A Crazy Texas Guy

What He Said 27 Comments

This was passed along by a reader, from a friend who we shall call “Woody”, and who told me to edit it where I saw fit. It didn’t need any.

Woody was on the road traveling last Thursday when he saw the plight of people in New Orleans, he is a real red neck Texas guy who played football for a small college about 30 years ago. He is prone to get into arguments over next to nothing, he will argue enough so that stores have to call security guards and his wife knows how to talk him out of trouble with cops when he mouths off.
Woody is rather passionate about life, his daughter is engaged to a nice black man and was best friends with her fianc�s sister who had a baby last month. The mom started running a high fever a few weeks ago, went to the hospital and she was sent home with two aspirins and then she developed more complications which ended up with her being in the hospital last week on life support. Woody was rather upset about this, his daughter was taking care of the beautiful new baby and last Friday he decided he could not sit still any more.
He borrowed his wife’s SUV, he took off on the road with a lot very large coolers, he does big cookouts at times, and two large tables on the top of the SUV. He purchased hundreds of pounds of lunch meat, large containers of sandwich spread and loaves of bread. Then he filled the coolers with hundreds of bottles of water. Friday night Woody checked into a hotel part way to Louisiana and set up an assembly line to make sandwiches, he spent nine hours building sandwiches and developed a good case of sandwich elbow. He had every thing cooled down and Saturday afternoon he was on the highway in Louisiana mixing in with large relief convoys of Tahoe’s, Expeditions and Suburbans flying down the road over eighty miles per hour. They passed a number of military convoys loaded with all sorts of heavy equipment, he said that the road of full of workers and soldiers heading towards New Orleans.
Woody made it through the first road block tucked into a group of government vehicles as he was just waved right on by. The second road block of Highway patrolmen stopped him and saw he was loaded with coolers and he told them he was with the group and he was passed through. At the third road block just out of New Orleans he was stopped and asked for an identification badge, he tried to bluff by searching around his SUV, the Patrolman than ask him again who he really was and his reply was “I am just a crazy guy from Texas with a truck load of sandwiches and water and offered him a sandwich. The patrolman looked at him like he was crazy and then he told him to pull out and drive on down the street. There he was stopped again at a gathering of large number of highway patrol cars and patrolmen.
When Woody told them what he was doing, they asked around and one of the men in charge told him that there was a bus breakdown at a church a few blocks away and that they could use some food. He drove up to the church which had been made out of a converted Wal-Mart and there were three buses in the parking lot. A large man came out and ask him what he was doing and Woody told him that he had over a thousand sandwiches and bottles of water and the reply from this man was “Thank you.”
The two of them unloaded the food and water which made the coolers so heavy they could hardy lift them. They then began to pass the food out and he was told that these were the last three buses out of the superdome. They were filled with tired and hungry old people, women and children who was eager to have food and a cool drink of water. Woody apologized for having to use heel of bread on some of the sandwiches but he ended up with more meat than bread and he wanted to use it all up. The people did not seem to care.
At the bottom of some of the coolers a few sandwiches had gotten wet and one of the women was about the throw them away since every one had been feed, Woody asked her if there were any animals around and she remembered that there was an old gentleman living in a car in the parking lot with a dog. They then feed the hungry skinny dog and the owner was grateful.
As Woody was packing up the man who helped him thanked him and was shaking his hand. Woody then told him that he needed something and those around waited to hear what he wanted. He said that prayer was needed for the woman in the hospital back in Dallas who had the little baby. He said they both hugged and cried in the parking lot and then he was told that Sunday morning there would be over 400 prayers for the young mother.
Woody was the only white person among all of the folks taking care of the bus loads and in the bus loads of people, one friend had warned him before he went down that they might see him on TV being the victim of violence, and what he found was warmth and friendship and very tired worn out hungry people. This crazy red neck Texan said that there never was any thing but kindness and appreciation that night.
Woody hit the road and headed back to Texas and he found out the mother did not make it. She died and her family expressed gratitude for new baby in their lives and for the time they had with the mother before she went to heaven. Some how this crazy trip seemed to help Woody get some balance for all of the things that can happen and a bit of peace.

