23rd Anniversary
Confusion, social conundrums, and misleading stories designed by manipulative political architects ruled the op-ed pages of the local newspapers. Two opposing factions sought to capture public thinking.
Folks seeking honest information and solutions were at a disadvantage. Enter – the 40-something- year-old journalism major with a stake in the game; and a desire to find good answers to new, as well as, age-old questions.
KULM 98.3 FM, allowed me to begin with a 15-minute spot at 6:45 a.m. every Saturday. The station managers were suspect. They said an outdoor program had been tried before but the previous show’s owner lost interest fast. The “News from the Camp House” started airing in August, 2000.
A month later it was extended to 30 minutes. Polka Time disallowed getting a prime seven or eight o’clock time slot. But, it did not prevent interviewing legislators, state agency leaders, biologists, hydrologists, port authorities, the LCRA, the Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, irrigation district managers, oil field drillers, water process tech nology engineers, Rail Road Commissioners, the Texas State Comptroller, the Texas General Land Office Commissioner, con servation group directors, Descendants of the Alamo, pastors, etc. Anyone with a solid logical explanation on pertinent issues became fair game for interviews.
The indoctrination artists were eliminated. There was/ is none of the sing-song NPRstyle narrative spinners that fabricate hairballs and cause social hand-wringing.
The most damnable characters were the bureaucrats that lied or tried to mislead the program’s listeners.
Their names were passed along to state senators and representatives. Instead, interview subjects were chosen that produced true, concise, and to-the-point ideas.
Political affiliations were not locked at the hip on all topics. Knowing and understanding facts was the goal.
The premise of the “News from the Camp House” was that there are conversations in camp about every subject affecting mankind.
Too often these discourses end with questions. It would be my duty to find the answers to these “how the world works” queries.
It was also necessary to reach out beyond state lines. Phone interviews with representatives of the U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance, the NRA, and others became common. Also, interviews were conducted whenever hunting guide duties took me to Montana, Wyoming, and Old Mexico.
The mayor of Riverton, Wyoming, was interviewed when the Wind River Shoshone Reservation tribal council sought federal dollars for an environmental study committee within the council. This warranted “state” status and the national hubbub was that the Shoshone tribe wanted to secede – which was not the case.
On the same journey “The News from the Camp House” reported that the two-year EPA study on the Pavilion, Wyoming plateau showed no correlation between fracking and groundwater corruption.
During that same time period, the same results were handed down by studies in Texas and Pennsylvania. The faux-fracking hysteria was de-bunked before the 1990s, but still the notion persists as a cash-cow controversy.
Environmental consultants suggest that there are good players and not-so-good players in the oil patch. The good players leave minimalistic footprints. The notso- good players take their chances besmirching the progress of the greater majority.
A fun visit was with one of the two Game Wardens in Coahuila, Mexico. He proclaimed that he alone had the authority to write fishing tickets on the Mexico side of Lake Amistad.
At the time, fishing guides reported a handful of officers known to write citations and take cash payments. The actual warden admitted to having spies, but… They had no authority to demand fines.
A person would be blind not to see the changes in social attitudes and practices over the past 50 years. Likewise, when evidence becomes too blatant certain assumptions aim at slipping into the “fact” column. Topics such as “Climate”, “Racism”, and “Covid” are serious issues.
However, there is the perception that these topics are cash cows for elite political operatives; and are used to control and manipulate the masses.
It is also not uncommon for the radio host to mention the folly of basing policy-making on unproven theory.
But to nevertheless report on CO2 reclamation installed in refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.
In the identical vein of “just give me the facts”, the radio host relies on people such as Dr. Rodney Sturdivant, a bio-statistician, from Baylor University, to disseminate the CDC’s data, and to untangle the mistakes made during the Covid pandemic.
It is tragic to be at this juncture and to realize society learned so little from the experience.
A problem must be identified and defined in order to identify and define the solution.
When we worry over Good vs. Evil we turn to the Bible.
When we concern ourselves about American freedom we turn to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
When we discuss wildlife conservation, habitat, and the adjoining funding we’re referring to the North American Wildlife Conservation Model. This model has been in effect for 100 years.
It was devised by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and includes applying animal husbandry techniques to wildlife populations. By 1937 it was law, we are the beneficiaries, and sportsman paid the tab.
It has remained because it is common sense. That common sense is diluted today.
There are two Man-Made elements that control the world. One is “words” and the other is “numbers”. Either can be used for Good or Evil.
It’s up to the individual to decide how they interpret and how they use them. Beware of the buzzwords such as “trophy hunting”.
Unscrupulous writers rely on sparking ill emotions, manipulating minds, taking control, and gaining political agendas.
The outdoor community of Texas has survived by sticking together and allowing each individual to enjoy the outdoors in accordance with their personal preference. Private Property is one of the highest held standards in the Texas Legislature.
The North American Wildlife Conservation Model should be in high school curriculum. It has countless answers to “how the world works”.
Happy 23rd Anniversary! Brune interviews Larry Weishuhn, Saturday, 6:30 a.m., Aug. 12
