News-Record.com

Doug:

I'm curious to know if your comments fall into the category of institutional racism as defined recently by a member of the Greensboro city council and debated ad nauseum by Ed Cone, Chewie and others?

Why is Appalachia the last place and category of people we can degrade with impunity?

I’m just asking why you think it is ok to call mountain folk queer when I would get pounded if I made similar analogies of other classes of people using such broad brushes.

Doug:

They ain't mountain folk anyway:

"Mendez and Sciara moved to Western North Carolina from Topeka, Kan. Reeves moved to the area from Atlanta, Alexander said. Mendez and Reeves worked together at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino on the Cherokee Indian Reservation, where Mendez was honored early this year for his work."
via Asheville Citizen Times

You're right that they aren't native mountain folk, so apologies to real mountain folk, even those who are a little "quare," which means peculiar. Of course, there are peculiar people everywhere.

The Tonight Show for sure with Jay....I can see it now with the Headlines part..

"This right here beats everything I have ever seen," Alexander said.

Michael Mendez, 60, Richard Peter Sciara, 61, and Danny Carroll Reeves, 49, each are charged with castration without malice, maiming without malice and practicing medicine without a license.

Perhaps we should enlist the surgical expertise of the "Three Mountaineer Eunuchinizers" with respect to the nationwide sex molestors problem.

Three strikes, and ----snip snip---- problem resolved.

Doug, you were too nice to JSYKES. You said SOME were "quare", not all, which in my read included these three, and of course, their now neutered customers.

You shore ain't gonna be liked much by youre kin folk in Polk Co. Doug. Folks jest mite be a bit "culier here'bouts in the montains but 'bout only thang we goes "bout castratin is hogs. Folk don't even waste them neither fer they fix up a mess of montain orsters when they git enuf uv em.
These hear fellers whut 'pear to be flat landers fer the most part ain't "culier or quar as you sayed it they jest nutz. Even a good horse whoopin kant help them fellers none. They need be throwed up under the jailhouse so fer that it cost a dolar two nineyate jest to send em a post card.

jsykes, quar aint queer an us folk in these hear montains duz know the diferance. Most folk be a bit quar an aint paid much atenshun to. Queer folk be tolarated as long as they jest keep thar quar queer ways to themselfs. They Kina lak the three lagged dawg. He kin come on in the yard an sat a spell and we even fed him as long as he dont go killin chikens.

My father lived in Waynesville for a few years growing up. He never wanted to go back, though (as opposed to his frequent trips to Asheville, where he also lived for several years as a child). Now I know why.

We just fled Polk Co. to come back North after living there a year. (Mostly 'twas the locals...meaner'n snakes, some of 'em). Then again, a story like this makes me wonder why the heck we didn't leave the corner of BF, Egypt and "Boy, you shore gotta purty mouth" any sooner!