THE VILLAGE TIMES

Grandmas

by Frank Howes
   I have often written about my grandfathers. Today, I’m gonna write a little bit about my grandmothers.
   My maternal grandmother was a woman from the Phillips clan. I think her family was from somewhere around Knightdale, but I’m not sure of this. All I know is that she had 17 siblings. 15 of those who lived have children of their own.
   Grandma Boyette, as I called her, was a tall woman. She always wore black Oxford heels so that she stood about 6 foot tall in her shoes, about a foot taller than my grandfather. The main thing I remember about my grandmother is her cooking. She could cook a great biscuit. In fact, my grandfather told me that’s the reason he married her. She also made great homemade jellies and jams. She put up pickles and corn and butter beans and snap beans and field peas and other vegetables. Food was always plentiful at her house. She was fond of making me my favorite cake, pineapple-upsidedown cake, for my birthday. I still like pineapple-upside-down cake.
   I never had a serious discussion with grandma Boyette about anything, she was always too busy. Occasionally, however, she would sit down and watch a TV show of an evening. She always said “of an evening” or “of a morning.” She never said “in the morning”.
   My paternal grandmother, A member of the Batten clan, was a deeply devout Christian woman. I don’t remember her very well. She died in a car accident when I was about 12. I especially remember this because I remember having a family reunion on a Sunday. The very next day an 18-wheeler hit her car on Highway 70 outside Selma. Grandma Howes was a great cook as well, but I rarely ate anything at her house. In fact, she ran the lunchroom for many years at the school in Micro, North Carolina (yes, there really is a tiny town called Micro in North Carolina). She had, including my father, 10 children and around 40 grandchildren. My father was devoted to my grandmother and speaks of her in reverent tones even today. I wish I had known her better.

Replace Western Culture with What? – by Richard Smalto

   The great achievements of Western culture which include self-criticism and constant scrutiny, the backbone of the scientific method or the use of scientific reasoning, has deluded modern man into thinking free societies no longer need to worry about the fruits of civilization. Consensual government, Anglo-American jurisprudence, individual freedom, rationalism and religious belief, free market economies and capitalism are now in a constant state of peril because of this delusion. As a result Western culture has imploded and is caving in on itself.
   All of Western culture’s institutions and methodologies which have provided shelter, food and wealth in the past are being assailed because of structural hierarchy resentment (a biological necessity because of size, usually a dominant male) and an innate desire to exact revenge for perceived past grievances.
   At the core of this assault on institutions and methodologies are the distinctive elements of Western culture systematically destroying it. Self-criticism and constant scrutiny gone berserk for a variety of reasons is giving rise to an elite’s flirtation with nihilism.
   Is the replacement answer to Western culture, a culture based on structure and hierarchy, nihilism the antithesis of structure; an aggregation of looting, lawlessness, violence and rioting, lack of loyalty, extreme pessimism, radical skepticism and pointlessness except perhaps to destroy? I hope not. Or could it be a form of Marxist culture, without a middle class to restrain the actions of an elite class, the end result of which could be because of excessive taxation,
oppression and tyranny.
   I fear that there has been an overreaction to Western culture because it is predominately white and predominantly male but after we homogenize the races, create gender neutrality and form a new elite what can we expect that could be better?
   While we suffer from these self-inflicted wounds, street violence, open borders, excessive energy costs rampant inflation and a misdirected collapsing military force, my fervent hope is, people all over the world who wish to be free, will recognize Western culture, blemishes and all (with its Judeo-Christian values; to care and remedy wrong doing) still offers the best solution and brightest outlook for a promising future.