Banner Brand Sausage, Breakfast Of Appalachian Champions

Recently, I strayed into a post about Spam on a Facebook group I follow called Appalachian Mountain Folk.  That post generated a lengthy and interactive string of comments from dozens of members of the group.  I commented that as much as I love Spam for breakfast I love Banner Brand Sausage better.  That naturally generated a plethora of comments about Banner Brand Sausage from people who both loved it and hated it.  I am betting that this post will do the same.  Banner Brand Sausage is made by Pinnacle Foods Corporation in Cherry Hill, NJ.  They also own Armour which makes things like potted meat, vienna sausage, and other canned meat products.  But neither the Pinnacle Foods or Armour websites even mention Banner Brand Sausage.  

When I was growing up in a country store, we sold a ton of Banner Brand Sausage and also ate it regularly in our own home.  Banner Brand Sausage is a canned meat product which is sold under the misnomer of sausage.  But it never takes the traditional shape and consistency of sausage as most of us know sausage. It comes out of the pop top can in a gelatinous round cake and quickly liquefies under heat.  No matter how long or how hot you cook it the liquid state remains unless you burn it to a dried out crisp.  The photographic serving suggestion on the can shows sunny side up eggs residing on a plate beside some sausage patties.  Rest assured that Banner Brand sausage never suffered the embarrassment of becoming a patty.  The printed serving suggestion on the can which is labeled "Sausage 'N Eggs" tells you to "Heat sausage; add slightly beaten eggs, and continue heating, stirring occasionally until eggs are set.  Season to taste."  I suppose some people actually eat Banner Brand Sausage this way and I did get a few comments on the Appalachian Mountain Folk group to that effect.  But in our house when I was a child, and in my house today more than fifty years later, we cook it simply by putting that aforementioned gelatinous mass in a skillet, heating it until it liquefies, and simmering it until the consistency and color suit our taste.  It is also appropriate here to say that the "season to taste" suggestion never came from a regular fan of Banner Brand Sausage.  It is spiced with a variety of seasonings at the factory which are more than sufficient to make it down the hatch with glee and a bit of warm, spicy zest.  Some novices will say that it is actually a bit hot in seasoning.  I love it just as it is.  But the real piece 'de resistance of the meal comes when you plate it with the other elements of a Hicks family breakfast.  I like to fry two sunny side up eggs in a separate skillet, heat a can of store bought cream gravy, and bake biscuits.  I place two open faced biscuits on the plate, throw the eggs on next, top that with the Banner Brand Sausage, and then hide it all under the gravy.  That, my friends, is breakfast for an Appalachian champion who intends to go to the log woods, the cow barn, the hay field, or a mule breaking where they will be expected to work until the sun is over the yardarm before eating another bite.  That breakfast will stick to your ribs all day long no matter how hard you work. 

Naturally, every time I mention Banner Brand Sausage some neophyte wants to know what it is made from.  Here is the ingredients list verbatim from the can: "Partially defatted pork fatty tissue, beef tripe, mechanically separated chicken, water, wheat flour, salt, less than 2% vinegar, natural flavorings, sodium nitrite."  Of course, every person who ever read the can wants to know exactly what "Partially defatted pork fatty tissue" is.  I am not sure myself and I have eaten many cases of Banner Brand Sausage in my time.  But I figure that if you have ever been present at even one Appalachian hog killing you have seen the fatty innards of a large hog.  Now just imagine that somebody took part of that out to eat instead of making lard with it.  God, I love to eat that stuff!!!  If you ever eat it, you will too!  It grows on you!  

Getting back to the post on the Appalachian Mountain Folk group, there were numerous comments which were pretty evenly split into two categories, those who love it and those who hate it.  But more interestingly, the comments seemed to be concentrated among a group of people primarily from Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and Western North Carolina.  This region seems to be the area where Banner Brand Sausage has been most commonly eaten.  The whole Facebook group thing and my own very fond memories of many warm mountain mornings eating Banner Brand Sausage led me to do some Google research and I found more than one or two comments and full posts about this delicacy.  I found one post on a blog called Dave's Cupboard which had the title Unspeakable Banner Brand Sausage.  In general, I like Dave's blog a lot but he is dead wrong on this one.  Dave is a man who has and will try anything purported to be edible but I have to assume, based on his post about Banner Brand Sausage, that he is sometimes a finicky eater.  I also found a post called "Canned Meat Review" on a blog called "The Ultimate Answer To Kings" which had this highly negative review: 

"All I can say about Banner canned sausage is Oh. Dear. God. This is the worst canned food product I’ve ever tried, and I’ve tried canned corn beef hash. I’ve tried canned menudo. I’ve seen (but never tried) canned haggis. None of those things are as horrible as Banner canned sausage, which (guessing here) consists of 99.736% recycled fat, some wheat, and a homeopathic dose of …never mind, let me just go ahead and print the ingredients:" 

Once again, I suspect that this writer is also sometimes known to kick his feet, throw food off the tray of his high chair, and scream "No, mommy!" at the top of his lungs.  I also found a You Tube video under the title of "Ewwwwm, They Call That Food: Banner Sausage Commentary". I have no idea how three people as spoiled and uncultured as these can still consider themselves to be qualified to critique food.  Actually, I just realized that the person frying the sausage in the You Tube video is wearing a South Carolina Gamecocks shirt.  How could we expect anyone who isn't a Kentucky Wildcats supporter to know anything about food or basketball?   

