‘Nelson Highway’ isn’t a hit with GOP (Houston Chronicle)
For Willie Nelson, dealing with the Texas Legislature is no picnic. Fact is, the lawmakers told the state’s best-known outlaw to hit the road again. Concerned that the singer is a bit-too-vocal a Democrat and a tad too fond of the night life, some Republican lawmakers put up roadblocks to the initiative that would have named a stretch of a new freeway after the musician.
So on Wednesday, state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, announced that he was putting the brakes on the idea. Barrientos had wanted to name a 49-mile stretch of Texas 130 near Austin the Willie Nelson Highway. But two GOP senators sounded a sour note. State Sens. Steve Ogden of Bryan and Jeff Wentworth of San Antonio pointed out that Nelson has hosted numerous fund-raisers for Democrats and has a fondness for spirits distilled and smoked.
I’ve got to agree with Jim Henley on this one: the Republicans are being petty here.
Nelson is an American institution who transcends politics. He’s definitely an unusual fellow. There aren’t too many 72-year-old dope smoking, ponytailed country music legends running around. (Indeed, today happens to be his birthday. Happy birthday, sir.)
As to the distilled spirits, Nelson has explained that “there are more old drunks than there are old doctors, so I guess I’d better have another round.” With insights like that, he definitely deserves to have a road named after him. So long as he promises to let someone else do the driving, of course.
