McCain: The Last Man Standing

John McCain, as when he long was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, was given up for dead in the Republican presidential race earlier in the fall. But he lives! He lives!

His surprise win — it was not a surprise to me, for he had carried the state against George W. Bush in 2000 – in this week’s New Hampshire primary put him back at the head of the GOP pack for the nomination.

My better half tells me that she will not vote for him should he receive his party’s nomination. She faults him for being too old. That’s some complaint. He cannot help it if he is old. He has more energy than men half his age.

I prefer to view him as one of our country’s elders, and we have had precious few elders of late in national politics. We have too many pretty boys and girls running around with laptops trying to find the restroom perhaps in hopes that poor Larry
Craig will be in there and they will get to topple another powerful figure.

Anyway, I like John McCain. He is the one Republican presidential candidate for whom I would vote. And yes, part of the reason, a big part of the reason, in fact, is that he has lived a harder life than most Americans live and has survived it. He believes in the same old-fashioned values that I believe in — traits such as honor and valor. He not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

As another columnist, David Brooks, has written about John McCain, “Telling the truth is a skill. Those who don’t do it habitually lose the ability, but McCain is well-practiced and has the capacity to face unpleasant truths. While other conservatives failed to see how corporations were insinuating themselves into their movement, McCain went after Boeing contracts. While others failed to see the rising tide of corruption around them, McCain led the charge against Jack Abramoff. While others ignored the spending binge, McCain was among the fiscal hawks.”

The ancient Greeks taught all who followed them a simple truth: Character is fate.

John McCain is a man of character and he well could be a man of destiny in 2008, too.

Columnist Richard Reeves agrees with my wife more than with David Brooks. He does not much like the Arizona senator, either. He apparently was rude a while back to Mr. Reeves’ spouse. Anyway, Richard Reeves weighs in on the senator, calling him “old John McCain” in a column scheduled to be published in next week’s Crewe-Burkeville Journal under the headline “John McCain: The Last Man Standing.”

I love Richard Reeves’ work, but I disagree with him on Senator McCain. Yet Mr. Reeves, unlike so many others of his ilk, is a fair-minded man. He has a superb line in his column about the senator: “….One of the most attractive things about McCain, not my favorite guy, is that he has lived a far tougher life than the rest of us, but he doesn't expect us to feel sorry for him…”

Lord, how I like that. Those of us who have lived tough lives, lives not always appreciated, too, often don’t want others to feel sorry for us. John McCain, the son of a Navy admiral and the grandson of a Navy admiral, clearly does not want pity. He is a man of honor, a man of virtue. And I look forward to casting my vote for him in November in what will be a first for me. I never have voted for a Republican for president of the United States. But there is a first time for everything.

John McCain is unique in the presidential race because of this simple fact: He is the only great person in either party seeking the highest office in the land and in the free world this year. — Rick Gunter

Officer Charles Resigns

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in The Jan. 3, 2008 issue of The Crewe-Burkeville Journal.)

CREWE — Bad news travels faster than a weekly newspaper can publish a new edition. And the bad news this time around is that Crewe Police Officer Nathaniel Charles has resigned from the department, effective December 28.

The word that the veteran officer was leaving had been reported in The Journal and circulated on the street weeks ago. But the news was not yet final. It is now.

The bad news for residents who came to rely and respect him traveled fast, and it has traveled no doubt to the criminal element who counted the days until the officer exited his post.

Officer Charles, long a colleague of Crewe Police Chief Mike Hall, joined the Crewe Police Department in September 2005.
He quickly learned the town and its people. He especially was good in dealing with young people and combined modern investigative techniques with good old-fashioned policing such as using lots of shoe leather to solve cases.

He knows the book inside and out, but he showed again and again a humane side and is extremely street smart.
His efforts won him recent recognition as an outstanding police officer by Southside Virginia Community College.

He said he is leaving largely because of financial considerations. Even while on the force here, he was hit every day he was on duty with the impact of soaring gasoline prices, for he had to travel from his home in Dinwiddie County to and from Crewe, about 100 miles every work day.

So he is returning to the Dinwiddie Sheriff’s Department where he and Chief Hall once served together.

