On what seems to be the eve of another war, another overthrowing of a regime causing chaos, another group of war pigs revving up the military industrial complex, its hard for me to watch billions more of our tax money go to killing people while homeless vets sleep in boxes. Have we learned nothing from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria?
DC is a violent crime ridden shit hole. Maybe the war pigs should clean up their own house before blowing up another country.
You played this song a little while back as a cover. Here’s the original with a great original video.
Does anyone think that the cultural assassination of all things Dixie, Rebels, the Southern Cross, etc was really about erasing the "racist history" of the South, burying it, symbols so offensive to blacks, that even the Dukes of Hazzard had to be given cement feet and tossed into the ocean? Or perhaps it was because cultural icons of disobedience to illegitimate, corrupt, crooked authority might give people who've had a belly-full ideas about disobeying illegitimate, corrupted, crooked authority?
Once upon a time, even as I was growing up, James Dean was famous for his "Rebel Without a Cause" image. Billy Idol for his "Rebel Yell" music. The Dukes of Hazzard for General Lee (and Daisy Duke shorts)?
From my question it's pretty obvious I think all that burying of our nation's history, its rebellious icons was purposeful, and really had nothing to do with slavery and racism. What say you?
As did I. Though I wasn't a fan of the Bo & Luke replacements.
And unlike most of Hollywood its star John Schneider was a vocal voice for freedom in the darkest days of 2020-2021. So there's that much more to like about the show's legacy.
I didn't know what Friend of Abe was until I just looked it up. Maybe a fuzzy memory of the name coming up in the ago. Maybe Schneider was in it, his name wasn't listed in the short overview I saw.
Of the names I saw, though, their guest speakers and influencers, full of yuck Neocon Rino's. The NeverTrump brigade. A few solid freedom types, but most of the authoritarian Fascist variety. Apparently it broke up in 2016 from the civil war between the two camps.
That said, while I supported Trump in all three elections, I never put my faith in the man, any man. And saw/see enough warning flags to know he's not a true freedom person. As every day goes by that none of the authoritarian abuses and weaponization of justice, medical tyranny, police surveillance, censorship and control, propagandists goes unpunished, some of the worst offenders placed into positions of authority within his administration, broken campaign promises like ending the war in Ukraine now expanding warmaking, his support for the AI/ADS social credit system of complete population control that his Big Tech/NSA supporters want, he's revealing an agenda I don't support. Still no apologies or accountability for the pandemic authoritarian response that HE initiated or the bioweapons that HE deployed as "vaccines" combined with the current state of his administration, its priorities, allows me to see why never putting faith in any man is always the best choice. He is what the system wanted us to have as the alternative. Not constitutional liberty, certainly not true freedom.
Yeah, FoA's conservatives were pretty mainstream. Many McCains, few Ron Pauls.
And yeah, conservatives and MAGAs need to wake up and smell the bullshit of the system, and stop believing that the system would be fine if only the "right person" were in power.
Great song, lets see, fifties, Christmas holidays brings to mind , cabin in North Carolina looking down on Tennessee, bear skin rug, huggable young lady, great memories.
Local gentleman stopped by, not too proud to dringk a glass or five of Chardonnay. 'slained when he was a youngster, 9 -13,his job was to set atop the hill, watching the paved road below.
Ifin a black car turned off on to the dirt road, made it to the first switchback he'd light and toss a stick of dynamite. Ifin it kept going to the second switchback he's light and toss another.
So! 5 more switchbacks to the hollow and by the time the revenooueres made it there the still, the fire, the jugs were long gone.
He was older then and explained how his buddy woke up blind after drinking Listerine, -but that's another story.
Love this song, and the line used in the title especially. I’m working on a script that explores the themes you write about….It is being read by some investors today, so hopefully a green light and funding is coming soon. I’ll keep you posted…
That line from the song made me reflect on the nature of Appalachia and its people, and their relationship with the government. I’ve not done any exhaustive research, but you never hear about some huge successful DEA or ATF raid in that region. (Or, back in the day, successful prohibition raid). It begs the question of how much the government is content to have the illusion of power without testing it and proving one way or the other the extent of its reach…I have my own theory.
I’d also point out that of the wars fought on our soil, it tended to be the people from that region that did the heaviest lifting. The War of Independence against Britain would likely have been won by the redcoats if they hadn’t antagonized the mountain folk. And the war between the states would likely have been a short affair if the cotton elites stood alone against Washington. But once Lincoln antagonized the mountain folk and got them involved, it became a much more difficult-and costly-fight. I’ve not even mentioned the various conflicts with the native population of the war of 1812 here.
