Romney Critical of 'Morons' on his Team

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Last week two sitting GOP members of Congress spoke at a white nationalist gathering in Florida, and yesterday a former GOP Presidential candidate and current US Senator referred to them as 'morons' on national television.

The white nationalist gathering, also known as the America First Political Action Conference, was being held in Orlando, Florida, in close proximity to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), thus allowing those with a desire to do so, the opportunity to scoot back-and-forth between the two events.  Two well known Republican congressional representatives even went so far as to speak at the white nationalist event.

Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia spoke to the America First group earlier in the week and then later took heat from the press and the public regarding their appearances before the white nationalist organization.  Many politicians within the leadership of the Republican Party were also clearly not happy with the actions of the two outspoken members of Congress who are often at odds with their party leadership.

Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the national Republican Party, noted coldly that "White supremacy, neo-Nazism, hate speech, and bigotry are disgusting and do not have a home in the Republican Party."   McDaniel, who used to go by the moniker "Ronna Romney McDaniel" until Trump pressured her to drop the "Romney," is a niece to Utah  GOP Senator Mitt Romney and a granddaughter to former Michigan GOP Governor George Romney.

And while Ronna was clearly unhappy with a pair of well known Republicans like Gosar and Greene making nice with the lunatic fringe of the conservative movement, she did manage to remain more tactful than Uncle Mitt.   When the Republican US Senator from Utah was questioned about Gosar and Greene by reporter Dana Bash on CNN's State of the Union, and he replied:

"I'm reminded of that old line from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid movie.  One character says 'Morons.  I've got morons on my team.'  I have to think that anybody who would sit down with white nationalists and would speak at their conference was certainly missing a few IQ points."

A few indeed!

Senator Romney went on to describe white nationalists are "repugnant," and to state that there is no place in either political party for white nationalism or racism.  He added, "It is simply wrong."

(White nationalism has not been a problem in the Democratic Party since Strom Thurmond switched to the Republican brand back in 1964 out of opposition to the Civil Rights Act and so that he could support Barry Goldwater for President.)

As of this weekend there have been renewed calls for Congress to censure both Gosar and Greene.  That is unlikely to happen, and House Speaker Wannabe, Kevin McCarthy, seems to be waving promises of a leadership position in a future Republican-controlled House to Marjorie Taylor Greene in return for her support of his bid to become Speaker.

There is an old adage that would seem applicable here:  "Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas."  Much of today's Republican Party seems to be in need of a good flea dip!

Kaepernick Group to Fund Second Autopsies

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Social activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a remarkable human being who has spent the better part of his life exposing and fighting injustice. 

Kaepernick, who is perhaps best remembered (and reviled by many) for "taking a knee" during the national anthem at a San Francisco 49er's preseason game in 2016, has been "blacklisted" by the National Football League and not given an opportunity to play since 2017, but that hasn't kept him out of the national spotlight.

The young former quarterback took a knee to protest the police killing of black people, crimes which had traditionally gone almost entirely unpunished.  He has used his years of banishment from the NFL to promote charitable and social justice causes.  One of those causes has been the establishment of "Know Your Rights Camps" to educate the public on their rights, particularly those rights which might seem to be curtailed in confrontations with police agencies.

Last week Kaepernick announced that his "Know Your Rights Camps" would begin sponsoring free second autopsies for individuals who died in police-related incidents.  Kaepernick told the Associated Press:

"We know that the prison industrial complex, which includes police and policing, strives to protect and serve its interests at all costs.  The Autopsy Initiative is one important step toward ensuring that family members have access to the cause of death of their loved one in their time of need."

The Autopsy Initiative will offer the completion of a second autopsy by a board-certified pathologist, disclosure of preliminary findings, and the issuance of an autopsy report.  The second autopsies will be available for anyone whose death happened as a result of contact with law enforcement and may be requested by anyone who was close to the victim - family members, partners, lawyers, or simply friends.

Dr. Cyril Wecht, the pathology coordinator for the Autopsy Initiative, told the Associated Press:

"The opportunity to have unbiased second autopsies performed by independent, experienced forensic pathologists in police-related deaths will provide victims' families with knowledge that the true facts of any such case have been thoroughly analyzed and prepared for appropriate utilization whenever deemed necessary."

 

The knowledge that there may be a second autopsy may also serve to instill more care in the conducting of the initial autopsy. 

Five board-certified pathologists have already signed up to perform the second autopsies.

And now, thanks to the efforts of Colin Kaepernick, even dead victims will have more rights and protections than they once had.

War Is Still Good Business

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

One of the first economic lessons that I ever learned was printed on a protest button.  The 1960's counterculture slogan said simply, "War is good business, invest your son."  Today we are a more open and inclusive society, ostensibly willing to invest our daughters with equal fervor.

War has broken out in Europe this week, and while it is far from our shores and is unlikely to pull American youth into harm's way, it is, nevertheless, a conflict that directly involves thousands of Americans who have friends and relatives in Ukraine.  This is an especially difficult time for them and their families.

While Ukraine and its people struggle to maintain their individual and national freedom against Putin's totalitarian regime in Moscow, one winner is already evident:  the arms industry.

The US stock market, a massive indicator of our nation's overall economic health, has been on a downward slide for several weeks, and the constant talk of war in Europe seemed to be contributing to the market's steady slippage.  Then this week when the war actually got rolling, the stock marked hiccoughed and belched a few times and finally roared back to life.   

Russia engaged in a full attack on Ukraine on Thursday and the market fell dramatically, then had some serious second thoughts late in the day, and wound up making modest gains.   And then yesterday, Friday, the last trading day of the week, the market went nuts and had one of its best days ever.   American investors smelled the profits of war and they were consumed with a lust for those profits, never mind the bloodstains.

The DOW rose 834.92 points yesterday, or 2.5 percent.  The S&P 500 was up 95.95 points or 2.24%, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ  rose 221.04, or a modest 1.64 % (which is still a helluva good day).

