Some Thoughts On Christmas Day 2011

Today, December 25, 2011, is a lot like many of the Christmases I remember from the past.  It is a cool, sunshiny day without precipitation.  It is a great day to walk in the woods, take a peek at wild game, get away from the roads and their noise, and to ruminate on thoughts and issues which matter to us.  Among many other things which pop into my head today are these:

• There are not nearly as many quiet, clean, untrammelled places to walk in Appalachia as there were when I was young.
• Strip mining and gas and oil well fracking are destroying more and more land and resources than ever before.
• Fewer and fewer native Appalachians seem to care about the damage being done to the land and the environment.
• The mining and mineral extraction companies are currently winning the battle through slick, fear based advertising and publicity and they appear to own most of our elected officials both locally and state wide.
• Appalachians continue to be the last minority in America which it is still socially acceptable to discriminate against, denigrate, defame, and ignore.
• Fewer and fewer native Appalachians are willing to speak out about this discrimination.
• We have a United States Congress which is being held hostage by a radical right wing minority which was elected two years ago.
• That right wing minority seems, at times, to be winning the battle with slick, fear based advertising and publicity.
• The same people who were swept into Congress in 2010 need to be swept out in 2012.
• More native Appalachians in particular and more American citizens in general need to stand up and realize that the needs of the many should override the desires of the few.
• We must insist on taxing the rich in order to serve the needy, the elderly, the poor.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

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UPDATE: September 25, 2019

The Jesse Stuart Foundation has just released a new book called "True Christmas Stories From The Heart Of Appalachia" and it includes my story, "Christmas On Beaver Creek", along with stories by Jesse Stuart, Cratis Williams, Bill Best, and my two good friends Edwina Pendarvis and Emily Steiner. It has 43 stories from 39 different authors. I have a few copies with my autograph and a personal inscription for whomever you choose which are available at the same price the publisher charges for unautographed copies.  They are $25.00 each plus $3.00 shipping which is what the publisher has set as the price.  I will accept payment through PayPal at rchicks@mrtc.com   You can contact me at Roger D. Hicks, 65, Highway 1081, West Liberty, KY 41472,606-743-2087, or e-mail at rchicks@mrtc.com  Merry Christmas!