Begs the question-what role do the people in those hills have to play in our current troubles…it does make me wonder how much the whole Oxy disaster was a CIA op rather than the result of some greedy big pharma scoundrels.
Ultimately, I think the relationship with Washington and Appalachia is a mutually unspoken detente. The people keep to themselves and invite no meaningful attention, and DC pretend to have authority but never exercises it too forcefully. To do so would invite blowback that would lead to a great deal of bloodshed and risk a humiliating and public defeat for the federal government that would weaken its credibility, perhaps beyond salvaging. Basically, as long as DC doesn’t FA, they won’t FO. For their part, the mountain folks keep to themselves and renounce the prospect of becoming some form of the IRA in the US.
Part of why I suspect the Oxy disaster occurred is because an appalaicha deracinated by what amounts to heroin is less of a threat to globohomo and their plans for implementing a global tyranny. That stretch of the world (and I include those both north and south of the mason dixon, you understand) are not the type to lay down and accept such a program. Let us hope the spirit of John Lee Pettimore survived that particular catastrophe.
Agreed. They’re fairly self sufficient, not terribly materialistic, and have a much more symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth than most. It’s hard not to, surrounded by such majesty and beauty. It would take a lot of boots on the ground to break the will of those people, and I’m not sure DC could muster enough soldiers, much less political will, to go on that type of campaign. Imagine trying to do what we did in Vietnam or Afghanistan in those mountains, but with people who could hit a bulls eye at 300 yards when they were 8 years old. It would be nearly impossible to bring them to their knees with force.
As an example of what I’m talking about, I will use our old friend the confederate battle flag. The mountain regions of the south were generally opposed to slavery and secession, and had no love for the cotton elites at all. They resented their overreach and warmongering, and vocally opposed secession (some areas outright sided with the Union). But when the federal army marched into their territory, they fought against that with a vengeance.
Many places in the south have now quietly retired the battle flag as a remnant of an era past and a symbol not worth fighting for. But damned if you don’t see it flying around in those mountains frequently. And this in areas that, let me reiterate, opposed slavery and secession. My thesis for this is that they just are holding a grudge about that time when DC sent an army against them. No formal research to prove it, but it’s worth considering if you’re a fella in the CIA or the pentagon thinking up a plan to “secure” the mountains. I’d advise against it, personally.
I love this song. I actually live in a holler a few miles from the famed Copperhead Road in rural Tennessee. Nothing has changed here in these Appalachian mountains. Except meth making overtook whiskey brewing for the youngins. The elders still cook their mash. And are as self sufficient as ever with a built in distaste for the 'law'. God bless 'em.
Oh yes! Definitely. Probably a lot more actually. You literally don't go up Copperhead Road, to this day, without an invite. These backwoods hollers are no joke. We take FAFO seriously.
Thank you! I did some reading on Zomia. Interesting that geography plays such a vital role in independence. Like the harder it is to get up there, the freeer you are. Kinda like here in Appalachia. “Head for the hills” takes on an expanded meaning.
While I like this particular song, I have my problems with some of Steve Earle's other writing and have it on pretty good authority from someone who is also in the music business that he has a pretty severe case of TDS and is also more than a bit of a SOB...
I have the "Copperhead Road" CD. While I like the music there is one song (I think the title is "The Devil's Right Hand") where the protagonist commits a crime and basically blames his gun...
Other songs about moonshining you might not know: "Copper Kettle" is an old traditional song (Bob Dylan recorded it on his "Self Portrait" album). Two old country/rock songs are "White Lightning" and "Thunder Road" (which is a tie-in the the movie by the same name) and there is James Taylor's "Copperline"...
I fully agree Christopher! I especially liked your bullet-points and the song.
Like Ali said (paraphrasing): "I have no fight with the Viet Cong, they never called me N*****! Imagine his courage, especially at that time, to stand-up to the military system and for truth, lose everything and eventually come back stronger!
Believe me I have tried countless times. They're all stuck in this cognitive dissonance. The idea that if we do not have an institution with monopoly of violence then everything breaks down. This is demonstratively untrue but they do not care because they prefer comfortable lies than dangerous truth. It is Stockholm Syndrome: the victim knows that they are being abused, but they remain in the relationship because they cannot imagine life without the abuser.
