Pedro and Tommy

Pedro and Tommy

White Signal Intercession

Closed door Resolution

By Stephen L. Wilmeth

            Pedro and Tommy are as close to identifying these yesteryear characters as we are going to get.

            The story starts long ago at a Fourth of July celebration in Silver City on a table at the old Monterrey Hotel where Pedro was hoisted to demonstrate his prowess of dancing the jig. The band had taken a break and the famous local Hays, he of Kansas birth, had reckoned that young Pedro had learned enough of his dance steps that an exhibition was needed.

            So, the two began the Hays jig.

            The crowd reaction was apparently sufficient to stimulate the duo into a more vigorous rendition only to have Pedro crash into the beer barrel. Off the table and onto the floor the beer barrel rolled spilling its contents. The enthusiasm of the crowd was immediately dampened and the dancing duo was forced to retreat as the growing dismay was multiplied by each roll of the barrel.

            There is insufficient evidence to discern where Hays escaped, but Pedro found safety in the second story room where his cohort Tommy was expanding his own celebratory exercise. There he sat in an open window with a water pitcher calculating and perfecting his aim at unsuspecting passersby on the sidewalk below.

            During another episode, Tommy secured a sack of firecrackers and was testing them out front of one of the theaters on Bullard. As the testing continued, word got out on the police net, and, since the chief was close, he cruised by to affect a remedy.

            Shortly thereafter, witnesses saw Tommy leaning against the car chatting with the chief. The conversation seemed friendly with both the chief and the young cowboy smiling while conversing.

            As he left, he was heard to say, “Remember you light another one of those and I’ll have you tossed in the tank.”

            “Yes, sir, you don’t worry about us, Chief,” Tommy assured.

            About that time, young White Signal Pancho walked up and asked the boys what was going on. He was informed that they had taken an opportunity to check the fireworks ordinance.

            “What did you find out?” Pancho asked.

            “The Chief said the ordinance has been waived and you can shoot these anywhere,” was the response. “In fact, we’re finished and goin’ in to see the movie. Here, you can have ours.”

            In less time than it took Pedro and Tommy to hand their sack over and walk into the theater, White Signal Pancho lit his first one. In about the same amount of time, a siren was heard coming back up the street from city hall.

            Pedro and Tommy

            There are a number of other stories about the two, but one is their contribution to sobriety. The story took place at the previously mentioned White Signal and its famous dance hall. In those days, it was the practice to line refreshments up in preparing for breaks in the dancing. In this case, it was a line of beer being poured into paper cups in anticipation of rhe pending rush. Tommy, the elder statesman of the two, concluded the beer needed sampling before it was served so they slipped under the long table and made their way to the expanding line of cups all the while being covered in their mission by the long table cloth. They secured as many cups as they could handle and slipped back out the same way they came. Out back, they sampled each cup in turn, but Tommy got to worrying that maybe somebody might have counted the cups and he didn’t want to leave any evidence of their taste test operation.

            They resorted to an ingenious plan. They took only a couple of swallows from each and then refilled the cups with the only thing they had that would match the frothy texture and golden color of the beer. They then carried the cups back into the hall and replaced them in the line of fresh cups, and retreated to an advantageous position to observe the results. Their claim was that they cured a number of folks from ever drinking beer again.

            Wouldn’t it be nice if a similar lesson could be passed along to Congress?

            Those characters are absolutely without adult leadership. They are being whipsawed like a bunch of White Signal Pancho clones. Their predicament is made worse by the nearly 2.2 million Pedro and Tommy counterparts that fill government employment rolls. Being built without sight of any relief, this system of government with its layers of self protection has become an immoveable, seething monster. It is self perpetuating and its defenses are proving to be incalculable.

            The indefensible cadre of acting leaders is the party in the majority position. The other cast of characters remain true to their kaleidoscope of constitutional destruction, but the party in power is making a mockery of their promises.

            We are shaking out heads.

            Closed Door Resolution

            It is time for a closed door GOP resolution session.

            Since White Signal has become a theme this morning, a trip down memory lane 32 miles south of the dance hall is the example. It was there that a stable of agents from the old Border Patrol concluded an internal review by pulling the shades and locking the doors of their Lordsburg office. They commenced to work their differences out and didn’t emerge until there was an agreement.

            When it was over, nobody said much.

            The place was a bit worse from wear and tear with broken desks, windows, numerous lips and at least one arm, but the slate was cleaned. Order was restored and the team agreed to work together. Balance was achieved and the job got done.

            That is what congress needs, and, then, they need to appoint a chief that can handle casts of unaccompanied minors.

            Stephen L. Wilmeth is a rancher from southern New Mexico. “There will be some who can unmask these characters, but it won’t be me.”