Reply #44: I was raised in WV, [View All]

[1awake]

and after moving around through several states, decided to come back here to raise my children. I'm sure West Virginia would be a culture shock for many.. even Martinsburg which is not so much like the rest of the state. West Virginia breaks down into three basic sections. One is the eastern panhandle which is more like Maryland than anything else (no offense intended to Martinsburg people). The second would be the Northern panhandle which consists primarily of the Steel Mills. Finally, everything else falls into the third, which consists of coal mine workers and not much else.

You will find alot of rebel flags flown or on trucks, but most are used more for a general defiance than anything else (no, I'm not defending its use). People here DO have a general distrust of outsiders, whether they be Democrats, Republicans, Northerns, southerners, or anything else. Most people here.. from my life time experience, how do I put this.. wear their party affiliation like hats, and change them just as often. Party means less to them than the person standing in front of them. Byrd is a unique situation. He use to go to the fairs and play the fiddle with / for everyone.. people deeply trust him.

Anyway, I'm glad you got to see a piece of West "by God" Virginia ;-) I have been, and will continue to talk about Obama with my community even though time is running out.