[lit-ideas] Re: Six degrees of separation
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 May 2007 15:44:10 -0500
I wrote in reference to East Tennesseans: "they didn't even want to succede
from the Union" -- what they did was fail to succeed in not seceding.
Sometimes them letters mix me up.
Mike Geary
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Geary
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 3:11 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Six degrees of separation
I couldn't get your URL to work. Don't know what it was about. But let me
guess an answer: I'm not ashamed of being an American, but I sure was ashamed
to admit that Bill Frist was one of my senators (ditto still for Lamar
Alexander). I've never been ashamed of America, not the America of our
"mission statement", but I've all too frequently been deeply chagrined by the
leadership.
Is that what you wanted to hear?
Michael Geary
who is related to several people in Tennessee -- mostly reprobates though.
P.S. East Tennessee is beautiful mountainous country. Hillbilly and
Thoroughly Republican (they didn't even want to succede from the Union) --
Knoxville's the capital of East Tennessee. Middle Tennessee is lovely rolling
hill country. Probably the wealthiest part of the state, at least per capita.
Nashville is the capital of Middle Tennessee (and of the state), and West
Tennessee is mostly flat land, rather poor, not so pretty, but...uh...you
know...hmmm....interesting, yes, that's it. Memphis the is capital of West
Tennessee (and, some say, of Mississippi).
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Helm
To: Lit-Ideas
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 12:06 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Six degrees of separation
I had occasion recently to think of my connection with Tennessee. Someone
was talking about the culture shock of moving into that region and I recalled
that I considered moving to Eastern Tennessee after McDonnell Douglas hired a
flock of ruthless young managers to make the corporation "leaner and meaner";
which included getting rid of not only deadwood, but the higher-paid older
workers. Since I fit the latter category and didn't get along with my manager
I began looking into where I could afford to live if I were forced into early
retirement and hit upon Eastern Tennessee. Susan and I both have connections
with that state; although hers are closer than mine. Her maiden name is
McWherter and not only was her father's family from Tennessee, but her father
was related to a former governor of Tennessee. In my case my mother's
grandfather, William Leander Sparks was from Tennessee. And on my
great-grandfather, Schyler Helm, was a Sgt in Illinois Engineering unit that
spent the end of the war stationed in Tennessee. He turned down a promotion to
lieutenant to take his mustering out pay and his new wife and rush off to Iowa
where he bought some land.
And then a lurker sent me another "six-degrees of separation" story about
Senator Bill Frist and General Petraeus: Pretty interesting if you're American
and not ashamed of it:
http://www.volpac.org/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=670
Lawrence
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