“I want to thank Crewe Town Council members for allowing me to work here,” he told The Journal the day after Christmas. “I also want to thank Chief Hall and the citizens. I couldn’t have done this work without the citizens. For a police department to be successful, it has to have the help of the citizens.

“I have enjoyed my stay while here and want to leave the door open in case I want to come back.”
Officer Charles and his bride married last Saturday.

“I hope I have an open door to come back if I decide to,” he said.

It is hoped that bit of news also travels fast — and to the criminal element.

Philip Pullman On Oxford

Charlie Rose is without doubt the best interviewer on TV, and the guests he has on his PBS show simply are an eclectic lot. My schedule does not always provide time for me to see all his interviews, but I eventually get around to them in some format or media.

Last night’s guest was English author Philip Pullman, whose book “The Golden Compass” has been made into a movie. I got a kick out of hearing Mr. Pullman talk about Oxford, England, where he has taught. He spoke about falling in love with the town years ago.

I fell in love with it, too. I visited it at least once when I was a lowly GI stationed in Germany. Alfred Endlich, one of my Army buddies, took tours all over Europe in 1970. One of the stops was the university town of Oxford. We had a delightful lunch there and visited one of the colleges at Oxford.

Americans who win Rhodes scholarships, Americans such as Bill Clinton and editorialist Ed Yoder, are fortunate indeed.

Mr. Pullman has written, “I was born in Norwich in 1946, and educated in England, Zimbabwe, and Australia, before my family settled in North Wales. I received my secondary education at the excellent Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech, and then went to Exeter College, Oxford, to read English, though I never learned to read it very well.

"I found my way into the teaching profession at the age of 25, and taught at various Oxford Middle Schools before moving to Westminster College in 1986, where I spent eight years involved in teaching students on the B.Ed. course.

“ I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well in our schools. My main concern is that an over-emphasis on testing and league tables has led to a lack of time and freedom for a true, imaginative and humane engagement with literature.

"My views on education are eccentric and unimportant, however. My only real claim to anyone's attention lies in my writing. I've published nearly twenty books, mostly of the sort that are read by children, though I'm happy to say that the natural audience for my work seems to be a mixed one - mixed in age, that is, though the more mixed in every other way as well, the better. 

"My first children's book was Count Karlstein (1982, republished in 2002). That was followed by The Ruby in the Smoke (1986), the first in a quartet of books featuring the young Victorian adventurer, Sally Lockhart. I did a great deal of research for the background of these stories, and I don't intend to let it lie unused, so there will almost certainly be more of them.

"I've also written a number of shorter stories which, for want of a better term, I call fairy tales. They include The Firework-Maker's Daughter, I Was a Rat!, and Clockwork, or All Wound Up. This is a kind of story I find very enjoyable, though immensely difficult to write.

However, my most well-known work is the trilogy His Dark Materials, beginning with Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the USA) in 1995, continuing with The Subtle Knife in 1997, and concluding with The Amber Spyglass in 2000. These books have been honoured by several prizes, including the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Award, and (for The Amber Spyglass) the Whitbread Book of the Year Award - the first time in the history of that prize that it was given to a children's book.

"I was the 2002 recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature. At the award ceremony for that prize, which I was very proud to receive, I promised to spend my time in future making fewer speeches and writing more books.

"When I'm not writing books I like to draw and to make things out of wood. I also like to play the piano. I'd like to play it well, but I can't, so the rest of the family has to put up with my playing it badly.”

What Ever Happened To Janet Lupo?

I am not supposed to concern myself with such things, but what ever happened to Janet Lupo? She was the Playboy Playmate in November, 1975. Frankly, we remains my favorite Playmate.

The last time I saw a photo of her she had graying hair, but that million-dollar figure was more than intact. She was gorgeous.

A Slow Day At The Journal

This was a slow day at The Journal. None of us appeared to be able to get any momentum. There were just enough interruptions to gum up the entire deal.

We will pay for all this over the weekend into early next week when we have to redouble our efforts to get back on top of the writing, production, and editing cycle involved in putting together the newspaper.

This is a weekly newspaper, but it has to be done on a daily basis.

We did pick up a new ad -- a real-estate ad that will run for several editions.