It was a sweet day for Wall Street, and it was a honeypot for America's (and the world's) largest defense contractors.  Three of the five biggest merchants of death saw their stock prices rise by over four percent yesterday, one by more than three percent, and the final two each above a percent-and-a-half.

More specifically, the top five defense contractors saw the following growth in their value on Friday alone:

• Raytheon (RTX), which makes defense and aerospace systems, including missiles, had a $3.87 increase in the price of a share of its stock.  At the close yesterday a share of Raytheon was selling for $98.12 - a 4.11% increase over the closing price from the day before.
• General Dynamics (GD), a defense contractor that manufactures everything from private jets to combat vehicles, to nuclear submarines, had a $9.45 increase in the price of a share of its stock.  At the close yesterday a share of General Dynamics was selling for $227.96 - a 4.32% increase over the closing price of the day before.
• Lockheed Martin (LMT), a manufacturer of missiles, tactical aircraft, and aerospace products and defense systems, experienced a $6.81 increase in the price of a share of its stock.  When the marked closed yesterday a share of Lockheed Martin was selling for $395.71 - a modest 1.75% increase over the previous day's close.
• Boeing (BA), which makes aircraft, rockets, missiles, satellites, and telecom equipment, saw its stock rise $3.05 a share.  At the close yesterday, a share of Boeing was selling for $201.48 - for a gain of 1.54 percent.
• Northrop Grumman (NOC), a manufacturer of radar equipment and missile defense systems, experienced a rise of $15.75 in the price of a share of its stock.  When the market closed yesterday Northrop Grumman was selling for $409.67 a share - 4% over the previous day's close.

I support the struggle of the Ukranian people to hold onto their freedoms and way of life, but a core part of me, something formed in the social and political turmoil of the 1960's, wishes that that there was a way for them to be successful in their struggles without feeding the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about.

The United States of America - and its NATO allies - will do all in their power to support the Ukraine people in their war against the Russian invaders - including supplying them with many of the exceptional armaments manufactured by America's big war companies, and some of the equipment that the Ukrainians will go up against will have also been designed, manufactured, and sold by the same American arms merchants.

That's the way war works.  The bottom line is always the same.   Sons and daughters - on both sides -will lose, children will lose, humanity will lose,  and the financially comfortable will make money.  War, alas, is still good business.

Winter's Crust

 

by Pa Rock

Feeder of Birds

We were supposed to get an ice storm this past Wednesday evening.  It was cloudy and cool that morning, but nothing ominous, so after I finished the blog and filled the bird feeders, I headed into town to do battle with the pharmacy and shop for a few groceries.  I walked into the grocery store right at noon and spent about twenty minutes strolling the aisles and filling my cart, all the while never giving a thought to the weather.

But when I emerged from the warm store twenty minutes later I was surprised to find that a fairly furious ice storm had descended upon West Plains, and the parking lot - and roads - were already getting slick!  

Ice fell off-and-on the rest of the day, during the night, and through much of Thursday.  Today the ground had a thick crust of hard white that is uninviting to both foot and vehicle traffic.  I have a small patch of jonquils on the south side of the house that are always the first flowers to bloom at The Roost - and they began blooming several days ago - and now they are icy blobs of yellow among the lonesome white.

Winter blows on!

One Smith Family (Part 13)

 

by Rocky Macy

(More profiles of the heirs to the 1920 estate of William C. SMITH of Newton County, Missouri.)

33.  Oscar N. REED was born Oscar Newton REED in Pope County, Arkansas, to John Franklin and Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED on February 1, 1900.   Oscar’s mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED was the daughter of Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, a younger sister to William C. SMITH.  That made Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED William’s niece, and her son, Oliver Newton REED, William’s grandnephew.

(Oscar Newton REED became an heir to the estate of William C. SMITH when his mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, passed away in Pope County, Arkansas, on April 12, 1915, nearly five full years before her uncle, William C. SMITH, died in Missouri on February 8, 1920.)

Oscar’s first appearance in the public record came with the 1900 US census for Galla Creek Township, Pope County, Arkansas.  At that time he was just two-months-old.  The household included eight individuals, all REEDs:  John F. (age 54), “Liddie” F. (31), Walter A. (16), Bettie M. (13), Lee F. (7), Arie E. (a female, 6), Mamie A. (4), and Oscar N. (2/12).  The two older children, Walter and Bettie, were John’s from a previous marriage, and the four younger ones were born to John and Lydia.

(John Franklin REED’s children by his first wife were:  Mary Viola (REED) Cotton (1872-1954), William J. REED (1875-1944), Mattie Pearl (REED) McDONALD (1877-1973), Edward E. REED (1880-1975), Walter Arthur REED (1884-1973), and Bettie M. REED (ca. 1887-?).)

When the 1910 US census took place Oscar was a 10-year-old living in his parents’ household in Illinois Township, Pope County, Arkansas.  The household included the following individuals:  John F. REED (age 64), “Liddie” F. REED (41), Lee F. REED (17), Arie E. REED (16), “Minnie” (Mamie) A. REED  (14), Oscar N. REED (10), “Altie” N. REED (8), Ruth H. REED (6), and Cassie J. CLINE (44).  Cassie was Lydia’s unmarried, older sister.

The REED family has yet to be located on the 1920 census, but Oscar was living in North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, the following year when he and Lillie (Mae) LONG applied for a marriage license on August 1, 1921, in Pulaski County.  Lillie was also noted as being a resident of North Little Rock.

Oscar and Lillie were living in a rented house in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, at the time of the 1930 US census.  Oscar was working as a truck driver. The census reported that the family did not own a radio.  Present in the household were:  Oscar REED (age 30), Lillie Reed (26), Shelby REED (a son, 7), Dorothy Reed (4) and Lillie’s mother, Annie LONG (56).  (A subsequent social security document revealed Shelby’s full name to actually be “Oscar Shelby REED.”)

By the time of the 1940 US census Oscar and Lillie and their family were back in Pulaski County, Arkansas, where they were residing in the community of “Hill.”    At that time Oscar was working as a carpenter’s helper snf he and Lillie had six children.  That census also stated that Oscar had a fifth grade education.  It further stated that the family had been living in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1935, but the Little Rock city directory for 1935 had them living in that city for part of that year as well.

