Saturday, March 31, 2007

A reminder in a little book

While in Nashville, House Minority Leader Jason Mumpower provided bloggers who visited Capitol Hill with the customary folder with basic legislative information. He also was kind enough to include a copy of Ellen Patrick's comical (but very true) missive Why I Live In Tennessee: 101 Dang Good Reasons.

The funny little booklet got me to thinking about how fortunate I am to live in this place-of all the 50 States, we are blessed here to have a wealth of cultural contributions that no other State can boast-and Tennessee is the only State that can boast that it founded another (Texas). Indeed, Sam Houston served as Congressman from Tennessee's 4th District, Governor of Tennessee, President of the Republic of Texas, and finally as Governor of the State of Texas.

Tennessee has contributed more to the musical and cultural traditions of the Republic than perhaps any other State. Tennesseans gave America the Grand Ole Opry, the Delta Blues, Sun Records, the Nashville Sound, and The King.

Tennesseans pay no income tax, fear no government, and are generally unafraid of being political dissidents. It is not wise to anger a Tennessean.

Yet Tennesseans are a notoriously generous people. They don't call this place "the Volunteer State" for nothing. Everyone can be proud of where they live, but Tennessee folks can be especially so-it is easy to take the beauty of this place and its people for granted. The little book was a reminder to keep it and pass it on down.


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1 Comments:

At Saturday, March 31, 2007 11:10:00 PM, Blogger Donna Locke said...

Oh, Dave, I know what you mean.
I had to live away from Tennessee for many years, and the entire time I was gone, I dreamed of the day I could come back home for good. Tennessee is the only place I ever wanted to be. It's a place worth preserving.

You're right about another thing: it isn't wise to anger a Tennessean, ha, ha! The Scots-Irish will fight ye.

 

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