Is THIS Wyoming?

[Republicrat]

I found this on another relocation/survivalist forum. I know many people have relocated WY and I'm just wondering if you feel the below statement is accurate. I have lived in the East and the West and definitely saw this type of stuff at least mildly a lot more in the West. I'm currently in the East and considering the move. Anyway, this is what was said:

Having grown up and having spent a considerable portion of my life in Wyoming, here is my two cents worth. What Joel wrote in his relocation book makes perfect sense as far as it goes. However, I have never heard any participants in this forum mention the following as one of the factors to weigh when considering a move to Wyoming.

A few years ago a movie starring Steve McQueen entitled ?Tom Horn? was released. I recommend that everyone considering a move to Wyoming watch that movie at least twice. This true story addresses a very touchy subject. There are a group of insider bullies who run the state?..everyone who lives there refer to them by various names: ?the Good Ol? Boy Network,? ?The Wyoming Mafia etc.? And even less unsavory adjectives have been used to describe this cabal. In essence, the power elite of Wyoming have formed a white collar bully entrenched network that is seamless from top to bottom. It includes the courts, law enforcement, public works employment, the educational system, lawyers and hospitals. In other words, if you think you are simply going to move there and take a ?secure? job in one of the sectors that they control, you will be sadly mistaken.

In the movie, Steve McQueen who plays the character Tom Horn is asked to clean up a nasty situation with cattle rustlers. He does an excellent job of cleaning things up until he discovers that there is also rampant political corruption in Wyoming?s establishment. The Good Ol Boy network starts to feel threatened by Tom Horn who is doing his job a little bit too well in the opinion of Wyoming Cattlemen?s Association. They become afraid that something might be traced back to them and those above them. Tom Horn always performed his job by acting on the defense, never on the offence, but unwittingly he still becomes a sacrificial lamb for the entrenched powers that be who are all too eager to project their sins on this Johnny come lately "outsider." They feign victimhood, and commence laying traps and snares to discredit him and to eliminate him. This pattern has been repeating itself thousands of times throughout the history of the state. In fact, here is a likely scenario that might happen if you move there:

Let?s say you accept a teaching position as a way to get established in Wyoming. Here is the game they will play with you: The first week on the job someone will be assigned to check you out. They will pretend that they want to become friends with you and to get to know you better. To sum it up in a few words, they will be trying to determine if you can be assimilated into their white-collar criminal network. They will give you a "test" to pass that will usually involve ?looking the other way? while state and federal laws are routinely broken in this or that particular work place. If you resist, they will immediately target you and they will commence the process of destroying your reputation and your career. You will soon discover that you have become the scapegoat for THEIR corruption and THEIR malfeasance. It does not matter which direction you go for help, the bullies up and down the line are all in on it and in the end those who do not assimilate are eliminated from the system. Embezzling is one of their favorite past-times. They will stop at nothing if anyone tries to expose them. You can go all the way to the supreme court of Wyoming and it will not do you any good. They have been building this system up for over a hundred years now, and everyone involved in it knows what they have to do if the system is ever threatened.

It is not just that insider Wyomingites are hostile to religion. They openly accept anyone who is willing to become corrupted and assimilated into their network, but they are hostile and antagonistic towards anyone who stands for correct principles and integrity. The Wyoming cabal is an equal opportunity assimilator of innocent, God-fearing, citizens of all religions. If you are willing to throw away your moral scruples, you will never have a problem dealing with this Wyoming cabal.

If you are going to live in Wyoming, you can survive just fine if your income is not dependent on the local economy, but if it is, they have ways of choking off your income if you ever run afoul of the Wyoming Mafia. If you are good at compartmentalizing and self-justification, you should be able to fit right into this network, otherwise, stay away. Watch the movie ?Tom Horn? if you want to see the inner workings of these petty tyrants being put into practice. Steve McQueen did years of research before making the movie. All I can say is that the movie reflects current political realities, even though it was made many years ago. After all, our own ?conservative? Vice President, Dick Cheney is a product of Wyoming?s political corruption. Think about that before innocently subjecting yourself to the vicious abuse that this political system is capable of inflicting upon so called ?outsiders.? I moved back to Wyoming after being away for 20 years and thought that I would not be treated as an "outsider." I was wrong to assume that, as I lasted only two years among them. ?If you have not lived here for five generations then you are an outsider.? Wyoming residents may say this in a joking manner, but they are DEAD SERIOUS.

[Hunter]

SO?. What's yer point?? This is old news and has been covered by me and several others on this forum within the FSW. It's called the "Good ole Boy" network. The good ole boy network is alive and well everywhere. In fact the FSW movement is primarily just a slightly different slant on the idea. The idea being is to replace the current Wyoming old guard with a new FSW guard.

What's new with that? Or is it a problem?