Present in the REED household in 1940 were the following, all REEDs:  Oscar (age 40), “Lilly” (36), Shelby (17), Dorothy (24 - but should have been 14), Robert (10), Betty Jane (8), Francis (a daughter, 6), and Bernise (4).

Oscar registered for the World War II draft on February 16, 1942, in Pulaski County, Arkansas.  At that time he declared his place of residence as North Little Rock in Pulaski County.  He listed his wife, Lillie Mae REED, as his nearest relative.

Sometime between his draft registration in 1942 and the year 1956, Oscar and Lillie and perhaps some of the children moved to Vallejo, Solano County, California.  The couple were listed in that city’s directory in 1956 and he was noted to be working as an “automobile wrecker.”  In 1957 they were still in Vallejo, and the city directory listed Oscar’s occupation as a carpenter.  Oscar and Lillie were also in the Vallejo city directory for 1958,1961,1962,1963, 1965,1966, and 1970 - even though they had both passed away the previous year. 

Lillie died in Vallejo, Solano County, California, on February 15, 1969, and according to the Social Security Death Index, Oscar REED was still a resident of Vallejo, California, when he died on December 3, 1969.  He would have been sixty-eight-years-old.

34.  Mamie SMITH was born Mamie Alice REED in the state of Arkansas to John Franklin and Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED on March 5, 1896.   Mamie’s mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED was the daughter of Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, a younger sister to William C. SMITH.  That made Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED William’s niece, and her daughter, Mamie A. REED, William’s grandniece.

(Mamie Alice REED became an heir to the estate of William C. SMITH when her mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, passed away in Pope County, Arkansas, on April 12, 1915, nearly five full years before her uncle, William C. SMITH, died in Missouri on February 8, 1920.)

Mamie’s first appearance in the public record was in the 1900 US census when she was a 4-year-old residing in the home of her parents.  They were living in Galla Creek Township of Pope County, Arkansas.  The members of the household were all REEDs and included:  John F. (age 54), “Liddie” F. (31), Walter A. (16), Bettie M. (13), Lee F. (7), Arie E. (a female, 6), Mamie A. (4), and Oscar N. (2/12).  (The two older children, Walter and Bettie, were John’s by a previous marriage, and the four younger ones were born to John and Lydia.)

(John Franklin REED’s children by his first wife were:  Mary Viola (REED) Cotton (1872-1954), William J. REED (1875-1944), Mattie Pearl (REED) McDONALD (1877-1973), Edward E. REED (1880-1975), Walter Arthur REED (1884-1973), and Bettie M. REED (ca. 1887-?).)

The census taker who covered Illinois Township of Pope County, Arkansas in 1910, seems to have inadvertently renamed “Mamie” as “Minnie.”   That year the household included John F. REED (age 64), “Liddie” F. REED (41), Lee F. REED (17), Arie E. REED (16), “Minnie” A. REED (14), Oscar N. REED (10), “Altie” N. REED (8), Ruth H. REED (6), and Cassie J. CLINE (Lydia’s unmarried, older sister, 44).

Mamie REED (age 18) married Wyatt SMITH (age 27) of Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, on July 4, 1914, in Pope County.  Wyatt, who was born in October of 1886, was the son of William W. and Sarah E. SMITH.

The 1920 US census found Mamie and Wyatt, along with two children, living in Illinois Township of Pope County, Arkansas.  Members of the household included the following, all SMITHs:  Wyatt (age 33), Mamie (22) Clarence (9), and “Rheuben” (0).

Ten years later, in 1930, the SMITH family still had those same four members, but had moved to Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.  The household, all SMITHs, included:  “White” (age 41), Mamie (33), Clarence L. (20), and “Ruben” (10).

By 1940 the SMITH family was down to three members, and they were residing in the community of “Hill” in Pulaski County, Arkansas.  The three family members were:   W. SMITH (age 53), Mamie A. SMITH (43), and “Rubin” Powell SMITH (20).

Regarding the two children who were raised by Wyatt and Manie (REED) SMITH:  

Clarence Lee SMITH was the son of Wyatt SMITH and his first wife, Bertha (MARTIN) SMITH.  Clarence was born on March 4, 1910, and died in Odessa, Texas, on November 13, 1980, at the age of seventy.  His wife’s name was Maxine, and he was a salesman for the National Biscuit Company.

Reuben Powell SMITH was the son of Wyatt SMITH and Mamie (REED) SMITH.  He was born April 23, 1919, in Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, and he died in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 3, 1969, of cardiac arrest, at the age of fifty.  Reuben was married to Ruby (BURNETT) SMITH and he worked as a car salesman.

Wyatt SMITH died in 1961.

Mamie Alice (REED) SMITH passed away in January of 1974 in North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.   She and Wyatt are both buried at the Edgewood Memorial Park in North Little Rock.
(Note:  Mamie’s name is spelled “Maymie” on Reuben’s death certificate and on the tombstone which she and Wyatt share.)

35.  Ara WILLIAMSON  was born Arie Elizabeth REED in Pottsville, Pope County, Arkansas, to John Franklin and Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED on April 3, 1894.  Arie’s mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED was the daughter of Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, a younger sister to William C. SMITH.  That made Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED William’s niece, and her daughter, Arie Elizabeth REED, William’s grandniece.

  
(Arie Elizabeth REED became an heir to the estate of William C. SMITH when her mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, passed away in Pope County, Arkansas, on April 12, 1915, nearly five full years before her uncle, William C. SMITH, died in Missouri on February 8, 1920.)

Arie REED’s first entry into the public record was as a member of her birth family in the 1900 US census for Galla Creek Township, Pope County, Arkansas.  That household included eight members, all REEDs:  John F.  (age 54), “Liddie” F.  (31), Walter A.  (16), Bettie M. (13), Lee F.  (7),  Arie E. (6), Mamie A. (4), and Oscar N. (2/12).  The two older children, Walter and Bettie, were John’s from a previous marriage, and the four younger ones were born to John and Lydia.

