It was about 1974 the first time I went to West Virginia and I have been in love with it ever since. I was a potential student at Antioch University Appalachia which at that time was in Huntington but moved shortly thereafter to Beckley where it remained until Antioch University shut it down. Beckley and Raleigh County were the first place I lived in West Virginia in 1974 to sometime in 1976. I also lived in Logan and Mingo Counties from 1985 to 1989. I was married to my wife Candice in 1992 at the main overlook of Grand View National Park. I have loved West Virginia every day since the first time I ever went there and I will love it until the day I die. But over the last few years, I have become deeply disappointed, disgusted, and ashamed of what West Virginia has become which is nothing more or less than a political cesspool, a quagmire, a reprehensible home for several thousand, and sadly, perhaps several hundred thousand members of that basket of deplorables which Hillary Clinton spoke of on September 9, 2016. The West Virginia which for all its history since statehood on June 20, 1863, was a home for progressive, liberal, conscientious, and admirable acts, people, arts, and actions has deterioriated over the last twenty years into a place which is run by some of the most reprehensible politicians in the nation and its citizens espouse right wing radical political opinions which are detrimental not only to West Virginia but to the entire nation.
The state which produced Pearl S. Buck, Breece D'J Pancake, Cyrus Vance, Chuck Yeager, Walter Reuther, Bill Blizzard (both senior and junior), Rod Harless, Tom Woodruff, and Arnold Miller is now frequented and horribly negatively influenced by the likes of Jim Justice, David McKinley, Carol Miller, and Alex Mooney. The state in which brave miners fought proudly for union representation on Blair Mountain is now home to thousands of scabs who have bought into the lies of coal companies and the billionaire thieves who own them. The state which was proudly represented in congress by Ken Hechler and in Charleston by A. James Manchin is now misled and misrepresented by the likes of McKinley, Miller, Mooney, and Shelley Moore Capito the daughter of Arch Moore, one of the worst criminals the state ever produced.
It is long past time for West Virginians to come to their senses and return the state to the proud place it once held in American History when the Kennedy brothers both campaigned there, when Jesse Jackson, Jr. was welcomed to Logan County, and when the state voted solid Democratic and was considered progressive and socially responsible. I hate to have to say that I mourn for the West Virginia I love.
Authors Addendum: January 21, 2020
This is evidently an important post, possibly one of the most important I ever written. It has gotten more than 500 page views in less than 24 hours and several comments, most of which help support and prove my argument in this post. No matter how ignorant the comments are on this blog, I always leave them up unless they require me to report the comment to legal authorities as a threat of harm, because they nearly always prove me to be correct as these have. So, all of you who read this blog who turn out to be members of the basket of deplorables, Right Wing Repugnican Radicals, or just idiots, have fun!
4 comments:
Unlike you I love the State of WV, I was born and raised here, left the state for employment but returned and have worked and lived her for 60 years of my life. I am now 74 years old and still live here and work here. I admire some of the people you mentioned and question your judgement on some, but these people are no any better or worse than people from other states. If coal dies, it is not because of greedy coal operators but because there are many more options to energy than in past years. The loving caring culture of WV is still here.Jobs are harder to find but they seem to be like that in most places.The greatest negative I have found has been The Great Society and its give away programs making hundreds of thousands dependent on the Govt to solve their problems and feed their children .
You have raised some interesting points. But I can't help but to wonder if you're using our beloved West Virginia to express your political opinions.
While most of what you said is accurate, it is also incomplete. Many politicians from all parties have, and continue to campaign in WV.
And WV was a solid democratic controlled state for years. But under that leadership the state continued to experience declining population, economic hardship and remained at the bottom nationally in many areas of importance, including education.
Perhaps its citizens decided to change their leadership in hopes of finding some that will actually better their circumstances instead of keeping them perpetually near the bottom of the socioeconomic scale. Especially since Mrs. Clinton vowed to close the mines.
And by classifying the people of WV with the "deplorables" label, you have exposed yourself to be as closed minded and bigoted as those you are trying to impugn with such language.
The people of WV are still the same great people they've always been. Who they choose to elect to office in no way changes that. And if you judge someone by who they vote for, then I'm afraid you may be part of the problem.
WV Born and raised. I'm proud and love WV. And Im one of the "deplorables". You sound like a bigot referring to people as "deplorables". Hillary is obsolete. Calling everyone "deplorables" is what helped Trump win. Shame on you using our state to express your political opinions. You need to get out of trying to be political...you suck at it. Your not a true West Virginian We are no different than any other place. We have very good people here. If your so deeply disappointed, disgusted, and ashamed you should move on.
I have a one word response to the "Anonymous" person who commented just before this one: "Horseshit".
Roger
Post a Comment