I believe the economy is deep into recession already. The economy always is in recession in Crewe, Burkeville and Southside Virginia.

Even the august Federal Reserve Board senses the economic trouble. Why else would the Fed cut interest rates another time?

Gasoline and fuel prices are through the roof, and this completely depresses people and their spending habits.

What Is A Grandparent?

(Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man & a grandmother is a lady!

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.

When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.'

They don't say, 'Hurry up.'

Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like "Why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?"

When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us.

They know we should have snack time before bedtime and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.

A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT AND WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT."

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

It's funny when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dogs.




Senator Webb

One of the public officials I most admired during 2007 was Virginia's junior U.S. senator, Jim Webb. I did not vote for him, for I always had voted for Republican George Allen, even though I am a lifelong Democrat. But if I am still alive and living in Virginia and Senator Webb seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate, I plan to vote for him.

He gets my support because he truly stands for the underdog and does not suffer fools gladly. By nature, temperament and background, he is a fighter. He comes from stock who exhibited the same qualities. He is a wonderful U.S. senator and I would love to see him on the national Democratic ticket one day.

Whitt Bradshaw Writes From California

EDITOR, THE JOURNAL:

Here is my check for a three-year renewal.

You are doing a great job in a difficult environment. You have the courage and stamina to get to the bottom of the story and put it in print in a competent and professional form.

Best wishes to you, your staff, and your family. All the best,

WHITT BRADSHAW
Mill Valley, CA

'Stamina And Courage'

If we looked all over town and beyond it would be difficult to find a better gift for Christmas and the New Year than the short letters published from Whitt Bradshaw and Cleopatra Bullard.

Newspaper, whether The New York Times or The Journal, do not often get a three-year renewal. And if what our industry friends tell us is true about declining circulation on nearly all newspapers these days, then any renewal is a definite plus.
We thank Mr. Bradshaw for his three-year renewal and for his confidence in us, and also thank Ms. Bullard for her one-year renewal.

We have spoken to Ms. Bullard on the phone. She is delightful. She is the sister of one of our favorite people anywhere, Nottoway Deputy Sheriff Ralph Branch.

We met Mr. Bradshaw briefly at a recent Crewe Homecoming. If we remember correctly, he told us he is an attorney. He obviously also is a member of the famous Bradshaw family in the Crewe-Burkeville community.

We also thank both Ms. Bullard and Mr. Bradshaw for his words. They represent balm to our wounds.
Mr. Bradshaw speaks of courage and stamina, and it takes a measure of both and many other things to sustain this little enterprise week after week.

But without the Whitt Bradshaws and Cleo Bullards, without our other subscribers and advertisers and readers, we could pack it up and heed the advice of one of our recent critics who stormed into The Journal office long past the normal business day and announced that “the only thing wrong with Crewe is the editor of this paper …” And that “the town will be better off when he is gone.”

When you operate in what Mr. Bradshaw rightly calls “a difficult environment,” you don’t take anything for granted. We hang in here not just because people such as Whitt Bradshaw and Cleopatra Bullard support us, but also because we don’t want the jerks and Know-Nothings and cons to win.

This town may yet find its way back from the abyss. We still have hope for it. It all may come together after we indeed are gone, and maybe the next “outsider” who edits this newspaper will have it a little easier than we sometimes have it. But while we are here, we plan to continue to exercise as much stamina and courage as we can muster to help Crewe and Burkeville find their way out of the frustrations they clearly have experienced for too long now.

As we say nearly weekly, we love this work. We love this work in this difficult environment where we are a thorn in the side of some people and a comfort to others.

It can be and should be no other way for a newspaper.

We send Mr. Bradshaw and Ms. Bullard our very best New Year’s greetings and thank them and also thank all of you who subscribe and advertise and read us. This would include those who snort that they don’t read us but somehow know every word we write! Happy New Year, to you, too! Keep reading!

— Rick Gunter

Crewe Had Some Successes In 2007

By RICK GUNTER

CREWE — For many residents of the Crewe, 2007 simply felt like a year when the community went nowhere. One wag put this view succinctly when he said, “Crewe is dead. They just have not held the funeral yet.”

Other residents of the town and of Crewe’s sister municipality, Burkeville, would disagree with that outlook — but not with a lot of enthusiasm.