(John Franklin REED’s children by his first wife were:  Mary Viola (REED) Cotton (1872-1954), William J. REED (1875-1944), Mattie Pearl (REED) McDONALD (1877-1973), Edward E. REED (1880-1975), Walter Arthur REED (1884-1973), and Bettie M. REED (ca. 1887-?).)

By 1910 when the next US census was taken the REED family was living in Illinois Township of Pope County, Arkansas.   The two older children, Walter and Bettie, were no longer in the home, and they had been replaced by two younger ones.  The REED household included:  John F. REED (age 64), Liddie F. REED (41), Lee F. REED (17), Arie E. REED (16), “Minnie” (Mamie) A. REED (14), Oscar N. REED (10), “Altie” N. REED (8), Ruth H. REED (6), and Cassie J. CLINE (Lydia’s unmarried, older sister, 44).

Arie Eliabeth REED married George B. WILLIAMSON of Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, on May 18 1913.  She was nineteen and he was twenty-three.  George was born to Cloyd McLin and Anna Elizabeth (BOALS) WILLIAMSON in Russellville, Arkansas, on December 25, 1889, and although he was a resident of Russellville, Arkansas, at the time of his death on July 15, 1939, he died in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois.

Arie and George were living in Illinois Township of Pope County, Arkansas, when the 1920 US census occurred.  Present in their household were:  George WILLIAMSON (age 30), “Aria” WILLIAMSON (24), and their son, Paul WILLIAMSON (5).

The WILLIAMSON family was listed in the Little Rock, Arkansas, city directories for the years 1925 and 1926.  When the 1930 US census took place they were still in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, and the family had grown by one member.  The four individuals in the household, all WILLIANSONs, were:   George B. (40), Arie E. (36), Paul (15), and Arieanna (4).  The WILLIAMSON family continued to be listed in the Little Rock city director in 1930 and 1931.

George WILLIAMSON died in 1939, and Arie was listed as a widow on the 1940 census for Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.  Paul had left home by that time and Arie was working 40 hours per week as a seamstress to support herself and Arieanna, the only two household members who were listed on that census.  It reported that Arie was forty-five-years-old and Arieanna was fifteen.

Arie Elizabeth (REED) WILLIAMSON passed away on May 2, 1953, at the age of fifty-nine.  She and George are buried in the Birch Annex of the Oakland and Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.  

36.  Lee F. REED was born Lee Franklin REED in Pope County, Arkansas, to John Franklin and Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED on January 6, 1892.  Lee’s mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED was the daughter of Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, a younger sister to William C. SMITH.  That made Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED William’s niece, and her son, Lee Franklin REED, William’s grandnephew.

(Lee Franklin REED became an heir to the estate of William C. SMITH when his mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, passed away in Pope County, Arkansas, on April 12, 1915, nearly five full years before her uncle, William C. SMITH, died in Missouri on February 8, 1920.)

Lee F. REED made his first appearance in the public record in the 1900 US census of Galla Creek Township, Pope County, Arkansas, where he was a seven-year-old in the household of his parents.  Present in the household were the following, all REEDs:  John F. (age 54), “Liddie” F. (31), Walter A. (16), Bettie M. (13), Lee F. (7), Arie E. (a female, 6), Mamie A. (4), and Oscar N. (2/12).  The two older children, Walter and Bettie, were John’s from a previous marriage and half-siblings to the younger four.

(John Franklin REED’s children by his first wife were:  Mary Viola (REED) Cotton (1872-1954), William J. REED (1875-1944), Mattie Pearl (REED) McDONALD (1877-1973), Edward E. REED (1880-1975), Walter Arthur REED (1884-1973), and Bettie M. REED (ca. 1887-?).)

Lee was still in his parents’ home ten years later when the US census for 1910 found the family in Illinois Township, Pope County, Arkansas.  John’s older two children, Walter and Bettie, were out of the household by then and two younger children had been added.  In 1910 the REED family included:  John F. (age 64), “Liddie”F. (41), Lee F. (17), Arie E. (16), “Minnie” (Mamie) (14), Oscar N. (10), “Altie” N. (8), and Ruth H. (6).  Also in the REED household was Cassie J. CLINE, Lydia’s unmarried, older sister.

Lee REED of Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, married Stella OWENS, also of Russellville, in Pope County, Arkansas, on October 30, 1910.  The groom gave his age as nineteen, although the marriage date was nearly three months before his 19th birthday, and the bride gave her age as eighteen.  In other documents Stella is identified as “Elsa Stella.” “Elsie Stella,” and as “Stella Elise.”

Lee Franklin REED registered for the World War I draft on June 5, 1917, in Pope County, Arkansas.  He gave his address as R.F.D. #2 without an identifying community.  The registration form described him as tall and slender with black hair.

The 1920 US census found Lee and Stella and four children living in North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.  He was working as a steel car helper in a railroad shop.  They owned a mortgaged home, and the census indicated that Lee was able to read and write.  Present in the household were (all REEDs):  Lee (27), Stella (27), Fred (8), Cloyes (a daughter, 6), Flora (2), and Ruby (0).

The 1923 city directory for Little Rock, Arkansas, reported that “Reverend” Lee F. REED and his wife, Stella REED, were residents of that city.

By 1930 Lee had returned to farming.  The family was living in a rented home in the community of Indian Bayou in Lonoke County, Arkansas, and Lee appeared to be farming for himself.  They did not own a radio.  Present in the household were the following REEDs:   Lee F. (38), Stella (38), Flora May (14), Ruby (11), Elizabeth (5), and Robert (2).

Lee “R.” REED and his family were residents of Arkansas City, Desha County, Arkansas, when the 1940 census was taken, and Lee was employed in a church as a minister.  The census also indicated that the family had been residing in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, in 1935.  In 1940 they were living in a rented home with several relatives.  