I also found an online recipe which calls for bacon grease to be added to fry it in after it has been mixed with flour and an egg.  Rest assured that Banner Brand Sausage does not ever need bacon grease or any other form of grease to be added.  The partially defatted pork fatty tissue will guarantee you that it will never stick to your skillet.  

I am certain that those of you who know and love Banner Brand Sausage have appreciated this post about one of our favorite foods.  I am also certain that many of you who have never had it might have stopped in the middle of this post and run whimpering from the room.  But if you have any sense of culinary adventure whatever, go to your local southern grocery store or the internet, buy a couple of cans and try Banner Brand Sausage.  You will thank me for it after you wipe your mouth and rub your belly.  

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Addendum: August 23, 2021

This blog post has consistently been one of the most often read posts on this entire blog and is actually Number 10 overall from 378 posts over about a ten and a half year period with more than 4,300 page views.  We just had one of the most unusual comments on the post that I have ever seen or heard.  A woman named B. J., in the comments below, posted that she had bought a can of Banner Brand Sausage at a Save A Lot store, took it home, and her husband made a sandwich from it straight out of the can, loved it, and they are going back to the store to buy an entire case.  I have never known anyone, in more than 60 years of eating and writing about Banner Brand Sausage who ever ate it cold straight out of the can.   I would love to hear from any of you about what you think about that possibility especially if you also ate it straight out of the can cold.  The only way I could imagine doing that would be if I was on a camping trip miles from anywhere with only a can of Banner Brand Sausage and no way to start a fire.   

The discussion on several Facebook groups which my re-posting of this blog post today, August 24, 2021, has been interesting, funny, and informative, and we all have B. J. to thank for that.  It prompted me to go to Amazon, which sells Banner Brand Sausage, and to read some of the 830+ reviews.  For those of you who have actually eaten and enjoyed Banner Brand Sausage, I would suggest that the next time you need a laugh that you go to Amazon and read a few of those reviews.  It is hilarious at times, especially when the comments are from a person who ordered it, knew nothing about, and still knew little more after they either ate it or refused to do so.  Bon Appetit! 

French Toast And Political Activism

Today, December 18, 2016, I made French Toast for breakfast for myself and my wife Candice.  Those of you who have read most of this blog probably know that French Toast is a metaphor for political activism for me.  In the post which is linked in the previous sentence, I tell the story of learning to make French Toast from Don West, one of the most courageous and politically outspoken humans I have ever known.  Candice asked me to make French Toast this morning because she likes my French Toast and wanted some for breakfast, nothing more complicated than that.  But as I was cooking the French Toast, I remembered that tomorrow, December 19, 2016, the US Electoral College is likely to confirm the election of Donald Trump, a career criminal, self confessed sex offender, and likely minion of Russian President Putin, to the White House.  Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by about 2.7 million votes, more than the vote totals of 11 previously elected Presidents.  But by winning Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, Trump won enough electoral votes to be declared the winner.  There has never been a more unqualified human who ever ran for the Presidency. 

Now, just before the Electoral College votes, we have learned that the CIA has stated they have sufficient evidence to state that Russian hacker, under the direction of President Putin, hacked many data bases in the US and successfully influenced the election in favor of Donald Trump.  Trump has nominated Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State and Tillerson has numerous direct connections to the Russian regime.  Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for Trump, was forced to resign before the election because of his proven connections to the Russian regime.  When the CIA announcement became public, Trump stated that he did not believe the CIA.  No potential president could have said anything that could be potentially more damaging to the entire country and it's security apparatuses.  Nearly in the same breath, Trump spoke out against China for seizing a US spy drone and then reversed himself and said that China could keep the drone.  Once again Trump committed a stupid, dangerous, and unjustifiable error which was contrary to the best interests of the US.  Trump is far too stupid, dangerous, and uncaring to be in any public position of trust.  Numerous people have written at length about Trump's degree of danger, psychological instability, probable diagnosis as an Antisocial Personality Disorder.  Psychological expert Sam Vaknin studied more than 600 hours of Donald Trump's public appearances and concluded that Trump is highly dangerous.  The Electoral College could not take an action that could be more dangerous than voting to support Donald Trump as President.  

And that brings me back to French Toast as a metaphor for political activism.  I realized as I was cooking French Toast this morning that I, and every other intelligent citizen of America should work every day, for so long as Donald Trump may be near the White House, to force the government officials such as the Electoral College, the United States Congress, and The Joint Chiefs of Staff to prevent Donald Trump from occupying ((I use the military definition of occupy.)  the White House.  His likely connection to Russia and Putin borders on treason and may well be treasonous. Donald Trump also publicly confessed to sex crimes, has been sued by more than 4,000 innocent victims because he won't pay his bills, was sued and managed to settle or stop a case involving the alleged violent rape of a thirteen year old, payed $25million to settle the Trump University Case, and has more than 75 pending civil suits as we speak. At this time, Senator Mitch McConnell and other members of the Republican congressional leadership are refusing to empower a bipartisan select committee to investigate the Russian hacking despite requests to do so from both Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator John McCain to do so.  This refusal is clearly an attempt to sweep the crimes under the rug and allow Trump to assume the presidency.  Donald Trump is unfit to hold any public office. Donald Trump must be held responsible for all his criminal actions, past, present, and future.  Indict, impeach, and imprison Donald Trump! 

