chefhelen wrote:
>
> "Pete C." > wrote in message
> ...
> > chefhelen wrote:
> >>
> >> "Pete C." > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >> > Gregory Morrow wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> Pete C. wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > cybercat wrote:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > > As with every area,
> >> >> > > education level and economic status has a lot to do with behavior
> >> >> > > and
> >> >> > > attitudes.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Absolutely, but PC or not, there are areas that are predominantly in
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > south, but not exclusively, where there is effectively a regressive
> >> >> > sub
> >> >> > species of human developing due to the lack of branches in the
> >> >> > family
> >> >> > trees. This is biological fact, not any sort of prejudice.
> >> >>
> >> >> It's not the South, it's poorer US rural areas in general, from Maine
> >> >> to California, from Washington state to Florida.
> >> >>
> >> >> I grew up in west central Illannoy, when I read the area noozepapers
> >> >> online I see the very same family names committing the same trashy
> >> >> stuff they were doing 40 years ago. LOTS of meth busts, whole
> >> >> extended families making meth in fact. On the state sex offender
> >> >> registry site I see their mugs and go, "Ah, I went to school with that
> >> >> guy's parents, they were pervs too...". Loads of DUI's, domestic
> >> >> abuse, etc...
> >> >
> >> > That is a function of the education and economic status for the most
> >> > part. Bad behaving parents produce bad behaving children who produce
> >> > more bad behaving children. I was addressing the human sub species
> >> > issue, not all bad behavior and ignorance.
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> But socio - politically speaking, there do seem to be some
> >> >> "backwaters", e.g. parts of Kansas, Missouri, etc. At least Illannoy
> >> >> is a blue state (Chicago helps), we've got stuff like protection for
> >> >> gays, etc.
> >> >>
> >> >> An anecdote: A good friend recently moved from DC to Denver, he drove
> >> >> through Kansas and had to call me several times as he traversed the
> >> >> state, excitedly telling me about all the stuff that was "Christian -
> >> >> themed" and redneck - ish. He'd say, "God, there are even Christian -
> >> >> themed MOTELS in this place...!!! There are bible verses on the truck
> >> >> stop menus...!!! A waitress asked me what CHURCH I went to...!!!
> >> >> There are anti - abortion messages on the SUGAR PACKETS...!!!". I
> >> >> said, "Hey, settle down, you're just passing through, lol...". He is
> >> >> an East Coast urban guy, *** and Jewish and very well - travelled/
> >> >> educated. But he'd never seen anything like Kansas - and he'd lived
> >> >> in both St. Louis and Virginia (Alexandria, suburban DC) for periods
> >> >> of years. Maybe what got him was that the conservative fundamentalist
> >> >> culture that he encountered was *all* that was there in Kansas...
> >> >
> >> > Well, when the tornados and dustbowl wipe everything out, it naturally
> >> > drives the intelligent, educated population to relocate to better
> >> > areas,
> >> > leaving a concentration of the ignorant and superstitious.
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> As for myself, the only time I really felt scared in my life was off
> >> >> the interstate in rural Georgia to fill up my car whilst passing
> >> >> through. They did NOT like Yankee hippies (I had long hair) in
> >> >> 1974...
> >> >
> >> > On one cross country trip, I specifically planed my fuel fill ups and
> >> > routes to eliminate any stops on my way through Alabama. I went through
> >> > at 4am, never leaving the major highways, and this was in 2004, I don't
> >> > have long hair and I drive a crew cab dually pickup too.
> >>
> >> Was this your attempt to be stealthy? You sound as though you'd fit
> >> right
> >> in!
> >>
> >
> > No, actually it was the same truck I drove when I lived in CT. I was
> > happy I no longer had CT plates on it of course...
>
> I'm a displaced yankee and I can assure you that they *have* stopped
> shooting at us!

This may be true, but the impression folks in the northeast have of
Alabama hasn't improved so we try not to take unnecessary chances.

>
> >
> >>
> >> Happy to be in Huntsville, Alabama. We have a 15 minute commute, live in
> >> a
> >> very nice area where the cost of living is reasonable, have great
> >> weather,
> >> aside from the occasional cold snap, and have great friends. Ok, there
> >> is
> >> the fact that it's a red state but I'm working on changing that!
> >>
> >>
> >> helen
> >
> > Yep, certainly didn't mean to imply that there was no intelligent life
> > in Alabama. I've worked with a few intelligent folks from Alabama, and
> > notably they were also from the Huntsville area.
>
> Huntsville isn't really like anywhere else in Alabama. From what I
> understand we have the highest per capita income in the SE, and the second
> highest number of PhDs.
>
> This is propaganda from the Chamber of Commerce tho!

I have no doubt that is true, and I expect a large percentage are
imports from other states and countries as is the case in a lot of the
southern states.

>
> OB food - Having some friends over tomorrow for roasted chicken. Costco had
> the two packs BOGOF so I now have 4 sitting in my fridge. I can't fry them
> for beans but I do roast them well.
>
>
> helen

I'm about to start working on some test batches of my "Damned (ex)
Yankee" chili for an upcoming informal competition.