(Buck Tullock, Noted Refuge Farm Economist ).

It was a strange afternoon. Considering that the NFL doesn’t have the following it once did at Refuge Farm there was a certain rising tide of the public mood as the hours passed. Since Splash had made the Saturday trip to Belmont Farms to do some moonshine stockpiling, there may have been a temptation to start testing the elixir. Football was some of the talk, but it is an eclectic time for topics. Strong Defense advocates lost track of whether they were talking about the Bengals or the Ukrainians.

Wet snow had been falling all day, so aside from smoke breaks under the awning outside it was an inside day with a good solid fire going in the pit. One conversation between Loma and Melissa had veered over the issues of the week, some oddly casual, like “Do you think the war is going to start on Tuesday or Wednesday?”

Buck was up for it. He usually wears a battered mortarboard hat but had opted for a more historic approach, since George Washington had surveyed our town plat when he was a lot younger. Buck had powdered his hair with some talc he found in the common bathroom. He felt a bold approach to the game was in order and was attired appropriately. As the gathering began to enter a more assertive phase, the talk turned to aspects of the NFL closer to home.

“So whaddaya think about the new name for the Redskins? Make ya want to start watching the games again?”

Buck took a sip and looked around. “No offense to our fine Naval Commanders here at Refuge Farm, but at least half of America associates Washington DC with rule by Commanders. Rule by mandate, rule by coercion, rule by commanding that the Bill of Rights no longer exists. A commanding rule that ignores the US Congress. And ignores the US Constitution. We have a Government that is attempting to Command that I do certain things.”

“Watch out, Buck. Don’t let the attorney catch you saying that stuff. We have been warned about being critical of figures of authority.”

“That does not apply to me. As an emeritus Professor, I have not surrendered my First Amendment rights. Given the nature of the Administration, this nickname is immediately associated with Washington DC being the center of Rule by Command. This football nickname is offensive to Free People. We don’t want to live according to Commands from Washington DC. It sends an atrocious message to our children.”

“We think we can agree with the wallop school kids have taken in the pandemic response. We understand that nothing more than gentle ironic humor is permitted from the retired crowd. We haven’t heard what the grandkids think.”

“Well, I know something about that. Give me a short shot of that white stuff. The nickname Redskins was offensive to some American Indians and to many White Progressive Intellectual elites. But it conveyed strength and power and a free edginess. It conjures Free People in my mind.”

“There are a lot of things that got cancelled. But which name is worse? Which is more disempowering?” Loma looked concerned.

“I don’t know. I have an opinion. Everyone does, and everyone is different. And views the two names differently. That’s the real Diversity.” He looked around, seeing the little crowd grow closer around him. The Attorney was on her phone, seeking guidance from someone at another party.

Buck held his glass out and continued. “A long time ago, I was a halfway house houseparent. I was working with teens convicted of crimes that ranged from truancy and burglary right up through rape and murder. They were teenage boys from various Indian Reservations and Tribes in the Southwest.”

“That is part of what isn’t working at the moment. What was it like?”

“It was Interesting. The kids were part of a Behavior Modification program. It was funded by a grant run by PHDs from a major Midwestern University. They were typical elite academics who concocted the program, took the grant money and implemented the program. They obtained data and published “Scholarly Reviewed” Journal Articles that advanced their careers in “Science.”

“Sounds like everything these days, Covid or Climate. What did the kids think?”

“Well, nobody liked it. The house-parents didn’t like trying to manage the “Points” end of the thing. For example, a kid got points for doing household chores. With enough accumulated points, that kid could get to spend an evening at a friend’s house or go to a Party. The kids traded points for privileges.”

“How could you keep track of all that activity between you and the kids, the other parents or the kids dealing points?”

“It became part of the data being collected. One Monday night, I wanted to watch the Monday Night Football Game between the Cowboys and Redskins. I told the kids that I would bet them a huge number of points on the outcome of the game.”

“That sounds like encouraging gambling.”

“Nah, I just wanted them to watch the game with me. They were a diverse group of kids from a singular group of people. There were two Dines, an Apache, a Tohono O’odham, and two Utes. They were all Redskins fans. They had no problem with the word, and they all bet on the ‘Skins. I, the white guy, bet on the Cowboys. The kids were really into the rivalry between the Cowboys and Indians. We had a fantastic time watching the first half of the game. As the Cowboys lead expanded to 20 plus points by halftime, we all lost interest. I told them that the bet was against the point spread because I wanted the kids to win the bet.”

“So you attempted to make a teaching point out of Tom Landry and his Cowboys?”

“I don’t know if the story means anything. I don’t know if my actions were good or bad in that moment, or by the new 2022 Standards. But we had a great time. Betting on sports? That wasn’t something that the PHD Research Project allowed. It wasn’t the only time I bent the rules by ignoring the commands of academic elites.”

“Sounds like you went off the Reservation,” said Rocket with a laugh. “You would have produced data the researchers didn’t want.”

Buck put his glass down and reached for the remote to tune in the game. “It was too bad that house-parents real data points never got into the Research Article. But since the PhD already got paid for the answer, I figure it would have been bizaad k’ehgo.”

“What the hell does that mean?” asked Melissa, pursing her lips.

Buck leaned back, very relaxed. “It means “by Command” in Navajo.”

Copyright 2022 Buck Tullock
www.vicsocotra.com