No hope for real change?

[F2d5thCav]

I was thinking today about the notion of 'draining the swamp'.

Now, I for one think things are seriously awry in Washington DC.  It -is- a festering pit of corruption.

But one must honestly wonder if there is even a point in trying to clean it up.  I came to wonder this as I was reading about a famous character in Tennessee, Buford Pusser, who was the sheriff of McNairy County in the late 1960s.

If one has seen the 1970's film "Walking Tall", the story is basically known.  A local man gets jacked around and beaten by the staff of a gambling establishment.  Later, he gives them payback, manages to win the court case against him, and becomes the sheriff.  He fought the mob in that area, and one stiff loss he suffered was the murder of his wife.  In 1974, Pusser, who was no longer the sheriff, died in a suspicious automobile accident and there were suspicions of his car having been sabotaged.

So, Pusser and his wife were probably both murdered, and an organization that had motivation to perform both crimes was a criminal mob that operated in both Tennessee and Mississippi.

"Oh", one might say -- interstate crime -- so where was the FBI in all this?  Or were they already corrupt and useless?

Two things stand out in this thumbnail history.  One, corruption is everywhere, including down into the rural counties of the USA.  Two, this was taking place some 55 years ago, which forces one to realize just how long things have been thoroughly corrupt.  The sheriff of McNairy County before Pusser was corrupt, and probably some of the judges in the area as well.  Interstate crime was taking place and apparently the FBI was asleep at the switch, as were the state bureaus of investigation for both states.

It seems, if people are serious about confronting corruption, they are going to have start at the most local levels.  And they will have to realize it will be a murderous affair with losses on both sides, because the criminals won't just give themselves up.

Cheers

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

Two things stand out in this thumbnail history.  One, corruption is everywhere, including down into the rural counties of the USA.  Two, this was taking place some 55 years ago, which forces one to realize just how long things have been thoroughly corrupt.  The sheriff of McNairy County before Pusser was corrupt, and probably some of the judges in the area as well.  Interstate crime was taking place and apparently the FBI was asleep at the switch, as were the state bureaus of investigation for both states.

It seems, if people are serious about confronting corruption, they are going to have start at the most local levels.  And they will have to realize it will be a murderous affair with losses on both sides, because the criminals won't just give themselves up.

Cheers

That is where it started.

When we think of the "government", we think Federal, the big Kahuna. But the Federal government is actually made up of the mayors, governors, senators, and congressmen, that we sent to Washington from our tiny little local areas. 

If we want to change things. We need to change the way we do business. If your representative is not serving you in your district, they are not going to serve you in Washington.

If you are voting for someone you don't really know, but you like how they look, or because they are popular, then you shouldn't be voting.

If your representative, stops representing the people of their district, then you bring them home. Once representatives realize that being a politician is not a cushy job, that places them a pedestal, and gives them a ticket to potential godhood, they will do what they were sent to Washington to do.

We gave up control, when we forgot that the government is to serve the people, not the other way around.

[Ninurta]

Yup, there is crime and corruption, even organized crime and organized corruption, in the south, even in Appalachia.

The Mafia was once upon a time fairly well infested around here. It still is, but not as bad as they once were before the mines closed down. The mines and the UMWA were the hook they used here. There were bad elements on both sides. The UMWA was thoroughly infiltrated by organized crime, and so were the coal companies. The criminal organization we call "government" tried to mediate between the two so it could continue gathering it's share of the take, but was largely impotent. When I was a kid, the UMWA went on strike every 3 years like clockwork, pitting the coal company mafia against the UMWA mafia, government would send in troops and cops, the coal companies would hire mercenaries (actual mercenaries - Soldier of Fortune wrote an article about them once), the UMWA would employ miners as guerrillas, and all hell would break loose for a while, every time. This whole place would become a war zone for a while, then it would all calm down again until the next UMWA Contract was up for bid, and the cycle would repeat.

The Mafia involvement got it's start here during prohibition, running illegal liquor we made, at about the same time the Mafia got it's start nationwide. NASCAR got it's start then, too, a spinoff from the liquor running vehicles and bootleggers.

