A Hickey from Kinike’s like a Hallmark card (Wyoming and Adversarial Property)
If you’re not a Grease (the movie not the food) fan, this article is gonna confuse you as much as a four toed red neck from South Georgia trying to do math(no offense to my Georgia friends). For those of you who remember when John Travolta swooned the blooming Olivia Newton John, it will be nostalgic and a little bit entertaining.
First, you may be wondering how a “hickey” came up as a topic of conversation related to the Chamber of Commerce. I have been informed that my Oklahoma cowboy colloquialisms are not internationally accepted structures of conversation. A hickey in the more rural segments of this country is not just an embarrassing mark covered up by a turtleneck, it is also an indication of a loss. Example: “How did you do on that load of feeder cattle you bought? Not very well, I took a pretty good hickey on them.” So there, I even used it in a sentence and now the next time you’re standing around a bunch of cattle buyers you’ll understand that they’re not explaining an unexplainable rendezvous with a honky-tonk angel; they are actually talking about a tough business deal. So…….back to Adversarial property.
America has kind of always had the luxury of a certain innocence, kind of like Sandra Dee in Grease (Look at Me I’m Sadra Dee), but we have always had a little edge like the character Kinike too. It’s made for the perfect balance of a free enterprise system that made life feel like warm Summer Nights. We have been Hopelessly Devoted to this blessed system since the beginning, (1776 to be exact) and it has paid off in spades. My grandmother used to say there is nothing to get people stirred up quite like success. As a nation we have had more than a few adversaries come after us, like an infuriated Beauty School Dropout taking shots at the honor roll prom queen. Factually, it even eventually turns out that It’s Raining on Prom Night as America’s adversaries become smarter, more lethal and more cunning in their attempt to attack our country.
Last week, you might have read an article about an executive order that booted a company out of our community. Some of you might have interpreted this event as a proverbial hickey (either a loss or an embarrassing mark) for our community, but from a different point of view this is a success. I think most businesses want to do work in places that protect them, the economy and our nation. Business and a state that protects national security and free enterprise……well We go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.
Better Shape Up because now more than ever America is at risk from those who would see our demise. Make no bones about it, when it gets down to it, we are going to forge ahead liked greased lightning. Yes, we may get a hickey from time to time that needs a little makeup to hide the mark, but have no doubt, the strength of our state and our nation will prevail.