Posted on 02/24/2005 4:02:20 PM PST by CHARLITE
Howard Dean and Yankee Democrats don't have a clue what it means to be a Southerner. It's not about Confederate flags. It's about honor, family, self reliance and American patriotism.
Who are these Confederate voters that Vermonter Howard Dean wants to represent? Is Jefferson Davis on the ballot again? I thought he was dead, along with the Confederate States of America. Hey, I’m a Southerner, why didn’t I get the memo? Duh, Dean was just being "hisself", a Yankee liberal, describing voters as he sees people – divided by race, class and gender. What a hoot. Liberals imagine identity politics fit real people. Dean should listen to Yellow Dawg Democrat Zell Miller.
Confederate Voter is the wrong term. Democrats covet the White Southern Voter. True, the white Southerner majority’s ancestors were Confederates, but that provides the wrong connotation – slavery, segregation and racism – that doesn’t fit the present and the future. The South is different from the rest of the country in significant measures, but the distinction isn’t "Confederate", it’s simply "The South". Yankees and liberals just don’t get it, although Dean did stumble over truth when he talked down to Southerners to get over “race, guns, God and gays.” Behind "race, guns, God and gays" are issues based on values.
The South is about deep-fried shared values, history, and identity. Better universities have courses on Southern culture. Psychologists can test for regional attitude and behavior differences. The differences matter when Southerners vote. If only the liberals could understand that complex thoughts –- not easy divisions of race, class and gender –- reside in the heads of most Southerners. Liberals shouldn’t forget that Southern culture encourages a fierce passion for ideas held as right. Over 300,000 dead Yankees learned that lesson.
Here are some ideas held in common:
Slavery, segregation and racism are wrong. They are sins against God. There are white, black and other racists. None are respected.
The Confederate battle flag is a racist symbol only to racists, demagogues (liberals, thus Democrats), and dummies. To Southerners, Confederate symbols stand for courage, sacrifice, and fidelity. The people who want to oppress the Cross of St. Andrew want to suppress the Cross of Jesus.
The American flag is the highest national symbol and beloved above all else.
There are absolute truths, unchanging and yet always relevant, in the Holy Bible, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
The Bible Belt is buckled by people who actually read the Bible, believe it and evangelize it more than any other region. From a Biblical world view come the values that count.
Ten Commandments. Our culture and laws are based on our Judeo-Christian values. Historical fact is not hate, nor is it "imposing" beliefs, nor is it a separation-of-church-and-state issue. It’s a free-speech and freedom-of-religion issue. This issue draws from the same power as Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Watch out.
Family First. Your name is all you have really in life. You can not shame your last name – your People. Honor is personal, familial and real.
Love the Land. Hunting, fishing, and animals are all part of good stewardship, using and preserving our natural blessings.
Men and Women are different for good purposes. Men should be gentlemen. Women should be ladies. Marriage is between one man and one woman only.
Sexual sins are wrong. Adultery, homosexuality, incest and bestiality are all wrong. Tolerate homosexuals -- they’re your kin -- but don’t honor them.
Fight when right. Serving in the military is an honor. Fighting for freedom is worth the cost – no matter what.
Defend yourself. We have a right and duty to defend our persons, our family and home and neighbors with whatever it takes, including personal firearms.
Leave us alone. Tax less, govern less, nanny less, lecture less, because we want the individual freedom for our family, our property, our opportunity, our liberty to prosper.
Crime leads to poverty. Poverty doesn’t cause crime. Our ancestors built something from nothing and re-built it again after destruction. Better to earn your way in life than take a handout. Better to be poor and free than rich and slave.
We are Americans first. We are Federalists who believe in the Constitution as it was intended, not as it has become with the Judicial Oligarchy and Federal Behemoth. We don’t want to be ruled by the U.N. or anybody else. We don’t give a damn what foreigners think of us. And, frankly, my dear, we don’t give a damn what Yankees think of us (and that really bothers them).
We are conservatives based on convictions. We are not loyal to any Party, as much as to our Principles.
The Democrats can con Southern voters like Bill Clinton did. But, the Democrats are on the wrong side of ACW II (the Great U.S. Culture War, 1962-TBD) for the South. A few factors can change that:
If Southern culture, fueled by Christian evangelism, is ascending, then the immigrant invasion (foreign and Northern) will add to the Southern census - and conservative votes - after each generation of assimilation.