Present in the REED household in 1940 were the following:  Lee “R.” REED (age 48), Elsa REED (wife, 48), Mary E. REED (daughter, 15), Robert E. REED (son, 13), William REED (son, 9), Joy A.D. REED (daughter, 8), Bettie J. REED (daughter, 3), Calvin WHALER (grandson, 5), Eul LOVE (son-in-law, 21), Clara M. LOVE (daughter, 23), and Ella M. LOVE (granddaughter, 3).

Lee registered for the World War II draft as a resident of Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas, on April 27, 1942.  He was very careful to print his name on the form as “Rev. Lee Franklin REED” and to also sign it that way.  He stated on the form  that “Elsie” Stella REED was someone who would always know his location.
The Pine Bluff, Arkansas, city directory revealed that Lee and Stella were living in that city in 1960.

According to the Social Security Death Index, Lee’s final residence was in Eudora, Chicot County, Arkansas.  He passed away there on March 22, 1975, and is buried at the Lee Cemetery in Sulphur Springs, Jefferson County, Arkansas.  The internet Find-a-Grave index stated that “Elsa Stella” REED was his wife, and their children included Robert Lee REED, Frederick Paul REED, Flora Mae LOVE, Infant Lorene REED, Clara REED,and Betty Jean BOWEN.

37.  Alta QUICK was born Alta Nola REED in Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas to John Franklin and Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED on February 19, 1902.  Alta’s mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, was the daughter of Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, a younger sister to William C. SMITH.  That made Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED William’s niece, and her daughter, Alta Nola REED, William’s grandniece.
 
(Alta Nola REED  became an heir to the estate of William C. SMITH when her mother, Lydia Frances (CLINE) REED, passed away in Pope County, Arkansas, on April 12, 1915, nearly five full years before her uncle, William C. SMITH, died in Missouri on February 8, 1920.)

The 1910 US census was Alta’s first appearance in the public record.  At that time she and all of her full-siblings were still residing in their parents’ household.  Members of the family included:  John F. REED (age 64), “Liddie” F. REED (41), Lee F. REED (17), Arie E. REED (16), “Minnie” (Mamie) A. REED (14), Oscar N. REED (10), “Altie” N. REED (8), Ruth H. REED (6), and Lydia’s unmarried, older sister, Cassie J. CLINE (44).

(John Franklin REED’s children by his first wife were:  Mary Viola (REED) Cotton (1872-1954), William J. REED (1875-1944), Mattie Pearl (REED) McDONALD (1877-1973), Edward E. REED (1880-1975), Walter Arthur REED (1884-1973), and Bettie M. REED (ca. 1887-?).)

Alta REED of Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, married Thomas H. QUICK, also of Russellville, in Pope County, Arkansas, on February 26, 1919.  The marriage license listed her as seventeen and her groom as twenty-one.   Thomas had been born on February 9, 1901, in Seneca, Newton County, Missouri, to Alfred N. and Germia (SHELTON) QUICK.  Mr. QUICK was identified on some documents as “Charles Thomas H. QUICK,” and occasionally the “Thomas” and “H “ were reversed.

The 1920 census found Alta and “Charles H.T.” living in the Valley Hill Addition of Seneca, Newton County, Missouri, the same part of Seneca where her granduncle, William C. SMITH, was beginning the last full month of his life.  Alta’s maternal aunt, Allie (CLINE) REED and her family, who had also originated in Pope County, Arkansas, were in Seneca as well at that time living in William C. SMITH’s house.

Present in the QUICK household in 1920 were “Charles H.T.” QUICK (age 18), Alta QUICK 18), and Lucinda F. QUICK (66).  Lucinda is described in the census as Charles’ mother.

Alta and “T.H. QUICK were living in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, in 1925 according to that year’s Little Rock city directory.  They were still in Little Rock in 1930 when the US census occurred, and by that time they had four children.   Present in the QUICK household in 1930 were the following, all QUICKs:  “Tom” (age 36), Alta (34), Patricia (2), Tommy (0), Alfred (9), and Charles (7).  The ages of the parents were off by several years.

The family was found in the Little Rock city directories in the years 1934, 1935, and 1937 as residents of North Little Rock.

The QUICK family was living in the Hill area of Pulaski County, Arkansas, when the 1940 census was taken.  The household consisted of the following, all QUICKs:  “T.H.” (age 39), Alta (38), Alfred (19), Charles (17), Patricia A. (12), and Tommy (10).  (A subsequent social security filing revealed Alfred’s full name to be Alfred Nelson QUICK, the same as his paternal grandfather.)

Alta divorced Thomas in the Chancery Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas, on April 15, 1941, over the alleged cause of “indignities,” but they remarried the following year in Saline County, Arkansas, on September 9, 1942.  The Little Rock city directory for 1942 had them in residence back in that city.

Thomas and Alta were living in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, where Thomas was working as a construction contractor when he died on April 3, 1959, at the age of fifty-eight.  His cause of death was listed as “acute liver failure due to terminal Hodgkin’s Disease.”

Alta Nola (REED) QUICK passed away on February 5, 1982, at the age of seventy-nine.  According to the Social Security Death Index, she was living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the time of her death.  Alta and Thomas are buried at the Edgewood Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.

(The next set of profiles for “One SMITH Family” will focus on descendants of William C. SMITH’s older sister, Sarah “Sally” Ann (SMITH) HANKINS.)

Ranger Bob Stories: Chasing a Dream

 

by Pa Rock

Reader

Yesterday I received a new book in the mail.  It came as a surprise, and I was thrilled to receive it.   The book, "Ranger Bob Stories:  Chasing a Dream" is 170 pages of text, photos, maps, and illustrations, many of them in color, detailing the work life of my old college roommate, Bob Randall, who spent his working career as a US Park Ranger.

When Bob retired from the National Park Service, his daughter-in-law presented him with a scrapbook that she had made which contained highlights of his career.  Using that as the base, he began adding to it by writing his recollections of those years.  Eventually it became an illustrated autobiography.

This book is a labor of love that Bob created for his children and grandchildren - and at least one old friend from college.   There is no price or purchase information on the copy I received, so I assume it is strictly being distributed as gifts - and I am honored to be a recipient of an autographed copy.

