Moulton Advertiser: "I Love Me Some Rednecks" (written after the storm)

[Crimson Phoenix]

Moulton Advertiser
Loretta Gillespie
May  7, 2011

"I Love Me Some Rednecks"

"Most all of us around here have  born the brunt of remarks from
people outside Lawrence County about being  rednecks. Well, I'm here to tell you right now that I love me some Lawrence County rednecks!

Rednecks have Polan chainsaws, bulldozers, four-wheelers  and big ol' trucks - and they know how to use 'em. They aren't afraid of  getting dirty or of hard work.

As soon as the wind died down, they  were the first ones out there, clearing the roads for emergency vehicles to  get to where they needed to be. They were standing up to their knees in  debris so that people could get out of their driveways. They were checking on neighbors who lived in the hardest hit areas where cars and normal vehicles  didn't stand a chance.

If you were the victim of the storm and found  your driveway miraculously cleared, you can thank a redneck. If you have a  brush pile a mile high and you didn't do it yourself, you can thank a  redneck. If someone brought you a shirt to put on your back that day, or  hauled your furniture to a storage facility, you can probably thank a  redneck.

Those good ol' boys waded through water filled with gas and  glass,
nails and torn tin roofs and no telling what else to offer assistance to people stranded in the rubble of their homes. They worn camo jackets and John Deere caps, spit tobacco and more than likely did a little cussing, but they got the job done, and they are the ones who are still out there cutting up trees and burning brush long into the night, just as they have been ever since the storms hit.

They didn't wait to be  asked...they just 'got 'er done' in the true sense of the phrase. They didn't  stand around jawing and waiting for someone else to take charge, they went to  work doing what they do best -  moving earth, pushing aside massive trees with  root systems as big around as a VW, and tossing aside boards with splinters  the size of kitchen knives.

And they did all this without any thought  of their own comfort or safety. They put their scuffed cowboy boots and worn  work boots on the ground and tread across roof beams and unsteady floors to make sure there was no one left inside the wreckage of everything from two-story brick houses to mobile home and barns. They already had a flashlight and a pocket knife with them. They rounded up their neighbor's cattle and horses and coaxed kittens out of trees where the wind had tossed them and they cried like babies when they found someone's hunting dog broken and bleeding.

They waded into poultry houses and caught terrified chickens, and tossed mountains of dead ones onto piles to burn. They began to hang tarps and nail plywood over broken windows to save their cousins and other kin folk's belongings. They didn't stop for hours on end, hooking chains to cars, trees and any and everything that had landed helter-skelter as the tornados tore through. Rednecks just show up when there is work to be  done. They drive up and with a silent nod, they just pitch in, salvaging  refrigerators and hooking up generators. They don't care if they look cool  and they don't have to shave before they leave the house. They are tough as  nails and love their mamas fiercely. They still say 'Yes, ma'm' and 'No,  sir,' to anyone older than they are. They eat cornbread and pinto beans and drink tea so sweet a spoon will stand straight up in the glass. They sweat and  swear and have grease under their nails sometimes. They can deliver a calf and half an hour later be sitting in church, scrubbed to a fare-the-well. And did they ever save the day when the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed and the wind knocked down the houses where they were born?

They don't do it for the glory, and wouldn't  dream of taking a dime for it, and are sometimes even offended if someone  asks how much they are owed 'cause that's what rednecks do - they drive loud  trucks, bobcats and front-end loaders, they crank cantankerous chain saws and they know the feel of rope burns and blistered faces. They get those red necks from the sun beating down relentlessly as they labor in the dust and smoke from all the brush fires. They think sun-screen is for sissies and they don't worry much about anti-bacterial soap or drink fruit-flavored  water.

Give me a Lawrence County redneck any day when trouble  comes - when fences get blown over and the lights go out, and there are trees and houses strewn like matchsticks as far as the eye can see, what in the world would we do without these rednecks? Thanks to all of you dear rednecks, you deserve medals for what you have done in the past few weeks.  And don't think the world didn't notice, they did. In fact, somebody is  probably writing a country song about you as you read this."

Loretta  Gillespie writes for the Moulton Advertiser

[2Stater]

  Awesome read, CP!

