Having grown up in Pennsylvania’s version of Appalachia, I understand exactly what you’re talking about…but you’ve left out one important detail: The people. Yes, they could be free if they wanted to be. But–if West VA rural types are anything like West PA rural types–many of them are also violent, stupid, cruel, racist, misogynistic bigots who don’t deserve freedom and wouldn’t know what do with it if they got it.

I’m not saying that lightly; it’s taken years of coming to terms with my upbringing & myself to be able to admit how much I hate rural American culture, in its lower, middle and upper-class manifestations. But I do hate it, and for good reason. It COULD be wonderful–but everything they do, they do violently, cruelly, stupidly. For instance, many of them hunt, which is good; but most of them hunt only for the love of murder. I can remember waking up a number of mornings and finding the corpses of crows in my yard, tossed their by “hunters” who knew of my love for those delightfully intelligent birds.

Nice site! I’m enjoying your blogs and am glad to hear a bit about your trip back from the wedding.

Love, Uncle Nick