Over the last few weeks, I have become increasingly bitter. I hate having to walk to class in the cold weather and realize that next semester is going to be even worse.Adding insult to injury, I recognize that most of this hate comes from having to pay the heating bill and from constantly being reminded that I am inadequately equipped with warm clothes, all of which I can't afford. And this makes me have to recognize the other things I hate--the recession and being poor.
So, as to provide myself with an outlet to maintain my sanity, I am beginning a series of roundabout rants about things that really piss me off. I encourage my imaginary audience to take advantage of this and use this blog to vent their own frustrations.
I have three vents currently-- Willy Shackleford (obviously), Kentucky's budget shortfall (and MSU's irresponsible spending), and the reinstatement of the Third Reich.
First, let me vent about the reinstatement of the Third Reich. Evidently, smiling has become a threat to Indiana's state security. According to the article on RTV 6 Indy, the BMV is banning smiles from license photos to prevent identity fraud. Yea... good luck getting people to report their actual weight.
I go to Indy every summer and christmas to be with my parents and can tell you that this is a horrible idea. Driving on the roads is a terrifying experience... everyone thinks that they are trying out for the Indy 500. Even worse, no one smiles. I have never met a more morose lot of people that Indyians. If anything, they should encourage smiling. Maybe then people will get used to the concept and I wouldn't spend Christmas up there broke, freezing my ass off, and having everyone frown at me.
Being broke reminds me of my second frustration: our broke-ass state. I think what bothers me even more about our broke-ass state is that I am the only student at Morehead State who's seems to be freaking out about this. I become irate every time I see one of those newly installed flat-screen televisions displaying the school channel. What a waste of money! MSU officials should be happy that I am upset about it because then I am least recognizing the televisions' existence--another thing I appear to be by my lonesome. Now we have a 4% cut, added onto a 6% cut early this year. But, gee golly, when I can't afford school any longer, at least I can sneak onto campus and look at those televisions.
My last vent is good ol' mountain boy, William Shackleford of The Rural Democrat. I think the main reason that this guy drives me up the wall is that his inability to create a logical argument reminds me of my father (who is a much smarter man that is just too lazy to make the effort). Instead, "the shack" depends on conjecturing and making personal attacks. At least my dad has never damned me to hell, no matter how angry he is at me.
This guy parades around as a concerned Appalachian and thinks that he can speak for the entire region. Even his blog page describes himself as an Eastern Kentucky "rural democrat." The guy criticizes the DailyKos for censoring, then makes comments disappear and reappear as he pleases. The only time he ever responds to a comment is when that comment is the intellectual equivalent to "git-r-done."
Update: I do not think that William Shackleford is a psuedodemocrat (this was only a dick move on my part to attempt to piss him off). He is a staunch defender for miners, and that oft times leads to, what I can only call, a serious lack of judgement.
God, that felt good.
9 comments:
Garrett - don't feel bad about Shack, the dude is widely considered to be a nutcase. so you're not alone. if you really want to feel vindicated, check out all of his diaries on Daily Kos where 99.9% of the community there proves him to be unworthy of holding a conversation with. great work on telling it like it is. hope you'll keep checking in at GreenKY, I enjoyed your comments.
You comment on my blog quite a bit so I will return the favor, and you can attack me all you want but don't call me a Republican, that's hitting below the belt.
Most of you new bloggers know absolutely nothing about me. I wish you big mouths would step up and do the hard work, you know like go toe to toe with Massey Energy, I have for 10 years and yes they hate my guts. Don Blankenship would shoot me on sight. Kentucky bloggers either don't care about the real fight or they are ignorant and don't want to learn.
Instead of trying to destroy an industry and a region full of jobs, lets stand together and hold the industry accountable. The green message in Kentucky is getting lost in venom.
And yes I am nuts, I go crazy when I see Appalachia growing poorer and poorer everyday and I go nuts when I have to bury another friend because he or she decides that drugs is the only relief from despair. I was raised by coal, my family is coal, so I will defend it, period. So be a jerk, I am a jerk, so tit for tat is OK I guess.
You started the tit, so I had no choice but respond with the tat. You are right in that I know nothing about you. Your condemn-first, block-later tactics (though you did unblock me, as cooler heads have hopefully prevailed) don't allow me to learn anything else about you other than the fact that you are irrational and don't give a damn what other people think.
If you had taken the time to read my first response rather than attacking me for making a reference to coal miners as slaves, then you might have noticed that I was, in part, agreeing with you.
I would have loved to have had a civil discussion with you on your blog, but you wouldn't allow for it, so you left me no choice but to retort on my own blog.
