Friday, June 27, 2008

To Joe Bageant on Being a Virginian



I grew up in the Bermuda Triangle of Virginia: born and raised in Alexandria, went to Mr. Jefferson's University, and years later, with family in tow, had a delightful time trying to sell our restored farm-house on the Northern Neck. It started as a dilapidated waterfront farmhouse -- a restoration project on Mosquito Creek.

You’d think we would have caught on with the Creek name connection … Looking out over the Creek to the spit of land dotted with duck blinds, I asked the real estate agent, "What kind of name is Mosquito Creek? Anything to do with all these mosquitoes?" Our real estate agent glibly replied in that distinct rural Virginian accent, "Just rained. . . It’s an Indian name. Antipoison Creek's just there over across the road. Where John Smith was healed from the sting ray barb..."

Nothing like standing in History to take your mind off the present, eh? What is it that we can't wa(r)sh away the deep stains of Virginia so thoroughly ground into our soul? How is it that we can watch the HBO series, John Adams, and see our beloved Jefferson move about like the mute mime guy in the comedy duo of Penn and Teller ... but still hold back tears of compassionate conductivity because they were all serious about Liberty? Liberty was a life and death matter to them. What does it mean to us now?!

It seemed like farmers then were part of the vanguard, integral to a movement that could uplift the status of all mankind. And their offspring, who migrated to the cities, had a bit more of an horizon’l perspective than waiting for the next natural catastrophe so they could get a new pick-up with the insurance money.

Given the caked-mud realities of the political motivations of the electorate in rural America (i.e., we elect people who ask us to do as they say, not as they do), what is pulling me towards the Virginia mountains? To a land where my strangeness (i.e., progressiveness) would have to constantly hidden so that I wouldn’t get shorted the next time I’d buy Silver Queen corn?

Are these folk Hobbits, entrenched in their provincialism, protected from the outside world by a mental attitude that is not neutral (so they think)? Do they hide behind the wall of recent memories (one or two generations), certain that this will hold back the dark forces of Mordor? They pin their hopes on Sauron simply looking over their heads, ignoring the intrinsic wealth buried beneath them?

3 comments:

notamobster said...

I was intrigued with your post at smoking mirrors. It has definite merit (checkers instead of chess) when viewed in the context of dual citizenship, and the apparent infighting in the leadership of our military. I have been discussing at great length with another Air Force(special ops) man I know, the shake up in senior leadership of the USAF. We're looking at it through the spectacles of the nuclear weapon/chain of custody (broken arrow) incident last year. Many individuals of interest during that time are now dead. This includes some pretty senior folks. The former executive officer of the Chief of Staff of the AF was transfered a couple months prior to the "mishandling" to be a wing commander in Alaska. A demotion... Last week he was "suicided" in his home. The C.of S. and the SecAf were both replced with Jewish (possibly Zionist) men. CentCom commander was "retired" for throwing a bullshit flag on the Iran sabre-rattling. Dozens of senior military officials have BEEN "retired" for speaking out against the Presidents plans. Most of the USAF senior leadership is now from a Logistics, rather than Operations background, and we just can't seem to piece it all together. I would really like to hear more of what you think with regard to "checkers vs. chess" and a possible "synthesis that has yet to be revealed"

As I have spent some time contemplating the next "catalyst", your post really got the juices flowing in the old cortex. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

RML, please blog more frequently if possible. You're showing up on Les's sidebar and I quoted you recently in a piece and here Nota says you got his brain churning, so understand please, it appears you have us interested in what you are saying.
I know it ISN'T always possible, I really do, but when you can, you have people ready to listen. Ok, ok, eagerly.
Peace, nina

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