The quest for Year Zero continues. EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) — Two historic statues have been torn down on the University of Oregon campus this weekend — the Pioneer Mother and the Pioneer outside Johnson Hall. That’s my daughter’s university. I’m sure the activists vandals are simply seeking a deeper “conversation” about frontier history. Happy to … [Read more...] about Pioneer Down!
’That’s What Makes A Life So Rich‘
I don’t care for politics and try to avoid getting caught up in the hurly-burly, especially the mindless tribal monkey dance that passes for political discourse these days. As my guitar-slingin’ buddy Mike Biggers says, “The only kind of partisanship we tolerate in these parts is frontier partisanship.” T-shirts will be issued. However... every … [Read more...] about ’That’s What Makes A Life So Rich‘
Not Dead Yet, You Bastards!
It’s been an exceptionally shitty 24 hours. John Prine is dead. The Sisters Rodeo is cancelled in what would have been its 80th year. Oregon schools are shut down, so our local seniors won’t have a graduation or a spring sports season, or school plays and concerts and... you know the drill. Probably sucked where you live, too, cuz that’s the way it … [Read more...] about Not Dead Yet, You Bastards!
Women In Arms
* “Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels in the bank, and buy a revolver.” — Constance Markievicz, Irish Rebel, c. 1909 * A whole lotta women are deciding to arm themselves. That trend, which has been accelerating for several years, blew up in the Great Gun Rush of 2020 spurred by the COVID-19 shutdown. While it’s … [Read more...] about Women In Arms
The Times That Try Men’s Souls
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. — Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, December 23, 1776 * There is something profoundly surreal about the … [Read more...] about The Times That Try Men’s Souls
‘A Mountain In Virtue’
“A hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design.” — Robert Louis Stevenson regarding Arthur’s Seat Ceili ventured north from London this week on a field trip to Edinburgh. A highlight for her was a hike up the looming crag known as Arthur’s Seat, the site of ancient hill forts. In sympathy (and maybe a bit of envy) … [Read more...] about ‘A Mountain In Virtue’
Council On The Pedernales
The Pacific Northwest HQ of Frontier Partisans pulled up stakes and headed south for a few days last week to Austin, Texas. Music, Mexican food, barbecue, steak.... Oh, yes, and business. The trip was newspaper-related, but Marilyn stowed away and made the trek with me — and we took the opportunity for a council with the Southern Command under … [Read more...] about Council On The Pedernales
The Joy Of Shooting With A 21st Century Annie Oakley
The world needs more of this. This lovely young woman is doing something that is vital for the shooting sports: promoting the very real “Joy of Shooting.” Asserting the Second Amendement-ensured right of armed self-defense is important, but it is equally vital to communicate the value of the sporting aspect of the … [Read more...] about The Joy Of Shooting With A 21st Century Annie Oakley
Merry Christmas, Pards!
May you feast on fat cow and may Father Christmas load your packs with gunpowder, ham hocks and guitar strings! … [Read more...] about Merry Christmas, Pards!
The First Thanksgiving: Beer, Sport And Feasting
The Pilgrims didn’t really think of the First Thanksgiving as a “thanksgiving” at all. Within their Puritan theology and practice, a "day of thanksgiving” would have required fasting and prayerful contemplation of their gratitude to God for seeing them through a terrible series of trials and tribulations. The actual feast they organized in … [Read more...] about The First Thanksgiving: Beer, Sport And Feasting