Great work, Ranger Bob!  I will read your work carefully and savor all of the details of your rich and fascinating life as a National Park Ranger.  I know this work will be treasured by your grandchildren, and their children, and theirs.

You inspire me toward chronicling my checkered past!

Thanks, friend.

Deadly Mass Shooting in Southeast Missouri

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

It's a story that should have made the national news, but unfortunately mass shootings are so commonplace that Americans seem to have become jaded to them.  Nevertheless, when a crazed gunman - or gunmen - open fire at a crowded party in a rural corner of a fairly rural state and kill two outright and wound fourteen others, it ought to get some decent coverage.  

A few Missouri news outlets picked up the story about the shooting that occurred at a large (over one hundred attendees) party last weekend in the wee hours of last Saturday morning in Charleston, the county seat of Mississippi County, Missouri.  Attendees had been packed into a large cinderblock building that had been rented for the occasion, and at about 1:00 a.m. shots were fired by at least one individual.

As soon as the shooting began people rushed to the doors and fled into the night.  Two women were pronounced dead at the scene, and the fourteen others were seen at local medical facilities.   Four remain in serious condition.  

Mississippi County forms part of Missouri's eastern border and is located next to the Mississippi River. The county borders two counties in Missouri, one county in Illinois, and four in Kentucky.   Charleston has a population of roughly 5,000 individuals and is perhaps best known for being the hometown of Warren E. Hearnes, Missouri's first two-term governor who served from 1965 until 1973.

Local police are still trying to determine who was at the party, and they are asking attendees and witnesses to come forward.  As of yet the shooter or shooters have not been identified and remain at-large, and the motive for the shooting has not been established.

Missouri prides itself on having almost no restrictions on who can own guns or where they can be carried.  

Young people, liquor, and guns.  It probably would not have taken much of a motive.

Monday's Poetry: "The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

 

by Pa Rock

Poetry Appreciator

To honor Black History month I have selected one of the best known works of Langston Hughes, a leading poet of the twentieth century.  Hughes, a black man, was born in Joplin, Missouri, in 1901, and was a resident  of New York City by the 1920's where he quickly became one of the literary pillars of the Harlem Renaissance.

In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Langston Hughes deftly reminds us that the black race has always played a role in the advancement of civilization - and that we are all fellow travelers on the rivers of time.

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"

by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

     flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawn was young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

     went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

     bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

The Knox Decalogue for Detective Fiction

 

by Pa Rock

Reader

Recently while reading an article in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine I came across a reference to Ronald Knox's "decalogue for detective fiction," which sounded as though it was a set of rules for writing detective fiction - though one with which I was unfamiliar.   People who read mystery fiction are curious by nature, so I set out to learn a bit about Mr. Knox.

Ronald Knox, as it turns out was a British writer of detective fiction who was practicing his art a full century ago.  He was also, probably much to the disappointment of his Anglican family and forebears, a Catholic priest.  Father Knox was a member of an elite specialized writing group which called itself the "Detection Club."  Other members of the group included Agatha Christie, E.C. Bentley, Dorothy Sayers, and G.K.Chesterton.  (Perhaps Knox was an influence in one of Chesterton's more memorable fictional characters:  Father Brown.)

As  a working writer of detective fiction, Father Knox sought to impose some order and structure on the craft.  He drafted a set of ten rules for himself and his fellow crime fiction writers, a list that some referred to as Knox's "commandments" or his "decalogue" for detective fiction.  Those rules help to define the craft during formative years of the genre, but today most are regarded as outdated and routinely ignored.

Nevertheless, I would like to share them in an effort to give a feel for the forces that molded the adventures and actions of detectives from Sherlock Holmes to Sam Spade and established the early genetic code for today's fictional investigators.

The following are Father Knox's rules for detective fiction, a standard of the times a century ago:

1.  The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.

2.  All supernatural or preternatural agencies are rules out as a matter of course.

3.  Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.

4.  No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long, scientific explanation at the end.

5.  No Chinaman must figure in the story.

6.  No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.

7.  The detective must not himself commit the crime.

8.  The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.

9.  The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind;  his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, slow that of the average reader.

10.  Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.

In truth, Father Knox's rules did not even survive the "golden age" of detective fiction unscathed.  His fellow member of the Detection Club, Agatha Christie, certainly fractured a couple of them in her 1926 classic, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," widely considered one of the best crime novels ever written - and it is unlikely that the "no Chinaman" rule made much sense (beyond being a racist trope) even a century ago.  Charlie Chan would have been appalled!  

Also, I have never interpreted Dr. Watson, the famed aid and biographer of Sherlock Holmes, as being "stupid."  Watson had a medical degree, a background in the military, and a love or writing.  He brought a different perspective to the analysis of the crime, and he helped to humanize the cold, analytical, and often chemically-and-emotionally-impaired Holmes.

Father Knox's rules are an anachronism, but they have been posted here as historical artifacts intended to cast a bit of light on the origins and development of today's fictional detectives.  Someone who is contemplating putting pen to paper to write a mystery story or novel might benefit from getting a feel for the historical footings of the craft.

One Smith Family (Part 12)

 

by Rocky Macy

(An attempt to profile three more of the CLINE heirs to the 1920 estate of William C. SMITH of Newton County, Missouri.  Unfortunately, this attempt resulted in two strike-outs and only one probable heir.)

30.  Roy CLINE has so far eluded this researcher.  It would seem likely based on his placement location in the list of heirs that he was a grandson to James D. Martin and Martha Parthena F. (SMITH) CLINE, the son of one of their sons. Whoever arranged the list of heirs for the Court began with the sons and then the daughters of William C. SMITH’s siblings.  After that the list focused on the grandsons and then granddaughters who were heirs - and after that great-grandsons and then great-granddaughters and so on.

The first four CLINEs listed in the legal notice were two sons and then two daughters of James M. and Martha Parthena CLINE, and the next three are males with the surname CLINE, making them probable grandsons of the original CLINE couple.

