RRN Online Volume 388

November 08 '03

Volume 388

Colonel Rebel An Emotional Issue

After getting my hair cut, I exited the building and was about to walk across the parking lot to get in my car when I noticed the car parked alongside mine was about to back out of its parking space. I stopped and motioned for the driver to continue backing up. It was a moderately warm fall morning, and he had his window rolled down. He waved me forward, but I stood my ground, insisting that he proceed first while I took note that his convertible bore Shelby County, Tennessee license plates. He did so but stopped as he straightened up after backing out of the parking space.

He then looked squarely at me and said, "I like your shirt."

I glanced down to remind myself what I had chosen to wear earlier that morning. My stylist had done a good job cutting my hair, trimming my eyebrows, and clipping the few stray ear-hairs that I can’t see to trim, but he had not commented on my shirt, else I probably wouldn’t have had to look at what I was wearing to remember what I was wearing. I was sporting a cardinal-red polo-styled pullover shirt emblazoned with a small Colonel Rebel icon. It’s the only article of clothing that I own that has any icon associated with the University of Mississippi.

One might presume a graduate of the University of Mississippi would have at least one clothing article in his or her wardrobe with something symbolizing the University, but not me. I have a very nice wristwatch, one Barbara gave me years ago, that has the official seal of the University on its face. I still wear my college class ring, and I bought a signet ring (imprinted with the official seal) several years ago and began wearing it, but I don’t own so much as a baseball cap with Ole Miss on it.

I had bought the shirt just a week or so earlier in Fulton, MS. Barbara and I had stopped at the Wal-Mart Super Center to pick up something we needed to take with us to Rayanne’s house, when I lingered at a display of Mississippi State and Ole Miss memorabilia and casual-wear clothing. I needed another pullover shirt (even if it was made in China), and I liked the texture of the fabric in the one I selected because it reminded me of narrow-ribbed corduroy, but I may have liked even more the idea of having a shirt with a Colonel Rebel icon.

The man in the convertible was dressed in a business suit, but his coat lay beside him. I remember the suit was a light brown with a checked look. He was smiling broadly when I raised my chin off my chest and our eyes met.

"Thanks," I responded, "And, I like your car."

Twenty years ago, I might have had a desire for such a sporty looking car, but now that I’m in the "senior citizen" classification, I don’t think I could very gracefully get in and out of one.

I don’t recall if it was a BMW or other imported model, but I quickly classified it as too costly for me to afford before asking, "How about those Rebels?"

He asked if I had attended Ole Miss, and I explained I was a graduate and tried to open a conversation regarding the questionable fate of Colonel Rebel with, "Things sure have changed since I was in school there," but he didn’t take the bait.

"Two of my kids are at Ole Miss," he boasted. "My daughter just graduated, and she didn’t want to leave. She loved it there. Really, we had to pry her hands off the door facing to get her away from there."

I could picture the scene, but I supposed he was speaking figuratively. I shared that neither of my children had attended Ole Miss but that my son was thinking of having another go at college and Ole Miss would be his choice.

We chatted for a couple of minutes before he wheeled away in his luxury ragtop, and I in my mid-sized four-door sedan. I wasn’t jealous of his success, his family, or his possessions. I was just proud to know that a graduate of a rival university, Memphis, was sending two of his children to Ole Miss.

One can find a lot of Ole Miss supporters in or near the city of Memphis. For that matter, one can find a lot of Ole Miss supporters all around the country. Ole Miss attracts students from near and far.

The University of Mississippi was founded as a land-grant college in 1848. When the Civil War broke out, a number of students joined the Confederacy, becoming a part of the 11th Mississippi Infantry Regiment of the Army of Northern Virginia, comprising Company A or the group of soldiers known as the University Grays. Sadly, not a single University Gray survived the "Picket’s Charge" at the Battle of Gettysburg. There’ve been a lot of history- making individuals among the graduates of Ole Miss, and, for a relatively small university, Ole Miss has fielded a large number of Rhodes scholars.

