Just checking in

Those who have paid attention to this blog know that it has been 20 days since Buddy Wayne's Ideal World has been updated.

There have been several reasons for this. One of them was that a five-night, four-day vacation that my parents and I took to New York City last week. (We arrived late Tuesday night of last week and left on Sunday morning.) During that time, I enjoyed myself and didn't use the hotel computers all that much.

Before that, I restarted classes at ABC Adult School, which meant less free time for projects like this one.

This weekend, I plan to go back to this blog for at least one post. I have not forgotten Buddy Wayne Barefoot and all of his friends and neighbors. If they were with us, they would convey the word that they are OK.

From the Porch: Defending the South

This is the first column in a new series. I will try to give you regular columns from my characters about what life has been like in Idealia since I wrote the final word of The Buddy Wayne Chronicles. - D.H.

In the two years since the book's story wrapped up, a few things have happened to me. One of them was an interview with Matt Frei of BBC World News.

It was nice to invite someone from the outside world to take a glimpse at the paradise to come, and I enjoyed talking to my millions of fans around the globe. During the interview, I also gave Matt a tour of my property and even let him drive my 1930s vintage car, the same one that I won the Heritage Cup in.

But all the outside world could talk about was a statement that was commonly reported as, "I believe that the Confederate flag is the symbol of heaven." I did not say those exact words: what I actually did was point out a flag with the cross of St. George outside the family house and told him, "This does not stand for what you think it does. It stands for the influence of our religious and cultural heritage [in the Southern United States] and how it is a symbol of our lives here in Heaven."

Those who know about Idealia know that we love barbeque, porch sitting, storytelling, riding horses, racing cars, (American) football, hunting, fishing, and working on the land. We also live our lives by faith, family, and moral values. Nowhere else on Earth is this more true than in the South. Because we believe that only the grace of God saves us and sends us to Heaven, it is only appropriate that we eventually land here.

Besides, as I explained to Matt, the flag now associated with the Confederacy, which has the Cross of St. George, was never the official flag of the nation. For most of its history, it was the "Stars and Bars," which had many similarities to the American flag. (See this page for more on the subject.) The cross flag was a "battle flag" used by some units of the CSA army during the Civil War. Later, it was chosen with the American flag to represent reunions of old soldiers from that war.

Somehow, this got twisted to represent the worst elements of the antebellum American South, including slavery. But the fact remains that, here in Idealia, the flag hangs from most of our houses, whether we are white, black, or from another background. The reason is simple: the flag represents us and unifies us, just as the American flag does in the USA or another national flag does elsewhere.

I will always stand by and defend the use of the cross of St. George, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. As I have always said, "Take me as I am or don't take me at all."


Next time, I will defend my actions as it relates to my belle, Brittany Spears.

What's ahead on this site

I have not posted in a little over a week, so some of you may have wondered what happened to me.

The answer is, nothing really. I have been trying to take it easy in one of the worst heat waves the Los Angeles area has ever seen, as of Friday it was 90 degrees plus on nine consecutive days. Not to mention the Station Fire resulting in images similar to that of nuclear destruction.

Also, I have been thinking about where to go with this blog.

The next big idea in my mind is a weekly column called "From the Porch." Here, Buddy (or sometimes a guest character) will talk about life in my little corner of Heaven. You'll see just how different life in the world to come is compared to what life is like now. Then again, are things that much easier when everything is taken care of? Sometime this weekend, I resolve to start this new feature.

In addition: At some point this month, I will talk about a controversial topic: the Confederate flag, or more correctly the Cross of St. George flag. Why do Idealians rally behind a symbol so controversial that states displaying it are now denied the opportunity to host major college sports championships? And those people include a substantial population descended from African-Americans, the very group that is supposed to be the most offended.

Have a great holiday weekend.