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Southern Partisan

PO Box 11708, Columbia, South Carolina, 29211.

ISSUE 30 of Ulster Nation saw a review of the Confederate Veteran – the bi-monthly journal of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Our review noted that the Confederate Veteran had opened our eyes “to Southern heritage, history and culture” and that we looked forward to obtaining similar publications for review. Many thanks are therefore due to ‘Sandy from occupied Georgia’ who forwarded the Southern Partisan for review.

The Southern Partisan is a glossy 46 page magazine, “the fastest growing conservative journal in America”. The main articles in our review copy (Volume XXI, Third Quarter 2001) were The Federal Judiciary by William J Watkins, Jr. and The Necessity of Restraint by Michael A. Peroutka. Unfortunately, I don’t feel qualified to comment upon these articles, as I’m still in the very early stages of trying to understand the American political system. Despite this there are some excellent and thought provoking articles by writers such as Walter Williams, Joseph Sobran, Charley Reese, William Murchison and PJ Byrnes.

One thing that Ulsterfolk could identify with was the Southern Partisan’s Country music review section. Here Redbone T Walker described the extraordinary impact of the soundtrack of the Coen brothers' film O Brother Where Art Thou? The brothers “are big fans of old-timey country music (read traditional Southern music)”. Walker notes “The music was terrific, and the title song, Man of Constant Sorrow, became a big seller (for the genre) with a popular video on Country Music Television, and even reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Music Chart. All of a sudden, traditional music was suddenly profitable, if still not presentable”. Although mainline commercial radio stations refuse to play this Southern music, use of the internet has allowed word to spread “about this newly discovered, old music”.

Southern Partisan also looks at other traditional albums – Little Sparrow by Dolly Parton and Mountain Soul by Patty Loveless. Dolly Parton is perhaps one of the best known country singers in the world. However, this latest offering represents a move away from commercial country music toward the kind of music that makes her feel at home. In short, Little Sparrow is a “celebration of the heritage for which Dolly has unashamedly deep affection”. Loveless is a commercial country music star who hails from the “hard, high, hills around Harlan, Kentucky”. Mountain Soul is a collection of traditional, rooted songs such as Sorrowful Angels and Daniel Prayed. As the Southern Partisan notes of Mountain Soul “it is refreshing to hear music performed for its own sake and beauty” and that it makes the case “that, somewhere out there, folks will seek out the culture of their people”.

Southern Partisan’s motivation is a love of all things Southern and it successfully presents an intelligent and holistic view of Dixie. It should be read – and emulated - by all Ulster patriots.

John Field.

A THIRD WAY FOR ULSTER