 |
| Even Cows Love Cannon |
June 27, 2005 |
| |
Dear Friends,
I flew with our Senators and Tom Udall from Washington to Clovis last Thursday evening. We arrived in time for a chuck wagon supper with community leaders and the BRAC Commissioners in Beverlee McClure`s back yard.
The weather was clear and cool with a slight breeze at sunset -- illustrating nicely our point that Cannon has a mere 329 great flying days a year.
I found Jim Hanson in the crowd and ate dinner with him.
Jim is the BRAC Commissioner from Utah who chaired the hearing on Friday. A retired member of Congress, Jim was the longtime chairman of the House Ethics Committee and was Chair of the House Resources Committee before he retired.
Jim and I got to know each other well when I was working to get the Baca Ranch bill passed in the House. Initially a skeptic about putting more land in federal ownership, Jim came to New Mexico, did a lot of listening and learning about the uniqueness of the Baca and our concept for managing it, and changed his mind.
Jim Hanson is an honest man who listens to people and thinks for himself. I like him and was glad he came to Clovis.
On Friday morning the route from the La Quinta Inn to Marshall Junior High in Clovis was lined with thousands of people in red, white and blue, holding signs, rendering salutes, waving flags and expressing their support for keeping Cannon.
Some were touching. The Legion member with the perfect salute and unmoving gaze worthy of a parade ground told us by his bearing how much he loved the service he was once part of. The elderly woman wearing a simple cotton house dress standing quietly in front of her home had worry etched in her face that was all too understandable.
Some were funny. My favorite was a homemade glitter paint posterboard sign held by a strapping young man that read, "Even Cows Love Cannon". You`ve gotta love the dairy farmers.
And there were a lot of signs, printed up by Operation Keep Cannon that just said, "Thanks for Listening" and "Thanks for Coming". New Mexicans are friendly and polite. It`s hard to imagine signs like that welcoming Commissioners to New Jersey.
On Friday six BRAC Commissioners saw united federal, state and local leadership, a supportive community, and a strong argument that the Pentagon has made a mistake: Cannon should stay open.
Even the cows know that.
Wish you were here,
|
|
|
|