William Howard Cohen, Poet, Professor, Hero

The photo above is an official Alice Lloyd College yearbook photo from about 1968.

 

William Howard Cohen was unique.  He was one of the most outspoken, brilliant, and weird men I have ever known.  I first met Bill Cohen in the summer of 1966 when I was attending Upward Bound on the campus of Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, KY.  Bill Cohen, as he generally preferred to be known, despite his doctoral degree, taught English and Humanities at ALC.  He was probably more broadly known in Knott County than many other professors at the school because of his outspoken nature, his unique differences with most of the locals and even the other ALC staff.  Bill was a constantly moving, constantly talking, highly opinionated man.  Looking back on Bill through the lens of twenty years experience in the mental health field, it is my considered professional opinion that Bill Cohen was probably dealing with a diagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder, rapid cycling type.  Bill demonstrated most if not all of the symptoms of the diagnosis.  He had rapid, constant, pressured speech, flight of ideas, grandiosity, distractibility, and was a constant ball of sometimes unfocused energy.  Bill Cohen was also a great teacher and knew American literature, poetry, and Haiku cover to cover, front to back, upside down and sideways.  

 

The photo above is William Howard Cohen and his wife, Delores Cohen, in their home at Alice Lloyd College.

William Howard Cohen was an accomplished poet and wrote several books of poetry during his life.  They included "The Hill Way Home Poems From The Appalachian Highlands" which was published during the time he was teaching at Alice Lloyd College.  This book probably represents his best work in more traditional poetic styles.  

 

 The photo above is William Howard Cohen, far right, Kenneth Baldridge, and four unknown Alice Lloyd College students. 

He also wrote and published "Mexico '68 The New World Of Man: Poems From The Olympic Games".  This book consisted of poems which Bill wrote while he was attending the Olympic Games in Mexico City as a cultural delegate from the US.  I knew Bill at that time and I will never forget how excited he was to learn that he had been chosen to represent the country at the Olympics.  He was even more excited when he returned.  I will always remember an incident which happened in one of his humanities classes after his return.  His flight of ideas was running rampant that particular day and he was still incredibly excited about his recent trip.  Literally in the middle of a lecture about Greek architecture, he said "Doric column are...Man, you should have seen Jim Ryun run down that track."  

William Howard Cohen also wrote "Conversations With Albert Einstein And Other Poems From The Einstein Year" which was published in 1979 after he had left Alice Lloyd College.  Sadly, I have never read this book since I learned of it too late to buy a new copy and now it is usually priced outside my range on Internet based used book sites.  But I know without reading the book that it will reflect Bill's fascination with genius and high achieving people in general.  

After leaving Alice Lloyd College, he also edited a book of children's poetry called "Under Enchanted Boughs: Children's Poems From The Duval County Schools" which was a project of the Jacksonville Children's Museum Outreach Program.  I have also never seen a copy of this book at somewhat reasonable prices on Internet used book websites.

During his time in Southern Illinois, William Howard Cohen also published another book of poetry entitled "A House In The Country Poems From Southern Illinois".  I have not read this book either and have never been able to find a copy for sale when I have searched for it.  Considering that it was published very early in his career, I suspect it will be primarily composed of more traditionally styled poetry much like the poems in "The Hill Way Home...".  

William Howard Cohen was an international expert on Haiku, the well-known form of Japanese poetry, and his best known book was called "To Walk In Seasons An Introduction To Haiku".   This book was published in 1972 after he left Knott County but I am certain that he was working on it at the time he was teaching in Kentucky.  I still find Haiku experts writing about and referring to this book online nearly fifty years after it was published.  In fact, as I was writing this post, I found a blog post about the book by a poet and professor named Don Wentworth.   I also recently responded to another Haiku expert's piece about "To Walk In Seasons..." in which the writer attempted to critique the book quite negatively.  But I am sure that the Bill Cohen I knew would have laughed out loud to know that his little book was still being criticized by experts nearly half a century after he wrote it.  

I also just found another memoir piece from a former student of Bill's, Dan Kenneth Phillips, at this web address.   This piece discusses having been a student of Bill's and his nickname, "The Blue Noodle", the origin of which no one seems to know.   Thank you, Dan, for remembering Bill just as fondly as I and many other former proteges do. 

Shortly after I met Bill Cohen, he took me to a statewide poetry gathering at Western Kentucky University which was flattering.  I had been chosen to travel to a writer's gathering in the company and under the mentorship of an internationally recognized poet.  That was a lot for a teenager from Dema, Ky.  At that time, it was probably as far as I had ever been away from my home on Beaver Creek.  Bill arranged for us to stay in a university guest house and I remember being highly impressed to be in a bedroom with matching, fancy, delicate furniture and wall paper with border added.  It was a trip that taught me a lot about both poetry and William Howard Cohen.  I enjoyed it greatly.  At that meeting, I also met former Kentucky Poet Laureate Joy Bale for the first time.

