This book, written by James Webb who is a former Secretary of the Navy and the author of several other books, has a great book out that challenges the leftist notion that military people are stupid and the only reason they got into the military was to escape jailtime. (Which itself is pretty dumb, but whatever.)
Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America
This is a completely refreshing look at the people and culture that “America’s elite” openly hate: the rural scots-irish. They have no problem relying on these people for the bulk of the wars we have fought (Kentucky and Tenn have casualty rates five times higher than New York City), but openly loathe their culture – from country music, faith in God, deep love of family, to the near-sacred right to gun ownership.
The interesting thing about my family, however, is that my dad is MIT-educated, me and my siblings are college-educated, so I’m not entirely certain about the part about the Scots Irish being resistent to higher education. Perhaps we’ve just learned that elitists TODAY don’t stand for the values that have made this nation strong; the values which the Scots-Irish stand for; a strong sense of God and family and the right to bear arms.
Webb’s book is a noble attempt to address these wrongs, and show the often overlooked influence of these people – our culture is so much a part of the american fabric that we are nearly invisible.
I learned a great deal about the long journey of my people, and how proud I am of their strength and tenacity no matter what continent they are on, or during what period of time.
They truly shaped America, manned our military- over the years with a dedication and steadfastness that still is a terror to those that stand in their way.
The Scots-Irish are the people of America, and certainly not the elite of New England. It was shocking to me that Harvard only gave 12 men during the Vietnam war from 1962-1972, while Princeton lost six, and MIT gave a total of two. It shows the chasm between the academic elite and the rest of the country.
The Scots-Irish are a people that deserve much praise, receive almost no recognition, and yet stand firm for this nation and her values. I am thankful for this book, and proud of those that came before me.