These days, Ole Miss finds itself in the unpleasant position of political incorrectness. As minorities discover political clout can be obtained merely by consistent persistence, the same discovers new items of incorrectness to be addressed. For example, playing the Deep South tune, "Dixie" reminds some minorities of their ancestor’s period of enslavement and Dixie is labeled politically incorrect. Its spirited melody must be used sparingly at sporting events or not at all.

Ole Miss students and fans once proudly waved the Confederate Battle flag at sporting events to show school spirit and inspire the school’s athletes to achieve victory. Yet, minorities wailed in protest that the flag symbolized slavery or reminded them of the Ku Klux Klan, and a way was discovered to abolish the flag’s presence at football games.

For a few years, the Colonel Rebel icon appeared on the helmets of football players. As the population of university athletes drew more heavily upon the ranks of minorities, certain athletes objected to the Colonel icon on the helmet and soon Colonel Rebel was removed.

Roughly twenty years ago, Ole Miss adopted a Disney-styled caricature of "the Colonel" modeled after the style of a Disney character and suited up a student in the new attire to be the mascot for athletic teams. This year, the University announced the Colonel Rebel mascot would not appear at football games, and the announcement set off a storm of controversy. It seems the Chancellor and the Athletic Director decided the mascot needed an updated look, something more menacing than "an old man with a cane," as described by the Athletic Director. The University even hired a firm from New York to propose a new mascot and shelled out thirty thousand dollars in the process.

For a school rooted in southern culture and steeped in tradition, the decision to abolish the mascot was like a slap in the face. For those of us already weary of battles over political correctness, the decision was like knocking the scab off a skinned place. Students, alumni, and supporters of the University rallied to save Colonel Rebel by creating a "Save Colonel Rebel" website, flooding the newspapers with letters to the Editor, and flooding the Chancellor with phone calls and mail.

The Chancellor responded with an Op-Ed piece of his own, which did little to quell the fear of Rebel fans everywhere that Colonel Rebel was about to be eliminated. However, the Chancellor did make it clear it was only the mascot and not Colonel Rebel the icon that needed changing. And, according to the Chancellor, "Rebels" will remain as an officially sanctioned team name. I feel certain the Chancellor means it; at least, he means it for right now. I imagine he’s reacting to the pressure of the winds of protest by powerful alumni, and as soon as those winds subside and the breeze of political correctness blows his way again, the Colonel as we know him will be gone and soon thereafter "Rebels."

Students, faculty, and paid-up members of the Alumni Association recently had an opportunity to vote on one of two possible replacements for the Colonel Rebel mascot. One of the mascots looked like a slightly more youthful Colonel Rebel but one on steroids. The other might have passed for "Mr. Clean" in a football uniform. Reaction was predictable in that the choices were awful, and, after only two days of voting on the Internet, the voting booth was closed prematurely.

The Chancellor has admitted to having badly handled what is an emotional issue for many. He asks everyone associated in any way with loyalty to the University to "let us put the issue behind us and move on." Move on to what is unclear.

The late Frank E. Everett, Jr., B.A. '32, LLB '34, wrote: "There is a valid distinction between The University and Ole Miss even though the separate threads are closely interwoven. The University is buildings, trees and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion and personality. One is physical, and the other is spiritual. One is tangible, and the other intangible. The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss."

Barbara and I were shopping at the Pontotoc Wal-Mart for Halloween candy last week on the eve of All Hallows Eve. I was again wearing my Colonel Rebel shirt when I stopped to speak to Chuck Howell, Director of Pontotoc Electric Power Association.

"I like your shirt," Chuck commented.

"You know, I bleed maroon," he continued alluding to his being a graduate of Mississippi State, "but I like Ole Miss, too. I think it’s terrible what they’re trying to do to Colonel Rebel. That thing has really been mishandled, and now y’all’s Chancellor says it’s time to move on…if y’all do, then that just means he’s won."

