What Is The Worst Town In Nebraska? (Omaha, Chadron: floor, license)

[nebrgirlgeorge]

I had the great fortune to have been sent a copy of a letter that a very respected man of the community wrote 10 years ago to Paul Harvey. I wanted to share it with you all, as he paints a much better picture of our Great Sandhills than I would ever be able to do justice to. I hope you enjoy it - as I did. I realize I will no doubt get some flack from some animal rights activists. But he answers that in his letter, also. Please read an enjoy this letter written by a wonderful cattleman that will show you a picture in your mind, that you may never have the opportunity to see otherwise.

I haven’t heard Paul Harvey lately. It seemed he was siding in with radical environmentalists for awhile. I came across this letter that son, Steve, wrote to him ten years ago:Dear Paul Harvey,
Greetings, Mr. Harvey, from the good ol’ Nebraska Sandhills.
It’s pretty tame country now but was “founded” with wild cows and moonshine stills.
We love these old grass-covered sand dunes with valleys in between.
Soapweeds, hay bales, cattle and horses put “polka dots” on the scene.
And standing sentinel above it all, like lighhousess along the ocean
Are windmills pumping water, that all-powerful, magic potion
That turns grass and cattle and Sandhills air into something of mighty good taste.
BEEF can feed a lot of hungry people---otherwise all this grass would go to waste.
We in the cattle ranching industry consider our chosen profession an honorable one. Our duty is to oversee and manage the naturally growing grasses, harvesting some of it for winter hay to feed and allowing the rest to be grazed in a timely fashion by our herds of cattle. The cattle are later converted into a high-protein good-tasting food product fit for human consumption. Our cowboy way of life consists of about five percent glamour and ninety-five percent pure hard work, with a liberal portion of book-keeping and tangled-up red tape thrown in for good measure. We operate in a backward fashion because everything we buy is at retail price and our final product is sold wholesale. We live off the land and have done so for several generations. We consider ourselves the ultimate environmentalists, having learned if we take care of the land and cattle, they will take care of us. A rancher’s horses and cowdogs become like members of the family and we are out at all hours of the day and night caring for the cattle, especially during winter storms that occur during the calving season. But sometimes it seems like our whole occupation and way of life is at stake because pseudo-environmentalists and pseudo-animal rights activists are trying to interfere with our business.
Mr. Harvey, I am concerned with your liberal views on animal rights. Just the other day, you and several other newscasters made a big production of the astronaut who bandaged the rat and kept him alive for the remainder of the shuttle mission. How noble! Common sense would dictate that the rat staying alive would stink less than he would in that small cubicle dead and decaying. After all, one can’t just roll down the window and toss him out into space. One report said the rat would be humanely destroyed later. Since when have rats deserved such a high position on the pedestal of life? During the Bubonic Plague from 1347-1352 A. D. , when one-fourth of Europeans died from disease transmitted by fleas from infected rats biting humans, the rats were not held in such high esteem.
Just today,on the news, a great break-through in the treatment of cancer was reported. New drugs have been developed that have the ability to wipe out malignant tumors in laboratory rats. This is great news for 99.99 percent of all people everywhere. But there will always be a small handful of animal rights advocates who will scream and holler for RATS’ RIGHTS.

In some of your news casts you have made references to the “dumbing down” of America. People seem to have lost their common sense. A good motto is: “All things in moderation.” Sure, we should all be kind to animals. We do brand, vaccinate and castrate our calves. It is for their own good, and it bothers them for just a moment like the military vaccinations bothered me for just a moment. I had a nice saddle horse break a leg from sticking it in a cattle guard this winter. The only sensible and humane thing for me to do was put him down.

In the past the National Cattleman’s Association has paid you big
money to advertise BEEF. You did a good job and helped us sell our product.

Recently you mentioned that at your Reveille Ranch you no longer raised livestock, but instead grew only grain. Does that make you a more honorable agriculturist than ranchers like myself who produce cattle? For one thing our whole ranch would otherwise be wasted because it is not even suited to farming. Besides, we know cattle and believe in the great tasting end product.

