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the-record-columns · 5 years

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Feb. 5, 2020: Columns

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

This is an election year (like somehow you didn't know that), and I happened to run across an election story in a copy of The Wilkes Patriot from Nov. 7, 1918, just before World War I ended.

I was actually looking for stories about the Flu Pandemic, my curiosity piqued by a full page ad in the Oct. 31, 1918 edition of The Patriot from Brame Drug Company touting their Vapo-Mentha Salve as a preventive measure for the flu. It included a signed endorsement of the product from C.C. Wright, the Superintendent of Schools in Wilkes County.

But enough about that for now, back to politics.

In 1918, The Wilkes Patriot was owned and operated, according to the masthead, by one Chas. H. Cowles, “Editor and Proprietor,” and a couple of stories on the page with the masthead caught my eye. One was entitled, "Wilkes Still Solid," and began with "The Republicans of Wilkes County have again been weighed in the balance and found not wanting in party loyalty and fidelity, the entire county ticket having been elected in spite of one of the hardest fights both within and without the party that has been waged in many a year, bogus tickets, absentee voters' law, et cetera."

Then, one column over, was another story entitled "We Didn't Do It," involving ballots and ballot tampering. Excerpts from that story follow:

"The official ballots for both the Republican and Democrat candidates were printed by the job department of The Wilkes Patriot for the county Board of Elections, but the Republican ticket that contained then name of the Democrat candidate for sheriff was not printed in The Patriot shop, neither was the Republican ticket that contained fine hair-line marks on the names of the Republican candidate for clerk and sheriff printed by The Patriot job department.”

This statement is made for the purpose of contradicting the statement made by a leading Democrat that The Patriot printed the ticket referred to. We now call upon The Wilkes Journal and The North Wilkesboro Hustler to show that their hand are clean. The Patriot will support tis statement by affidavit, if necessary. Will the two newspapers named do likewise if asked to do so?"

Mr. W.A. Bullis, Chairman of the Wilkes County Board of Elections, might also be able to throw some interesting light on the subject by explaining, if he can, how it came about that tickets other than the official ballots were mixed in with the official tickets at several townships, namely Reddies River, Mulberry, Elk, and Beaver Creek. If Mr. Bullis cannot explain how it came about, and we are loath to believe that he can, then the registrars and judges of the precincts where the tickets were found might be able to enlighten the public.

Let the public know the truth, gentlemen. This is neither Germany or Russia, but free America--the greatest democracy on earth. Where right and justice should prevail and where the rights of all out citizens, even the absent soldiers, should and must be respected. If the tickets were tampered with, Mr. Bullis, we feel sure, will be anxious to bring the guilty parties to justice and we now call upon him to give his version of the matter to the public."

Whew.

Charles H. Cowles doesn't mince words, does he? I am actively looking over other the older copies of The Wilkes Patriot to try and find a follow up.

Can't wait.

With the Deal of the Century revealed, what’s on Israel’s mind?

By AMBASSADOR EARL COX and KATHLEEN COX

Special to The Record

Acting independently of any diplomatic pressure, U.S. President Donald Trump finally released his “Deal of the Century,” or D.O.C. For all its faults, certain provisions in the D.O.C. underscore that there is no moral equivalence between Israeli and Palestinian interests. President Trump seems to understand that the Palestinian issue is not the cause of violence in the Middle East nor is the plight of the Palestinians and the so-called refugees the catalyst for the turbulence and instability in the Middle East, nor is it the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Tried and true, Israel is America’s only friend and ally in the Middle East. Israel is the only democracy and the only country in the region where people of all faiths enjoy freedom and justice for all whether Jew, Christian, Muslim or other. Israel’s friendship, backed by her formidable military and skilled intelligence services, serves to strengthen the United States in that region and is the only country that can be counted on to do so.

What does the “Deal of the Century” look like from a Middle Eastern perspective? The wordsmiths who crafted the plan formed it from a Western perspective and based the plan on Western values such as democracy, fair and honest negotiations, adherence and peace. The Arab-Muslim Middle East is playing from a completely different rule book. These concepts either do not exist, or they have very different meanings. For instance, in the Muslim world, there is no equivalent to the Western concept of “peace,” or “peaceful coexistence.” To those who embrace Islam, peace simply means the “absence of conflict.” An absence of conflict can happen when one party ruthlessly rules over the other and keeps it subdued. In no way does this reflect the Western concept of “peace” or “peaceful coexistence.”