That said, it is possible to make headway with people who are close. We won't get lefties, and it is not even worth trying. But some conservatives, libertarians, minarchists, etc. are reachable.
I don't understand why so few people see things the way we see them. Is it because they're indoctrinated in government-run public schools, or is there some other reason?
This is a complicated question and I am still traveling. (Just a brief free moment b4 everyone wakes up.) Personality, biology, evolutionary psychology. Two different survival strategies: coercion vs. persuasion. Two different survival outlooks: trust, obey, and find one’s place in the collective vs. trust oneself and one’s individuality. Security vs. freedom. Long subject!
Couldn't agree more! The only thing I might suggest is that We treat a breakage of the Laws (the three Laws of Ethics, Natural Law expressed as the three things not to do) as a problem to solve for, in a solutocracy...
On what seems to be the eve of another war, another overthrowing of a regime causing chaos, another group of war pigs revving up the military industrial complex, its hard for me to watch billions more of our tax money go to killing people while homeless vets sleep in boxes. Have we learned nothing from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria?
DC is a violent crime ridden shit hole. Maybe the war pigs should clean up their own house before blowing up another country.
You played this song a little while back as a cover. Here’s the original with a great original video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQUXuQ6Zd9w
Love this song. Good video.
Does anyone think that the cultural assassination of all things Dixie, Rebels, the Southern Cross, etc was really about erasing the "racist history" of the South, burying it, symbols so offensive to blacks, that even the Dukes of Hazzard had to be given cement feet and tossed into the ocean? Or perhaps it was because cultural icons of disobedience to illegitimate, corrupt, crooked authority might give people who've had a belly-full ideas about disobeying illegitimate, corrupted, crooked authority?
Once upon a time, even as I was growing up, James Dean was famous for his "Rebel Without a Cause" image. Billy Idol for his "Rebel Yell" music. The Dukes of Hazzard for General Lee (and Daisy Duke shorts)?
From my question it's pretty obvious I think all that burying of our nation's history, its rebellious icons was purposeful, and really had nothing to do with slavery and racism. What say you?
Flattenin' the hills...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqm4k1UOiPI
I say what you say makes sense!
I say that you should write an article about it!
I say that I freakin' LOVED the Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid.
As did I. Though I wasn't a fan of the Bo & Luke replacements.
And unlike most of Hollywood its star John Schneider was a vocal voice for freedom in the darkest days of 2020-2021. So there's that much more to like about the show's legacy.
I wonder if he was a Friend of Abe, back when that group still existed.
I didn't know what Friend of Abe was until I just looked it up. Maybe a fuzzy memory of the name coming up in the ago. Maybe Schneider was in it, his name wasn't listed in the short overview I saw.
Of the names I saw, though, their guest speakers and influencers, full of yuck Neocon Rino's. The NeverTrump brigade. A few solid freedom types, but most of the authoritarian Fascist variety. Apparently it broke up in 2016 from the civil war between the two camps.
That said, while I supported Trump in all three elections, I never put my faith in the man, any man. And saw/see enough warning flags to know he's not a true freedom person. As every day goes by that none of the authoritarian abuses and weaponization of justice, medical tyranny, police surveillance, censorship and control, propagandists goes unpunished, some of the worst offenders placed into positions of authority within his administration, broken campaign promises like ending the war in Ukraine now expanding warmaking, his support for the AI/ADS social credit system of complete population control that his Big Tech/NSA supporters want, he's revealing an agenda I don't support. Still no apologies or accountability for the pandemic authoritarian response that HE initiated or the bioweapons that HE deployed as "vaccines" combined with the current state of his administration, its priorities, allows me to see why never putting faith in any man is always the best choice. He is what the system wanted us to have as the alternative. Not constitutional liberty, certainly not true freedom.
Yeah, FoA's conservatives were pretty mainstream. Many McCains, few Ron Pauls.
And yeah, conservatives and MAGAs need to wake up and smell the bullshit of the system, and stop believing that the system would be fine if only the "right person" were in power.
You should hear me perform it! I LOVE DOING THAT ONE!
😎🎶🤘
“I came home with a brand new plan…”😎
That whole album is great!
What would you say is the next-best song? (I am not familiar with the album.)
Johnny Come Lately - without question!
Listening now!
