It should come as no surprise that this nation's character is being tested. A great country in many ways, it was built on the shoulders of strong men and women--immigrants--who had the dreams, tenacity and work ethic to make their sacrifices worthwhile. But we beneficiaries of those sacrifices and visions rested on their laurels, got distracted by our technology, and lost touch with our most important national resource. Our fellow citizens. The People. Our cumulative frustrations have resulted in the angry politics and dysfunctional government of the current moment. But, I'm an optimist. I believe we're eminently capable of learning from our mistakes, summoning our Better Angels and moving ahead. Let's see if we might learn some Mosey lessons from one of my heroes.
Painting from a photograph by R. Gilliland
Tom Blasingame--The Cowboy's Cowboy
Tom Blasingame was one of the oldest working cowboys when he passed in 1989 at the age of 91. A foreman on the JA ranch in the Texas Panhandle, Tom knew himself, his horses and the land he loved. Tom knew himself so well that when he felt he was dying, he dismounted his favorite horse, lay down by the horse, crossed his arms over his chest, and that's how he was found. His horse stood sentinel until help arrived. Cowboy poets and songwriters have written many tributes to this cowboy role model. I was blessed to know him and his family.
Tom's values were simple, profound, modeled and lived. Tom enjoyed his solitude, but he loved his horses, respected his fellow cowboys and treasured the good earth that sustained livestock and crops. He believed in an honest day's work, but enjoyed kicking off his boots at the end of the day to listen to sports on his transistor radio. His wife and two children lived in a nice house in Claude, TX, but Tom was always more comfortable at the ranch where he worked for 73 years.
Tom's life reflected integrity, humility, mutual respect, commitment and stewardship. Stewardship of animals, earth and water. And the bonds of trust among him and his fellow cowboys made each comfortable that the others had their backs. The cowboy's version of community. Admirable and enviable.
Paying my respects at Tom's gravesite on the JA Ranch
Applying Cowboy Principles To Political Challenges
The cowboy's duties were assigned based on the needs of ranch operations. Experience and collaboration enabled the most effective response to variables. Experience and innovation enabled new approaches to older routines. And there were measurable results on the range, just like there are in business and government. Perhaps just slightly looser, with a lot more dust, and no doubt similar amounts of manure.
Our Country Needs: But We're Getting:
Accessible, Affordable Healthcare .......... Bickering, Indecision, Little Expertise
No Replacement for Obamacare after 7 years
An Educated Populace ............................ Education Budget Cuts, Betsy DeVos
Infrastructure Plan, Job Training............ Nothing
Thoughtful Immigration Policies............ "Build a Wall" (We're Not), Sloppy Travel Ban
Compassionate Human, Social Svcs........ Totally Unnecessary Defense Budget Increase
Thoughtful Regulatory Policies .............. Gutting the EPA budget
Effective, Professional Govt. Agencies... Way behind on Staff Hiring & Appointments
So, What Would Tom Do? What Should We Do?
Tom would rise and shine, consider his chores for the day, gather the necessary tools and head out to do the jobs right the first time. And, now that we've recovered from the shell shock of the election, we need to up our game in collaboration with our appointed and elected officials. We can choose our top priority issues, seek to be well-informed, and identify the officials and their aides with whom to establish good communications.
Everyone at every level is learning that campaigns are easy, governing's hard. We've got to raise our expectations of governmental accountability, and our support/communication has got to increase with our expectations. For instance, we must expect measurable results from the legislative process and specifically ask for same. Legislators will state that they've "proposed/sponsored" legislation on a specific issue, when they know it won't pass, may not get a hearing or may be approved with too little funding to meet its purpose. That's where we get "clean air" bills with insufficient penalties, and child protective bills with too few case workers. You get my drift. We need our officials to tell us the truth about context so we can better understand government and our role in it.
Our Test Of Character
Our bipartisan Congress has shirked its responsibility to honorably serve our best interests over SEVERAL administrations. The Republicans were skilled, though nefarious power brokers with gerrymandering and Citizens United, but then, having won it all, are realizing they forgot to remember governance. The Democrats were ineffective in recognizing and countering these political power plays. And we the people fell asleep at our device switches and ignored some cultural, economic and societal trends that created the perfect storm of the recent campaigns and election. The first few weeks of this administration are the cumulative payback, no matter what our ideology.
The Good News! We're being embarrassed and shocked out of our apathy, lethargy and functional immobility. The Sleeping Giant of constructive citizenship has been awakened, our politicians humbled and activists are swarming like locusts. Our national character is being tested at every level. There is still an abundance of evil-doers, but an overwhelming majority of good folks know better, expect better and are rising to their occasions. Let's make sure our friend in the mirror joins in. Let's strive to emulate the integrity, tenacity and quiet resolve of Tom Blasingame. LET'S MOSEY!