethora of information on this searchable site that includes Google maps pinpointing the location of these fires.

These are only a few and as loaded with great info, they aren’t a substitute for someone at the scene reporting, blogging through Facebook — like my volunteer firefighter nieces do when they can —  their observations, or perhaps Tweeting. For all those brave souls on the fire lines, my best wishes that you all come home safe. I also extend those best wishes for those who live or have property threatened by fire. And a word to others, use your common sense if you have a smidgen of it somewhere. Where it is dry, all it takes is a spark to cause a disaster.

Happy Summer.

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Imagining your father on Father’s Day

Here is my Father’s Day thought. I wonder what my Dad would have thought about the World had he lived to be 96 next week instead of passing way too early just about this time 26 years ago? Would he have been on the Internet? God help us! What would he have said about a black president? Well, he was of old school East Texas cracker stock, but Pops would be the first one to shoot the barber the finger if that pencil-necked, hair-trimmer asked incredulously why I (my Dad’s son) would dare grow my hair long. My father told the barber, by the way, “(he grows his hair) because he f***ing wants to.”

For all I know, my Dad might have thought like me that Sarah Palin and most of the present Republican Party — he was an old-time FDR Democrat who hopped freights during the summer to civilian military training and a make-work program like the Tree Army to get the economy going — a bunch of silly SOBs. But my Dad wasn’t too supportive of the peaceful Martin Luther King or the less than peaceful Black Panthers. He was from a different time, after all.

It’s hard to say how my father would have survived this day and age socially even though he might have done so physically. As someone who is 55 and in pain a good deal of my time, though, it’s hard for me to imagine what it would be like having to live on and on when pain wracks your life like it does mine. That is no matter how much you love your wife, your kids, and grandkids as my Dad did, while watching the tall pine trees go by on an East Texas country-road drive.

My Dad’s Day message is simple: Appreciate your fathers while they are here and that they were here. Appreciate being a father. And have a happy Father’s Day this weekend. Stay cool.

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You won’t have Weiner to kick around

The nation’s great weenie crisis is over.

New York Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner announced he was resigning his congressional seat and all its fixtures after a truly 21st century scandal. Weiner, whose name evokes either a hot dog or a man’s weenis, had resisted calls for quitting after he reportedly sent video text of his nether region to different women. But when the going gets rough, the rough get their buns and wieners out of Dodge before they are too old to spread the mustard.

Seriously, this is one of those incidents where stupidity begets more stupidity. And it doesn’t help when you are a loud mouth New Yorker who isn’t afraid to speak ill of his own.

Democratic colleagues were not particularly enamored with Weiner in the beginning. You likewise can’t really blame Republicans for getting a freebie by saying that Weiner should beat it, no pun intended.

However, Weiner could probably have won another election due to steadfast support in his congressional district. One thinks the lawmaker might have done a good job not only speaking his mind, which was unfortunately more liberal-minded than many of his fellow Democrats, but in the area of constituent services. I have no proof as to the latter, but usually when congressional members have broad support despite a long and shining legacy of producing little legislation, it is usually because the lawmaker helps people who have problems with the federal government. My best example of this phenomenon is the late Rep. “Good Time” Charlie Wilson.

The liberal East Texas Democrat — my state lawmaker and congressman for a number of years — would after his retirement be known for his secret war on the Soviets in Afghanistan as portrayed in the book and movie “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Wilson came by his nickname “Good Time Charlie” honestly, well, honestly as one can as a politician.

Wilson endured scandals that included allegations of drunk driving, Hoovering cocaine, kiting checks and squiring around world-class beauty queens on U.S. government planes to destinations near and far. But the little old blue-haired ladies in his district flocked to the Senior Centers too see him and give him a hug whenever Charlie visited his district in a monstrous recreational vehicle. Many of the fellows, today probably Tea Partiers, lived vicariously through Charlie. The reason for such popularity and why he kept getting elected for decades was his slogan: “Taking care of the home folks.” And taking care he did.

Yes, I’ve written about Charlie before and I probably will again. But the “services” in the phrase “constituent services” is what makes the difference between a Tom DeLay and a Charlie Wilson. Plus, Charlie was never sentenced to prison.

I think the case of Anthony Weiner was as much about his own party’s indignancies because they didn’t particularly like him than any great offense to the public at large or the Grand Old Party at small. I think it is too bad Weiner resigned over something as piddling as this.

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Coyotes beware. Rick Perry’s in the hunt. For something or other.

