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Judge Bell
December 05, 2007I know I'm not supposed to like politicians, especially since I'm a journalist.
It's like a 7-year-old boy liking a girl.
Or a Boston native rooting for the Yankees.
But I have to admit I have a Texas-sized soft spot for Foard County Judge Charlie Bell.
Maybe his behavior is all just a show, an act that he puts on just for me. Maybe he's just really good at being a politician.
But I really, genuinely, honest-to-gawd believe him when he talks, like when he professed his hatred for bureaucrats to me recently.
"Don’t get me started on the Legislature," he said, waiving his finger. "You can't print vulgarities in your paper."
He never dodges my calls. He's always available. And he answers every question I ask.
He's a dream come true in my profession, and he made my job that much easier a few weeks ago.
I stopped off in Crowell just to say hi and pick his brain about a couple of stories I was working on. We got to chatting about all the trouble a small-sized county judge has balancing the budget, paying for unfunded mandates, etc. . ., which I knew would make for a great story.
I already had a good stack of notes and quotes, facts and figures, from Judge Bell in my notepad when he escorted me outside, like any true gentleman would.
And that's when he gave me what has to be my favorite quote ever.
The fact that it came from a politician, in the form of a poem, makes it even better.
He pointed to the trees surrounding the courthouse:
When you come to the courthouse
Beware of the birds in the trees
For the courthouse birds are bureaucrats
And they do it where they damn well please.
Posted by Lara Richards at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
