Keene Star (Keene, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 9, 2012 Page: 4 of 12
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4 ★ Keene Star
www.keenestar.net
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Viewpoints
On Halloween, we turned over one outhouse too many
My grandfather owned 30 acres of land
about one mile west of Arlington and every
year he raised peanuts for cow feed.
If my parents and grandparents needed
me, they knew where to find me: in the barn
eating peanuts.
The school we were to attend in Arlington
was on the north side of town three miles from
our home, and we had to walk. Dad found
employment at Arlington Downs, a horse
race track. Track owners were making some
changes in the track and a few other things.
The school was waiting with open doors
when we arrived. Registration was not that
difficult and we were assigned to our classes.
I was assigned to the fifth grade, the same
grade I was in when I left Texas a year ago.
The first thing I knew, I was surrounded
by boys in my class who wanted to know if I
could play softball. I told them I could play
any kind of ball, but I really liked softball.
They asked what position I played. I told
them I am left handed and like to play first
base, and that’s where they put me. This was
fine for about two weeks when the principal,
Mrs. Best, came to my classroom and told me
to accompany her to her office.
I sat down in her office and wondered what
I had done. She said it wasn’t about my be-
havior, but about my grade level.
“I must put you back a grade,” she said.
As she explained, she went beyond all rea-
son that made any sense.
“You came to us from Kansas and in the
schools in Kansas, they have 12 grades,” she
continued. “Here, we only have 11 grades. You
see, their 12th is our 11th, and their 11th is our
10th and on down to their fifth is our fourth.”
I told her I didn’t start in the 12th grade in
Kansas, I started in the first grade in Texas.
“It makes no difference,” she said. “You
came to us from Kansas and I must put you
back a grade.”
So back to the fourth grade I went.
Dad got a letter from his brother, Earl, who
lived in Burkburnett, saying he had a job for
dad, and we moved again. I withdrew from
Arlington and was glad to do so. They gave
me my report card and other papers stating
I was in the fourth grade. It’s amazing how
easy it was to lose those papers before I en-
rolled in school in Burkburnett. Without my
report card, I had no trouble telling everyone
in Burkburnett I was in the sixth grade and
that’s where they put me. You know, at times,
it doesn’t hurt to lie just a little. I finished the
year, only three weeks, in the sixth grade and
failed again. But I failed the sixth grade, not
the fourth.
Dad traded his car for a truck and began
hauling pipe from the oilfields around Burk-
burnett to the oilfields in East Texas. On his
way back, he would bring watermelons or
whichever vegetable that was ripe. Vegeta-
bles were a ready sale on
the plains of Texas. Before
long, Dad decided to open
a stand in Borger and we
moved again. It was easier
to rent a building in Borger
because there were more
vacant buildings than
those occupied.
Dad leased a building on
a street in downtown Borg-
er, and he was in business.
Business was very good be-
cause vegetables were hard
to come by in this area.
They had to be trucked in from the valley or
East Texas.
My brother Bobby and I managed to stay
out of trouble most of the time. In the al-
ley behind dad’s store, a man operated a car
wash. In one corner of the car wash was a
room where the man cut hair, sold drinks and
had tables for gambling. Bobby and I would
visit him and he seemed to enjoy our visits.
One Saturday afternoon, the room was full
of people drinking and gambling and hav-
ing all kinds of fun. Bobby and I caught a big
black cat. Bobby opened the door to the room
and I threw the cat in as far as I could. The
cat’s sudden arrival brought an abrupt end to
the party and as the panicked people left, the
room was completely destroyed. Bobby and I
were not welcome there anymore.
Halloween was on time this year and Bob-
by and I were looking for some kind of mis-
chief to avoid, if possible. We joined a group
of kids about our age going up the alleys turn-
ing over outhouses. We had worked up and
down several alleys and as we were finishing
one, a man came up the alley hollering “Boys,
boys. Please come help me set my outhouse
upright, my wife is in there!”
We help him return the outhouse to its
proper position. I’ve seen a few mad women,
but she was the maddest I have ever seen. Her
language was proof. This ended our Hallow-
een for that year.
School was in session and I was in the sixth
grade and my grades were good. I had made
several friends with students my own age, but
there were some of the meanest kids living
in Borger than any place I’ve ever lived. In
school it was easy to tell.
