In a recent survey of everyone except the National Association of Trailer Park Residents, Tennessee was ranked the Worst State Ever. It's basically a bunch of mountain-dwelling rednecks who don't do anything except sit around making meth and bitching about how they lost the War of Northern Aggression. There are so many awful things about this toilet of a state that I could never assemble them into a cohesive complaint letter. That is, until I was driving down I-40 and passed this landmark:
Now, it's true that literally every state-owned piece of property in Tennessee is named after one Confederate general or another, but here is a prominently-featured state park named after the asshole who was the first Grand Wizard of the KKK!
The 476th most racist historical figure in Tennessee history
Finally, something that summarizes everything wrong with Tennessee! I sent the following letter to the governor.
The Letter
Dear Gov. Bredesen,
I am writing to express my admiration for Tennessee's continued dedication to its core values, regardless of fickle sentiments expressed in the media and public opinion polls.
I am speaking in particular of the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. As a Texas resident, I wasn't aware of the park until today, and I was delighted to see that the Tennessee tradition of overt, state-sponsored racism and violence endures in a time when even states as deeply invested in White Supremacy as South Carolina are removing the symbols of their lily-white heritage.
As someone who was refused service at a Tennessee ice cream parlor due to my skin color in 2002, I can safely say that the state's position on race relations has successfully permeated to the general public. Congratulations, and keep up the good work!
The Response
It seems that Governor Bredesen is too busy writing a speech for the grand opening of the James Earl Ray State History Museum to respond to my letters.
"Yeah, I'm a huge Nashville Predators fan, but for some reason I just can't get into the Memphis Grizzlies."
I don't think I can just let this go, Phil. Expect to hear from me again.
No comments:
Post a Comment