Northern Colorado Gazette

By Craig Masters

As the Presidential campaigns gain more attention and the republican contenders continue their relentless attacks on each other, a lesson about how Obama will be successful might be in order.

Without cable, dish, satellite or whatever other pay to view system may be available these days, the alternative of free ‘over-the-air’ broadcast can still yield entertainment and education. Aside from the usual ‘educational’ programming the broadcast stations proudly identify for the viewers, there are quality cultural tidbits to be gleaned from many of the overlooked classics from the golden age of the small screen.

Daniel Boone, the tv hero, not the real one, learned one of those valuable lessons about success in episode 147. It seems a crippled old river pirate (played by Will Geer) needed to abolish himself of the fault for his wife’s death and his own handicap by hanging Daniel. The pirate’s sons (Kurt Russell plays the youngest) set a trap for Boone. Although Daniel is aware he will most likely be walking into the trap, he figures he will use truth and persuasion to handle the group by himself.

After accepting the remorsful words of the old man to be real, he turns his back to focus attention toward the sons. He promptly gets knocked out by a crutch and ends up tied to a chair. As always happened in those days, the hero does prevail – but only after the vengeful old man shoots one of his own sons by mistake and the town folks arrive to help.

In the wrap-up scene Daniel’s wife ask him what went wrong that he nearly got hung. Boone replies that he forgot just one thing: “Fanatics never give up!”

If Americans continue to accept Obama at his word instead of his actions, where will the town folks come from to be able to effect the rescue?

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