One of the biggest cheerleaders of both towns, especially his own, is Crewe Mayor Henry Crittenden. “ A lot of our successes are in areas that are not visible,” he told The Journal at year’s end.

He was referring to such municipal improvements as water and sewer, where the town spent tons of money to fix an infrastructure literally sent to ruin by decades of neglect by former municipal leaders who never could find the money and will to act, thus pushing to the current generation of leadership here literally the sins of the fathers.

Even in 2007, the town was dealing with environmental issues caused by that neglect. There still are huge challenges ahead on that front, including rebuilding decaying water lines. Total bill on replacing the lines would reach into the millions in a town with an annual budget of just over $2 million.

But the ever-optimistic Mayor Crittenden, who has not yet said if he plans to seek re-election in this spring’s town elections, added, “We are not facing any lawsuits or government edicts for a change.”

He also viewed as progress Crewe’s relationships with sister towns in Blackstone, Burkeville, and even with Nottoway County. “Our relationships have never been better,” he said.

Critics would agree with that statement, but cynics might say that one reason that Crewe and Burkeville enjoy a good relationship with Blackstone is that Blackstone and its immediate environs (Fort Pickett) have virtually all the engines of economic growth within them. In the one economic development coming out of county government, and it came late in the year, the Sunbest Company announced it was putting enterprise into the old Blackstone Manufacturing building.
It is hard to know what the relationships among the county’s three towns would be if a series of economic developments landed in Crewe and Burkeville, not in Blackstone or Fort Pickett. But it is not hard to imagine that those relations could turn sour overnight.

The story that continues to bite at the heels of Crewe town officials is the lack of a full-service grocery store. Many Crewe residents continue to fault the town for it not having a grocery store successor to the late departed Star Value. Last October 31st marked the second year the town has not had a grocery store of its own. But late in the year, Councilman Eddie Higgins announced that Mayor Crittenden had entered negotiations to bring a grocer to Crewe. The announcement was very long on hope and very short of specifics. It immediately brought more grief to Mayor Crittenden. Some called him “dictatorial.” Others argued that he was setting the town up for another disappointment.

As the New Year begins, there remains hope that the town may get the economic break it has been seeking for at least a decade.

Part of that hope rests not only in the possible arrival of a grocer, but other potential developments, including the hope that Norfolk Southern plans to increase its operation in the Crewe area.

The Wilkerson Company continued discernible expansion, purchasing additional land and developing it near its longtime headquarters along U.S. 460. By year’s end the company also had purchased the building and warehouse formerly owned by Keith Pulley, who reportedly sold out so he and his wife could enjoy traveling.

Meanwhile, Burkeville continued to move along with the air that everything in the west end of the county remains peachy. How could it be otherwise? Burkeville Mayor Joe Morrissette is the town’s chief cheerleader.

Like Crewe’s Mayor Crittenden, Mayor Morrissette has not announced his plans for re-election. He already faces a challenge in former Burkeville Police Chief Tom Andrews, who told The Journal last year that he plans to seek re-election. He said Burkeville’s leaders are “too comfortable” and need to be challenged.

Mr. Morrissette also faces an insurgent group in Burkeville who wants the town to push ahead faster. Such people as Burkeville Town Councilwoman Zora Bruce and new resident Jerri Morton lead it. They view what they call “the good-old-boy” network as holding the town back and keeping residents in the dark on what really is happening.

Arguably the town’s biggest sign of growth came when Burkeville Baptist Church dedicated and opened its new fellowship hall late last year. But that development brought no new jobs or revenue to town coffers.

Cutting across both Crewe and Burkeville are simple economics. That is another way of saying neither town has the financial muscle to move ahead. Businesses are not locating in either place. Housing developments are as alien as visitors from outer space. Both communities give the impression, fairly or not, of not particularly wanting to grow.

Crewe lacks the room to grow. Nothing has come of a Crittenden initiative to consider annexing land. He appointed a committee to study the issue. It met perhaps one time and has not reconvened after a committee member reportedly told his colleagues that annexation is not a good idea.

