"Hillbilly" is a state of mind......

Well Sir...Now Lem over at Hillbilly White Trash is beginin the long involved process of pickin an Offishal Song fer the Hillbilly Ecosystem Hog-Roast...but there be one more thing I'd like t'nominate and that is the Offishal Hillbilly "Code a Conduct"...sometimes known as The Ten Commandments. This here was sent to me by my far-out, deep thinkin Buddy...Doubtin Thomas...and I believes we should give it some consideration...watcha all think....?

:Hillbilly Ten Commandments

Sort of short and right to the point. (Posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro, TN.)

(1) Just one God.

(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.

(3) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.

(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'.

(5) Put nothin' before God.

(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.

(7) No killin.'

(8) Watch yer mouth.

(9) Don't take what ain't yers.

(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Now that's kinda plain an' simple, don't ya think?

Movin on...earlier this week my buddy Patrick over at Born Agin Redneck expressed some concern that cause he be a livin up in the northern parts of Califonia...and the fact he wasn't born in this here United States...that he might not qualify fer a "Hillbilly"...cause the common perceptshun is that all "Hillbillies" are from the South.

Well Sir....Lem over at Hillbilly White Trash immedjiatly set him straight that since Patrick was born & bred in SOUTH Africa...and y'all don't get much further South than that...he qualifies... point well taken Lem....

I'm just gonna be taken that sentiment a step further. I've traveled this here Country and wurld a might bit more than most folks and here's what I found. Although I live in the northern green country of upstate New York....good folks here-abouts in Bridgeport, NY is just like all the good folks I met in my travels through Talladega, Alabama...and Bristol, Tennessee....or Charlotte and Hickory, North Carolina... Dover, Delaware....Indianapolis and Vincennes, Indiana (Can y'all tell yet that me and the misses is Nascar fans?).

And those good folks above is just like those good folks I met in the "Hollers" of Logan and Chapmanville, Fairmont, Morgantown and Clarksburg West (By God) Virginia.... Kansas City and Oakland Park, Kansas..... Seattle, Washington.... Jefferson City, Poplar Bluff, Springfield, Brookfiled, Chitticothe and Macon, Missourri....or Sitka, Ketchikan and Juneau, Alaska....and yes...even in Detroit, Michigan.

I also met "Hillbilies" in Hilo, Kona, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor and other towns and cities in Hawaii. Now Sir...there also be "Hillbillies" in Cuba... Jamaica... Vancouver and Victoria, BC...the Yukon Territories.... Rota, Spain... Naple, Italy....Holy Loch, Scotland...Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, North Bay, Thunder Bay and Nakina, Canada...and Halifax, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward, Island.....just t'name a few places I met Hillbilies. (Johnny Cash's song.."I been everywhere man" comes t'mind...)

No Sir....geography don't dictate "Hillbilly" status....all ya gotta be is down to earth in yur thinkin, say what y'all mean...and mean what ya say, honest in yur heart and compassionate fer uthers, a help t'yur naybors and a strong commitment to yur family...and most important...be willin t'follow those ten rules of conduct printed above.....but...I guess thats just my way a thinkin......Oh..and BTW...the picture above is a Family Photo of the Hatfield Family (of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy family feud).....Now...if'n y'all will excuse me...I gotta race to go watch at Talledega......Cookie