From: GE0793@SIUCVMB.BITNET (Steve Bratten)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Subject: New blood or just blood...
Date: 13 Oct 92 19:36:32 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU

>
>>I am the sysop of a bbs in Herrin IL and have developed a method for
>>*gatewaying* messages between listserv discussion groups and the bbs.
>
>You gotta love this.  I hereby move that we all adopt Herrin, IL
>as our official POLITICS home town.
>
>I hope that Jennifer and Mr. Roughneck the SYSOP will spread the
>word in Herrin.
>
>--Jimbo

Well, Herrin is located in Williamson County which has a long history of
being referred to as *Bloody Williamson* in reference to some trouble
between the UMWA, the coal companies and a bunch of scab miners.
Has anyone read the book, "Bloody Williamson?"

>Yeah, right. Just what we need, is one more person who is a fan
>of Rush Limburger, a Christian, and (therefore) "knows" she is
>right.
>

Since I've received no objections, I will pass all the posts and
private e-mail msg regarding this on to Jennifer this evening. BTW,
there's no conspiracy between her and me; I only know her as a
caller of my bbs. However, from what I've seen, she will be able to
articulate her beliefs and opinions much better than I do mine.

>I have no objection to anyone crossposting or whatever. But it's
>revealing that the crossposter decided to end his posting with
>anti-rational drivel.
>
>We "highly educated" "out of touch with reality" people are just going
>to stick this crap in our "RobertCarl" drawer, so it's going to be as if
>RobertCarl were posting more often.
>
>"fresh point of view." Sure.
>
>Jamie

Point well taken and right now I do feel that you've put me in my place.
My hasty statement to this list was made without much thought or basis.
However, I'm not sure that my animosity toward the academic community is
totally *anti-rational*. Where I'm at; (I'm now employed as a typing
clerk in the graduate admissions office of Southern Illinois University)
we are in a very serious financial crisis and all I see is a lot of
very educated people trying to pin the blame on someone else.

Also, the solutions always seem to be to raise tuition or to slash
programs; we've got about twice as many people in the office where I
work as it would take to do the job and noone seems to notice. I know
this is all rather vague and I apologize; but, I am a frustrated civil
service employee.

During my 20-plus years in the workforce, I've mostly worked with
people who had no college degree and many times no high-school diploma.
I did a hitch in the U.S.N. aboard a destroyer, worked at a grain
elevator, as a diesel mechanic, in a few factories, etc... and, before
the petroleum industry all but shut down in the U.S., spent more than
three back-breaking years in the deep-gas fields of the Anadarko Basin.
And, honest to God, I have never seen so many people who seem to have
no concious when it comes to passing the buck and wasting money as I
have during my five years at this institution of higher education.

Not only that, but many of them seem to have the attitude that their
degrees make them in some way *better* than the blue-collar folks.
That's where my resentment comes from and possibly it is unfounded. I do
admire people who attain a high-level of education and still have some
respect for the working-class.

I do apologize for my *anti-rational* statements and am truly grate-
ful that no-one has yet objected to me carrying the messages back &
forth between this list and the bbs. And, from now on, I'll try to give
a little more thought to any comments from myself.

Steve Bratten
a.k.a. 'roughneck'
a.k.a. 'Should have stuck to the Garden LIST'
a.k.a. 'I may have bashed liberals, but I'm still voting for Bill.'