You Have My Attention

I was catching up on The Rachel Maddow when I saw this story:

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For those that don’t want to wade through a video, here’s an updated story from CBS News:

Hanged Census Worker Bill Sparkman Was a "Naive" School Teacher

As an (almost) 51-year old, (ex) “Fed” -- this got my attention. And yes, believe it or not, the first thing that crossed my mind was an air traffic control connection. The Lynch ARSR is located a couple of counties away. It’s one of the least reliable radars out there. One of the excuses always given -- through a very long grape vine -- was its inaccessibility and the fact that the locals didn’t like anybody from the Federal government poking around in the back country.

For the non-native readers, these mountains of Kentucky (Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) have a long history of illicit behavior. From moonshine to marijuana to meth, the widespread poverty breeds it. The only other thing there has ever been in these mountains is coal. And if you know the history of coal, you know why these people don’t trust any outsiders. Believe me, I ‘m not trying to make any excuses for them. I’m just stating the facts.

Don Brown
September 25, 2009