A report from the heartland

Hey Joe,

It's about 1:35 a.m. here in Rockville, Tennessee. I had begun to miss your crusty old ass and so went and looked at what you've been putting up there in the ether. And it's a reflection of pretty much what's goin' on with me.

I go to a little church around here, as you know, the members of which are families that have been here ever since the east coast powdered-wigged Very Rich, needing a buffer between themselves and the Injuns, gave away land to our Irish Scots ancestors as reward for their service in the Revolutionary War. And by God, I do hope you're wrong about the Bushes being Scots.

Anyway, we're a small congregation of breakaway but non-snake-handling (at least so far) Presbyterians, and every Sunday we lift up our prayers now for the safety of two of our members currently caught up in Iraq between their stupid religious empire and our own.

I wanted to also hit on the fact that more and more Greenies are showin' up here. I got a composter that I just finished making out of a old plastic 55 gallon drum, and I'm going to get chickens soon -- need a couple of guinea hens as well to keep down the ticks and scare off the snakes.

Rutherford County, where I live, is the next county over from Davidson County, (where Nashville is) which has the highest population of any county in the entire State of Tennessee.

It's also, along another of its boundaries, the next county over from Williamson County, arguably, some say, the richest county in the whole Newnited States. So there is resultant pressure driving John and Mary Public over into our space.

The local boosters are rubbing their hands with glee. All up and down Route 99 is construction. Route 99 last year was a ten-minute drive into Murfreesboro through beautiful farmland, but now it's a snarling, cursing strangled mess through new construction at 8 a.m. with four new stoplights in the last six months (there used to be just one). All of it coming closer and closer to Rockvale.

So in Murfreesboro they haven't heard of the sub-prime fiasco-driven dildo America is taking up the ass with no butter. The whole fuckin' county has gone crazy with greed.

A feasibility study has already been performed and is optimistic, not to say jubilant, about the possibility of putting in a goddamned Bible Theme Park, I'm not shitting you, seeing as how Dollywood has added millions a year to Pigeon Forge coffers over there in East Tennessee. Well, I'm not thrilled about the idea of a bunch of well-off Fundamentalists coming over here and riding The Rapture (my proposed name for the roller coaster, if the theme park idea does go through), and fucking up my little truck garden in the process. I don't think the county needs more money and I sure don't think we need more people. I don't stand to do anything but lose.

But they been moving in like crazy around here. I met a woman from Minnesota just moved here with her husband a few months back. The genuine Middle Tennessee accent ("light fay" for "late fee") is becoming more and more rare. I mention accents because the minute she opened her mouth (she sounded like Margie, the pregnant sheriff in "Fargo") I could tell where she was from. And I understand, I really do. It's friggin COLD up there most of the time, Slim. But it's gettin' crowded here.

She asked me where I go to church, and I told her, and then she said with a detectable pride that THEY go to the World Outreach Church, which is also a big property holder on 99. I think they're called an outreach church because they can out-reach everybody else. We have about maybe 70 members, tops, and they got about 8,000. Big ass traffic jam every Sunday caused by the Christians getting their SUVs into the parking lot. I think I read of some 25 million dollar scandal at the World Outreach Church in Detroit. Anyway they're a huge franchise. Jesus On a Stick.

Just wanted to say heidy. As a good friend of mine always says:

In art and labor,

Panama Red
http://www.panamaredmusic.com/