Alternative Lifestyles

By Ken Brown

Springfield, Missouri
Well, strong winds hit my southwest Arkansas abode and has blown me all the way up into eastern Oklahoma not far from the burial place of my great-grandfather, John W. Morris.  Since my last post, several themes on which to write have crossed my path:

That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom: Team Obama's Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans." 
I often turn on the C-SPAN Book Channel by which to go to sleep at night. Last night, I had the misfortune to tune into Jonathan Karl's interview of Michael Graham about his new book titled above. Graham is apparently a conservative talk show guy in Boston of all places -- and yes, he has a website and yes, you can get his newsletters and support his cause which is allegedly the Tea Party movement. Well, I'm a fiscal conservative (was once considered an expert in government finance during my academic career), and if Graham is the voice of the Tea Party, the group will not appeal to many independents like myself. I do not plan to read Graham's book -- his premise and his conclusion don't match at all. I truly feel he is just trying to get out in front of the parade and make some money in the process. Conservatives, beware of false conservative voices. Nuff said about that theme.
Rand Paul and Sarah Palin 
As a fiscal conservative [someday I'll write about my social issues views], I was very intrigued with Rand Paul's election in Kentucky. Also, I felt it would be a wake-up call to the Republican Party to get an intelligent approach to our problems. Well, I guess Rand wasn't told he can't tell the truth if he's to stay in politics and he's gotten off to a rocky start -- something about his civil rights views. He canceled his "Meet the Press" interview intended to air this morning on NBC, and I guess the Republican establishment will coach him on what to say from now on. Then, I understand that Sarah Palin has jumped to his defense and said it's not Rand's fault, he was just a victim of the "Got-ya" media. By the way, I don't really want to knock Sarah Palin -- she's securing her family's financial future thanks to her talents and the "Got-ya" media. She's amazing. Unlike Graham's book (see 1 above), I may find time to read one of Sarah's books once they hit the flea market booths. No more on this theme.


Alternative Lifestyle A 

As my road trip has continued into now its third week, I continue to scour the road sides for evidence of current and past lifestyles and unusual sights. (As my family knows, the only way I stay on a road is that my mind is wired to always be sure the roadbed comes into view each time that I pan from left to right and so forth -- most of my 200 miles of travel today was on U.S. Highways 71 in Arkansas and 59 in Oklahoma. Sidenote: I wasn't too far north of Ashdown AR when I came up behind a car that was having trouble staying between the lines. I worried that someone was intoxicated and questioned if I should call it in. Well, a passing lane opened up and as I went around, I looked over to see a young woman texting on her cell phone).

Well, I've now put around a 1000 miles on my Ford Escape and probably less that 50 of them have been on interstate highways. Just outside of Arkansas's Millwood State Park on Ark. Highway 32 at a little place called Fomby, I found a group of apartments made out of boxcars! Well, my six-year old Granddaughter and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Boxcar Children, that 1924 children's classic by Gertrude Chandler Warner. So, I had to photograph the apartments for her and I'm attaching one of those shots.


Alternative Lifestyle B

A few miles north of DeQueen Arkansas on U.S. Hwy 71, I passed a man dragging a cross and cart. Unlike Forrest Gump whose walk attracted a huge group of followers, this man was only accompanied by his dog. As soon as I could get the Escape stopped and did a 180, I met up with the walker and his dog at a dirt road junction. We visited for several minutes and here's what he told me:

• His name is Rev. Lee Simpson and he has now walked over 7,000 miles having started from Florida some time ago. I have his card with his cell phone number if I ever want to call him.
• Everything he needs by which to live is on his cart, and he just let's God tell him where to walk and when to stop and pitch camp for the night.
• He is 61 years old and is a cancer victim that required surgery a few years back, and his dog almost died a few days ago -- he told me what the vet told him the dog had, but there was the dog looking amiable and compliant with his master.
• I reached in my billfold and handed Rev. Simpson a $20 bill which he accepted graciously. Then I walked to my car and returned with an apple left over from my Super 8 Continental breakfast. That he gladly accepted as well, and we shook hands. As I climbed in my car, a large white SUV appeared from the dirt road and rolled by us onto the highway without giving us a glance. Perhaps heading to church, it was about that time of morning.

I told Rev. Simpson that I admired him and what he's doing which he labels as "Walking for Christ." But as the miles rolled by after leaving the walker, I started asking myself, "Why did I stop? If he had not been dragging the cross, would I have stopped? I'm not a Christian. Did the fact that he had a dog make him more approachable? Probably so. If he had neither the cross nor the dog, would he have seemed any different that the homeless bums and bag ladies I've seen in Washington DC or San Francisco? Definitely so.

Then, being incredibly skeptical in my old age, I wonder if old Rev. Lee scammed me. Maybe he just lives in the area, and on Sunday mornings he gets out this cross and heads down the highway to earn a little money. I don't think so but if he did, HURRAH for him. I'm sure if a Christian God were watching this Sunday morning, she probably had much bigger scams of her followers to deal with than the Rev. Lee Simpson.

I "Googled" Rev. Simpson's name this evening. He has no website, no radio talk show, no books nor tapes to sell. I envision him in camp right now bedded down with his dog beside him. That's what I want to "perceive" but not necessarily "believe." For to "believe" means you absolutely know something is true. In my mind, "truth" is elusive and becoming more endangered every day.