If the Liberal Cultural Cleansing, most ruthless in government schools, is gaining and Southerners are weak enough to surrender, then Liberals can win elections.
If blacks ever get off the Democrat plantation, then the South will explode as a conservative haven, hope and success. Progress is so slow in this emancipation. Yet, the irony is how Southern values – white and black are so close. We are united more by culture than we are divided by race.
As a Republican, I’m glad that Dean and the Democrats think talking slowly means you’re stupid. As a man actually named "Bubba" all my life, I’m proud to be disdained by any non-Southerner - and non-conservative, non-camily, anti-evangelical Christian - "youse guys".
October 6, 2003
James Atticus Bowden has specialized in inter- disciplinary, long-range "futures" studies for more than a decade. He is employed by a Defense Department contractof for the Future Combat Systems. A 1972 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he is a retired Army Infantry Officer. He earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University. He holds two elected Republican Party positions in Virginia.
Mr. Bowden's e-mail address is: jatticus@aol.com
Very good words from Kentucky. Well done. Southerners see themselves as Christians first.
I have never met anyone who hated the South, Southerners or any state of the United States. Every Northerner that I have ever met had absolutely no negative opinion of the South except perhaps comments about the humidity.
At the very worse, the South is ignored by Northerners.
Northerners aren't interested in any division between the North and the South let alone "winning" anything. It must have something to do with "winning" in the first place. A Northerner isn't interested in the Civil War era no more than a Republican is interested in rehashing the 2000 elections. It's over and the "winners" have gone on with their lives.
That just proves my point.
A Yankee is doomed to repeat history, because Yankees are ignorant of history.
Doomed to "win" again?
Ok, I can live with that.
Thanks for the ping!
Lol! -keep in mind that most of these folks fussin at you are from Democrat families that go back generations. It'll take a while for the brain freeze to wear off..
in point of fact, we would be pleased that we were ignored by the north, to the point that we can PEACEFULLY leave.
free dixie,sw
Just don't be like the guy who claimed that all of his neighbors were a bunch of a$$holes no matter where he moved. It never occured to him that perhaps it wasn't his neighbors who were the problem.
It would also help your "cause" if you didn't insult Northerners every chance you get with the damnyankee crap.
I noticed even the headline didn't refer to Southerns and Northerners.
As I had to point out more than one time to others, "I'm not a DamnYankee, I'm a Texan, there's a difference."
hehehe a world of difference ;-)
Look in the keywords for this thread, and you will see that it is not true. Admin mod: I know you can tell who posted those keywords. Are you happy to let those words stay on the thread, and the person that posted them stay ar FR?
I have no idea who created those keywords. Perhaps the moderators could erase them and also change the headline to Northerners instead of yankees.
It wouldn't bother me a bit if threads like this were eliminated completely from FR.
I have no idea what you are posting about. Coming "troubles"? Caused by whom? Is this Northern Ireland or some such place? Do you have your fingers crossed for another blood bath?
I can assure you that Northerners, Southerners, Westerners, Easterners and for that matter, an Alaskan and Hiawaiian or two have no such wish for a war with their fellow Americans. There isn't going to be a Blue state/Red state war. No lib/conservative war. No Black/White war.
So you can unstrap the hogleg and put the duck gun back in the closet. It isn't going to happen and you should get on your knees and thank God for that.
I had a quote by Martin Luther King as to why he prefers to live in the South, but can't find it.
In 1962 around the time of Bay of Pigs there was a lot of Anti-American activity in Mexico City with "yanqui go home" scrawled on walls. A Texas girl I knew told about being on a bus tour with some New York type guy trying to make points with her. He pointed out one of these displays and asked what she thought of it. She told him "Oh Honey, they don't mean US!"
"I'm a Good Old Rebel" was performed in the movie "The Long Riders" about 1980, based on the James Gang and some fellow outlaws. Interesting in that it featured, as I recall, three sets of actual brothers including Carradines and Quaids. Sound track full of authentic-sounding Civil War era music, though some was probably much more recent. Near the beginning of the movie, Frank and Jesse are in some tavern when Jesse hears a man singing "Rally Round the Flag". He suggests a different selection, putting his sixgun against the singer's pickin' hand. The performer nervously breaks into "I'm a Good Old Rebel".
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