Bill Cohen also loved and collected art.  I do not know that he owned any art which had serious value but he had good taste and his home, which was provided by Alice Lloyd College, was filled by paintings, sculptures, and mobiles from his travels around the country and the world.  I always remember a carved sandstone statue which he kept on a set of steps which divided the two levels of the house.

During his time at Alice Lloyd College, William Howard Cohen would become an outstanding and outspoken advocate against strip mining.  He would use some of his spare time to join and to initiate protests at strip mine sites.  He would often lie down in front of coal trucks leaving strip mines in an attempt to stop production.  When he did this, Bill always carried an American flag and a Bible which he placed on his chest as he lay on his back in the middle of the haul roads.  People would ask him if he wasn't afraid of being run over by a coal truck and his answer was always the same: "I know these mountain boys.  They might run over a little Jew from Florida but they won't run over the flag and the Bible."  It turned out he was always correct in that assessment.  During this period, the Louisville Courier Journal featured Bill in a Sunday Magazine article and he was mentioned in several other stories in the paper.  It is my belief that his activism against strip mining played a large part in his being fired by Alice Lloyd College.  Many of the early graduates and supporters of the college had become wealthy and were involved in the coal industry.  There is no doubt such people would have resisted having such a committed advocate of environmentalism on the faculty and their financial support of the institution would have been unlikely.  Alice Lloyd College eventually fired William Howard Cohen and he moved on to the Jacksonville, Florida, area.  Kentucky lost a fine professor, a better than average poet, and one of the most outstanding advocates for environmentalism in the state at the time.  In my opinion, William Howard Cohen was just as important an opponent of strip mining as Preacher Dan Gibson or Widow Ollie Combs who spent Thanksgiving of 1964 in the Knott County Jail because of her opposition to strip mining.  William Howard Cohen is a fine example of that group of non-native residents of Appalachia who became heroes for the region.  

William Howard Cohen died in the Gainesville, Florida area in 2007.  If anyone reading this knows of his exact burial location or the disposition of his body, and any other information about Bill Cohen, I would love to know about it.  I also do not own a photograph of Bill and I would love to have one if anyone has one to scan and share.  I would post it on this blog post and give full photographer credit.  "Baruch Dayan Emet, Blessed is the true judge."  Rest In Peace, Bill!  

Bill Cohen was probably the first Jewish person I ever met although he was not a practicing Jew at the time I knew him.  It is possible if he had not been living more than 100 miles from the nearest synagogue he might have practiced more diligently.  But he had no qualms about telling anyone in Eastern Kentucky of the  late 1960's that he was a Jew.  He was always honest and outspoken about everything he was, did, or believed.  I will always cherish having known and been able to learn from Bill Cohen.

Here is a link to the obituary of William Howard Cohen which was located and provided by Ray Turner.  Thanks, Ray!  

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Addendum: August 27, 2024

I have recently been contacted by first cousin of William Howard Cohen, also a former university professor in Indiana who had read my blog posts about Dr. Cohen and seen that a niece and nephew of Doctor Cohen had left comments on these posts.  This cousin, Dr. Paul Newman, P.H.D, is the retired chair of the linguistics department at Indiana University and would like to be able to locate these mutual relatives of his and Dr. Cohen's.  They can contact me at rchicks@mrtc.com and I will provide them with Dr. Newman's contact information.  Thanks!  

"The Bible Women" In Knott County KY Schools

My taste in music is quite varied although my general favorite is Bluegrass which is followed closely by classic country, classic rock and roll, jazz, blues, and classical.  I also enjoy accordion music which is odd for a die hard fan of Bluegrass.  I attribute my enjoyment of accordion music to an experience when I was in grade school at Salisbury Elementary which I have written about in two other posts.  I was in grade school from 1957 to 1964 at a time when the US Supreme Court had not taken a clear and appropriate stand in defense of the separation of church and state clause from the US Constitution.    During my entire time in elementary school, once a month every grade school in Knott County had a half day visit from two women we referred to as "The Bible Women".  They were affiliated with Camp Nathaniel in Emmalena, KY, as well as a Christian nonprofit called Scripture Memory Mountain Mission.  Let me state unequivocally from the outset that I strongly support separation of church and state no matter how much I enjoyed the "Bible Women".