Both towns enter 2008 and soon will approach the end of the new millennium’s first decade with no discernible growth prospects. For many residents who have a retirement check from the railroad or other business and whose children no longer are under their wing, this state of affairs probably is just fine. But the question has to be asked, What happens after these current retirees no longer are among the living?

Indeed, what happens to Crewe and Burkeville, communities marked by the exit of the young because the young cannot find economic opportunity here?
These are question that this generation of leaders and residents cannot overlook as Crewe’s infrastructure was overlooked for all those years. If the towns’ future is overlooked by this generation, the lapse will represent this generations’ version of “the sins of the fathers."

Gibbs On The NFL

In his only televised interview since retiring as Washington Redskins head coach, Joe Gibbs told Bob Costas that the reason he so loves professional football is "that it is so hard."

The comment came in an interview aired as part of this week's Inside The NFL," which Mr. Costas is the principal host.

In a far different way, the reason, or one of the reasons, I so love doing weekly newspapers is that they, too, are so hard.

Providing A Free Lunch

The gall of people never ceases to amaze me. Let me provide an example.
A community person recently asked us to publish what clearly should have been a paid ad as a "news story." She was promoting her business.

I told her that the company policy is that stories in such cases have to follow the purchase of advertising.

Then I got "soft" and told her that maybe we could publish the item free but with the understanding she would purchase ads later.

Then one of my staff members saw that much the same item, maybe even the same item, was published in other area papers as paid advertising!

I went ballistic and decided not to publish the item free.

The lady showed up at our front counter today demanding to know why I did not publish the item. She had gone to the troble of buying a paper to see herself written up.

I told her again about our policy. When a business is advertising itself and the so-called "news release" is nothing more than an ad, it has to be paid material.

I did not get that straightforward with this potential client, but the point was made. I suspect I never will see her as a client in the future.

Charlie Mouser

Charlie Mouser paid a visit to The Journal today. I always find him a delight. He studies and has been around. I think one of the real tragedies in Crewe is that those in power brushed this guy off for years. He is full of ideas and knows what other communities have done around the country to pull themselves out of the dumps.

I do not always agree with Mr. Mouser. But he knows a range of subjects and always is provocative.

Some of his critics in Crewe-Burkeville call him "too negative." Well, truth be told, there is a lot to be negative about in thses parts. Both towns are down for the count and new ideas to rescue them are few and far between.

I got a chuckle when Mr. Mouser asked me today, "Did I tell you how the town wouldn't listen to my proposal to have an omlette festival here and make $5 million?"

He had the ideas all mapped out with a marketing plan and all.

I recently quoted Charlie Mouser in a front-page story but did not give his name. I quoted his classic line, "Crewe is dead. They just have not had the funeral."

Charlie Mouser, who still does his marketing newsletter, has been a consultant to countless newspapers, businesses, municipalities, and other institutions. He even ran for mayor of Crewe once and got about 180 votes and was defeated for the post by Wilfred "Whip" Wilson.

"I was working in Arizona when the town voted," Mr. Mouser said today.

Is Williams Being Passed Over?

I am watching the seach process for the new Washington Redskins head coach like some Vatican observers watch smoke coming from the selection process of the College of Cardinals, meaning a new pope has been chosen.

The latest news I have seen is that Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titan, may be one of the candidates to be interviewed by owner Daniel Snyder and his leadership group.

Maybe Mr. Snyder is going through the motions here. But if he is not, I and many other Redskin fans are furious.

As I understand it, Jim Schwartz was trained by Gregg Williams to be a defensive coordinator when Williams was with the Titans.

Schwartz is viewed as a smart, out-of-the-box creative soul who brings those talents to the X-and-O business of coaching a football team. He came in second the head-coaching search in San Francisco a few years ago, if wire reports are accurate.

But Gregg Williams has earned the Redskin job. He really has. Not only that, but he trained Schwartz!

Anyone who has worked for organizations and businesses understands how screwed up those at the top usually are in selecting key people for key jobs. I sense this is happening yet again and that Gregg Williams is about to get the shaft with the results not only devastating to him, but also to the Redskin team. I do not think it is overstating it one bit that passing over him for this job will result in the Redskins being exploded. Maybe this is what Mr. Snyder wants. But if he and Coach Gibbs and their associates did such a magnificent personnel job over the past three or four years, why torch the place at this point?