Great song, lets see, fifties, Christmas holidays brings to mind , cabin in North Carolina looking down on Tennessee, bear skin rug, huggable young lady, great memories.
Local gentleman stopped by, not too proud to dringk a glass or five of Chardonnay. 'slained when he was a youngster, 9 -13,his job was to set atop the hill, watching the paved road below.
Ifin a black car turned off on to the dirt road, made it to the first switchback he'd light and toss a stick of dynamite. Ifin it kept going to the second switchback he's light and toss another.
So! 5 more switchbacks to the hollow and by the time the revenooueres made it there the still, the fire, the jugs were long gone.
He was older then and explained how his buddy woke up blind after drinking Listerine, -but that's another story.
Great story!!
Love this song, and the line used in the title especially. I’m working on a script that explores the themes you write about….It is being read by some investors today, so hopefully a green light and funding is coming soon. I’ll keep you posted…
That line from the song made me reflect on the nature of Appalachia and its people, and their relationship with the government. I’ve not done any exhaustive research, but you never hear about some huge successful DEA or ATF raid in that region. (Or, back in the day, successful prohibition raid). It begs the question of how much the government is content to have the illusion of power without testing it and proving one way or the other the extent of its reach…I have my own theory.
I’d also point out that of the wars fought on our soil, it tended to be the people from that region that did the heaviest lifting. The War of Independence against Britain would likely have been won by the redcoats if they hadn’t antagonized the mountain folk. And the war between the states would likely have been a short affair if the cotton elites stood alone against Washington. But once Lincoln antagonized the mountain folk and got them involved, it became a much more difficult-and costly-fight. I’ve not even mentioned the various conflicts with the native population of the war of 1812 here.
Begs the question-what role do the people in those hills have to play in our current troubles…it does make me wonder how much the whole Oxy disaster was a CIA op rather than the result of some greedy big pharma scoundrels.
And please share your theory.
Ultimately, I think the relationship with Washington and Appalachia is a mutually unspoken detente. The people keep to themselves and invite no meaningful attention, and DC pretend to have authority but never exercises it too forcefully. To do so would invite blowback that would lead to a great deal of bloodshed and risk a humiliating and public defeat for the federal government that would weaken its credibility, perhaps beyond salvaging. Basically, as long as DC doesn’t FA, they won’t FO. For their part, the mountain folks keep to themselves and renounce the prospect of becoming some form of the IRA in the US.
Part of why I suspect the Oxy disaster occurred is because an appalaicha deracinated by what amounts to heroin is less of a threat to globohomo and their plans for implementing a global tyranny. That stretch of the world (and I include those both north and south of the mason dixon, you understand) are not the type to lay down and accept such a program. Let us hope the spirit of John Lee Pettimore survived that particular catastrophe.
Yes, let us hope!
And how far north do you think this extends?
At least into Maine. Probably into parts of Canada would be my guess.
Hopefully it applies to the area of the Southern Tier I am looking at…
I expect it does.
🙏🏻🔥
There are a lot of things that, were it to be revealed that it was a CIA op, would not surprise me.
And yeah, it seems like hill people in general have a better chance of resisting and enjoying some de facto independence. (See Zomia in Southeast Asia: https://christophercook.substack.com/p/autonomous-zones-independence-always-illegal)
Agreed. They’re fairly self sufficient, not terribly materialistic, and have a much more symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth than most. It’s hard not to, surrounded by such majesty and beauty. It would take a lot of boots on the ground to break the will of those people, and I’m not sure DC could muster enough soldiers, much less political will, to go on that type of campaign. Imagine trying to do what we did in Vietnam or Afghanistan in those mountains, but with people who could hit a bulls eye at 300 yards when they were 8 years old. It would be nearly impossible to bring them to their knees with force.
As an example of what I’m talking about, I will use our old friend the confederate battle flag. The mountain regions of the south were generally opposed to slavery and secession, and had no love for the cotton elites at all. They resented their overreach and warmongering, and vocally opposed secession (some areas outright sided with the Union). But when the federal army marched into their territory, they fought against that with a vengeance.
Many places in the south have now quietly retired the battle flag as a remnant of an era past and a symbol not worth fighting for. But damned if you don’t see it flying around in those mountains frequently. And this in areas that, let me reiterate, opposed slavery and secession. My thesis for this is that they just are holding a grudge about that time when DC sent an army against them. No formal research to prove it, but it’s worth considering if you’re a fella in the CIA or the pentagon thinking up a plan to “secure” the mountains. I’d advise against it, personally.