Accordion Photo by Hobgoblin Music

We students always referred to these two women as Miss Eva and Miss Heibert.  I believe that Miss Eva was actually Eva Slone Lodgaard and I believe Miss Heibert's name was Alma.  If any of my readers can set me straight about the names I would appreciate it if you would send me an e-mail at rchicks@mrtc.com or in a comment on this post.  I believe we always referred to Miss Eva by that appellation because someone assumed that we could never pronounce her Scandinavian last name.  Miss Heibert played the accordion and Miss Eva always told a Bible story using a felt board.  For those of you who have never seen a felt board, it was a device which used static electricity to tell stories using a felt cover over a board on an easel and numerous felt cutout figures of people, buildings, livestock, and anything else which was pertinent to the story.   Miss Heibert would play and the students would sing along with several hymns and Miss Eva would tell her Bible story.  As a part of the work of Scripture Memory Mountain Mission, they also ran a program of Bible verse memorization that could win students a free week at summer camp at Camp Nathaniel.  This program was an escalating rote memorization of assigned Bible verses.  It began with about a half dozen verses which would win the student a New Testament and the assignments grew longer as students demonstrated from month to month that they could remember sufficient verses.  I never got much farther than the New Testament even though I had an excellent memory.  I suspect that my heart wasn't in the effort and I was more interested in many other things ranging from reading other books to catching fish, frogs, or flying squirrels.  A few students did win the trip to Camp Nathaniel each year if they worked at the task.

The "Bible Women" gave us a chance to have a half day out of our normal routine, exposed us to an instrument that most of us had never seen before, and gave us exposure to people from outside our normal circle.  I do not choose to detract from the usefulness of learning the Bible but I strongly oppose any form of religion being taught in school.  The US Constitution is clear as a bell about the separation of church and state.  It should be absolute and inviolate for all eternity despite the recent decisions of the Right Wing Radical Repugnican majority on the US Supreme Court.  One of the most important things I remember about these women is their dedication to their work.  Salisbury Elementary was located about a half mile off KY Route 7 on Salisbury Branch and there was not a good car bridge at that time for crossing Beaver Creek.  In low water and good weather, it was possible to ford the creek, drive a half mile up the C & O Railroad tracks and up the hollow.  In high water or snow, you could only get there by walking across a swinging bridge, up the railroad, across a trestle, and up the hollow.  But I do not clearly recall a time when these two women failed to appear on their appointed day if school was in session.  They would park their car at the swinging bridge, load up with the accordion, felt board, easel, and various and sundry other items they needed for that day's presentation.  Then they would walk the walk no matter how foul the weather.  

Miss Eva and Miss Heibert lived in a house they rented from a man named Elmer Morrison, Sr. which was about two miles from the school.  To my knowledge, neither of them ever married and both worked as missionaries in Eastern Kentucky all of their lives.  They also had a small lending library of Christian based books which they loaned to students who were responsible enough to return them.  You could borrow a couple of books and trade them for two more on their next monthly visit.  They would also loan books during the summer to students who were able to get to their home.  I borrowed books from them in summer for several years by walking the distance from my house to theirs.  I enjoyed the opportunity to read any kind of book and appreciated their generosity but my primary focus was not on the religious aspects of the books.  Let me say I am glad these women were a part of my childhood.  Let me also say that I am extremely glad that the US Supreme Court decided in McCollum vs Board Of Education District 71 that "religious instruction in public schools constitutes a violation of the establishment clause and therefore unconstitutional".  It was the correct decision the day it was written and it will always be the correct decision based on the Constitution.  

Luke 20: 25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

Christmas In An Appalachian Two Room School

I have mentioned in passing in the blog that I attended a two room school in Knott County Kentucky when I was in grade school.  It was the Salisbury Elementary School located at Dema, KY, about an eighth of a mile up Salisbury Branch just off Kentucky Route 7 on which I have spent most of my life.  I was reminded of Christmas at Salisbury Elementary School on two occasions today.  My wife, Candice, and I were at one of her regular physical therapy appointments and her physical therapy assistant asked what kinds of Christmas carols we enjoy.  The three of  us did a terrible job of singing at least parts of one or two while Candice was doing her therapy.  On the way to the hospital for the appointment, we had also been listening to the Faron And Scott Show on WSGS Radio 101.1FM which I have written about on this blog before.  They were playing Christmas carols and I heard "Bluegrass & White Snow" by Patty Loveless which is an awesome Bluegrass Christmas song about life in Appalachia.  

These two events combined to remind me of my childhood at Salisbury Elementary School which I attended for seven years since I had been double promoted from first to third grade.  At Christmas each year, the two teachers, Rita Mae Moore and Emily Martin, would stage a Christmas show which consisted to two one act Christmas plays, readings of several Christmas poems, and group singing of several of the classic Christmas carols which were popular in the 1950's and 1960's.  For about two or three weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we would rehearse for an hour or two a day in preparation for the event.  All our family members were invited to attend but many of those less fortunate parents, or those who could not get off work would not be present.  Usually one of my parents would attend while the other stayed home to run the store.  Every year one of the older students whom the teachers deemed to have a better memory would be selected to read "'Twas The Night Before Christmas".   A few other classic Christmas poems would be read and several Christmas Carols would be sung by the entire group and any of the visitors who knew them.  That list usually included "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night", "Away In A Manger", "We Three Kings" and a few others.  

We also had a gift exchange based on drawing names.  A few students would always be too poor to participate and a few others would also be from families of very limited means but draw names anyway and bring the usual box of chocolate covered cherries which I believe cost about fifty cents in those days.  I realize now that it was the thought that counted.  But in those days, most students hated to know that their Christmas gift from school would be "cherry candy".  

