I am proud to be a resident in a state known as the Volunteer State. Tennessee picked up that moniker when during the war of 1812 Tennesseans volunteered far and above the average to go fight for our country. Since that date Tennesseans have always had a very high volunteer rate for wars, for humanitarian relief efforts, for anything that requires being a "bit neighborly." From Davey Crockett in the Alamo to Sergent Alvin York in World War I, Tennesseans have been heroic in their volunteering efforts to such an extent that the name has become synonymous with the state. We are proud of our service after all serving others is the Christian way. We have named our sporting teams thusly. Yet, sadly, no one seems to be taking much notice of the fact that middle Tennessee is calling out for help of its own at the moment. Indeed, Nashville and surrounding areas are totally underwater with scenes emerging that look eerily similar to a smaller scale Katrina. Nevertheless, national media outlets are focusing on the oil spill in the Gulf, certainly understandably so, but meanwhile the anguish of the state which has came to the aid of so many is largely being ignored. With 22 dead and counting and untold amounts of damage not yet accounted for, Nashville is a grade A disaster that is only making the back pages. And perhaps in one of the strangest ironies of my day - the only major network giving much attention is Steve Oberman and MSNBC. Perhaps fellow Orange State blogger Rob Huddleston put it best in his blog VOLuntarilyConservative when he stated "you can look out your window for flying pigs now."
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