Let us keep our priorities straight. Mosquitoes are for swatting, and snakes, mice and rats need to be treated as rodents. They are like thorns, thistles and weeds. Dogs and cats are to be petted. Wolves look good in documentaries about the Artic and in zoos. Instead of spending multi-millions of dollars on their “re-introduction” into the West so they can kill cattle and sheep, let’s spend the money instead on feeding hungry children. Horses are for riding. Cattle are to be eventually eaten. Each and every living thing will die some time. May we all be useful and productive in our own special way.
Stephen J. Moreland
5-13-1998

The way that I copied and pasted this letter did not turn out exactly as I wished. But I hope when I submit it, it won't have the odd markings it showed in the preview. And I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did, and those that didn't - Pleas accept my apology as it was not meant to step on anyone's toes, it was merely what I considered to be an eloquent example of what the Sandhills has to offer, and I am sure there are changes in the 10 years since this letter was written. But I will guarantee you, the hard work, red tape, and grist of the labor has only increased in the last 10 years.

[SCGranny]

Way to GO, nebrgirlgeorge!!
Excellent find....
And I have been here in Cherry County since last Wednesday... and it is everything I expected, and more. The folks are really friendly, we chat all the time about any and everything, from the weather to cattle to calving (pretty important right now) and horses and children and... This Sunday some new friends invited me and my daughter to the movies. It is great here. the people are so honest and open and friendly - and we have even cut up quite a bit and shared some really good times already.

[tpabes]

SCGranny,
Read your post in the pics thread, glad you like it. Figured I reply over here, rather than taking over the pics thread.

Gotta love the weather here, always changing. We actually got a thunderstorm this morning, while you were getting snowed on. I'll take it over the snow, hopefully things will start to green up.

Get used to driving and giving people a one finger wave, and I don't mean with the middle finger.

[nebrgirlgeorge]

SCGranny,
I knew when you said you would be at the Star Gazings, you had to be headed for the Sandhills in general, and most likely Cherry county somewhere!! So what do you think of Valentine?? I know alot of old timers there that will welcome you! I don't go back home often, but if I go, I will wave at every car and hope one is you!!

My Sis still lives in the country around there. And the my Dad's cousin is in "Heart City"!!
I am so excited for you. I am moving too, but just to a new place in town. Cheaper utilities - I hope!! I have to stay here in town, until I am able to afford to retire like my Sis. She is into woodworking big time, does some really nice things!!

I just got off work tonite, and have to go back in the morning, so I better hit the horizontal. I can't wait to here more about your new home. They will all treat you nice there, it is the cowboy code - don't ya know!! Have fun!!

[Texas_mom_of_3]

My family and I recently moved to North Platte. North Platte has not been a good experience for any us! By my opinion, people, besides our friendly neighbors, are very rude. I am from Texas, so I am used to manners and welcoming people. We had to move to North Platte because of employment, but believe me, we will take the first bus out as soon as we can!!!!

[mattpoulsen]

This old argument that "this state" is more polite than "that state" is a pretty old one. The idea that Texas is more polite than North Platte is a little hard to believe. Could it be that you simply knew a lot of people in your old neighborhood and felt more at home?

Generally, when I hear 1 person say an entire city is rude I suggest that they look in the mirror.

[nebrgirlgeorge]

I agree with you, Mpoulsen, I think you have to give a town and yourself more than a month to judge a town. I moved to NE Nebraska, and I was homesick. But I found people that understood that, and helped me to find other things to do - to keep my mind off it. I was in my early 20's then, and have made some very long lasting friendships that I treasure greatly, that I would have never found - if I hadn't stayed here at least a year. And I am so glad I gave it a chance, and stayed.