It’s pretty hard for a State graduate and an Ole Miss graduate to find common ground, but it’s a good thing when they do, even if it’s over an emotional issue such as a school icon. But then, emotion is what differentiates The University from Ole Miss.

The Flasher Warning To Motorists

I don't remember how old I was or how long I had been a motorist, but at some point in my driving career, I learned a valuable signal. Before flashing the headlights of ones vehicle became popular as a means to alert oncoming motorists of a police speed trap or to simply alert the other fellow that a State Trooper or other uniformed officer was in the area, I was taught a hand signal that served the same purpose. Actually, two hands were required. Placing both hands near the top of the steering wheel, approximately six inches apart, and raising the index finger of each hand to a vertical alignment formed the signal.

While I don't see anyone using the hand-signal warning anymore, it surely saved many a motorist a speeding ticket or citation in its heyday. In rural, northeastern Mississippi a lot of folks still use an upraised index finger to "speak" to an approaching motorist. A few years ago, I heard the practice referred to as "a farmer's salute." In metropolitan areas, others are often seen flashing a fellow motorist a far different salute that employs ones middle finger. I've been on the receiving end of both salutes, but I much prefer the farmer's salute.

These days, I no longer use a hand signal to warn others of speed traps and have adopted the popular practice of headlight flashing. On a rare occasion, I’ve been known to flash my headlights at an oncoming motorist when I had no knowledge of the whereabouts of a law enforcement person. I did so, in order to give the other person a reason to bring his vehicular speed under 100 mph.

Today (11/05/03), I listened to Robert Siegel of National Public Radio interview Bill Walker, a resident of Franklin, TN, who was recently charged with "Interfering with a police officer performing his duties." It seems that Mr. Walker, who was being closely tailed by a local policeman, noticed the officer suddenly pull off the road into an abandoned driveway.

Believing the officer was about to engage in detecting the speed of approaching motorists, Mr. Walker flashed his lights to warn them. The officer saw the taillights of the Walker's car blinking on and off and pursued him. Upon stopping the "flasher," the officer asked him why he was flashing his lights. Mr. Walker freely admitted to warning other motorists, whereupon he received a traffic citation.

Mr. Walker dutifully appeared before a local judge, as ordered, but protested the citation, pleading freedom of speech and freedom of expression were basic rights of all Americans. The judge was unsympathetic, and Mr. Walker was ordered to pay the city of Franklin a fine of $75.00.

Most of us might have paid the fine and wrote off the experience as a lesson of unfairness in the judicial process. However, after further reflection, Mr. Walker spent roughly a thousand dollars to hire a good lawyer and appealed his conviction to Circuit Court. He won the case and the city of Franklin had to reimburse his $75.00 and all court costs. I am inclined to count the outcome as a big victory for the "little guy" and a huge victory for Freedom of Speech.

Each of us must search his or her own conscience as to whether or not it’s okay to warn other motorists of a possible speed trap, but at least we now know, if we are fined for doing so, we stand a better than good chance of "beating the rap" by citing the precedent in Franklin, TN.

Bodock Beau Expensive Cigars

As noted in the preceding article, lawyers do serve a sometimes useful purpose in society and lawsuits are not always frivolous. The following legal predicament gives us cause to pause and to laugh:

A Charlotte, NC, lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, then insured them against fire among other things. Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed claim against the insurance company.

In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: "that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion."

The lawyer sued...and won!

In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable fire, and was obligated to pay the claim.

Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

More…Idiots Among Us

ARE WE COMMUNICATING??
A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!"

"Is this her first child?" the doctor asked. "No!" the man shouted, "This is her husband!"

NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED!!
In Modesto, California, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.

WHAT WAS PLAN B?
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein, the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS:
Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten teargas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."

Contributed by Ken Gaillard

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