A Southern Missive

I’m interested in studying various secessionist movements in American history. Here’s one I just discovered. I’ve transcribed the awkwardly worded marker and have a photo of it. (I go through Van Zandt County often).

The Free State of Van Zandt

Pioneer nickname appropriate to this areas many
freedoms - particularly from want and fear. (Food was
obtained with little effor, and although the Indians
fought white men here as late as 1842, the settlers by
1847 slept in the open with no dread of Indians or
wild animals.) According to tradition Van Zandt County
(created 1848) also by a legal accident had freedom
from sharing debts of its parent county, Henderson -
and was proud of that unusual advantage.

Other parts of Texas share “free state” traditions. In
1826 “Republic of Fredonia” was proclaimed in
Nacogdoches and endured for a few weeks along the
Mexican border. Citizens maintained in 1839-1840 “The
Republic of the Rio Grande”. Because it developed
great self-reliance in recurring border troubles
Hidalgo County called itself a Republic, 1852-1872. A
panhandle county formed the secessionist “Free State
of Ochiltree” in the 1890’s.

All secessions have been brief. When Texas in 1845
voted to become a part of the United States, it was
given (but declined) the right to become five states.
Such movements as “The Free State of Van Zandt” soon
lost force. Ten proud years as the Republic of Texas
invoke unusual loyalty to the state.

Here is a photo of that marker:

You can find more information on Van Zandt county here:

 I just returned from Bells, Texas.  I am exhausted from driving in hard rain the whole trip. Tomorrow, I begin teaching an ENG 101 class for Delta. I’ll give more details in tomorrow’s post.  Yesterday’s Memorial Day celebration at Kiroli Park in Monroe was a success. The crowd was large and their intense, yet sensitive and beautiful patriotism obvious. Terrance Armstard of the NewsStar was there. He is a first class photographer, and if you ever need to hire a photographer, I would strongly recommend him. You can see (and purchase) all the photos of the event here: Here is one photo of yours truly performing.

And here is a photo of the Blue Star Mothers Banner for the event. It was hung on the Kiroli Park stage:

Here is a photo of my friend, Sandra, one of the local leaders of the Blue Star Mothers in Monroe:

Quotations:

I like to collect quotes that make me think. These quotations are lifted from the site I wrote about in an earlier post that dealt with the causes of the War Between the States:

Deo Vindice Resurgam
(God Will Vindicate. I Shall Rise Again!)

Quemadmoeum Gladuis Neminem Occidit, Occidentis Telum Est
(A Sword Is Never A Killer, It Is A Tool In The Killer’s Hands) –Seneca, circa 45 AD

Omnes Homines Aut Liberi Sunt Aut Servi
(All Men Are Freemen Or Slaves)

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes
(Who Will Watch The Watchmen?) — Juvenal, 128 AD

Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
(If You Want Peace, Prepare For War)

I made the news again . . .

I made it into the Monroe News-Star. Just a small mention of me Saturday on NickDeriso’s page. Just a reference to the days when I played bass guitar with Johnny O’Neal. Though Deriso is Sports Editor, he is also a man deeply committed to promoting the arts. Deriso has been named columnist of the year by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (2003), Louisiana Press Association (2004, ‘07) and the Associated Press Managing Editors of Louisiana/Mississippi (2005-06). Under Deriso’s leadership, The News-Star’s Sunday sports section was named Top 10 in the nation by the AP in ‘06.

I’ve mentioned Johnny before on this blog. I still think he’s one of the best musicians and song writers I’ve ever met, and a decent man too. I like his versions of many songs better than those versions of the original artists. Here’s the quote from the Deriso’s article that mentions me:

“It was with T-Bo and Rickey Pittman that O’Neal reached a national audience, when his parody “The Jerry Springer Song” was aired at the end of that television program. Big news stories greeted him. O’Neal took the newfound fame in stride - remaining humble and reliably upbeat.

“That’s the beauty of being a musician,” O’Neal jokes. “You can get on the front page without having gone to jail first.”

You can and should read the whole article about Johnny here:

Hopefully, being on the Jerry Springer Show won’t be my only claim to fame . . .

I’ve always been fascinated by the desert and other desolate places. My father (who grew up in the Badlands of West Texas) couldn’t understand my love of desert places (which he hated) where everything either blisters, bites, cuts, or poisons you.

I once viewed a movie entitled, Slow Burn–a tale of lust, greed, and betrayal–that was set in the desert of Northern Mexico. There are some fantastic desert shots, and the film begins with what looks like 35 millimeter footage with a sepia tone. The film was written and directed by Christian Ford and stars Minnie Driver and James Spader. The best quotes of the movie are near the beginning. I could not find a transcript of the film anywhere, so if I made a mistake on my transcription, you have my apologies.

“The humidity’s about 6 degrees. That means it takes four quarts of water a day to just sweat. If you run dry, your blood gets thick, your tongue turns hard, and you’re dead in nineteen hours.”

“Of all the ways this desert test you, the most dangerous is the mirage. In those shimmering, sparkling depths you see whatever you want–water, wealth, dreams. That’s the promise, and that’s the curse.”

“Some dreams die hard. And somewhere in this desert, under that burning eye, there’s always another dreamer.”

Here is a photo of a northern Mexico desert:

I found the photo here:

Memorial Day:

I had a grand time playing my guitar and singing at the Blue Star Mothers’ Memorial Day event in Kiroli Park in Monroe. What a great crowd!  And at least twice as large as last year’s.  I stopped at the Texas rest area at the border and went ahead and posted this today as I was unsure of whether I’d be able to post tomorrow. How cool of Texas to have wireless at rest stops. Louisiana should take a lesson. Until Wednesday then . . .