[puzzle]

Kudos 2 Loretta - she just described every redneck I've ever met
in North Alabama.  Great read.

[BAMAWV]

Great article-- good catch CP

Everytime a big snow or ice storm hits our area, tree and limbs are scattered on the state highways and county back roads. On a typical snowy morning, these guys may have to saw two or three trees up, just to get to work. We carry tow straps, coal shovels, chainsaws, gas and oil, and jumper cables for tree removals and stranded tourists.

Skiers from the nearby nearby cities hear a snowfall measurement on the weather reports and hop in their cars for the fresh powder. They arrive in our mountains, sometime while it is still snowing, before the road crews have had a chance to work their miracles. They end up in ditches, or in a twelve car queue behind a stalled car, fallen tree, or wreck.

I have worked for thirty or forty minutes cutting a tree up or dragging it out of the way, while these people sat impatiently in their nice warm SUVs, watching. I've even had them inch forward in the cars as I got close to finishing.  I've pulled a couple hundred of them out of ditches, hooking the chain or strap to the frame myself so as not to rip off their bumper. Most say thanks. Some just drive away.

I towed a family up the final six mile climb to the ski resort (Snowshoe Mt. Resort, google it) and they managed a labored thank you for my effort. Then they went inside and called the sheriff's office to report a man with a gun. The sheriff is my friend and we laughed it off.

As emphasized in the OP article, these guys will most always refuse payment. I go the extra little bit to stop at the local quik mart, and run him a $20 tab for gas or beer or burgers. I'll hang up and listen.

[Crimson Phoenix]

Great article-- good catch CP

Everytime a big snow or ice storm hits our area, tree and limbs are scattered on the state highways and county back roads. On a typical snowy morning, these guys may have to saw two or three trees up, just to get to work. We carry tow straps, coal shovels, chainsaws, gas and oil, and jumper cables for tree removals and stranded tourists.

Skiers from the nearby nearby cities hear a snowfall measurement on the weather reports and hop in their cars for the fresh powder. They arrive in our mountains, sometime while it is still snowing, before the road crews have had a chance to work their miracles. They end up in ditches, or in a twelve car queue behind a stalled car, fallen tree, or wreck.

I have worked for thirty or forty minutes cutting a tree up or dragging it out of the way, while these people sat impatiently in their nice warm SUVs, watching. I've even had them inch forward in the cars as I got close to finishing.  I've pulled a couple hundred of them out of ditches, hooking the chain or strap to the frame myself so as not to rip off their bumper. Most say thanks. Some just drive away.

I towed a family up the final six mile climb to the ski resort (Snowshoe Mt. Resort, google it) and they managed a labored thank you for my effort. Then they went inside and called the sheriff's office to report a man with a gun. The sheriff is my friend and we laughed it off.

As emphasized in the OP article, these guys will most always refuse payment. I go the extra little bit to stop at the local quik mart, and run him a $20 tab for gas or beer or burgers. I'll hang up and listen.

WOW...BAMAWV!  I would call you "Big Hero" but know it would embarrass you.....so will just say...."You the Man!"  

[#1Crimson]

  very well done Ms. Loretta.

[2Stater]

WOW...BAMAWV!  I would call you "Big Hero" but know it would embarrass you.....so will just say...."You the Man!"

I'm a golfer, so I'll say "You da man!". Kudos, my friend. 

[ricky023]

It is amazing what a good hearted redneck has in inside. God Bless each and every one. RTR!

[2Stater]

It is amazing what a good hearted redneck has in inside. God Bless each and every one. RTR!

Preacher, I've never met a redneck I didn't like.

[BAMAWV]

If any of you bother to read my posts (I seldom do) you've seen me referring to the "village idiots". Let me be clear in saying the rednecks are a totally separate group. They may live in the same mountain hollows or the trailer parks, even socialize together, and dress the same (camo and NASCAR attire). They may frequent the same tractor pulls and honkey tonks, enjoy professional wrestling, and  kill for their supper. But that is where the similarities end.