“if you’re a fella in the CIA or the pentagon thinking up a plan to “secure” the mountains. I’d advise against it, personally.”
—Ya hear that, glowies and fedposters?
Yes, please do keep me posted, and good luck!
I love this song. I actually live in a holler a few miles from the famed Copperhead Road in rural Tennessee. Nothing has changed here in these Appalachian mountains. Except meth making overtook whiskey brewing for the youngins. The elders still cook their mash. And are as self sufficient as ever with a built in distaste for the 'law'. God bless 'em.
Cool! Do you think that distaste for the law goes as far as it does in the song?
Oh yes! Definitely. Probably a lot more actually. You literally don't go up Copperhead Road, to this day, without an invite. These backwoods hollers are no joke. We take FAFO seriously.
I guess hill people have a better chance at de facto independence. Zomia in Southeast Asia is another good example.
Never heard of Zomia! Got some research to do! That de facto independence is exactly why I reside here.
I hope you are able to maintain and expand that independence.
Thank you! I did some reading on Zomia. Interesting that geography plays such a vital role in independence. Like the harder it is to get up there, the freeer you are. Kinda like here in Appalachia. “Head for the hills” takes on an expanded meaning.
Great song and so is Steve Earle a great one.
While I like this particular song, I have my problems with some of Steve Earle's other writing and have it on pretty good authority from someone who is also in the music business that he has a pretty severe case of TDS and is also more than a bit of a SOB...
Ohhh, I don’t really know his other music and had not heard about that. Weird that someone who wrote a song like this would have TDS…
I have the "Copperhead Road" CD. While I like the music there is one song (I think the title is "The Devil's Right Hand") where the protagonist commits a crime and basically blames his gun...
Other songs about moonshining you might not know: "Copper Kettle" is an old traditional song (Bob Dylan recorded it on his "Self Portrait" album). Two old country/rock songs are "White Lightning" and "Thunder Road" (which is a tie-in the the movie by the same name) and there is James Taylor's "Copperline"...
It sounds to me like you should continue the #FreedomMusicFriday tradition on your own stack!
I really don't know how the technical aspects of all that would go; compensating the artists whose music you would post, etc...
If you just post YouTube videos, you're 100% safe.
Well he was encamped in NYC.
I fully agree Christopher! I especially liked your bullet-points and the song.
Like Ali said (paraphrasing): "I have no fight with the Viet Cong, they never called me N*****! Imagine his courage, especially at that time, to stand-up to the military system and for truth, lose everything and eventually come back stronger!
💯
Great, great song. Here's to all the John Lee Pettimores.
🔥💪
But muh "without cops we'd have chaos. Without government the mafia would take over."
And then we patiently explain, for the 10,000th time, how market anarchism would actually work…
Believe me I have tried countless times. They're all stuck in this cognitive dissonance. The idea that if we do not have an institution with monopoly of violence then everything breaks down. This is demonstratively untrue but they do not care because they prefer comfortable lies than dangerous truth. It is Stockholm Syndrome: the victim knows that they are being abused, but they remain in the relationship because they cannot imagine life without the abuser.
All very true.
That said, it is possible to make headway with people who are close. We won't get lefties, and it is not even worth trying. But some conservatives, libertarians, minarchists, etc. are reachable.
Great song, brought back memories of line-dancing.
Where did you line dance to this song?
I don't understand why so few people see things the way we see them. Is it because they're indoctrinated in government-run public schools, or is there some other reason?
This is a complicated question and I am still traveling. (Just a brief free moment b4 everyone wakes up.) Personality, biology, evolutionary psychology. Two different survival strategies: coercion vs. persuasion. Two different survival outlooks: trust, obey, and find one’s place in the collective vs. trust oneself and one’s individuality. Security vs. freedom. Long subject!
I think that's worth a long article. It might help us find an effective way to persuade others.
Indeed!
My daughter’s class learned to sing this song and line dance to it, pretty crazy seeing 9 year olds sing Copperhead Road!
That is fantastic!
Couldn't agree more! The only thing I might suggest is that We treat a breakage of the Laws (the three Laws of Ethics, Natural Law expressed as the three things not to do) as a problem to solve for, in a solutocracy...
Humbly I offer:
Solutocracy – A Way to Govern (article): https://amaterasusolar.substack.com/p/solutocracy-a-way-to-govern