Islam forbids the acceptance of any infidel. Violent intolerance, or terrorism, of non-Muslims is basic Islamic policy. Adherence to plans, treaties, agreements, ceasefires and so on, made with infidels, are non-binding. Muslims enter into such agreements only to buy time until the Muslim can overcome. Lying, misleading and deception are the terms of engagement in the Islamic world. This is what makes Israel’s position so difficult. Upholding traditional Judeo-Christian values where honesty and truth matter, while at the same time operating in a world where deception is the rule, is mission impossible. Israel must not only know her enemy; she must know the plans of her enemy before they become actions. Israel must always be several steps ahead and the United States must trust her to know the best course as she navigates her tough environment. Knowing that words, plans and treaties are meaningless to her neighbors, Israel must always plan for the worst because the smiles and handshakes of her Arab-Muslim neighbors are mere eye-candy for the media and the rest of the world, and the signatory ink quickly disappears.

Unlike Israel, most of the Middle East is not driven by a desire to improve and make positive contributions to the world but rather by religious ideologies whereby all must worship Allah. The Arab world understands only strength. Appeasement shows weakness and only serves to intensify acts of aggression and terrorism. A case in point is the Gaza Disengagement of 2005. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza turning it over to the Palestinians. In return, Israel was to have peace, but it never came. In fact, the terrorism escalated and became deadlier as the Palestinians were now closer to Israeli population centers. The whole of Gaza was turned into a giant launching pad for rockets and incendiary kites, drones and balloons.

The Palestinians are not bothered by the size of the Jewish state. What incites them to violence is the fact that Israel exists at all as a Jewish state. Israel knows she can depend on no one for her national security outside of her own home team. The West simply does not understand but for our own best interests, we must stand true to Israel.

The Don Gibson with Spiders and Snakes

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

Not so long ago, we were in production at the Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby, for one of our Carolina Theater Trail broadcast segments. The general idea of these segments is to highlight theaters in the Carolinas that have historical significance and are producing shows regularly.

The Don Gibson Theatre certainly meets our requirements. The Art Deco style building initially opened as the State Theater on October 27th, 1939. That was the same year that now-iconic movies such as The Yellow Brick Road, Gone with The Wind, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, The Hunch Back of Notre Dame, It’s a Wonderful Life and Stagecoach hit the big screen.

This was also a time when you had the opportunity to meet one of the stars at the theater possibly; It was great promotion for the theater and the movie. Just imagine going to the movies and meeting one of your favorite cowboy actors. It was quite the show for sure.

Things do change over the years, and so it was with the State Theater which would become The Flick theater in the mid-late 70’s. The building would also have other lives before setting empty with an uncertain fate. That is until a group of concerned citizens came together to create a plan that would help revitalize the area and celebrate two of the area’s musical legends, Don Gibson and Earl Scruggs.

In time, the old courthouse on Shelby's town square would become the now-celebrated Earl Scruggs Center and the State Theater, with its Art Deco style, would become The Don Gibson Theatre that now hosts approximately 100 shows and events per year.

Stan Lowery, General Manager of the Don Gibson Theatre, shared that while there have been challenges, the victories have been far more significant. Stan recalled that the first movie he saw at the State Theater was the Jungle Book, which came out in 1967. Now that he books around 30 national acts a year for the Don Gibson Theatre, he sees firsthand the value of providing well know entertainment for the community.

As it turns out, during the day of our production at the Don Gibson the evening’s entertainment was a Song Writer’s in the Round program featuring Jim Stafford, Walt Aldridge, and Lenny LeBlanc.

The three of them have written many well-known songs; however, it would be Jim Stafford that we would spend time with on camera.

While Jim is an excellent songwriter, he is also a great entertainer with dynamic timing. Our interview with Jim was a heartfelt and laughter filled walk down memory lane.

It’s hard to watch one of his television appearances and not smile or laugh when he sings one of his hits like Spiders and Snakes, Wildwood Weed or The Swamp Witch.

Regarding writing, he said he did not have a specific method or muse, it was “Butt powered; Sitting on your butt and just doing it.” The Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson MO has been going for over 30 years. Now in his mid-70’s, he still loves the music and putting on the show. He shared many great stories in our interview.

With all his years of writing and entertainment, I found it interesting that his appearance at the Don Gibson Theater was his first participation in a Song Writers in the Round performance. I ask him why he did it. He said, “Someone called, and it sounded like a good idea. So, I said yes, and here I am.”

As I watched the show at the Don Gibson, the three songwriters shared their stories and talents for an admiring audience, and I thought about all the people who have laughed, cried and set on the edge of their seats in anticipation as they watched the entertainment in front of them.

From the State Theater to the Don Gibson Theatre, you could not count the emotions and memories if you tried but we can count ticket sales, and that’s a good thing.

Carl White is the Executive Producer and Host of the award-winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 11th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday’s at noon and My 12. The show also streams on Amazon Prime. For more information visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com. You can email Carl at [email protected].

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