Before you go any further, read this...

Dictionary.com defines a redneck as:

1. an uneducated white farm laborer, esp. from the South.

2. a bigot or reactionary, esp. from the rural working class.

It goes on to say that redneck is A slang term, usually for a rural white southerner who is politically conservative, racist, and a religious fundamentalist. This term is generally considered offensive. It originated in reference to agricultural workers, alluding to how the back of a person's neck will be burned by the sun if he works long hours in the fields.

While I can't say all that fits me to a tee, a lot of it is pretty damn close.

You see, I lost both my parents before I turned 12 years old. I bounced around in a couple of foster homes before moving in with my uncle when I tuned 15. By age 17, I was on my own. I dropped out of school half way through 11th grade so I could go to work full time. Three months after my 18th birthday, I got behind the wheel of a cab for the first time.

I've learned more about life in 28 years in a hack than any philosopher ever could know. I've had multi-million dollar businessmen, celebrities and pro athletes as well as crack whores, drug dealers and murderers in my cab. I refuse to be an airport jockey or one of those guys that only stages at the hotels, so unfortunately, I have to deal with more of the bottom feeders of life than I do the upper crust.

It is the dealings that I've had the bad apples that has made me what I am today...

The Redneck Cabbie.

You see, to escape the madness of the city streets, my mind drifts off (not while I'm driving) to a quiet country town. A place where everyone knows everyone, and a man's handshake is as binding a contract as a person needs. A place where friends gather to down a couple of cold ones and listen to music that you can actually understand the words.

A place where young men don't walk around with their pants falling down over their ass, and young ladies don't have to dress like sluts to draw a man's attention.

I think you get the picture. I know, boring as whale shit to most city folks. I'd be living in a town just like that if it weren't for the fact that there's just not much demand for my line of work in most small towns.

This blog will reflect these feelings. If I seem a little bitter now and then, its just because that wonderful little town is nowhere in my near future, and because the life expectancy of someone in my line of work doesn't extend much past retirement age, all I can do is dream about it.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Is the honeymoon over?

So, I’m listening to Savage yesterday. Man, he is just steamed about Trent Lott’s statement about Conservative talk radio. Apparently, he feels this medium needs to be “dealt with.”
I don’t think Savage could have more dismayed if his old lady had walked out on him. It was actually kind of funny to listen to.

I’ve come to feel that guys like Savage, Limbaguh, Hannity and even the cute little Ms. Ingram are just a bunch of blowhards. That said, what are they doing that is so bad? Lott says Conservative talk radio is “running America.” I’d like to know what America he’s talking about.

The aforementioned talking heads have the lions share of listeners in the talk radio market. Yet, I’ll bet of the 60% that were opposed to the current model of the immigration bill, not very many of them felt that way because Rush told them so.

I personally don’t think there cannot be any form of immigration reform that does not seal the borders, both north and south , round up and deport as many illeagals as possible, before any easing of current regulations can occur. This is my opinion. It is the same opinion I’ve held long before I’d ever heard of some of these radio personalities.

Still, it seems that Senator Lott thinks that we the people can’t function without our marching orders from our favorite talk show host.

God, I hope mine doesn’t tell us to jump off the Harbor Bridge on Monday. It could get messy.

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