World War II veteran Doug Carver is a
longtime Keene resident who likes to hang
out weekday mornings at Keene restaurants.
Mr. Carver celebrated his 92nd birthday Oct.
8. On Oct. 28, 2010, he received the Keene
Cham ber of Com m erce Pioneer Award,
presented to an organization or individual
whose long-ago contributions and influence
helped make Keene what it is today.
Doug
Carver
Commentary
A Valentine trip from Social Security
BRYAN TREVINO
Special to the Keene Star
Valentine’s Day is just
around the corner, making
this a popular time of year for
proclamations of love. Such
displays of affection can be as
simple and sweet as a heart
with a “be mine” message, or
as life altering as a vow be-
fore the altar.
If you happen to be a new-
lywed who is head over heels
in love, you may not be focus-
ing on things such as taxes
or Social Security, but you
should be. If you plan to ex-
change your maiden name
for a married name —includ-
ing hyphenated names such
as Smith-Jones —be sure you
let us know.
Telling us about your name
change
shortly af-
ter your
marriage
will help us
accurately
keep track
of your
earnings
and will
ensure that
you and
your family
get the So-
cial Securi-
ty retirement, disability, and
survivors coverage you’re
entitled to. In addition, if the
Internal Revenue Service and
Social Security records do
not show the same name and
Social Security number, your
Federal income tax refund
Bryan
Trevino
Commentary
Keene-kStar
Volume 19, Number 28
12 Pages in 1 Section
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could be delayed.
If you continue to use your
maiden name consistently
throughout your working
years, you do not need to
contact us. However, if you
decide to change your name
later, you should let us know
so that we can update your
Social Security record and
send you a Social Security
card with your new name.
There is no need to pay
someone else to mail in the
information for you. Chang-
ing your name with Social
Security is a quick, easy, and
free service. Just go online
to www.socialsecurity.gov/
ssnumber, learn what docu-
ments you need, and click on
“Fill Out and Print an appli-
cation (Form SS-5).” You also
can call us at 1-800-772-1213
to obtain the form. We will
need the completed applica-
tion along with a marriage
certificate or divorce decree
verifying your old and new
names. If you were born out-
side the United States, you
also need proof of your U.S.
citizenship or proof that you
are lawfully living in the U.S.
You can bring or mail these
documents to us.
You maybe focusing on the
one you love, and we do not
blame you. Nevertheless, if
you like us, click on the Face-
book icon at our homepage
and “like” us on Facebook. In
addition, you can follow us
on Twitter, too. Fook for our
Facebook and Twitter icons
at www.socialsecurity.gov.
We share information daily
that can help you and all your
Valentines.
Happy Valentine’s Day
from Social Security.
Bryan Trevino is a 1996 gradu-
ate of Keene High School and a 2000
graduate of Texas State University.
He is a public affairs specialist for
the Social Security Administration.
He can be reached at 866-681-1405
ext. 19388.
Shhh! Whispering by county
commissioners is wrong
The issue: The state of Texas is clear in
its requirem ent that open m eetings be con-
ducted with openness, transparency and ac-
countability. Citizens are to be afforded the
highest possible opportunity to observe and
participate in the public’s business.
We say: Whispering by members of the
Johnson County Commissioners’ Court vio-
lates the spirit of open meetings, although
there is no legal precedent it violates the let-
ter of the state’s open m eetings law. County
Judge Roger Harmon, as the presiding offi-
cer of the court, must put an imm ediate stop
to it.
The public has a right to know everything
that happens at meetings of governmental
bodies.
Our Republic is partially founded on the
principle that the public has a right to know, a
right to oversee the decision-making process
of those elected to govern. A public not pro-
vided this right is uniformed, threatening the
integrity of the process.
Elected officials should avoid anything
with the appearance of impropriety, such as
whispering in clandestine sidebars.
There’s reason for concern that all of the
public’s business is not being conducted in the
public light at Johnson County Commission-
ers’ Court meetings. Repeated pleas by Com-
missioners Don Beeson and Jerry Stringer
have been made to County Judge Roger Har-
mon to end frequent and lengthy whispering
by Commissioner Troy Thompson with Har-
mon and Commissioner Rick Bailey.