Chocolate Covered Cherries "Cherry Candy" Photo by Google.com

Another unique feature of attending school in Eastern Kentucky in those years was that every student in every elementary school in several counties surrounding Knott County would receive a small gift from the Caney Creek Community Center which was a non-profit agency affiliated with Caney College which is now known as Alice Lloyd College.  These gifts would usually consist of a small age appropriate toy and a small bag of hard candy.  The gifts had been donated, in most cases, by wealthy donors from the urban northeast who no doubt believed they had done a great deal of good for the underprivileged children of Appalachia.  In another post at another time, I will address my personal opinions of all the missionary do good work which as been inflicted on Appalachia and Appalachian people over the last hundred plus years.  To continue the post about Christmas, at noon on the last day of school before Christmas vacation began, the show would be on.  

A piece of cotton clothes line would be strung across a section of one of the classrooms and some borrowed white sheets would be strung on the line as makeshift stage curtains.  A teacher or older student would be selected to act as master or mistress of ceremonies.  They would introduce each of the readers of poetry and the two plays.  A small group of students who it was presumed had some degree of musical talent would act as a facsimile of a choir and the audience would sing along.  At the end of the show, the gifts would be passed out and at the end of that activity Christmas vacation would begin.  It is wonderful to remember those days but I would not want to live them over.  I do regret that I do not have a photograph of Salisbury Elementary School to add to this post and the earlier general post I wrote about the school.  If any reader does have such a photograph that you would allow to be posted to this blog, please contact me at rchicks@mrtc.com and I will give full photographer credit in the blog.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!


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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!

November 8, 2016--"A Date Which Will Live In Infamy"

In the election of November 8, 2016, significantly less than a majority of the voters who went to the polls in America, with the help of the electoral college system, managed to elect Donald Trump to the presidency. Based on the latest, most complete vote counts about 2.7million more people actually voted for Hillary Clinton than for Trump.  For the fifth time in American history, the losing candidate, Hillary Clinton, won more votes than the eventual winner.  Donald Trump, a Fascist, a self confessed sex offender, and a career criminal was elected.  Today, more than month after the election, hundreds of thousands of Americans are protesting in a variety of ways all over the country.  In another clear indicator of his bent toward Fascism, Donald Trump has tweeted that these are "professional protests".  We are at the beginning of the worst period in American history.

The CIA has confirmed that there is significant evidence of election hacking by the Kremlin in support of Trump.  Trump is attempting to appoint a Secretary of State, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, who has significant earlier ties to Russia, Putin, and the Kremlin.  The senate, based on urging from Republican John McCain, is beginning an investigation of the Russian connections to the hacking.  Donald Trump, as he always does when questioned or criticized, is denying the validity of the CIA claims of hacking.  That response is exactly what any rational expert would expect from a guilty party.  The other candidates Trump has chosen for cabinet posts are a Who's Who of Right Wing Radical extremists, former Republican failures, and people with little or no experience in government service.  Nearly every candidate for a key position has expressed some desire to destroy, defame, or hamper the agency Trump has chosen them to direct.  The most experienced member of the group appears to be Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who served as labor secretary under President George W. Bush and deputy secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush.  However, her father is a well known Chinese billionaire who owns a large fleet of super freighters all of which have been built by suspected slave labor.  Her consideration appears to be a nod to the Chinese bankers who are purported to hold heavy loans against Trump's businesses.  Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama is Trump's choice to be attorney general.  In 1986, Sessions was denied a federal judgeship due to a history of racism.  Trump has chosen Andy Puzder, a billionaire restaurant executive as secretary of labor.  In the past, Puzder has consistently railed against the minimum wage and claimed that it is unnecessary and unfair to employers.  Betsey DeVos, a member of the DeVos family of Amway pyramid scheme fame, has been chosen as secretary of education.  She is an advocate for charter schools and has a long history of opposition to the actions of the Department of Education.  She has frequently called for the abolition of the department which she has been chosen to run.  Trump has also selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency.  Pruitt's claim to fame is that he has spent most of his legal career fighting the actions of the Environmental Protection Agency and has largely been responsible for the lack or regulation of the gas and oil fracking which has caused the recent epidemic of earthquakes in his home state.

This list of nominees for cabinet positions clearly shows that Trump has a plan to destroy much of the regulatory nature of American government, to abolish several key departments of government, to deny constitutional rights to workers, and to damage the federal government as much as possible.  If these nominees are actually confirmed, and most of them will be, the country is headed into a very dark and uncertain future.  It is my belief that if the Democratic party controlled as many as 45 seats in the Senate that enough rational Republicans would join them to stop several of the nominees from being confirmed.  But the Republican majority in the senate, which leans heavily to the extreme right, is highly likely to confirm all these extremists and an era of active destruction of the federal government will begin on January 20, 2017.  God Help Us All if it does. 

The quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, our greatest president, which I have chosen to use as the title of this post, came in his speech to congress in which he asked for a declaration of war against Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  That quote came at one one of the darkest times in American history.  Today is just as dark a time for very different reasons.  The voters of America and Appalachia made a horrible mistake in this election.  Donald Trump has a thousand factors which make him unfit to be president and not a single qualifying factor.  Donald Trump used the very same platform in his election campaign which Adolph Hitler used to gain control of Germany.  In a Newsweek article from September of 2016, writer Maiken Umbach, addresses the similarities between Hitler and Trump.  In that article, Umbach points out a significant number of glaring similarities between Trump and Hitler.  

In one of the most important paragraphs of the article, Umbach points out that:

"Neither Hitler nor Trump campaign on specific policies, beyond a few slogans. Instead, both promise a new vision of leadership. They portray the existing political systems as fundamentally corrupt, incompetent, and, most importantly, unable to generate decisive action in the face of pressing problems."

The article goes on to point out how both Trump and Hitler use "highly edited accounts of their personal histories" to gain favor with electorates.  Donald Trump refused to disclose his tax returns in the election process claiming that he was under audit. A former head of the IRS publicly pointed out that a person under audit has every right to publicly disclose their taxes during the audit.  There are several theories about why Trump did not disclose his taxes including: 

1. that he was not nearly as wealthy as he has always claimed;
2. that he had not paid taxes which was proven in the one years taxes which were released;
3. that the taxes would show that he had illegal business dealings with Russia, China, Japan, and Cuba.  

Whatever the actual reasons are that the taxes were never disclosed, it is readily apparent that Trump is  hiding a great deal and none of what he is hiding is to his advantage if it were disclosed.  Also, throughout the campaign, only two world leaders ever actively promoted Trump, Kim Jung Un and Alexander Putin, the two worst dictators in the world.  Both obviously had their own reasons for doing so.  Most intelligent people believe that the most likely reason is that they are aware of Trump's incompetence and are betting that he is unable to handle the duties of the presidency.  There is no doubt that this is correct.  During the campaign, the White House stated that there was evidence that Russian hackers had hacked Democratic records in order to assist Trump.  Why would they do that?  The reason most people give is that Trump is heavily in debt to Russia and Putin.  A new theory has been put forth recently that Putin is also seeking revenge against Hillary Clinton for her prior diplomatic successes which have served to impede Putin's aggressive tendencies in several countries. 

In a Time article from August 2016, author Jeff Nesbit points out that:

"Russian intelligence agencies have allegedly recently digitally broken into four different American organizations that are affiliated either with Hillary Clinton or the Democratic Party since late May. All of the hacks appear designed to benefit Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations in one fashion or another."

Immediately after the election, a senior Russian official admitted that there had been ongoing contact between  Russia and the Trump campaign during the  election.  This is a clear violation of the Logan Act, as was Trump's contact with Mexico prior to the election.  The Logan Act prohibits anyone who is not an official of the government from attempting to engage in foreign diplomacy.  But the possible violation of the Logan Act is the least harmful possible reason for contact between Trump and Russia.  The more ominous reason would be collusion based on the debt and illegal business contacts prior to his campaign.  

Kurt Eichenwald of Newsweek has also written about illegal interaction prior to the campaign between Trump and Cuba and in his article he alleges that Trump violated the embargo of Cuba. The average, uneducated reader should know that major news organizations do not write and publish such articles as the three quoted above simply for the amusement of the authors and publishers.  Due to the possibility of litigation, they work diligently to be able to prove the information in the stories they print.  The bottom line is that there is far more than sufficient evidence that Donald Trump has frequently and recklessly dealt with foreign countries in clear violations of American laws.  Trump's willingness to violate law and common decency is not the simple kind of violations which prior public figures have been known to do.  It shows a blatant, conscious, and egregious form of behavior which was intended to benefit Trump, flout both American and international law, and borders on treason.  If Trump colluded with Putin to hack and alter election results, that action would clearly constitute treason.  

There are also a significant number of pending legal actions against Donald Trump which clearly indicate his general unworthiness to hold any public office.  The worst of these is the Trump University Case if we speak from a business sense.  This case is a fraud case under federal law which seems to clearly point out that "Trump University" was a scheme to defraud thousands of would be millionaires of their hard earned money while giving them nothing for their cash and effort.  Trump reportedly agreed to pay the plaintiffs in the Trump University case a sum of $25million to settle the case.  There is also a civil suit arising from an alleged child rape when the victim was only thirteen.  This case has been filed, dropped, and refiled and dropped yet again.  When legal cases are handled in this manner, it is sometimes an indicator that the plaintiff has been either untruthful or paid off.  We will probably never know the exact answers in this situation but it is highly unusual for a political candidate to get any votes after having been accused of a sex crime.  Donald Trump has been accused and has even admitted on tape to having committed sex crimes.  He even seems to be proud of his crimes.  

But these high profile cases are only the tip of the Donald Trump legal iceberg.  There are roughly seventy five other pending legal cases against Donald Trump for a plethora of reasons.  In the previous link, US News details these cases and the legal issues surrounding them.  There is also a lurid prior legal history of Donald Trump refusing to pay just debts with nearly 4,000 suits having been filed against him.

Donald Trump is clearly unfit to hold any public office of even the lowest importance.  His assumption of the presidency should instill terror in the heart of any rational American.  November 8, 2016, is "a date which will live in infamy".  

