The Legacy Of Rebellion

I stumbled across this interesting video on YouTube. In a snap shot it will explain some of the attitude that many of us possess here in Appalachia and how it came to be. It's from a group called "FreeKeen". Keen, apparently is a town in New Hampshire that is becoming a Libertarian Mecca. It's nearly 10 minutes long.

Times change and some attitudes change with it. But, not all. Not everything. Liquor is still around. Marijuana is not as common a crop here in my corner of Western North Carolina as it is in Kentucky. As far as booby trapping fields, around here it would make enemies of a man. Someone or something innocent could get hurt and that violates principle. The right to be left alone. A man would just lay low and not visit his crop if he suspected it was found by a bystander.
I've walked many a mile in the least visited areas of the Pisgah National Forest and the Nantahala as well, and never came across any growing marijuana. But, I've seen the evidence of stills from the past, and that not so often.

Hope you enjoyed it...
The Appalachianist

"organoleptically"

If "recalcitrant" is a 50 Cent word, as my friend Ed says, then what is organoleptically? Spell check doesn't know. See what it means here.

The Appalachianist

From Rebels to Revolutionaries

I've embarked on reading "The War For America", by Piers Mackesy as my bed time reading. It was published in 1962 and tells the American Revolution from the British point of view. With out the bickering, opinions or rhetoric of the two sides. At least it's supposed to. I've not read enough of it to say.

But, in the Introduction, "The Servants of Kronos", a point was made. In explaining to us sensitive and proud Americans...The recalcitrant Scotch-Irish...The use of the term Rebels, as differed from a use for American Combatants in our history books, Patriots, it was said that "Rebels" are only "Revolutionaries" if they are successful. The Confederacy Of America is an example of that. Here in the South, where traditions run deep though often not completely understood, the term Rebel was a badge of honor. It's turned into a pop culture term.

England tried containing the Rebels animosities. The increasingly independent Patriots wanted no part of England. Though neither of them were in a position to fight. It's an amazing story, and I think it's under rated.

Recalcitrantly Yours
The Appalachianist

Friday's Children

Here lately I've turned into a Revolutionary War Buff. I speak of the American Revolution, sometimes foreigners read this. I recently read a book on Cowpens that I've been meaning to read for a time. A very good book that breaks it down by experiences of those that were there and time and space. Time and space are everything in combat. A man being shot at has a very small world.

In reading this I became more enthralled with the war. Most Americans have a comic book sort of understanding of the conflict. To a point I did, myself. Our Nation spawned from violence. From the point of the first Englishmen setting foot on the shores on through the Revolution. A smaller, poorly equipped Army of amateurs managed to wear down and defeat a larger well equipped, highly professional Army with a great amount of resources at it's disposal. During the Revolution, more Americans served in the British Army than were in the Continental Army. "Nothing but bloody animals, Friday's Children..." Out numbered and out equipped. Often fleeing from the Fusiliers bayonets.

(That was from the 1985 film "Revolution". A good, well made movie without heroes that didn't do so well.)

Then on the other hand how did a highly disciplined fighting force, state of the art for the time, such as the British Army find it's self conceding to the Colonies that it sought so hard to control. It had a great amount of resources at it's disposal, both through out the empire and on portions of the Continent that it did control. It had a powerful and vast Navy to back it, bring reinforcements and supplies. yet, it conceded to a fledgling Nation of former Colonies that hardly had a plug nickel to it's name.

It fascinates me.
The Appalachianist