27 Replies to “A Crazy Texas Guy”

  4. When the Democrats and media were reporting that the Department of Homeland Security was blocking Red Cross supplies they failed to mention it was LOUISIANA Department of Homeland Security. I guess a lot of folks thought they were talking about the FEDERAL Department of Homeland Security.
    Do you think that minor ommission was intentional?
    Read on:
    Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s Bureaucrats Blocked Food and Water
    The Red Cross was reportedly ready to deliver food, water and other supplies to flood-ravaged refugees who were sweltering inside New Orleans’ Superdome last week – but the relief was blocked by bureaucrats who worked for Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
    Fox News Channel’s Major Garrett reported Wednesday that the Red Cross had “trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go … to the Superdome and Convention Center.”
    But the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, Garrett said, “told them they could not go.”
    “The Red Cross tells me that Louisiana’s Department of Homeland Security said, ‘Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more people to come to the Superdome or Convention Center, we want to get them out,'” he explained.
    “So at the same time local officials were screaming where is the food, where is the water, the Red Cross was standing by ready [and] the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said you can’t go.”

  7. Two things (and thanks for printing this piece, Kate):
    This kindly man encountered thankfulness, not violence, dignoty, not anarchy. This post counteracts the images of crazed Black mobs that have appeared…well, you know where.
    Secondly, the commentators before me want to point the finger at state homeland security for backing the Red Cross away. That’s fair enough. But they don’t mention FEMA, which has engaged in a pattern of obstruction so blatant that one has to wonder about their motives:
    http://constructiveinterference.blogspot.com/2005/09/local-failure-caused-by-fema.html

  8. Oh yeah…..has anyone been listening to Charles Adler lately? A few days back Kate recommended that I drop Chuck a line after he had a bit of a rant against Dubya. In my opinion his rant seemed a little too “staged” (read: phoney).
    I sent Adler a timeline about what REALLY happened last weekend and reminded him about the chain of command with respect to how disasters are dealt with Stateside. (I posted it here as well) Surprisingly Adler responded to my e-mail agreeing with me that there are many people out there spouting off uneducated rhetoric with respect to huricane Katrina.
    Hopped over to Chuck’s site this morning and he appears to be foaming at the mouth now, claiming to be disgusted with Bush’s folksy “good old boy” persona. Gee Chuck, he’s the same Dubya he was 5 years ago-funny that suddenly you have a problem with his “swagger”.
    Sorry Chuck, I don’t think Dubya will submit to a “Queer Eye” makeover because some of you find his cowboy talk uncomfortable. The U.S. electorate overwhelmingly rejected the pathetic “metrosexual” John Kerry, because it was all an act.
    So I’m left to wonder (once more), is Adler simply pandering to his new found Toronto radio audience whereby he has to torque up just enough anti-Bush pap to satisfy central Canada, or has he become lazy as a journalist and not researching the FACTS before opening his mouth?
    Or am I completely wrong and this is all just clever marketing to upset conservatives like myself and draw attention to his program?

  10. Eskimo:
    Go with your hunch. Adler is a buffoon. Turn him off.
    Listened to him a few times and it was quite easy to figure out that he has no principles; he just cherry-picks in the political supermarket (I would agree for ratings).
    It’s one thing to have complex beliefs but when you swing back and forth on issues, it comes off as namby pamby idiocy.

  11. George HW Bush was asked, “how do you respond to criticisms your son is facing on Katrina?”
    Deadpan, “he can handle it.”
    I will take HW’s lead. I’m tired of the vitriol spewed against W – but who the f$#% cares? He won. He’s in charge. This apres-storm will pass.
    The left will look stupider and stupider over time. They are criticising a man who presided over the worst terrorist act and worst natural disaster in US history. They have no clue how unprecendented these past years have been.
    I go to Kennebunkport next week. I will stop at Walker point and in my best Garth imitation, I’ll whimper: “I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!”

  12. My heroes have always been cowboys, as the saying goes!
    Of course I like to daydream that somewhere out there, in this swirling cesspool of socialist swill known as Kan-uh-duh, there is an effeminate liberal arts graduate, sitting on the federal dole at the gay pride parade, waiting for that oh so mystical government job, sipping his soy latte and thinking of Paul Martin, Peirre Pettigrew, Bill Graham and David Suzuki, thinking that his heroes have always been sissies.

  13. Hey Eskimo,
    You should have heard Jack Layton on the CBC telling us his favorite song was “Rise Up! Rise Up!” from Parachute Club. He said hearing it live made swoon with emotion.
    Okay, that’s a punchline in and of itself.