Shortly after I all but anointed Jon Huntsman Jr. as the Great White Hope of the 2012 Republican presidential crop, up pops our own Texas Gov. Good Hair Perry everywhere lookin’ as if he is going to put his dung-covered cowboy boots in the race.

That’s right, Rick did it all because of me. He said: “I’m gonna get that s**t-bird reporter who suggested to my press guy during a visit to Fort Hood that I get photographed riding on a tank like Mike Dukakis.”

News has been mixed to say the least at Perry feeling out the GOP nomination trail.

“The field is already pretty full,” said Texas Mr. Republican Sen. John Cornyn. He praised Perry’s abilities, yadda, yadda, yadda, but he said he’d leave it up to Perry as to whether he should run.

I mean, read the whole thing in the Houston Chronicle, but the gist is that it doesn’t sound like Big Bad John is all in for Good Hair.

The man who was the de facto head of the Republican Party awhile back, Rush Limburger, wants Perry to run. That endorsement should be enough to make any sane man or woman stop and say: “Whoa, pardner!”

Of course, a lot of the Texas media want to go hit the national campaign trail even though they may be riding buses instead of flying on big old jet airliners.

Perry is beginning to look like one of those, albeit washed-up, television evangelists what with his all of a sudden turning on of religiosity. But Rick is the same old Rick he’s been since, at least he was, lieutenant governor. He is a slick Willie. Maybe he doesn’t cheat on his wife or text his private parts to young women but some of the things Perry has done — Google Rick Perry — make him more fit as a used car salesman (sorry, I didn’t mean to insult used car salesmen) than as governor and certainly as president. They shoot coyotes don’t they?

Perry might end up as the bookend to a Jon Huntsman Jr. ticket that I spoke of yesterday or whomever else might end up wearing the GOP throne. Let’s hope that will be the contribution Rick Perry makes to the national Republican effort, one as a VP candidate. Then, let’s hope and make an effort to ensure he and whomever he pairs with loses the race. And if the Republicans win and Rick Perry ends up vice president, maybe some prayers will be in order for that president’s continuing health.

 

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Jon Huntsman Jr. plans to rock the GOP, and maybe the presidency

Had I not been last evening destroying everything accumulated on my computer since I bought it I would still not have watched the Republican debates. The pundits said Michelle Bachmann came off extremely well. I guess she is a wolf in sheep’s clothes. Or a nut in humans’ clothes.

Perhaps things may be turning up a notch in the GOP race for the presidential nomination. Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. reportedly will announce for the presidential race. There is a lot of buzz about him by the punditry given his former government service and a semblance of common sense. His resume includes having been a governor of Utah. Whether he will be just another Mormon running for president like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will be the million dollar question.

Millions of dollars are objects familiar to Huntsman as well as his fellow Morman GOP candidate Romney. The former is the son of Huntsman Sr., of Huntsman Corp. fame and one of the world’s richest men. Such money may have allowed Jr. to indulge himself in life’s pleasures such as playing in a rock band. Of course, if he had talent in basketball he might have played for the Utah Jazz. Or even the Miami Heat. That’s a joke. The Dallas Mavericks stuffed the Heat in the NBA Finals this week, as you all may or may not know, while LeBron James choked. Poor LeBron. He brought it on himself though. That is a whole ‘nother story. (For a picture of the Huntsman dude with his band.)

One of my brothers e-mailed this rant from some guy who said the media was hiding the truth from the public that the Republicans have no chance of beating Barack Obama in the 2012 race. That is preposterous of course because the media couldn’t hide Easter eggs. This dire prediction came from someone on the right. I don’t know why the guy thought such a thing. I’d say the Republicans do have a chance of beating Obama if they can get all the wingnuts on board with a moderate like Huntsman Jr. Of course, Junior will have to move a little to the right. Just how far he moves is the key factor. If he moves too far he won’t get the Independents who are discouraged by Obama. If he doesn’t move far enough, he won’t get the nut brigade. Speaking of eggs, it’s like walking on them.

So far the GOP has had a pretty motley crew of nut jobs, wanna-bes and has-beens. Huntsman Jr. is something different and could be the chosen one, provided he knows the secret handshake. Should it be Obama-Biden against Huntsman Jr. and, well the current pack aren’t much to look at for VP either, it might just be a race. As I see into the future, it’s a matter of jobs, jobs and more jobs. Or maybe not. If I knew everything I’d have a new pickup truck and a place to summer where it’s not quite as hot as it is right now. But I don’t, times three.