I have found no record of a Roy CLINE in the vicinity of POPE County, Arkansas, in the years leading up to the death of William C. SMITH in 1920.   Information regarding this individual from researchers or family members would be most welcome.

31.  John CLINE has also eluded this researcher.  Again, he was likely a grandson of James D. Martin and Martha Parthena (SMITH) CLINE, the son of one of their sons.  Any information from others researching this family would certainly be welcome and appreciated.

32.  Clarence CLINE:   According to information contained on an undated, delayed filing of an Arkansas birth certificate, there was a Clarence David CLINE born in Illinois Township of Pope County, Arkansas, on August 4, 1897.  His father was listed on that document as 22-year-old “Richard CLINE” of Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas, and his mother was named as “Ida REED,” a 16-year-old from the state of Arkansas.   The delayed birth certificate was signed by Ida STEWART, who was named as the child’s mother.   Richard CLINE’s family lineage is unknown at this point, and three years later, in 1900, he was not on the census entry that contained his wife and son.  That census entry listed Ida as a widow.

Ida CLINE (age 18) and her son, Clarence D. CLINE (2) were in the household of James H. CALTON (32) of Galla Creek, Pope County, Arkansas, in 1900.  Also in that household were James’ wife, Mary V. CALTON (27), and their children, all CALTONs:  Gracie (9), James H. (7), Oma R. (2), and John L. (1).  Ida’s relationship to the head of the household was noted as “sister-in-law,” and Clarence’s relationship to the head of the household was “nephew," which would have made Ida the younger sister of Mary V. CALTON.

Ida used Richard’s surname for the 1900 census, an indication that they had been wed. Richard CLINE would have been born around 1875.  Martha Parthena CLINE had, according to information in the 1880 census, given birth to John Andrew CLINE around 1873 (actually January 17, 1873), and her next child was Henry M. CLINE who was born around 1878.  There would have been room for another child to have been born to the CLINE family around 1875, but if that happened and if that child was Richard, for some reason he was not included with the family on the 1880 census.  At this point Clarence’s delayed birth certificate is the only known official proof of Richard CLINE’s existence.

But, Clarence CLINE was recognized as an heir to the 1920 estate of William C. SMITH of Newton County, Missouri, a circumstance which shows the family regarded him as one of their own.

Nineteen-year-old Clarence CLINE of Pottsville, Pope County, Arkansas, married 16-year-old “Delpha” MERLON, also of Pottsville, in Pope County on June 10, 1916.  (In all subsequent documents her first name is spelled “Delphia.”)   When he registered for the World War I draft in Pope County on August 24, 1918, Clarence David CLINE referred to his wife on the registration form as “Effie,” likely a nickname.

Clarence D. CLINE and his young family were residing in Holla Bend, Pope County, Arkansas, when the 1920 US census was taken.  That census reported that Clarence’s father and mother were both born in the state of Arkansas.  It also revealed that he was farming and that the family lived in a rented home.  Present in the household were Clarence D. CLINE (22), Delphia J. CLINE (18), and Lila V. Cine (0).  (A subsequent Social Security filing listed the child’s name as “Lela Vecal.”)

Clarence and Delphia, along with three daughters and two sons, were living in Galla, Pope County, Arkansas, when the 1930 census was taken.  That census showed that they were living on a farm that they owned, and stated that the family did not own a radio.  The census also stated that Clarence had not attended school but that he was able to read and write.  The family members, all CLINEs, were:  Clarence (32), Delphia (27), Lela (10), Eunice (7), “Hazzel” (6), “Loyd” (3), and Earl (0). (A subsequent Social Security filing listed the name of the third child as “Hazel Inez.”)

C.D. CLINE and Delphia J. CLINE were divorced in Pope County, Arkansas, on September 30, 1938, with C.D. being the plaintiff in the case and Delphia J. the defendant.

A divorced Clarence D. CLINE was still living in Galla Creek, Pope County, Arkansas, when the census taker arrived in 1940.  His youngest three children were residing with him.  He was still farming and owned his own home.  The 1940 census stated that Clarence had completed 8th grade.  The four CLINEs present in the household were:  Clarence D. (42), Hazel (16), Lloyd (13), and Earl (10).

Forty-five-year-old Clarence David CLINE married 33-year-old Ruth HARRIS of Pottsville, Pope County, Arkansas, on September 14, 1942, in Sebastian County, Arkansas.

Clarence relocated to Pocasset Township, Grady County, Oklahoma, sometime after the 1940 census, and he was a resident farmer there on October 9, 1944, when his son, Lloyd David CLINE, registered for the draft on his 18th birthday.   Lloyd told the clerk that he had been born in Pottsville, Arkansas, on October 9, 1926, and that he was currently living with his father, C.D. CLINE in Grady County, Oklahoma, and working on his father’s farm.

Clarence David CLINE was a resident of Tahlequah, Cherokee County, Oklahoma, when he died on August 27, 1969, at the age of seventy-two.  He was married to Mary Ruth CLINE at the time of his death.    Clarence and Mary Ruth are buried at the Tahlequah Cemetery.

(Note:  Clarence’s son, Lloyd David CLINE, is buried at the Pisgah Cemetery in Pottsville, Pope County, Arkansas, the place where many members of the CLINE family are interred.)

(The next profiles will focus on the five surviving adult children of Lydia F. (CLINE) REED who were heirs to the 1920 estate of William C. SMITH of Newton County, Missouri.)

Jesus Guns Babies - and the Never-Ending Noise of Demagogues

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

The campaign bus of Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor resembles something that might have been created by illustrators working for Mad Magazine, or perhaps The Onion.  The monster coach looks to have more square footage than my modest country home, and it is embellished with an enormous photograph of the candidate along with conservative messaging that transforms the vehicle into quite an imposing billboard on wheels.

The conservative candidate vows to "paint Georgia red," and she emphasizes her strategy by posing in a bright red blazer and sporting bright red lipstick.