Ken Hechler September 20, 1914--December 10, 2016

Ken Hechler Campaigning Photo by Charleston Gazette-Mail

Today is a sad day in West Virginia, America, and the world. Ken Hechler has died last night, December 10, 2016, at 102. Ken was the oldest living former member of congress, former speech writer for Harry Truman, professor at Marshall University, former WV Secretary of State, tireless political activist, and loyal Yellow Dog Democrat.

Ken Hechler Photographer Unknown

I suppose I first became aware of Ken Hechler about 1973 when I was connected to the Southern Appalachian Circuit of Antioch College.  At that time, Ken was nearing the end of an eighteen year term in the US Congress from West Virginia.   He would go on to serve sixteen years as the secretary of state of West Virginia and ran his last political race at the age of 96 in 2010.  He was a diligent and fearless voice of liberalism, environmentalism, and rational politics as long as he was physically able and finally married at the age of 99 after a long life as a confirmed bachelor.  

Ken is perhaps the best example of a group of people I refer to as Heroes In Appalachia.  By that term, I mean those people who are not natives of Appalachia but live and work in the area for the good of the region and its people. I differentiate Heroes In Appalachia from Appalachian Heroes who are natives of the region. Ken Hechler was and always will be a hero to hundreds of thousands of West Virginians and Appalachians.  When I was working as a door to door salesman in West Virginia in the late 1980's, I loved to work the heads of isolated hollows both because of the nature of the people and the fact that other salesmen often avoided those kinds of places with poor quality dirt and gravel roads and houses that sometimes seemed too far apart.  I remember dozens of times when I would pull into the yard of an isolated home several miles from a blacktop road and hear a story triggered by my visit about the time Ken Hechler "drove all the way up here in that little red Jeep".  During his political life, Ken always drove red Jeeps which were painted with political slogans and were widely known as his personal signature.  Those Jeeps, several of which he drove to the end of their days, were usually blessed with his favorite political slogan, "Ken Hechler YOUR Servant In Congress".  He campaigned tirelessly even at times he was securely in office.  He spent his periods away from Washington working to strengthen and maintain his relationship with the people of West Virginia.  

Ken Hechler Photo by West Virginia Metro News/WSAZ News Staff

That work was warmly received and repaid with love, respect, and appreciation from the people of West Virginia and Appalachia.  I regret that I cannot remember every story I ever heard on some porch in the head of some hollow in Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Mingo, Wayne, or Wyoming Counties about what Ken Hechler had done personally to make life slightly better for that particular family.  I heard stories about how he arranged to have a military member brought home for the funeral of a parent, sibling, or grandparent.  I heard stories about how he assisted dozens of disabled coal miners win their Black Lung Benefits.  And I heard stories about how he simply accepted a family's invitation to "set down and have supper with us".  

Ken Hechler had been raised in Roslyn, NY, on Long Island in a Republican family.  He was educated at Swarthmore College and Columbia University.  He held a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia.  He was originally hired to teach at Princeton University but chose to change his life dramatically by agreeing to teach at Marshall University.  He was an eastern intellectual who could have avoided Appalachia for all of his life.  Instead he chose to devote his life to Appalachian West Virginia in a way that leaves no doubt that his commitment was total and unyielding for his entire life.  Ken Hechler is a shining example of that group of people who have come to Appalachia of their own free will, devoted their lives to the betterment of the region, and done so without any evidence of condescension or the mistaken belief that they were better than the natives.  Ken Hechler was a remarkable man who life should always be remembered and revered by all Appalachians.  

Ken was among a small group of military personnel chosen to interview and interrogate Nazi leaders after WWII ended.  He was a trusted and productive member of the Truman Administration.  He wrote several highly respected historical books.  Ken Hechler could have chosen to live his life in a very different manner in very different locales.  His choice will always be a blessing to West Virginia and a shining portion of West Virginia history. 

I will never forget June 22, 1992, the day after I married my wife, Candice, at New River Gorge National Park. We spent our wedding night in Charleston and toured the WV Capitol before leaving for Skyline Drive and coastal VA for our honeymoon. I took Candice by Ken's office to show her a photo of Mother Jones which Ken kept hanging for many years in the lobby. It had been moved to the interior hallway and the receptionist allowed us to step into the hall to view it. Ken came down the hall, introduced himself, and invited us into his private office where he spent nearly half an hour talking about many things to two total strangers who did not vote in WV. He told us a great deal about Bill Clinton and how much he believed in him and respected him. He was absolutely correct about Bill Clinton and everything else he told us that day. I will always treasure having spent that time with Ken along with all the brave fights he made for a better West Virginia, Appalachia, and America, all the great books he wrote, and the wonderful, liberal, activist life he led well into his nineties. America could use 538 women and men just like Ken in congress today. Ken Hechler's death has left a large vacancy in Appalachian politics which will be difficult for anyone to fill at the same level at which Ken always functioned.  Godspeed Ken!

The link below is for Ken Hechler's obituary in the Charleston Gazette. 

http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20161210/longtime-wv-public-servant-ken-hechler-dies-at-102