A couple of weeks ago we were sitting on our office deck and heard someone in an American car equipped with an American horn, lean on it. All the way from Wanderoo’s entrance to our office, a distance of several hundred feet. Cats and squirrels nearly fainted.
When the black Chevy Suburban quit honking, it pulled out in a huff and passed the car it found so annoying. Right in front of us. Over the double yellow line.
Then the Suburban deliberately slowed to a crawl in front of a 4-door sensible gray car with out-of-state plates being driven by a man, retired age, and shotgunned by a woman, retired age. They seemed perplexed and anxious, looking out every window and at every mirror to figure out what had just happened. They pulled over to get away from the melodramatic Suburban driver, who wasn’t quite through honking, but at least he sped away.
This couple sat for a few minutes in front of New Horizon Realty catching their breath and probably doing laps around a rosary.
It didn’t matter what this couple had done. As far as we could see, they might have been too slow. They couldn’t have pulled out in front of the Suburban, they couldn’t have run a stop sign since there isn’t one, and they weren’t trying to identify a historic building since there’s not one of those up here, either.
They were visiting. They were driving. They were lost. They were old. They were innocent until proven guilty for whatever driving sin they committed, but whatever it was they didn’t deserve to be terrified by a man who was territorial and rude. Drivers without skill rely on horns, accelerators and fingers.
Which brings us to the CAPC. Why on earth would anyone choose to go after the new director in town with yesterday’s news? Oh, let us guess. Bankruptcy. That black word that people whisper and judge.
I know four people really, really well who have had to do “it.” All good people, all hard working, all were forced into bankruptcy due to unforeseen circumstances. The only bankruptcy scammer we know of is on trial now in Washington.
Remember 2001 when we had miserable winter weather, 9/11, a recession, $3.75 a gallon gas and the convention center caught on fire? We slogged through it together.
Remember when John Nichols from Dallas was hired to replace Barbara King Dozier and was scheduled to start on a Tuesday as CAPC director? On that Tuesday he sent an email saying, “Never mind, I have unanticipated business developments. But I have a friend who could do it.”
We finally get someone who knows tourism marketing inside-out, shows up for work, makes sense, gives good meeting, and has charisma. Sic ‘er!
We all know that a newspaper’s job is to report news, not create it. We also know it’s easy to throw old documents at a reporter and maybe he’ll do your dirty work. Or maybe it’s his, doesn’t matter which.
Did the new tourism director take away the honeycomb? We were in a conversation recently with a prominent, longtime resident who complained about tourism numbers, with the innuendo that it’s the new director’s fault.
Well, really. She’s been on the job since August, so why isn’t every Eureka Springs hotel room booked for the season?
All we’re asking is does the new driver in town have to endure unbridled honking from angry men who aren’t getting their way?
Two sides to every story makes sense. But manipulating the press is as wrong as passing on a double yellow line. Wronger, actually. It’s bushwhacking. Taking orders from those who have consistently skirted at least the law of good taste is worse.
We can’t force commissioners to read what’s in their private packets before a meeting. We can’t sway their votes to do what we want. We can’t print the embarrassing pasts of aldermen, commissioners or business people.
Well. We could.