See you in Waterloo

To the editor:

This is an open letter to local residents and El Presidente Perry White of the AL/TN Trail of Tears group.

First, Harley riders (salt of the earth that they are) will be ending their ride at Waterloo, and this was not a "difficult decision involving several issues." We just said, "Hell I'm going to Waterloo." "Yeah, me too."

It's arrogant to think you can own a historical event. Of course, a group that tells the Waterloo mayor what he can and can't do is downright haughty, and mind you, I abhor politicians.

Mr. White has done a public service, though; if you see a Harley rider with a ThunderCreek T-shirt, he'll probably be waxing his bike with it. And that, of course, is what this is really about: greedy people afraid they'll miss a quarter on a T-shirt sale.

Of course, Mr. White and his very important cohorts are doing all this for the poor little Native American children. Even Bubba can tell you there's 147 scholarship programs for Native Americans (sometimes affectionately called Indians -- riders ain't that politically correct), with 29 more pending in Congress. I just made those numbers up; there could well be a lot more.

So, if you see people at McFarland Park this September, they'll be motorcycle owners participating in a commercial event. The bikers will be commemorating a historical tragedy in Waterloo.

Don R. Willis

Muscle Shoals