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^ Hold on there, zt, it ain't quite that easy. Just having relatives isn't enough...you have to first prove your South-worthiness. You should start by downing huge servings of grits every morning, along with whatever greasy breakfast meat you prefer. You must become one with the grits, to the point that you're able to determine from which stone-ground mill the grits came, and whether the grits are salted well enough just by smell. Once you've mastered grits, you're ready to move on to more complex food groups like cornbread, root vegetables, and the ultimate goal, barbecue!
Then, it's on to driving skills. First you must learn to drive very slowly. Then you'll work on specific skills like coming to a full stop before merging onto an interstate, driving with a dog (or maybe 8-10 kids) in the bed of a pickup truck, and taking your own sweet time when ordering at the drive-thru. And remember--we never, ever drive when there's even a hint of snow in the forecast. Okay, you can drive to the grocery store to buy up huge quantities of bread, milk, and canned soup, but you have to be back home before the snow actually starts falling.
All that, and I haven't even mentioned the speech training yet! Yes, it's long, difficult road, but I think when you can finally slow your life down, relax, and learn to enjoy a Moon Pie with an RC Cola, you'll know it's all been worth it.
I am ready to begin Master Yoda...
Signed...your humble student of south-worthiness induction training
The traffic. People migrating to the South whilst retaining their rather abrasive non-Southern personalities and traits. A big Blue stain on NC that's growing larger everyday when it should be Red. Taxes in comparison to other Southern states. Urban sprawl and the crime and undesirables that come with it. I could go on, but I'd rather think about the sunrises/sunsets, beautiful coast, heavenly mountains among all the other things that make me love NC to the point that I'd fight and die for her.
The traffic. People migrating to the South whilst retaining their rather abrasive non-Southern personalities and traits. A big Blue stain on NC that's growing larger everyday when it should be Red. Taxes in comparison to other Southern states. Urban sprawl and the crime and undesirables that come with it. I could go on, but I'd rather think about the sunrises/sunsets, beautiful coast, heavenly mountains among all the other things that make me love NC to the point that I'd fight and die for her.
To each his own.
I have lived off an on in NC for most of my life and I love the big blue stain on the state.
But, don't attribute the blue stain only to those moving to the state. As early as the late 50's, NC distinguished itself from other Southern states with a more progressive government. The likes of Terry Sanford and company put NC on a different path than many other Southern states. They positioned NC for a brighther future than many of our neighbors in the South. Would you really rather have NC be more like South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama or Louisiana?
Regarding what you love, I love those things too and defend NC to each and every person that I meet.
Have a great day!
We were a democrat run state, not a liberal one back then. Just like the rest of the South. We also proudly elected Jesse Alexander Helms to five terms in the US Senate.A segregationist democrat I Beverly Lake forced a runoff in the 1960 democrat primary for Governor. We had the Greenboro Massacre in 1979 and a Welcome To KKK Country in Smithfield until the early eighties. NC was more progressive than the rest of the south, but we were no liberal kingdom like we are heading towards being today.
We were a democrat run state, not a liberal one back then. Just like the rest of the South. We also proudly elected Jesse Alexander Helms to five terms in the US Senate.A segregationist democrat I Beverly Lake forced a runoff in the 1960 democrat primary for Governor. We had the Greenboro Massacre in 1979 and a Welcome To KKK Country in Smithfield until the early eighties. NC was more progressive than the rest of the south, but we were no liberal kingdom like we are heading towards being today.
Back then, the South was made up of Democratic states....that is, of course, until Lyndon Johnson pushed through Civil Rights legislation and most of the South abandoned the party. For then, our government was more liberal than our neighbors. The article linked below explains how NC's more moderate government set the stage for where we are now. And, given that the rest of the South was very conservative, being labeled "moderate" at that time is pretty "liberal" in my book. I don't think things have changed much. NC is moderate compared to the rest of the country but can be considered pretty liberal for the South. The article also explains the interesting reasons why the KKK was really active in NC. In a nutshell, they were here because they didn't have the local politicians in their back pockets. How North Carolina went from Klansville, U.S.A. to Obama Blue State | BrandeisNOW
Back then, the South was made up of Democratic states....that is, of course, until Lyndon Johnson pushed through Civil Rights legislation and most of the South abandoned the party. For then, our government was more liberal than our neighbors. The article linked below explains how NC's more moderate government set the stage for where we are now. And, given that the rest of the South was very conservative, being labeled "moderate" at that time is pretty "liberal" in my book. I don't think things have changed much. NC is moderate compared to the rest of the country but can be considered pretty liberal for the South. The article also explains the interesting reasons why the KKK was really active in NC. In a nutshell, they were here because they didn't have the local politicians in their back pockets. How North Carolina went from Klansville, U.S.A. to Obama Blue State | BrandeisNOW
one must consider the source of that article. How do you explain George Wallace winning the NC democrat presidential primary in 1972. Or Jesse's "Hands ad" that won him re-election in 1990. Are those actions of a moderate state? How about the aquittal of the of the Klansmen in the killings of the Communist Party workers in Greensboro?
one must consider the source of that article. How do you explain George Wallace winning the NC democrat presidential primary in 1972. Or Jesse's "Hands ad" that won him re-election in 1990. Are those actions of a moderate state? How about the aquittal of the of the Klansmen in the killings of the Communist Party workers in Greensboro?
How do you explain hate crimes in California or New York? The reality is that the cultural and political spectrum exists across this country in the behavior of its citizens and local politics. That doesn't mean that there won't be examples as you state above.
The article is clear in how the policies and direction set years ago migrated NC away from the political center of the South over time. And, of course, that center was decidedly to the right of the center of the US. Regarding Jesse Helms, it was easy to see how his power and influenced waned over time. In his last re-election, he barely beat a Black Architect from Charlotte. Now, let's consider that election in parts. First of all, how well do politicians from Charlotte historically do in statewide elections?...not too well by my recollection. Now, consider that he was Black and how that juxtaposes with Jesse's history. Now, consider that he was an architect. That's not the usual path for politics. The writing was on the wall then and Jesse knew it. I think that's why he retired when he did. He knew it was over for him. Otherwise, he would have been there until the day he died.
The policies put in place 50 years ago have grown our cities with NC's own college graduates (instead of losing them to other states as was the case in the first half of the century) and transplants. I remember when NC tipped from being a majority rural state to being a majority urban state. That was not so long ago.
End state is that we are where we are today because NC's statePOLITICS set the course. Its leaders were ahead of the culture of the state but they did in fact lead NC into the future over time. They were visionaries and brilliant in my opinion. NC certainly has examples of bigotry and racism as do almost all other states in the union. But, in the same state with examples you stated in your post above, its citizens kept the Democrats in control of it.
Oh, I think it's interesting that your examples seem to paint a picture of conservatism being equated with bigotry and prejudice. It's a shame that that has to be the collateral for identifying conservatism. Unless that changes in this country, there won't be any more conservatives in the future. Although I am not conservative politically, I see the value that consevative voice brings to the table when you find a way to ignore all the bigotry noise that surrounds them. The unfortunate part is that I can't seem to ignore it....it's just too loud at the moment.
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