Now we have the "opioid epidemic" in Appalachia, and there is a degree of organization behind that criminal activity as well. Distribution locally is with locals, but both the CCP and the drug cartels have influence because they are the source for most all of the drugs. They bring it in and hand it over to the distributors, then collect the proceeds, but they themselves rarely if ever show up, because they would not last long here, So they are happy to take the money from the distributors, to put a local face on it. Local faces are good for business.

They ARE trying to diversify, into things like gambling now. First it was a state lottery in Virginia (which I voted against, to no avail), but that was a door opened, and now there are gambling machines everywhere, and I believe they are in the process of making a casino in Bristol now. Prostitution is a longstanding problem here. Even when I was a teenager there was a whorehouse opened on the outskirts of my home town in a trailer which everyone called "The West End". As far as I know, it was shut down years ago, but the profession remains, as it always has. There is an entire town here somewhere that I have never been to called "Three Forks" that I am told it is unsafe for a man to drive through. Never been there, so I can't report first-hand, but I've been told the entire town is populated exclusively by prostitutes who will surround a car with a man in it that is just passing through, all of them vying for the man's "business".

So we have the trifecta working it's way into place - drugs, gambling, and prostitution. You just KNOW that organized crime is going to take it's cut of that. Organized Crime  it's not jut for the big cities any more.

Most folks are pretty reluctant to do anything about it, though. It's the mindset we have developed over the centuries here. If it ain't OUR business, then it's none of our business. So if folks are not directly involved in either distribution or partaking of the products or services, they tend towards keeping their noses out of it. That does have the effect of keeping the normally associated killings to a minimum.

If you've ever seen the TV series "Justified", that is an overly dramatized version of what it is like here. The basics of the show are accurate, but there isn't nearly as much action or killing as is shown in it. Maybe if we had a real Raylan Givens to shake things up, it might heat up a bit. As an aside, there is a "Givens Elementary School" not far from here. I believe Elmore Leonard, who wrote the book the show was based on, was from just across the state line in Kentucky, so it's fairly accurate as far as the basics go.

When the coal mines came in, WE were the producers, exporting our mineral birthright for the benefit of someone else, and taking the shaft. There was no real difference between the coal companies, the UMWA, and the mafia that ran both, from our perspective. Now organized crime is still here, but instead of being the producers, we have become the consumers of the product that is being produced elsewhere for the most part. Either way, the area is taking the hit for it. But, since it has been here forever, since the mines came in, folks have more or less gotten used to it, and so far no one has twisted our arm and forced anyone to participate. Until they do, I don't expect anything much will change.

Some times, locals try to take a cut of the business. I know of a sheriff's department in West Virginia that used to bust kids for drugs, confiscate the drugs and turn the kids loose, then turn around and resell the drugs out of their patrol cars. Occasionally a sheriff will take a stand against it, will fight that little war for a while, and will get killed in the end as both organized Crime and government take a stand against him. See "Matewan Massacre" and "the Battle of Blair Mountain", both of which occurred just a few miles from where I sit.

Once upon a time, we had nothing to export but liquid corn, so the area was poor. Then the coal barons came and brought organized crime with them, and we exported coal. Lots of it... but the "furrin" coal barons took all the money and got rich, and just left us the crumbs, so the area remained poor. Then the government took the coal mines away (still plenty of coal in the ground), and the area was still poor. and now replacing the coal mines that once took all of the wealth out of the area for someone else, we have the opioid epidemic filling that role now, taking the money - whatever money folks can get - out of the area... and the area remains poor.

I don't see much difference, from a hillbilly perspective, between the mafia, the government, the drug cartels, etc. As far as I am concerned, they are ALL just different forms of organized crime, designed to remove the money from an area leaving the people destitute and dependent upon them. The only difference between them all is that they constantly war with one another over who gets to rob us. I believe that is the whole reason behind "the war on drugs". If it was actually meant to solve anything, it would have been won by now. The government just wants to take the business away from the cartels and keep it for itself. As evidence, I present the fact that marijuana will be legal to possess and grow in Virginia starting 1 July, this year, so that the government can take their cut of it in taxes, and take that cut away from the drug smugglers.

That war between the various criminal factions ain't my war. My fight is hanging on to what I have and keeping ANY them from taking it at all, whomever they are.

