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Book Reviews
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Ain’t No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag
by Charlie Daniels
(Regnery Publishing, Inc., Washington, DC, 2003)
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It’s interesting what different librarians at the various branches of the county libraries will put out on the counters for their patrons to peruse. I was in a library branch in the north part of San Luis Obispo County (not my usual one), when a book titled, "Ain’t No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag," written by Charlie Daniels, caught my eye. It turns out this is the same Charlie Daniels with the big beard and bigger cowboy hat who plays fiddle in the country rock band.
The synopsis on the book’s inside jacket promised this was a book bent on disparaging liberals and espousing the conservative/Christian viewpoint on a variety of subjects. Testimonials for the book on the back jacket included those by Sean Hannity, Hank Williams Jr., Lt. Col. Oliver North, and The Reverend Franklin Graham. In the interests of communication and gaining more understanding of the conservative element of America (a promise I made to myself after 11/2), I decided to check it out.
"Ain’t No Rag" is a comprehensive collection of Charlie’s short, easy-to-read, and often ranting pontifications from his "Soapbox" section of his website (www.charliedaniels.com). It turns out that Charlie is a fairly prolific writer, and he’s pretty good at getting his point across.
The book is divided into three sections. The first, Cowboy Logic, is the most difficult to get through, as it is Charlie at his most ranting. It includes opinion pieces on liberals, guns, abortion, North Korea, "the Hollywood Bunch," separation of church and state, illegal aliens, 9/11, anti-war protests, reparations to African-Americans, NAFTA, and lots more. The next two sections, "Why I Love America" and "Faith and Family," are more mellow and include topics such as farming, baseball, the natural beauty of America, raising children, various charity operations with which Charlie is familiar, the Ten Commandments, Charlie’s prostate cancer operation, Thanksgiving, and Jane Fonda’s (alleged) religious conversion.
So why would someone with a liberal bent want to read this book? Well, if someone can keep a fairly large perspective on things, this book is fairly instructive. Better examples of the conservative viewpoint cannot be found. Need to converse across the fence with that neighbor with the United We Stand bumper sticker on his pick-up truck and American flag flying in his yard? Or have to go with your in-laws to church next Sunday and need to practice the lingo? No problem, just pick up this book, memorize a few lines on any number of topics, and you are in. Need a textbook on "faith-based argument" or the contradictory illogic of the conservative element? Again, you could not find a better book.
Hey, maybe if 200 years from now scholars and historians want to study "what the olden days" were like just before The Great Awakening and how some people thought, it is very possible this will be the reference book of choice.
And if you are a conservative Christian, this book is heaven. I put myself in the shoes and mindset of the conservative/Christian as I read Charlie’s book. Oh, what comfort this book brings to me! All my cherished beliefs are confirmed here. I am filled with pride. I am part of a large group that is always right, that is always doing the right thing. I am part of tradition. I am helping to keep the world safe. The world might be changing around me, but my world remains static, just like my Daddy and Mommy, just like my religion, just like the Founding Fathers. I don’t have to think about what is the right thing to do; it is told to me. The world is simple. The world is black and white. The world is full of hateful people who want to take what is mine and ours, but we are stronger and more united and more moral than they are. Don’t mess with us! We can kick-ass. Because God wants us to!
Charlie does get some credit for trying to get into the liberal person’s mind. He often prefaces an essay by saying something like, "Now I know the liberals will be saying...." Unfortunately, I never get the feeling he really does understand the liberal arguments. As far as my own beliefs go, I don’t think that sticking daisies in the guns of the soldiers will end war (as he suggests liberals believe). I do think Saddam Hussein and his family and henchmen did some despicable things, and I really do think family is important, although I am sure that Charlie’s definition of family differs from mine. Now please don’t think that Charlie and I disagree on everything; there are a surprisingly many issues about which we are like mind. Like, Charlie, I agree that most of what is on TV is trash. We both believe in the power of the family to make children into responsible adults, and we both believe George Harrison was a great songwriter and a tender and loving human being. Likewise, Charlie and I agree that the U.S.A. is a beautiful country, that NAFTA and the FTAA are raw deals that benefit the super-wealthy and just about nobody else, and that every man over 50 years of age should get an annual blood test for early detection of prostate cancer (it could very well save your life, men).
So, if you have a sense of humor or want to study the conservative American Christian viewpoint, pick up a copy of this book. As for me, I’ve had about enough of it, and it’s going right back to that North County branch library.
Mark Tomes resides in Santa Margarita and can be reached at tomes@charter.net.
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