Ben gets his ass handed to him

A squeaky-clean young couple poses in western clothes at a respectable bar in Denver during the National Western Stock Show in 1954.

Subject: About that email…

Dear Ben,

I came across the email you sent Travis. Frankly, I’m disappointed. Sharing an old photo that could mischaracterize our family as lowlifes and whiskey ticklers is disrespectful and far from the truth.

And calling Great-Grandma Peg a “hottie”? That’s not the kind of language or attitude we appreciate in this family.

Remember, the National Western Stock Show is a family tradition steeped in dignity. It’s not a venue for social abandon or cowboy carousing.

Please reconsider how you portray our family, especially in public or with friends. If you can’t do this, I’m afraid you’ll find your experience at the Stock Show more restricted than you’d like.

Let’s keep things appropriate and respectful.

Love,

Mom

P.S. — I’m attaching a photo from the Inter-Mountain Stockmen’s Association 1954 mixer at the Brown Palace Hotel that better illustrates how we kicked up our heels at the Stock Show. That’s Roy and Glorybelle Clunt. In the back is Mato County Sheriff Ed Richardson. Feel free to share this.

Text and photo copyright © 2024 L.T. Hanlon. All content in this post is fiction.

The New York Times treats Epstein list like a bus plunge

Once upon a time, The New York Times was my morning oracle. A cup of coffee, the crisp pages of the Times, and I was informed, enlightened, and ready to face the world with a mind full of facts.

Ah, those were the days!

But alas, that Times, the beacon of journalistic integrity, seems to be nothing more than a quaint memory, replaced by a publication that to me is less about news and more about … well, let’s say selective storytelling.

Case in point: the recent unsealing of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Now, one would think that the revelation of a high-profile scandal involving a notorious figure would be front and center, right? But no. In its infinite wisdom this morning, the Times decided this was little more than a “More News” item. Less important than an audio feature in which Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King “discuss their friendship” and an article about flowers having reduced sex (I kid you not).

I couldn’t help but chuckle (bitterly, mind you) at the irony. Here we have a story with everything – intrigue, high society, scandal, sex – and The New York Times treats it like a bus plunge. What happened to the fearless pursuit of truth? To the paper that once brought us groundbreaking stories with unflinching honesty?

It’s clear that The Times has become a water carrier for the left, carefully curating news to fit a certain narrative. Gone are the days when it stood as a paragon of unbiased reporting. Now, it’s more about what they choose not to report, and how quietly they can do it.

I’d wipe my ass with The New York Times, but the ink might undo the anal bleaching.

Dang! Our great-grandma was a hottie!

An attractive woman is flanked by two cowboys during a wild night at Sid King's Crazy Horse Bar in Denver during the 1967 National Western Stock Show.

Hey, Trav!

Man, am I stoked! We’re heading to Denver for our first-ever National Western Stock Show in just a few days.

I was rummaging through some old stuff in Great-Grandma Peg’s attic and stumbled upon this incredible photo. It’s from the Stock Show but get this – in 1967!

(I’ve attached a scan of the photo to this email. Hope it comes through OK.)

There’s Peg having the time of her life, Great-grandpa Jim on the left, and Cousin Charlie on the right. They’re at Sid King’s Crazy Horse Bar. I checked online, and that joint was quite the hot shit back then.

Seeing this photo, I realized how wild and crazy they could be. It’s like looking at a completely different side of them, one that we never knew, and it makes me wonder what stories they could tell about those days. We should do one of those oral history things with them.

I’m bringing this photo with me to Denver. It feels like a good luck charm, a connection to our family’s past. This trip may be just as legendary for us as it was for them back in ’67. Can’t wait to make our own memories there!

Catch you soon, buddy. We’re going to have the time of our lives!

Ben

Text and photo copyright © 2024 L.T. Hanlon. All content in this post is fiction.