  14. Back during the last election, when Jack Layton’s handlers told him that he has an uncanny resemblence to Lenin, Jacko thought he meant “Lennon” and he’s been crooning the Barenaked Ladies B side song “Be My Yoko Ono” the the little missus ever since…..
    Parachute Club? THAT’S creepy!

  15. Eskimo:
    One more thing about Adler. He obviously loves the sound of his own voice. It seems to me that it could be manipulated electronically as well. If it isn’t, then he sure is one big blowhardy buffoon. Sounds to me like he is trying a bit too hard to come off as the “Aristocratic Loyalist Canuck.”

  16. Kate,
    Thanks for the story about the Texan. Stories like this aren’t found anywhere else than blogs like this. I notice the Texan did not take any photographers or biographers to document his good deed. I am sure that good deeds like this are happening, but Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton get more coverage…pity.

  17. Doug, you’re right about Adler’s voice. Reminds of Kelsey Grammer-not quite an English accent, but at the same time you can’t help but notice the arrogant tone to it.

  21. Great story,
    and there are LOTS of GOOD guys like him in Texas. I know because I used to live there a while back.
    The MSM puts the REAL news on page A16 sometimes. Authorities discovered possible Jihad 7/7 event plans for California by a fluke. A cellphone was dropped by accident during a Jihad fund raiser in the form of a hold-up and robbery.
    Naturally they followed the cellphone lead and came to an address where they found not only the perpetrators, but also bulletproof vests, knives, Jihadist literature, and the addresses of future targets.
    Both Britain and the USA were without any clue of the 7/7 event before it happened. Worrying, sort of.
    I, for one want to be informed of not only the events that blow up as planned, but of the near misses as well, and where they have happened . I think news like that adds to everyone�s awareness and alert level.
    The link is a mile long, so just Google NationalPost and enter California�s homegrown jihad [lower left]. Damn, I see now that it�s a subscriber reserved story.
    Sorry. For those who don�t care to subscribe, I can put some of the meat here, if there is any interest. 73s TG.

  23. I killed 180,000: Saddam
    Posted by Aussie Dasher
    On 09/08/2005 5:36:05 PM PDT � 3 replies � 42+ views
    news.com.au ^ | 9 September 2005 | Robert Reid
    FORMER Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has admitted ordering the attack that killed more than 180,000 Kurds, an official of the Iraqi Special Tribunal said yesterday. Not only did he admit ordering the attack against Kurds in the north of the country, but he boasted that the killings were legal and justified. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said Saddam made the statement last month during questioning. He goes on trial before the tribunal on October 19. The official said Saddam demanded a court decide if he was justified in ordering the…>>>>>>>>>
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/browse
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
    Katrina death toll could be lower than feared
    Posted by WKB
    On 09/08/2005 5:44:24 PM PDT � 5 replies � 20+ views
    CBC ^ | Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:25:56 EDT
    As Hurricane Katrina evacuees prepare to attend school in cities such as San Antonio, Texas, there is word that the death toll from Katrina may be less than had been feared. But as of Thursday — a week and a half after the hurricane hit the U.S. Gulf Coast — there still are no definitive numbers. Evacuee Latesha Vinnett holds a debit card from the Red Cross in Houston, Texas. (STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images) Estimates had run as high as 10,000 dead in New Orleans, but the actual body count so far is lower than that and officials who had feared…>>>>>>

  24. Thanks for this great story about one man doing something for so many. Water and sandwiches – it’s so simple. It’s also important that these stories are told especially to counterbalance all that looting we’ve been shown. I think there are probably hundreds of stories similar to this one that will never be told. I hope I’m right – I hope that the goodness in people is what ultimately will be remember through this tradgedy.

  25. One man, some bread, some water and some hope.
    300 people were helped, it does’nt seem all that hard does it.

  26. Woody is a true “Good Ol’ Boy” and redneck. He clearly believes “Folk is folk” and “When folk need help, you give a hand.”
    Thanks for printing it, Kate.

  27. It is great to meet guys like Woody. Even in the press. His story is an inspiration. There are potential Woodys at tailgate partys on any fall weekend all over the USA. Are you ready for some football! NFL aside (whats up with NFL and MTV?), there will be some great high school and college games for the next few months and lots of parking lot barbeques. Hope everybody gets to go to at least one. If football is not your thing, check out lacrosse.

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