# 58 -- RAGE BY REDBONE PETTIFOGGERS

By Gary J. Gabehart

As Bill O'Reilly might opine, do not be a Pettifogger.

Past few weeks, the minions of malcontents Ray Bridges and LV Hay have begun a campaign to up turn the RHF. Ray of course knows the end is in sight for his officership as Vice President of RHF, and since RHF has gone to electronic meetings and ballot voting, it has been a trying time for Ray. (Ray's position is up this year if he is not voted out prior to that time)

A number of months ago, Ray Bridges, as Vice President, was asked by Stacy Webb if he would check out Lake Charles, Louisiana for a Research Conference site (I had resigned as the Chair of the planning Committee and felt that position should change hands yearly). Ray, as Vice President, accepted Stacy's request and told everyone he would get back to the Board.

Next thing you know, Ray had appointed a committee of non RHF members, against the very By-Laws he had recently approved, and moved the Research Conference from Lake Charles to Starks, Louisiana.

At first, he was indulged by individual Board Members but seemed to fly into a fit with every question as to what he was doing. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I pointed out the food service would have to accommodate salt and sugar sensitive folks and persons on special diets, and -- cigarette smoking was out for many people. Ray did not want to accommodate the RHF membership in any way and flew into a rage. I advised him that he had to build his consensus with the Board, --not non-members.

From Ray. 5/31/2007

May be a good way of weeding out some of the chaff.

"Without being terribly indifferent to the sufferings of S.J., I'm terribly indifferent to the sufferings of S.J. and others incapable of flexibility. We're not running a restaurant, we're offering food. I'm sure some people will prefer to furnish their own, as would I if I even attempted to accommodate half of the list you just offered."

"Those are details that are not on my radar yet, and probably won't be until a few weeks before any gathering now contemplated."

Mishiho@aol.com wrote:

We have a number of serious salt free members
Diabetics, sugar -- substitute Splenda in cakes, pies, etc.
Serious Cigarette smoke issues
Members who will walk if alcohol is present
Members who will not go near gaming

GGabe A Texas Chickasaw Indian at War

Now tell me, what does it take to put Sweet & Low on the Table and just not salt up the food?

From this point on it was his cousins (Beverly Jackson and Terry Jackson) who had decided to hold the Conference without RHF in the local VFW hall complete with alcohol and cigarettes.

From Ray Bridges, 6/13/2007

• "I'm pulling out of the RHF. I don't have time for that kind of bullshit. "My cousins don't want the RHF to have anything to do with their meeting." They don't need someone they don't know and who isn't one of them, talk shit and feel they have to defend or explain it."

The rest is history!

This week, after listening to the Raves and Rants of Larry, Ray, and LV Hay, I returned some questions to Larry and Beverly Jackson -- below is the following.

LARRY BRIDGES, you said:

“Clark Ashworth, a nineteenth century resident of Jefferson County, TX is the descendant of James Ashworth and Keziah Dial and is on public record as self identifying as ‘Portaghee’.”

"Need I remind you that many mixed blood peoples came out of the Portuguese colonies of western Africa and although identifying as 'Portaghee,' were in fact E3B Western African. I do not doubt what you say about Clark Ashworth being on record but how can one verify that record."

Next Larry, you write:

“Gabehart, I thought you were a qualified researcher. Maybe Cyndie, the cultural historian, can assist if you can discover nothing on this archaic racist epithet.” (racist epithet is Larry's favorite word)

"Amazing that you cannot answer the simple question of your take on 'ebo shine.' You brought the word in here, yet you cannot answer the question -- any question for that matter! What does that word have to do with Redbones in your mind?"

"You are not getting out of this easily Larry by not being able to answer the question – tell us what YOU mean by the use of that word."


BEVERLY, you said:

“My biggest gripe is not necessarily what's being done to research them, but how some of this is being presented. If you want to win a dog over to your side, you don't force him to be your friend, you first win his trust.”

"WHY WOULD I WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANYONE THAT IS BEHAVING IN THAT MANNER???"


"The whine of this tone begs the answer, -- before being wanted or invited, the invitation has to be extended. If it is not offered, perhaps there never was intent to be inclusive in the first place. Maybe it just never made a difference to any one other than you. If you do not want to be included, that has been amply conveyed, over the years by you, and in ALL your posts, and it is time to move on."

