Dear folks,

Not to fan the "flame" too much, but as a fairly conservative Republican (USA variety, that is), I find it a little disheartening that, in a lot of circles, folkies who refuse to climb on the liberal bandwagon are somehow stigmatized.

My father -- a lifelong Republican whose grandfather fought "for Lincoln" in the Civil War -- learned how to play guitar thumbstyle by listening to the Carter Family on WSM/Nashville over a hand-built "crystal set." He also memorized dozens of old country, "folk" and work songs during the 20s and 30s, and started passing them on on to me when I was barely big enough to hold his old arch top.

Musically, therefore, (though certainly not talent-wise) I figure that that makes me about as authentic as Norman Blake or anyone else in these corrupt, urbanized times. But just because I take a dim view of higher taxes, "equal opportunity" quotas, the federal departments of Education and Housing & Urban Development, and most social welfare programs, my music is somehow tainted.

I understand that part of this is because folk music is by definition "from the people," and that a lot of social programs are perceived as reaching out to the little man -- or little person, as I suppose we must say in this oppressively inoffensive age.

But from where comes this institutionalized notion in folky circles that all pain and suffering is somehow either "the guv'ment's fault" (to paraaphrase Roger Miller) or promulgated by evil corporate types who have the audacity to try and make a buck in order to buy nice homes and send their kids to good schools. This is evil?

It's the same sort of logic used by eco-freaks wishing to defame hunters, when in fact -- in the U.S. at least -- there would have been no conservation movement in the first place were it not for money and support from the hunting community. Ducks Unlimited -- a group filled with conservatives, by the way -- has done far more for wetland conservation than the Sierra Club, Earth First and the Green Party combined. The same -- and I'll get flamed for this -- can be said of the NRA.

Shouldn't folkies, rather than embracing the outdated sentiments of "Who's Side are You On" and "Talking Union Blues," celebrate instead the virtues of hard work, self-reliance and entrepreneurship? Aren't these the very pioneer qualities memorialized in so much of our traditional music?

I think what the liberal folksinging mafia really believes is that anyone who is creative, artistic, sensitive, intelligent and free-thinking enough to appreciate roots music must by default be just like them or considered a danger to society.

Anyone see the flaw in that logic?

I do, and it is embodied in this cold truth: Liberals like to think about what - according to them - is best for "the people." And that's a generality of which to be wary because it implies that the rights of "we" are more important than the freedom of "me." Conservatives, on the other hand, like to think for themselves.

The Constitution of the United States -- and to a lesser extent the Declaration of Independence -- are after all documents chiefly designed to protect personal property, not social safety nets, and certainly not a powerful federal establishment.

Apropos of nothing, Pete Seeger once claimed to have started writing a "conservative" protest song (quite a stretch for Pete) but said later he couldn't get past the first line:

"But the bast**ds never had to meet a paaaaay-roll!"

Peter was kidding, of course, but the phrase does have a certain ring to it.

Hope I haven't made anybody too mad. Just wanted to make a couple of points. And by the way, whatever your political colors, don't forget to vote this November. The voice of the polls is the purest folk music of all.

Best wishes to all, TONY