Now The Revenue Man Wanted Grandaddy Bad . . .

With my penchant for using lyrics as post titles, I couldn't pass this one up.

From Mr. Atrios, regarding that Republican phenom, former Senator Thompson -

But a review of the 88 criminal cases Thompson handled at the U.S. attorney's office in Nashville, from 1969 to 1972, reveals a different and more human portrait -- that of a young lawyer learning the ropes on routine cases involving gambling, mail theft and, in one instance, talking dirty on CB radio.

There were a few bank robbers and counterfeiters. But more than anything, Thompson took on the state's moonshiners and a local culture, rooted in Tennessee's hills and hollows, that celebrated the independent whiskey maker's battle against the government's revenue agents.

Twenty-seven of his cases involved moonshining -- more than any other crime.

"Hell, I made whiskey and was violating the law, but I didn't do nothing wrong," said one of Thompson's many moonshining defendants, Kenneth Whitehead. "I would do it again if I had a still. I can't afford a still now."

Now, the fact that Mr. Thompson was the prosecutor who kept the promise that the revenue men made, when they caught the moonshiners, is not something that I think is bad. On the other hand, it's not a "good ole boy" kind of activity, as near as I can tell.

But enough of politics - this is as good an excuse as any for some "Copperhead Road" from Steve Earle.

A "music video" version, which apparently can't be "embedded", is at this link.

A "Sims" version, which can be embedded -



And, an interesting clip from what seems to be a "Country Music Television" show hosted by Jerry Jeff "Up against the wall redneck mother" Walker. The audience doesn't seem to know what to make of this guy, Steve Earle, and his solo performance of "Copperhead Road", but they sure do applaud at the end.



I don't know what the crowd would have thought of Mr. Thompson, so we'll just have to let our imaginations run wild.