My mom was worried when I moved and said to be sure and ask around about what was the bad side of town. Well, I am directionally challenged, and wound up moving smack dab in the middle of what was then considered the "bad side of town". I had the best luck there than anywhere I have lived in this town. Never had any thing stolen or broken. Moved to a more central part of town, and my son's car window got broke out, but - hey - that's kids for ya. And who's to say it wouldn't have happened in any other town. Life is ups and downs. You take them in stride, and I have generally been happy here. Haven't wanted to move away, except during the spring when all the activity with calving and brandings are a big social event out west.

I think as I have said before, Life is what you decide to make of it. And it is 10% circumstance, and 90% how you react to that circumstance. If you react badly, then you are not going to be happy, but if you look at it and really think about the many ways you could react to the situation, it might be less of a tragedy than you think.

It's kind of like the old Forrst Gump saying, "Life is like a box a chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." But if you tell yourself it may not be the one you wanted, but it is still chocolate candy - and that is better than no candy at all, things just really aren't that bad.

[FireflyRD]

I'm a Native Nebraskan, I have lived anywhere from Red Cloud, Grand Island, Dannebrog, Broken Bow, and Alliance. Right now my mother is a bartender and waitress at a restraunt in Red Cloud, and when city people from Omaha, Lincoln, or even other states come it, they act like she is some bucktoothed hick. One even had the audacity to say that she probably didn't even know what a Sonic Drive In was. We like our privacy, but we are not stupid. My grandfather is Joseph Vogel, the man who did those wagon trains in the '90s, including the Mormon Trail, and my family participated in all of them. If you were to walk a mile in my shoes, i'll bet your feet will be soar, as will mine if I were to walk in yours. We are all different, but I will tell you that I have seen some of the worst hospitality outside of my beloved state. Take it from one of us true and proud Nebraskans, give us a chance, and we could be best friends, but don't treat us like idiots. I wanna see if you could do half the stuff that my four year old niece does already living on the farm that she does.

[FireflyRD]

NebrGirl,
I just read you post after I had posted mine, and I have to admit that that was a beautiful find. The cattle, hogs, sheep, hoses, corn, wheat, alfalfa, beans, these are our livelyhoods. I don't know why some people just can't understand this. I remember there was this beautiful farm just outside of Grand Island, the family who owned it always had such a good crop of corn, but one day I passed by it, and it had been a while when I was living in Broken Bow, and I didn't see any corn, instead I saw houses. It was a sad realization that our land, and lives are being, in a sense, taken from us. I asked around and found out that because of taxes, his farm wasn't bringing in enough money, so he sold out it, and they built houses. This kind of thing is going on all throughout the central states, Nebraska isn't just the only one, the price of bread and such is going higher by the day. Perhaps, that is another reason why we are so upset, our friends and family cannot afford to live the way they wish, and outsiders are taking over our land. I moved to Alabama, then to Virginia where I reside now, but I try to keep tabs on my beloved state as much as possible. I have nothing against out of staters, or out of towners, but I do have something against people who criticize us for the way we live, because we know how to ride a horse, and we walk around in Wranglers and boots. Our state is changing at a pace that few are able to keep up with, men in suits and ties are changing things for us, and few others are trying to let us in to make our own voice heard. Don't criticize us because we are backwords, most of us are probably upset and scared that people are taking over our home, and they don't even know what they have.

[ehenningsen]

Some people have a need to tear sombody else down..

I fully appreciate rural Nebraska as it is a lifeblood for the state, and the nation, and even other nations..

Same with Omaha, we have some very highly respected corporations here, not just some rich corporations, but very reckognizable and respected companies..

Nebraska is rich, and it begins with the worker, and those of you out there in rural Nebraska working all day feeding the world and doing it with pride represents the very best of human nature.

Another thing is that, rural Nebraska has some of the most awesome scenery, not just the sand hills, badlands, the buttes way out west, the rolling hills all the way to the Loess Hills, There is not a single part of this state that I am not proud of and wouldn't trade a single part of this state for anything that exists out there in the world, I am a Nebraskan and I love it!