Beverly said:

“Maybe I'm just a little on the defensive here because of some of the other comments that have been made lately.”

"Surely, you will recall, you did not pay your $10.00 DUES to RHF in 2005 or the $10.00 DUES in 2006, a mere pittance, yet you wished to chair the RHF planning committee."

"The reason why the conference was not held in Lake Charles in 2006 is because you failed to put it together, and when asked about your membership dues, 'by me,' of $10.00 in 2006 you resigned and dumped the planning on me – that is the venom of vipers you speak of, but it was really an affront by you -- to {members who did} supporting RHF members."

"In 2007, according to your cousin Ray Bridges, it was your decision and Terry Jackson to take over the RHF Conference in Lake Charles, exclude RHF (?) and move it to Starks. Why would you think that RHF would entertain that?"

"For the 2005 Conference, you booked out as a presenter and then was a no show without so much as a phone call. In 2006, both YOU and TERRY JACKSON booked out as speakers and failed to show, again without so much as a thank you. Childish activity don’t cha think? Now you wish again for the world to revolve around you, yet you have contributed no research, and none to the RHF archives that I am aware of. I mention this as you speak a great deal of innuendo toward RHF and me as having put upon you when the complete story has not yet been told of your activity."

"It has never been 'your side, our side of things' by RHF. We simply are not interested in a side-playing thing that you speak of. We are a research organization, and we do not do our research hanging over the back fence."


I suppose that the Cajuns went through this same stuff. In some respects, the Redbones in terms of a timeline are but a half a day behind the Cajuns and catching up fast. The major problems now are the jealousy of some and the fear of others that they will turn up something in their family history they do not want to hear.

Those words are Colored, African, Slave, Negro and a few back pocket words that Larry Keels carries around, such as, his flaunted "ebo shine," any idea what it means?

In the early 1800's, officially, we only had two types of people in country (Louisiana) Africans (Blacks, Slaves) and Whites, but we did have off to the side, "Free People of Color," and in 1810 they also were counted. Now before I go any further, let me state that Indians were Indians, and they were just ignored.

The Free People of Color were anything and everything that was not Black, White and often not pure Indian. FPC likely included darker ethnicity's from perhaps, Germany, India, China, Middle East, Portuguese, Moors, Turks and you name it -- even mixed blood Indians.

Legal terms included the term Mulatto, and FPC was shortened to Colored over the years. Now we are only talking 200-300 years, a very short time for many folks who remember days when they could not walk where the White folks walked because they might be taken for Black rather than Indian, Colored, Italian or any mix in between.

Once you cross the color line, it's tough for many to look back -- doesn't mean anything to be just colored, it is "what if we have a Black gene" and someone finds out. Yet, 70% of White folks in this country do not carry any Black genes, yet the old fears of being classed in a so called lower group of people lives on.

If it bothers you that much, either track your genealogy and match it up with a DNA test or put it down and walk away. You cannot have it both ways, yet history is history -- you are who you are.

Do I have a Black component? At this time, our family has only found the Indian component in my bloodline. However, we have had family members with Black components, and I suggest that every family has them -- they just may not be in your bloodline. Do I think I will find that Black gene someday -- I don't know, anything is possible.

At this time, Black components have been found in the Ashworth/Droddy line by Ray Bridges as well as some Nash lines. Does that mean that all Ashworth, Droddy and Nash have a Black ethnicity like Ray Bridges is trying to push on everyone -- No, it does not.

In a recent friendly note from Ray:

"Dear A-- Wipes,

I did hear that there was a bunch of good ol' boys in Starks that wanted to talk to you creeps about just how Black you think the Redbones around Starks are. I told them that y'all be happy to meet them at the VFW Hall in Starks the evening of October 19. No, seriously, they're looking forward to you explaining to them why you think they're Black.

S--t, you mother f--kers, if you thought they hated Gays, wait till you see how they react to being told you think they're part Black. That is what you said, isn't it?"

That Ray, he is such a kidder.

Best,

GARY J. GABEHART, MISHIHO (Mish-eh-ho)
MISHIHO@AOL.COM