Reference to the words “whispering” and
“sidebars” does not appear in the Texas Open
Meetings Act. This means state law doesn’t
say it can’t be done, but we’d ask elected
members of the court to consider whether
whispering is in the best public interest. We
don’t believe it is. We believe this “closes” an
“open” meeting.
Each member of the court has whispered
at one time or another, according to County
Attorney Bill Moore. It is not an uncommon
occurrence, he said.
We understand Bailey has given his word
he’ll no longer participate, and he’s only whis-
pered when whispered to. We would ask all
members of the court, including Beeson and
Stringer, to make the same pledge, and to do
so publicly Feb. 13 at the next court meeting.
A majority vote of the court requires three
votes. It should concern the public that whis-
pering has repeatedly taken place among
three members of the court, excluding two
others, namely Beeson and Stringer. They are
not being invited into the Tree House Club.
Because whispering has taken place be-
tween all members of the court from time to
time, Moore said he doesn’t have reason to
believe impropriety has taken place.
That’s legally speaking. The public has such
reason. We suggest whispering, or private
meetings within the context of a public meet-
ing, should not occur at all. These are open
meetings. They are tape recorded. Anything
said should be for the public record, or an
executive session should be called pursuant
to applicable reasons set by the Texas Open
Meetings Act. Then a public report from that
executive session should be made.
Fet’s be clear. What we’re talking about
here is the letter of the Open Meetings Act
versus the spirit of the Open Meetings Act.
Shielding microphones, put in place to cap-
ture conversations for the record, to have pri-
vate conversations during an open meeting is
in direct violation of the spirit of the law. It
tells the public something is being negotiated
on this item to which the public is not being
made aware. In other words, a secret meeting
is taking place.
We’ve got it wrong, some will suggest of
this newspaper’s opinion concerning a harm-
less whisper. We’ve gone overboard, they’ll
say. Just the fact that two members of a board
whisper to one another does not indicate a vi-
olation of the law, Moore said. We agree, but
it could in spirit. It could to the public. We’re
talking about perception, and perception is
the reality of the beholder.
When someone whispers, it leads to the
belief that something is being said that they
don’t want you to hear. If a short whisper is
allowed, where does it end? Could we get to
the point that an agenda item is opened, whis-
pering begins and when all whispering ends
a vote is cast? Yes, that’s extreme, but the
public deserves to know what is being said by
members of the court covering microphones
or turning away from the public to whisper.
While legally-speaking impropriety may
not have occurred, this fits the public’s defini-
tion of “an appearance of impropriety.” May-
be court members are discussing lunch ar-
rangements. We don’t know. The public isn’t
privy to conversations taking place in open
court sessions and that’s not right.
Fet’s further point out that we’re in a time
where this very court is attempting to recov-
er from the black eye caused by nine alleged
felony counts of wrongdoing by former Com-
missioner John Matthews. Excuse the public
if its trust level isn’t high.
The very purpose of an “open meeting” is to
prevent elected officials from meeting secret-
ly to deliberate (“deal-make”) on public is-
sues without accountability to the public. We
suggest meeting secretly can be whispering.
The mandate for open meetings requires
more than just granting the public access to
the room where a meeting is to take place. The
intent and purpose is to ensure openness and
accountability of elected officials doing the
public’s business. “Open” itself implies that a
meeting must be free from concealment. All
actions and dialogue must be exposed to the
public view.
We’re confident the judge will heed our call
for the good of the county. He’s a good man
who has run a good court. He deeply cares
about this county. He just needs to reestab-
lish some rules.
As such, we call on Harmon to do the fol-
lowing as the presiding officer of the court:
■ Instruct all court members to end whis-
pering. Write that instruction into the court’s
code of conduct.
■ If background, clarification, replication
or further definition of an item is required,
instruct court members to interrupt a presen-
tation to inquire about those things.
■ Call for an open meetings instruction
workshop immediately with all members of
the court, asking Moore to clearly define what
can and cannot be done in an open meet-
ing, both within the letter and spirit of the
law. Further, ask Moore to clearly define his
meaning of “the appearance of impropriety.”
■ Call for a restoration of courtroom deco-
rum. Ask court members to come back togeth-
er in a working relationship. The most recent
outbreak of whispering during a presentation
by an invited speaker was disrepectful, un-
professional and embarrassing.
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Gnadt, Paul. Keene Star (Keene, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 9, 2012, newspaper, February 9, 2012; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth804114/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.