Battle of Blair Mountain

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

How many of my readers are familiar with the "Battle of Blair Mountain"? No, don't reach for the Google button or for Wikipedia. Did you learn about this ugly and tragic event in your American History classes? Likely not.

The event was the culmination of years of conflict between miners and coal mine operators in the Southern Appalachian coalfields. The result was a mustering of federal troops to contain the miners, and a pitched three-day battle in which over a million rounds of ammunition were estimated to have been fired! This was on American soil, gentle folks. Yes, America, West Virginia is a state and is located in the continental U.S.!

I am watching, with great interest, the events occurring in Wisconsin. There have been no shots fired, to my knowledge, and prayerfully, win not be. While it is certainly the right of U.S. citizens to assemble peacefully, it is also the duty of representatives to respond to the will of the voters, not necessarily the demonstrators. The Republican governor and Republican majority in the legislature were voted into office during a free and undisputed election. In our representative form of government, this is how it works, folks.

While we may not agree with our elected representatives, they do hold that office and are expected to perform their duties on behalf of the electorate.

Any thoughts? 

Cold in the South

Ok, anybody who watched the Weather Channel knows, by now, that it is frigidly cold in the South. Temps at our home in Marietta, GA are in the 20's, expected to stay below freezing tomorrow and plunging to the low teens and possible single digits tomorrow night.

I know that is not very impressive if you're in the North, or in the mountains. I've experienced minus 20 in the mountains of West Virginia and minus 40 in Gunnison, Colorado; and was an avid snow skier when I lived closer to a ski resort. But, I live in the Atlanta metro area for over 20 years now and my blood has thinned drastically!

I sometimes ask, "How do those folks do it?" Skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, even just plan working and living in those conditions. I more often ask, "Why?"

Perhaps they just don't know any better...

Here in the South we relish in the fact that, even when it gets cold, as it sometimes does, it rarely stays cold for long. Snow on the ground for months on end? I don't think so!