Dr. Taylor, a former third grade teacher, is campaigning in what appears to be a new, and obviously very expensive, ride.  But the elegance of her bus is almost lost among the provocative messaging that adorns the vehicle.  In what some critics have suggested might be a nod to the Second Coming, the candidate declares:  "I'm The ONE You've Been Waiting For!"  Next to that humble declaration she has posted her campaign slogan - three words in a bulleted listing format:

• Jesus
• Guns
• Babies

Kandiss Taylor and her staff designed that brief listing to fire-up conservative voters, never mind the incongruities of linking the Prince of Peace with weapons of death, or guns with a pro-life stance.  Conservative voters are very adept and ignoring moral and ethical inconsistencies which threaten their core beliefs.

There is never a shortage of politicians eager to whip the misinformed and under-educated into a frenzy of fear and anger. Their messages don't have to be logical or even true, they just have to get people pissed off.  "Jesus Guns Babies" is one of those messages.

Legitimate political discourse has now been reduced to little more than the never-ending noise of demagogues.

The Wise Ass

 

by Pa Rock

Reader

Tom McCaffrey is a native New Yorker who spent his first working life as an entertainment lawyer in Manhattan before packing in the busy lifestyle and moving to a small town in Northern Colorado to try a second working life as a writer.  His first novel, "The Wise Ass," was published last year.  It tells the story of a mob lawyer, Jimmy McCarthy, who was also based in New York City and who winds up in the lethal situation of having to testify against his Mafioso boss.  In return for Jimmy literately putting his life - and the life of his wife, Gina - in mortal peril, the FBI places Jimmy and Gina in Witness Protection and shuffles them off to . . . wait for it . . .  a small town in Northern Colorado!

Tom McCaffrey has obviously mastered the first rule of writing fiction - write about what you know.   But he takes his basic knowledge of things like life in New York City, lawyering, and the complications that arise with relocating from the Big Apple to Green Acres, and embellishes it all with truly fine writing.

The description of Jimmy McCarthy, a rather idealistic and certainly pragmatic young public defender whose formal education began in a junior college, slowly being pulled into the heady and moneyed world of doing legal work for the Mafia, is detailed and engrossing.  The transformation comes across as completely believable.

In fact, the New York segment of the novel is all hard-edged and authentic.  That vibe, however, changes dramatically when the couple reach Colorado.  There, in a suburban farmscape somewhere east of Boulder, Jimmy and Gina, step into a new world, one that is far different than anything they expected to encounter.

In Colorado Jimmy and Gina, whose last name has been changed to Moran, meet an oddball cast of characters who could have sprung form the mind of Tom Robbins or Christopher Moore.  There is Lenahan, their FBI handler who himself has been exiled to Northern Colorado by his agency and who seems to make and follow his own rules for protecting his wards.  Lenahan teaches Jimmy and Gina about personal firearms and he also introduces them to Helen, who owns a nice local restaurant, and her  partner/girlfriend, Bobbi, who is on the ethereal spectrum somewhere between psychic medium and witch.  Bobbi can hear the thoughts of others, and she communicates with the dead - including Jimmy's three brothers who were killed by the mob in a failed effort to keep him from testifying.  Bobbi can also cast a terrifying spell when she needs to.

Eddie is Bobbi's older brother who  fought in the wars in the Middle East, came home a hero but suffering from PTSD, dropped out of society for a while and lived on the streets, and finally wound up as a cook in Helen's restaurant.  Eddie is a trained combat veteran and a good person to have on the team when the mob finds out where Jimmy and Gina are hiding.

Everett and Michelle are the cheerful and helpful next door neighbors who can do everything from fixing lawnmowers to helping manage large dinner parties.  They are also extra-terrestrials with an amazing skill set.

And one final important member of the cast is Claire, a talking mule, the Wise Ass.

A talking mule is a bit of a stretch of the imagination, even for those of us who grew up in another time and laughted at the exploits of Francis, another talking mule, and Mister Ed, a talking horse.  But again, the author is a clever and skillful writer who manages to make the outlandish seem possible - and fairly believable.

McCaffrey uses Claire and her backstory to pen some very poignant thoughts about cruelty to animals. Here is a passage that really stuck with me:

"I thought about the redneck I had dealt with who looked upon Claire as just some object to be tossed upon the butcher block when all other uses for her had been spent.  Then I thought about all the other animals I had had contact with during my life, those I loved as pets, and those I had seen since I had arrived in Colorado.  I realized that each of them,  from the largest to the smallest, were sentient beings on this earth, and that their lives deserved the same respect and protection as any human did.  I thought about all of those animals that gave birth to their young, which they love as dearly as any human parent can love its child, solely for the inevitable experience of a frightening death at the end of a chute in a slaughterhouse.  And why?  So that mankind can continue to enjoy the taste of their flesh, or organs, or to wear their skins, or feathers, or fur as an accessory.  The worst thing for me was my knowledge that I was a lifetime offender.  I vowed to change that."

That passage resonated with me.  Another piece that had a strong impact was Michelle, the space alien, speaking about what happens after death - something a friend of mine calls the "universal hum."   I liked it because it meshed with my own thoughts, and my friend's, on the subject:  Michelle explained:

"After all, not to bore you, but it's basic physics.  We are all manifestations of energy, all remnants from that big bang about fourteen billion years ago.  The energy can ultimately be converted, but never destroyed.  It vibrates during different times at different frequencies and our respective reality depends on the frequency at which we are vibrating.  When we pass, it's just another frequency."

And after all of the characters are skillfully introduced and their stories told, there is the inevitable showdown with the Mob, and it, too, is handled skillfully as the whole crew use their special skills to defend Jimmy and Gina.

"The Wise Ass" deepened my concern and compassion for our animal companions on the planet, and it also validated my beliefs about the nature of all life.  But, in addition to making me a better person, "The Wise Ass" also proved to be a very well written story that was highly entertaining.  I suspect that I will, at least for the foreseeable future, spend more time talking to the animals that I encounter and hoping that someday before my frequency changes one of them will engage me in conversation.

I am certain that there is much left for me to learn.

Thank you for sharing your passions and vivid imagination in this exceptional book, Tom McCaffrey!