Crawford wants newspaper to eat its words

It turns out that majority owner of the Crawford newspaper is a Democrat who might have just made a big mistake in endorsing Kerry.

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Rebeca Rodriguez
San Antonio Express-News

CRAWFORD � Photos of President Bush hugging diners and mugging for the camera adorn the walls of the Crawford Coffee Station, a popular cafe in this small Central Texas town Bush calls home.

Just a few miles from the Bush ranch, the spot is a popular place for locals to gather in the morning for coffee, breakfast and a glance at the day's news.

Pro-Bush signs hang at the Crawford Coffee Station, which is no longer carrying the Lone Star Iconoclast because of its criticism of the president.


But the rack that once held the Lone Star Iconoclast � Crawford's weekly newspaper � now is empty, thanks to a blistering indictment in Tuesday's paper of Bush's presidential record and a call to elect Democrat John Kerry in November.

For a town drenched in Bush, the editorial is practically political heresy.

"Not only is he the president of the United States, he's my neighbor, he's my customer," Coffee Station owner Nick Spanos said. "We're not carrying that paper after today."

The firestorm began Tuesday morning, when readers opened up the newspaper to Page 2 and found an entire half-page criticizing the president for a variety of failings, and calling for the election of Kerry.

By the afternoon, news of the editorial was burning up Internet blogs and e-mail boxes all over the country.

Iconoclast publisher W. Leon Smith, who co-wrote the editorial with two other writers, is unapologetic.

"We're just trying to point out the direction the country's going in, and it's not good," he said.

Smith is majority owner of the Iconoclast, the Record of nearby Clifton and the Bosque Globe. He's also the mayor of Clifton and a Democrat who was defeated twice in campaigns for the Texas House of Representatives.

Now, Smith has become an iconoclast in his own right, challenging the widely declared belief that Crawford and its environs are "Bush Country."

The Iconoclast was founded in 2000, after the November election, but before Bush was declared the winner in a highly controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision.

During that murky month, the newspaper endorsed Bush, Smith said.

The newspaper also backed Bush's call for normalcy after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and supported the resolution to go to war with Iraq � proof, he said, the paper is not out to get the president.

But this editorial has caused waves at the offices of the Clifton Record, where all three papers are produced.

Wednesday, staffers were busy putting together the Record, which hits stands today.

They also were busy fielding phone call after phone call from curious journalists, emotional readers, and angry advertisers.

"Some of them do use colorful language," marketing director Melanie Milbradt said with a grin.

As of Wednesday morning, more than a dozen readers had canceled their subscription and six advertisers had pulled their spots from the paper.

Smith expects there will be more, and he's preparing for the worst.

"It will probably put us under," he said.

Smith's desk at the Record offices is piled with paper, and his cubicle is filled with Mickey Mouse paraphernalia � two clocks, posters and even his computer screensaver.

He pulled up his computer e-mail inbox, filled with messages of varying intensity.

Smith said about 75 percent of them applaud the editorial, but the remaining fourth border on vitriol.

"It really appears to be me that we no longer live in an open society," he said. "When you get to the point where you can't express an opinion, then you're in trouble."

Smith said too many voters suffer from an emotional attachment to a person, particularly when that person happens to be president of the United States, and he lives a few miles down Prairie Chapel Road.

"We're not electing a king or an emperor, we're hiring somebody," he said, matter-of-factly. "Do they work every day like everyone else and get the job done or not?"

The Clifton Record has not yet endorsed a candidate, but Smith said the paper's editorial writers will get together soon. The choice likely will anger more readers.

In Crawford, where the Iconoclast doesn't even have an office, the slap at the town's most famous resident � and tourist attraction � is being taken personally.

"Good Lord, of all the places that George Bush could have chosen to live, he chose Crawford. This is kind of like a stab," said Larry Nelson, manager of Crawford Country Style, a store that sells "Western White House" souvenirs.

Wednesday, St. Louis residents Jerry and Barbara Tuma were passing through Crawford on a cross-country trip.

They said they also were upset by the editorial.

"If you don't have something nice to say about your neighbors, say nothing," Jerry Tuma said. "Let the big papers with 15 people analyzing this stuff write about it."

www.mysanantonio.com...

Originally posted by jrsdls
Smith said about 75 percent of them applaud the editorial, but the remaining fourth border on vitriol.

"It really appears to be me that we no longer live in an open society," he said. "When you get to the point where you can't express an opinion, then you're in trouble."

He's right.

Smith said too many voters suffer from an emotional attachment to a person, particularly when that person happens to be president of the United States, and he lives a few miles down Prairie Chapel Road.

"We're not electing a king or an emperor, we're hiring somebody," he said, matter-of-factly. "Do they work every day like everyone else and get the job done or not?"

He's not only right. He get's it.

The Clifton Record has not yet endorsed a candidate, but Smith said the paper's editorial writers will get together soon. The choice likely will anger more readers.

Good. Keep the truth coming.

Before some "freedom loving" boycott rounds up the censorship police and gets it pulled, be sure to read the Crawford Editorial that started it all.

My family has friends and relatives in Crawford, Texas ... not a one of them can stand "King Georgie",

When he's in town they close the roads ... they surveil the neighbors ... they tap all the phones ... your internet connections go all to hell ...


at least they haven't place a mandatory curfew on the town ... yet.