Crewe Compared To 'Roadhouse'

It is an unfair comparison, but a longtime resident today compared Crewe to the town depicted in the popular movie "Roadhouse." He said that while Crewe does not have one person controlling the town, as is the case in the movie, that the movie town, like Crewe, did not want to change.

"Roadhouse," incidentally was a boxoffice flop when it appeared in 1989, but these days it is viewed as something of a cult classic.

Those Deer Pictures

Pictures of dead deer cause every newspaper that I am familiar with a bit of grief. In my case, I basically oppose hunting. This statement no doubt will be misinterpreted. But I see hunting as a barbaric activity in which Bambi has scant chance of surviving.

I am not against firearms. I have a background as an expert Army rifleman who barely escaped being assigned to Army sniper school in Alaska during the Vietnam War. I come from a family of hunters, including bear hunters, in North Carolina.

But it crushes me to see these dead deer all over the place. This business of "thinning the herd" does not persuade me to the contrary opinion.

Hunters bring the deer to us to photograph or they bring photos of their kills. We dutifully publish them.

I remember vividly the time when I was editor of the Staunton newspaper and a female reporter went to photograph the kill of the day. To her horror, she discovered the deer was not dead. She took the photo anyway. I cannot imagine what the hunter did, but I suspect he ended up shooting the deer again after the photo was taken.

Another problem we have is that those in these pictures expect them to be published pronto. We publish them on a space available basis and may eventually have to impose a charge. That is what we did in Staunton. We put on the deer photos into a special section and called it our "dead deer tab." We charged hunters for the photos, and, of course, they paid for the privilege of being included.

Recently, we had a person get irate because we had not published one of these pictures fast enough. This person is not even a subscriber and I do not feel obligated to hurry about getting the photo into the paper, but it will get there.

Commentary Creates Stir Among 'Good Old Boys'

I am told by an anonymous source that my recent words about the "good old boys" caused quite a stir in these parts and quite a bit of conversation. I am a bit unsure about which words the source referred. But in an editor's note to Jerri Morton's recent letter to the editor, I said that The Journal would not censor or silence her remarks as she apparently has been censored in her chosen hometown of Burkeville.

I also have written about the difficulties of operating a weekly newspaper in Crewe and Burkeville. I have held back so much of what is in my heart and mind regarding the situation here. It will emerge in the public prints on on this blog in time.

Anyway, I told the source today that I try to get along with "the good old boys" and wish they would try a bit harder to get along with me. I want the community to prosper. I hope they want the same, but some days I have my doubts about the latter.

Joe Gibbs Retires -- It's A Sad Day

As I wrote in The Journal this week, I was not surprised that Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs announced his retirement on Monday. But in the days following the announcement, I have grown increasingly sad about this development.

Perhaps part of the sadness is rooted in the post-holiday period. Whatever the reason or reasons, I find Coach Gibbs' departure as as truly sad.

There are people who believe the game has passed him by, but I am not among them. He did so much for the Redskins during two tours of duty as coach. No one in the entire 75-year history of the team has had a more significant impact on this proud franchise. His impact goes beyond the three Super Bowl wins in four appearances and with three different non-Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

Without those triumphs, perhaps his power of personality would not have had a chance to work. But this deep man of faith knows how to deal with people and he put his skills to enormous use in the Redskin organization.

I doubt there is a coach alive who could have shepherded the team through this season as well as did Joe Gibbs. His club faced devastating injuries, the murder of its best athlete and the injury of its potential franchise quarterback.

The coach told Bob Costas that he believed the Redskins would defeat the Seattle Seahawks in last Saturday's wildcard playoff in Seattle. It did not happen, of course, and Gibbs and the rest of the Redskin community still are in shock. But that loss apparently was the last straw. He told Costas that as he got back on the plane following the Seattle game, he knew it was time to leave.

I will have more to say about this in future posts on this blog and columns in The Journal. But my immediate concern is who will be Coach Gibbs' successor. I hope defensive guru Gregg Williams is named coach. He has earned it. He has solid backing of the players and others on the team. If the Redskins bring a coach in from outside, the team yet again will be blown up. Again, I plan to post often and write often on this as events warrant.