Smash The Statues!

The best thing about removing statues of honorable Confederate generals is that it's going to eliminate poverty, injustice and oppression everywhere. 

No longer will persons of color and feminist theater study majors have to trudge in slavery under the baleful glare of General Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jeb Stuart. Smash the statues! Strike off the manacles of fascism! And by the way, eliminate borders so that everyone can be controlled by our unimaginably wealthy transnational elite at slave labor wages.

To coin a phrase, what a crock. So come on, Sabo et al, let's see some life size Confederate street art, everywhere. As I pondered this on the Compound's southern values porch, my son came out, looking suspiciously sharp. 

"A friend's coming to get me," he announced cheerily. "Well that's nice, kid," I replied, like a member of Parson's Brigade and before you could whistle Dixie, up pulls the friend in a brand new, gleaming white F250.

Not My Rig

I tell you, it made my rig look like child's play.

Ride on,

LSP

Willie Nelson Rebuilt This

I went downtown to register my truck. There isn't much downtown, but there is a courthouse, which burned down in the '90s (1990s). Willie Nelson helped to rebuild it.

There's also a Confederate War Memorial, and guess what, no one's tried to vandalize it. Weird, eh? Maybe that wouldn't go down too well around here.

And that's just the way it is.

LSP

The Cause, Confederacy

It's not that long ago, the American Civil War, and a bloody business it was too. Some people think that the Confederacy is synonymous with with slavery and oppression, whereas the Union was was a beautiful civil rights movement. Others think that the war was about States' rights and freedom from big government Washington tyranny.

They opted for the latter where I live, and lost. There's a memorial in the Courthouse Square to remember the fallen.

William Henry Parsons raised a regiment of cavalry from the surrounding counties, the 12th Texas, comprised of the Hill County Volunteers, the Freestone Boys, the Johnson County Slashers, the Bastrop Cavalry Company, the Ellis Grays, the Ellis Rangers, the Kaufman Guards, the Ellis Blues, the Williamson Bowies, and the Eutaw Blues.

The 12th Texas went on to become part of Parson's Brigade and it may, or may not be the case that the National Flag of the Confederacy is on display in the courthouse.

For the record, I think our courthouse, which was restored by Willie Nelson, would make for a decent club. "What would you call this club?" asked a church lady, "I would call it Parson's, Ma'am," I replied.

Share your Swag Bags as you will,

LSP

Horse!

For a horseman you sure don't seem to go riding very much, I thought grimly to myself, as I watched the sun rise over the Compound and the dawn chorus of crazed peacocks, roosters, bleating goats and growling pit bulls.

To set that right I headed off to J&P's ranch, not far from Slap Out. Slap Out's called "Slap Out" because the store there was always "slap out" of stuff to buy. I'd say that was still pretty much true, but J&P weren't out of horses.

Hobo

They had a barn full of Foundation Quarter Horses, including a mare sired by Dash For Cash, though I forget the various bloodlines, and a gelding, Lone Star Hobo. Good looking animals and I was hoping to ride Hobo, but his feet had been trimmed and couldn't be ridden.

One Clanking Spear And A Shotgun

I'll go back in a couple of weeks to try out Hobo and here's the thing. J feels he has to give his horses away, but they're a part of his life; that means he has to keep some. Solution? I get to ride the "some" left over, including Hobo.

Walk, trot, canter, gallop, RUN!

LSP