Well it seems that the bunch of bloody bright blogger brigands known as the Rocky Top Brigade have not only noticed me, but actually added me to their rather eclectic membership. On the one hand, as Groucho famously said, “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member”. But there are a few darn good reasons to be appreciative of the honor.

First, some of these guys and gals are pretty darn good: the indispensable Bill Hobbs [happy birthday Bill!], Bjorn [although he has a disturbing proclivity for European cars], the guy over at Elephant Rants [even though he shops at anti-second amendment Gateway], the guy at Say Uncle [he likes guns and is often downright funny], and of course the grandfather of bloggers, InstaPundit. Even lefty South Knox Bubba puts thought into his posts and occasionally posts something even I can agree on.

Second, any group that has people like SK Bubba (who seems to be the ghost writer for Terry McAuliffe) and Kevin over at Lean Left obviously needs some brains to balance the emotion.

If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.
– Winston Churchill

Third, the group should have someone who knows that Glenfiddich beats Glenlivet by a country mile, but Isle of Jura makes for damn fine sippin’ for a very reasonable price.

Fourth, looking over the RTB Constitution, this group obviously needs someone to bring a little conflict. And who better than a transplanted Texan like myself? And with that in mind, I propose the following amendments to said Constitution:

• Whereas, ZZ Top is the Holy Trinity of Rock and Roll, and Texas is God’s Paradise on Earth,


• Whereas, there is nothing more beautiful than a Tyler Rose or a desert sunset in Big Bend National Park,


• Whereas, the smartest thing Davy Crockett ever said was, “You can go to hell — I’m going to Texas.”


• Whereas, during the War of Northern Aggression, Memphis fell in one and a half hours and Galveston held out for 14 months; Nashville was the first Confederate capital to fall and Union troops were never allowed to enter Austin,


• Whereas, General George S. Patton, the greatest general of the Second World War, said, “Give me an army of West Point grads and I win a battle, give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I’ll win a war.”,


• Whereas, the fiercest annual conflict on Earth, stirring more passion and excitement than any other, is the Turkey-day game between two titanic Texas rivals, the Fightin’ Texas Aggies and the Tea-sips,


• Whereas, there is nothing more fearsome than a Texas rattler, meaner than a desert havalina, or bigger than a Houston skeeter,

I won’t even mention the fact that the only football team that Tennessee can muster is a Texas hand-me-down. Now fellow Brigaders, let’s have a vote on the proposed amendments or I’ll filibuster like a Democrat worried that a judge with principles and an understanding of the Constitution will actually come up for a floor vote.

All kidding aside, thanks for including me. I thought I’d have to actually get good at this before anyone would notice.