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[NightskyeB4Dawn]

That war between the various criminal factions ain't my war. My fight is hanging on to what I have and keeping ANY them from taking it at all, whomever they are.

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I so agree with you, but the one thing I know about rats and roaches, is if you ignore one, you will soon be infested.

I feel exactly the way you do. It is sort of the rural way. Something they know well, and use to their advantage. I am watching the slow take over of our small rural area. The level of corruption is mind boggling, because they don't even try to hide it anymore.

As much as I want to leave, it is getting harder and harder to maintain, I keep asking myself, "Where in the hell do I go?" If I am lucky enough to find another rural spot, it will just be a matter of time before the bulldozers are on the horizon again.

[ABNARTY]

You bring up a subject I wonder about too. 

It must have something to do with humans and how humans act in groups. Most people are simply trying to make their way. Wherever or whenever. They seek stability and safety for themselves, their family, and perhaps their close community. Governance is seen as a necessary evil. We have to have some rules and management but let's keep it to a minimum. 

Yet there are a small percentage of people who see this in a totally different light. It's an opportunity. A means to achieve status? Wealth? Power? I am not sure but it really doesn't matter. 

It's not that they have any great talent for governing, management, or finances. They don't care about those things. They seem to populate these positions of authority to a vastly larger percentage then you would find someplace else where they have to walk the walk.  

So should I be surprised when the corruption you mention rears it's head all over the place? 

Walking Tall was a great movie BTW 

[Ninurta]

That war between the various criminal factions ain't my war. My fight is hanging on to what I have and keeping ANY them from taking it at all, whomever they are.

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I so agree with you, but the one thing I know about rats and roaches, is if you ignore one, you will soon be infested.

I feel exactly the way you do. It is sort of the rural way. Something they know well, and use to their advantage. I am watching the slow take over of our small rural area. The level of corruption is mind boggling, because they don't even try to hide it anymore.

As much as I want to leave, it is getting harder and harder to maintain, I keep asking myself, "Where in the hell do I go?" If I am lucky enough to find another rural spot, it will just be a matter of time before the bulldozers are on the horizon again.

Well, you see, this ain't our first rodeo.

Over a century ago, carpetbaggers from the northern industrial nations of the US found out there is a wealth of mineral resources here, and determined to "develop" them. They came in and bought "mineral rights" from the locals, many of whom could not even read the contracts they were signing. All the locals knew was that the carpetbaggers were giving them "money for nothing" - they got to keep their land, still got a cash payment, and had no concept of the value of the minerals under it - or what they would give up to extract those minerals for other people's enrichment, rather than their own.

So the carpetbaggers started "developing" the area by honeycombing it with mines and roads and railways to haul the coal out, hollowing out the mountains for their wealth. At first it seemed a boon - mines meant jobs in an impoverished area, and people jumped at the chance. They didn't see what was coming. Those jobs put the workers in a state of serfdom to the Lords of the Manor. We got jobs alright - back breaking labor for little to no money. All of the value, all of the wealth, was being exported out and lining the bank accounts of the Manor Lords. None of it was flowing INWARD to us. And when I say "no money", I literally mean that. Working for NO money. Instead, the companies built "company towns" near the mines to be worked, streets lined with cookie cutter houses to house the serfs. Instead of actual pay, they were paid in "scrip" issued by the coal companies. That scrip could only be spent at the Company stores, in the company towns, and nowhere else. The companies set the prices of the goods the workers had to buy to live on. So they paid us in scrip, and then took that scrip back at the company store, at rates THEY set.

The Company could, and did, turn entire families out of their company housing in the company towns with no notice, and no real reason. That's what came of reliance on the Manor Lords.

Sweet deal for the companies, huh? WE, on the other hand, were little more than serfs and slaves.

And it all started with promised of wealth and development, and payments of "money for nothing".

Kinda like is happening right now, again. Do you wonder why we don't trust outsiders who come with flowery promises, Greeks bearing gifts?

They hollowed out the mountains, destroyed entire watersheds, and ruined lands owned by others to get at the minerals underneath them. The house I live in now, and the land it sits on, is privately owned... but a mine, running underneath the house, cut the bottom out of our well and destroyed it. Oh, the coal company paid to hook up county water to the house, but that water is not OURS like the well water was. It can be cut off in an instant, fostering more dependency, so they think. They better think again. When push comes to shove, I know where springs are for water, and I know how to tap the water vein running under this land, between the surface and the mine. I'm not as dependent on the Manor Lords as they think I am.

