David Offutt

“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - George Santayana

Home This site will consist primarily, but not entirely, of my letters to the editor of the El Dorado News-Times that have been printed on the Viewpoint page. They are intended to provide historical perspectives on important issues. I will add future essays and/or lists monthly. Some will be lists of movie recommendations.

Most Recent Update: May 13, 2009

 

A Temporary Posting Containing My First Four Commentaries (Also #77 Looking for a War): Scroll to the Bottom for All Five.

Two Additions

From Six Cats to Eight

I am now owned by – and

 loyally serve – eight cats.

 

One was adopted from

 the local animal shelter,

 UCAPS, to be a

 companion to my now

 late father, J.C. Offutt

 (1913-2001).

 

Seven showed up in my

 yard and refused to

 leave.

 

 

 

Susie: A calico, indoor

cat obtained from

UCAPS. Dad had

accidentally run over a

cat that he had dearly

loved for two years. He

insisted he never wanted

another one. My older

brother John and I

concocted a story to tell

Dad about our finding

Susie under a car at K-

Mart. I think Dad

learned the truth, but he

never let on. He loved

Susie, and so do I.

Age: Around 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonka: An all-black

indoor/outdoor cat that I first saw hanging out on my back patio when he was just a kitten smaller than my hand. I tried to give him away twice; but, each time, I ended up bloody. He bit me and scratched me, and my hands and arms were left bloody messes. Seeing this, no one wanted him! They really missed out. He is now as sweet and playful as he can be!

Age: 4 in June 2008

 

 

Cody: A truly

remarkable indoor/

outdoor cat with four

white socks. He showed

up during a heavy snow 

and was ill. Dad and I

nursed him back to

health, and he was a very

cooperative and

appreciative patient. He

has continued to be so,

with other illnesses and

a broken hip. He won

over the other cats

immediately. He has

even taken Tonka under

his wing as a Big Brother.

Age: 9 plus

 

 

The Boss: a very light

orange tabby (almost

white), indoor/outdoor

cat. He was born under a

storeroom in my

backyard. His stray

mother disappeared soon

after. He defers to Susie

in the house, otherwise

all the other cats defer to

him. Only he dares to

wake me at any hour he decides he is hungry or wants to go out.

Age: 10 on July 4, 2008

 

 

Mr. Hobbes, or

“Prettyboy” Hobbes:

An orange Tabby,

outdoor cat that was

named after the stuffed

tiger in Calvin and

Hobbes. He is the Boss’s

brother; he is the only

one that doesn’t love

Cody; and he doesn’t

sleep in any of the beds

or chairs on the patio. I

have no idea where he

sleeps!

Age: 10 on July 4, 2008

 

 

Gato: A strange-looking

brindle female, outdoor

cat. Depending on the

weather, she sleeps on a

patio chair, in a box with

an electric blanket on the

patio, or in a hole under

a storeroom. She will

rarely let me touch her,

but she is almost always

inside my backyard and

is almost always visible.

If I don’t see her, she will

speak to me until I do see

her and acknowledge her

presence.

Age: Around 9

 

 

 

My Objective

 

Throughout our history, the U.S. Constitution, our hopes and dreams, and our civil liberties have been placed in jeopardy in ways other than wars. The plot to assassinate Lincoln, the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, the Great Depression, the McCarthy Era, the Watergate Scandal, the Iran-Contra Scandal, and the quest to destroy the presidency of Bill Clinton have been among the most serious.

 

However, I have never been more fearful for the future of the United States than I have been since the catastrophic Election of 2000. What the Bush-Cheney-Rove Administration has done and apparently plans to do to this country demands that those of us who care speak up.

If ever interviewed again for  “Neighbors”

South Arkansas Sunday News

not much would have changed.

December 2008

(Original Interview: Nov. 2001)

 

The one thing I’ve learned in life is also my trademark cliché or expression : “Offutt’s Law”: The more important it is for you to know something, the less likely it will be volunteered to you. (Original answer: None.)

 

 

 

Occupation: Teacher at the Adult Education Center of SAU-Tech -   Previously, I have taught U.S. history and western civilization in public school systems and in private college prep schools; I taught for nearly ten years in New Orleans at the Xavier University Preparatory High School, and I taught two years each at the American School of Quito and the American School of Guayaquil in Ecuador.

 

Though I was proved wrong, I once said I’d never: Move back to El Dorado, AR

 

What kind of car do you drive?:

1994 Nissan pickup; 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix (In four years it will be a classic and, for the umpteenth time, no, I do not want to sell it).

 

My favorite president was: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, or JFK

 

My favorite kind of music is:

New Age, folk, some classical, and some movie themes and soundtracks

 

If I could, I would write a book about: My four years in Ecuador

 

My favorite author is: John Steinbeck

 

 

 

 

 

The last book I read was: The Fool Killer by Helen Eustis(Original answer: Beneath the Wheel by Hermann Hesse)

 

You will never catch me wearing: Baggy pantaloons(Original answer:  “Wear a necktie” - I was misquoted! My real answer was “Wear a necktie willingly.”)

 

My teenage idol was: Actress Hayley Mills

 

My all-time favorite television show is: Route 66

 

My favorite comedian is: Sid Caesar or Woody Allen  (Original answer: Cid Caesar)                           

 

My hobbies are: canoeing, camping, traveling, photography, and watching movies

  

My favorite performer is: Gregory Peck

 

My all-time favorite movie is: To Kill a Mockingbird

 

My heroes are: All gone now. All that are left are mere facsimiles, if even that.  I do concur with the American Film Institute’s choice of the number one screen hero of all time: Atticus Finch as played by Gregory Peck. (Original answer: Gregory Peck and Stanley Kramer)

 

 

The four guests at my fantasy dinner party would be: Tarzan, Peter Pan, Bugs Bunny, and Huckleberry Finn (Original answer: Steve Allen, philosopher Mortimer Adler, filmmaker Stanley Kramer, and Thomas Jefferson)

 

My favorite restaurant is: The Good Times Grill (Original answer: Abe’s Ole Feed House in Lawson, AR)

 

My favorite junk food is: Popeye’s fried chicken

 

If there’s one thing I won’t do, it’s: Go bungee jumping   

 

My pet peeve is: Litter bugs and slow drivers (Original answer: Litterbugs)

 

When I’m nervous I: Pace back and  forth

 

My best asset is: I work hard

 

I absolutely will not eat: Pickled pigs feet ( My dad used to stink up the house cooking them)

 

A movie I walked out of was: I Know What You Did Last Summer

 

My mother/father would say I’m: Spoiled  (Original answer: Very efficient—that was one of the last things my father said to me)

 

E-mail: dboffutt@suddenlink.net

Scout: This kitten’s mother brought him to me and then disappeared after being satisfied that her offspring was welcome. This guy may be related to Tonka. He’s too rambunctious for the older cats like Cody and Boss.

Age: 5-6 months

Benny: This full-grown stray was hanging around for months before risking being friendly. He saw that Scout was accepted, so he took the chance. He has been extremely affectionate and appreciative for being taken in. Sadly, he is not liked by Cody or Boss, who now only tolerate stray kittens—not adults.

Age: unknown