The village idiots black out their trailers with aluminum foil in order to keep the sun from ruining their days sleep. After a long night of driving around looking for something to steal, a feller needs his rest. Their yards are full of broken down items such as cars and washing machines. While we may see a front yard full of junk, the village idiots see a "parts department." They are 2nd and 3rd generation welfare, which they consider the "family business." Some work long enough, occassionally, to live on unemployment benefits until they expire. The lucky ones have managed to position themselves in the "workmans comp pipeline" and if they are particularly good at it, turn that into a full time disability check.  There is also the "crazy check" crowd that have managed to turn "too lazy to leave the house" or "scared of work boots" into a career.

The rednecks have jobs and checking accounts. They mow their grass on a regular basis and sell their junk washing machine to the village idiots. They get up early each day and actually do some productive stuff, then go to bed around the same hour in the evening. They tend to wear brand new blue jeans as opposed to the designer ones with prewashed holes, because they don't like being mistaken for poor. They may take turns cutting one another's hair, but haircuts and showers are part of their routine. They enjoy a case of beer on payday but, unlike the village idiots, will do without if the kids need something whimsical like food.

The rednecks don't have groups of lobbyist and community organizers to look out for them. No one argues their case in Washington DC. Hate crime legislation does not cover them. You can laugh and point all you want. They generally have this silly idea that if they send their kids to school in clean clothes, and encourage them to study, maybe one day these kids may enjoy a better life. They check on their parents, and stop to visit without intentions of stealing. They don't see natural disasters as opportunities to loot, and as elaborated in the OP article, are the first to help others. These are people who were raised in bad situations, but are making the most of what they have.

It is a shame that the fancy pants and liberal elite tend to lump them all into one category. They are the first to go to war to defend the rights that the liberal elite big shots so casually enjoy.

[pmull]

If any of you bother to read my posts (I seldom do) you've seen me referring to the "village idiots". Let me be clear in saying the rednecks are a totally separate group. They may live in the same mountain hollows or the trailer parks, even socialize together, and dress the same (camo and NASCAR attire). They may frequent the same tractor pulls and honkey tonks, enjoy professional wrestling, and  kill for their supper. But that is where the similarities end.

The village idiots black out their trailers with aluminum foil in order to keep the sun from ruining their days sleep. After a long night of driving around looking for something to steal, a feller needs his rest. Their yards are full of broken down items such as cars and washing machines. While we may see a front yard full of junk, the village idiots see a "parts department." They are 2nd and 3rd generation welfare, which they consider the "family business." Some work long enough, occassionally, to live on unemployment benefits until they expire. The lucky ones have managed to position themselves in the "workmans comp pipeline" and if they are particularly good at it, turn that into a full time disability check.  There is also the "crazy check" crowd that have managed to turn "too lazy to leave the house" or "scared of work boots" into a career.

The rednecks have jobs and checking accounts. They mow their grass on a regular basis and sell their junk washing machine to the village idiots. They get up early each day and actually do some productive stuff, then go to bed around the same hour in the evening. They tend to wear brand new blue jeans as opposed to the designer ones with prewashed holes, because they don't like being mistaken for poor. They may take turns cutting one another's hair, but haircuts and showers are part of their routine. They enjoy a case of beer on payday but, unlike the village idiots, will do without if the kids need something whimsical like food.

The rednecks don't have groups of lobbyist and community organizers to look out for them. No one argues their case in Washington DC. Hate crime legislation does not cover them. You can laugh and point all you want. They generally have this silly idea that if they send their kids to school in clean clothes, and encourage them to study, maybe one day these kids may enjoy a better life. They check on their parents, and stop to visit without intentions of stealing. They don't see natural disasters as opportunities to loot, and as elaborated in the OP article, are the first to help others. These are people who were raised in bad situations, but are making the most of what they have.

It is a shame that the fancy pants and liberal elite tend to lump them all into one category. They are the first to go to war to defend the rights that the liberal elite big shots so casually enjoy.

Well said. 

[XBAMA]

great story  and so true ...



and WV ...
as my cuz would say " We came from the West Virginia coalmines"

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4s0nzsU1Wg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4s0nzsU1Wg</a>

[ricky023]

Wow, that is a tru description if I ever heard one. I would say you have smoe kin that are "Redneck" I know I do. RTR!

[BAMAWV]

great story  and so true ...



and WV ...
as my cuz would say " We came from the West Virginia coalmines"

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4s0nzsU1Wg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4s0nzsU1Wg</a>

Thanks for the tune, X!

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