Now we have modern-day carpetbaggers running through rural areas building developments and pushing lumber prices up thereby, and other modern-day carpetbaggers sweeping through areas, buying up entire neighborhoods of single family dwelling units at prices often far in excess of market value. More "money for nothing". Then those same carpetbaggers are turning what used to be owned homes into rental units. Brand new modern-day "company towns".

Governments are telling us it's "equity housing", the right thing to do, that we are going to "build back better" in that way, and that we will "own nothing and be happy". Government Marxists, and Union Marxists, are once again in cahoots with the carpetbaggers. Nothing new there, either.

These developments do not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling. We've seen this movie before out here.

They can have mine when their children have paid the price I paid for it, and I am dead and gone. Not until. I am no man's serf, no man's slave, and will not be made into one by flowery promises, bitcoin "scrip", and rental housing in company towns on a manor that is someone else's.

They can bite me, but they better bite fast, 'cause bullets travel around 2 or 3 thousand feet per second. I shit you not, what is occurring right now is every bit that serious, and there is no telling how many will be lulled by the siren's song until it is too late to escape. I don't intend to be one of them.

My maternal grand dad spent 40 years as a serf and slave to the Raven Red Ash Coal Company. Below is an example of the scrip they paid their workers with, "money" minted by the company and only redeemable with the company. It's a "1$ coin", front and back. If you look at the inscription on the back, you will see that it is "payable in merchandise only", and "not transferable". He died of cancer, unable to breathe from black lung, and unable to even get out of bed by himself after 40 years of that. Fat lot of good the UMWA Union or the government OSHA did for him. All of those sons of bitches, government, company, and union, were in cahoots when they weren't trying to kill one another off to get themselves a bigger part of the pie. The ones who suffered for THEIR greed were the workers and their families, the people.

The serfs.



Us hillbillies don't need any Marxists or BLM-ers to tell us what slavery, serfdom, and second-class citizenship looks like. Some of us agree with the Jewish motto of "Never Again". So, they can bring that shit on whenever they feel froggy. It's not going to be as easy as they think in some places.

That is how MY grand dad lived and died, on land that HIS grand dad fought a war to keep free, and HIS grand dad tore out of a wilderness with no help from any carpetbaggers - THEY were sitting on their asses in the cities, waiting for some poor soul to do the hard work for them so they could sweep in later and just take what wasn't theirs to take.

A few things to remember, lessons learned from a hard life: never become a refugee, never be a serf, and never give up. Go down fighting if you're gonna go down anyhow. Take some of their ears with you.

One more thing - now, just as then, the government, the unions, and the corporations are ALL in it together, those sons of bitches. Oh, they'll all TALK a good game about how each of them is for "the little man" against all the others, but they are not. They're goddamned liars. For evidence, look at how the unions pushed for BidenHarris to be elected so they could get on with their program of domination... and then lost all those union jobs on the pipeline, and elsewhere. They don't care, they're in on it, too. None of the union honchos lost any money or sleep over it, so what do they care? 

Then look at how the social media corporations are carrying water for the government, too, with all of their rampant censorship. They are doing the things to support the marxist government that it cannot do for itself, because it is illegal for government to do. Look at how government is moving to strengthen unions by forced membership, and defending the corrupt social media giants, because those giants are doing the government's bidding. 

They, all of them, are washing each other's backs, and withholding the water and the soap from US. They all CLAIM to be for us with their lip-service, but their actions demonstrate different. Don't trust ANY of those crooked asswipes. Ain't nobody going to look out for us but US, no matter what flowery promises the others make to try to lull us into a false sense of security. All this has happened before, and the results this time, when they are doing it yet again, are predictable.

That's how ALL government-social-economic systems work. Whether socialist, marxist, capitalist, communist, or any other "-ist", if you LET them take what is yours, and not theirs to take, they will, and they will get richer while you get poorer. And they will leave you with nothing, and they will tell you that you are happy about it. Better to die fighting than die from starvation at their whim after they have conquered folks because they would not fight.

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