By Miles Layton
Tuesday’s random thoughts…
At least a couple of weekend mornings each week, I drive past a sign with different conservative-themed slogans hand-painted on it, at an important bend on Snug Harbor and Burnt Mill roads in Bethel, deep in the heart of Perquimans County.
I have to confess, I love the signs and agree with what they say most days.
I’ve seen a guy painting the slogans on the sign — whoever you are, reach out to me at mileslayton1969@gmail.com. I’d like to write a story about you.
Since I spent many years in West Virginia, these signs remind me of Appalachia, coal country, where in the hills and hollers nobody gave a crap if what they said triggered someone. Folks there, though respectful of others, were anti-woke and proudly political before it was cool.
That badass attitude wasn’t, and isn’t, necessarily Republican; it could just as easily be a Democrat voicing concerns about income or social inequality.
More accurately, it’s an ideal dedicated to being anti-authority or fiercely independent in your beliefs about what’s right or wrong, rather than falling in line with the party line or the media narrative.
That identity, that independence, is what makes farmers, miners, and folks from the country dangerous — we can think for ourselves. That’s the essence of being an American; it’s a blessing and a strength.
One response to “Bethel’s Bulletin Board: One Man, One Paintbrush, One Bend in the Road”
I, too, love the signs. But not having a North Carolina accent, I tend to hold back from knocking on people’s doors to meet them. He does build (or rebuild) wooden boats. At one time, the yellow skiff in the photo was for sale. And based on the flags he flies, I suspect he is a retired Coast Guard warrant officer. Should be able to get his name from the Perquaimans County on-line property maps – the names on the deeds can be found on the map.