In fact, I was an avid reader of your blog up until the other day, as you catch things important to our region that other Kentucky blogs don't. And I often share similar opinions, but I have never been able to accept your stance on mountain top removal.
I admire you for taking it to Massey Energy. They are everything wrong with the coal industry. But they and their subsidiaries are the coal industry. What Martin County Coal has done to the environment is criminal. The Coldwater slurry spill was criminal. The lax regulation and lack of safety precautions for miners is criminal. And the new MTR regulations should be criminal.
And, likewise, if you had known anything about me before damning me to hell, then you would have known that I don't condemn mountain top removal. It does provide jobs and level land is vital to the future of Eastern Kentucky. But, again, coal companies are desecrating our environment, destroying our streams, and failing to follow reclamation guidelines.
I think the attacks on clean coal are short-sighted and are a popular stance because the media has made it en vogue. We need alternative energy, but the immediate welfare of Eastern KY and the US must come first. And eliminating coal completely out of the picture is impractical.
But your extreme defense of MTR is equally short-sighted. Local politicians represent the coal industry because they wouldn't be elected if they didn't. This was the case when Sen. Turner defeated Benny Ray Bailey because Bailey decided to go against convicted felon, Ross Harris. In turn, Turner got the support of Harris, and his wallet, and has been a tool ever since.
And, while I am sorry that I offended you when I talked about the exploitation of the coal miner, I think that it is self-evident. Historically, coal miners have been used for the profit of outside investors. Little has changed since the early 1900's. Coal miners sacrifice their bodies and their freedoms to eke out livings for their families. As a result, they become tired and excommunicated from their own personal lives. They are overworked and under-provided for, something that I honestly don't think you will disagree with. I was not being offensive to miners, and they should be thankful that they have such an ardent supporter as yourself on the blogosphere. So continue on.
This is by no means an apology on my side. You are a dick, and there is no way around it. Rather than enter a civil discussion with me, you made a personal attack on me. I am not above matching incivility with incivility, though I regret that it happened.
You are capable of making good points and offer a different perspective that would be to the benefit of the blogosphere, but rather than try to expound on your views, you lower yourself to name-calling and personal attacks, and it becomes difficult to take you seriously.
This is a constructive criticism and you can take it as you will.
And I am sorry about the inbred joke. That was crossing the line and I should never make a joke at the expense of Eastern Kentucky. It was meant more to reflect Norma Jean's biting satire than a personal attack, but I made it personal. I will admit that I was being childish and that was to the benefit of no one.
You was spammed, and the filter is removed. I am a dick, hell I admit that all the time. But I have little patience for attacks, I have a bad temper, so I usually do apologize in advance for my Shawnee temper. And I am man enough to apologize for my actions. But my 5 day rant was a tactic to get attention, and it appears I got it, people need to understand our side of the story.
I am from Harlan County, and we grew up fighting for everything. So I have a hard time understanding the constant attacks on coal, especially considering where I came from. And the hardest thing for me to accept is ignorance, I have fought the coal industry more than any blogger in Kentucky, but I support the industry as well, it is true tough love.
Take some time and read a little, you will find out that we have a powerful group that can get many things done.
Then, if you will allow me to make a joke about your Shawnee ancestory, we have buried the tomahawk between us. I hope that in the future, we can have a more civil discourse, and maybe, once in a while, find ourselves in agreeance. I think that your blog serves a good cause, and often times, people tend to overlook the needs of Eastern Kentucky when they are unfamiliar with its unique perplexity. I would very much like to be able to voice my opinion on your blog, as I am passionate about many of the issues you choose to write about (though not always in agreeance), but I will choose my words more carefully in the future. Likewise, I often let passion get in the way of decorum and encourage an attempt on your part to let cooler heads prevail before things get carried away, as I will do the same.
I am glad that we can get past our differences. The internet has allowed us a median for an exchange of ideas and we would be foolish not to recognize it as so.
I would be open to the possibility of you guest blogging on The Rural Democrat from time to time, you are a good writer and have something to say thats worthwhile, I would have no problem with that. The political atmosphere there is usually tense though, I keep it that way for a reason. The only rule I have is; don’t stomp on Jesus, you don’t have to share my beliefs, not saying that. Besides that you can say what you want
That may sound bit hokey and hillbilly and it is, because I am. Let me know.
I am honored by the invitation. The next time something Appalahian comes up that really draws my ire or deserves recognition, then I will let you know.
If they ever catch the bastard(s)who tried to destroy the Tater Knob Fire Tower, then I will definitely take you up on that offer.
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