Hunter

[MarthaK]

After living in WY for 5 years, we are not so blind to think this is some perfect utopia.  BUT the "good ol' boy" network is MUCH less than the towns of Missouri we lived in for 10 years.  Tom grew up in one small town there and was "kicked out" of the network because he married an "outsider".  So much so that his own family won't speak.  The political atmosphere in WY is NOTHING compared to that.

Also to compare reality with a movie, no matter how well researched, is absurd.  A movie will always  exaggerate in terms of entertainment value.

Martha

[Patriot]

Try living in Kalifornia if you want to see REAL Tyranny in Action!

Patriot

[Boston]

It's not so much the point if Wyoming indeed has such a ruling cabal,
but to name a state which 1) does not, or 2) does, but is less
worse than Wyoming's.

I think every state has insider/elite collusion, to various levels.

The more FSWers trade with each other, the more insulated they will
be from any leverage by any cabal.

Boston

[FuzzHammer]

Try living in Kalifornia if you want to see REAL Tyranny in Action!

Patriot

or michigan for that matter...what Boston says is true, the good ole boy network is alive and thriving in every single state of the union, to assume otherwise is simply foolish and perhaps a bit niave, and having said that, i have to say, in my own experience, that the west in general is quite a bit more free of general oppression, simply because of, if nothing else, the less dense population (Kalifornia excepted)....if i were to lay my money down, i'd bet that the best chance to be had, in the sense of liberty, can only be found westward, at least at this point in time...im back in the east now, and its really NOT looking good for the future around here...

[Republicrat]

Woah, I wasn't directing this at anyone, nor was I even agreeing with it. Just asking, what do you guys think about this?

Personally, I agree this is everywhere. I live in PA and there's no doubt in my mind that it is really bad here. The corruption is out of control and makes the papers often.

I only ask about WY in an effort for due diligence about a place I may move to. The originator of that post obviously felt it was worth mentioning so I was just asking about it to get some inside information on it.

The whole point of a project like FSW is to group up with like-minded folks so I realize that what really matters is who your friends are.

Anyway, although I've lived all over I'm in a fairly heavily populated area now, so I was imagining things like this matter more in a state like WY.

That being said, I've lived in CA, PA, UT, and AZ so I've seen all sorts of variations of the above.

[Fred Rogers]

What do you make of the quote posted, Republicrat?

The author of the quote tells us there is "a white collar bully entrenched network that is seamless from top to bottom. It includes the courts, law enforcement, public works employment, the educational system, lawyers and hospitals."

Later, the writer tells us, "They will give you a "test" to pass that will usually involve ?looking the other way? while state and federal laws are routinely broken in this or that particular work place."

Rather than use a scene from my past to illustrate my naivete, let's assume I am that, and allow for this question that bothers me about the quote:? Assuming laws are routinely broken in these high-profile occupations, what laws are being broken?

I too am looking at Wyoming.? I've also lived in other states and while I experienced some xenophobia in Florida from the natives (there's probably more non-natives there now) I didn't get a chance to rub elbows with lawyers, doctors, schoolteachers, and the public works crew.? I was too busy making a living along with the rest of the riffraff in their Fords and Chevrolets and the obstacles I found were more personal.?

Our school systems are busy correcting this with their anti-bullying campaign.? I expect the state to mandate that worker's compensation companies begin to cover hurt feelings at work, any day now.? ?Being self-employed, I can't tell you how many hours are lost due to hurt feelings. I checked with my work comp carrier and they aren't covering hurt feelings, as yet.? ?Personally, all bets are off when the state jumps on the bully campaign with both barrels.

The quote talks about a Joel and his relocation book.? Do you know who Joel is and what the title of this book may be?? Thank you.

[Hunter]

Here's the deal.
Wyoming is a transition state. People in, people out.

Miners, oilfield, railroad, ranch, summer service workers and now FSW's.
Each group has or will have its own tight knit group. Cops hang with cops, miners with miners, agriculture with agriculture etc-etc. Human nature.
As a freedom lovin 4 wheeler-gun owning hunter & eater of meat political conservative, I don't hang with tree huggin greeny PeTa vegan liberals and they sure as he11 don't want to hang with me, eh?

So, izzat what you were talkin bout? ?

Hunter

[lex]

Pete, we gotta love ya when you talk so ... gruff.  Can we get a hug? Will ya hug my shi tsu?

Comments from everyone on this thread are 'accurate'.  Croniism is human nature - we all want to hang out with people who provide us with some community - even Pete's willing to be our curmudgeon, just so we can get a high-risk hug now and then.  The "five generations" metric is standard everywhere - Salisbury, North Carolina; Marblehead, Taxachewsits; surfers on the west coast; miners in Idaho; railroaders.  At the First Jamboree Fran said to another gunner who was particularly precise in an El Presidente go-round, "I want YOU to be MY neighbor!"  That's the kind of insiderism I want to cultivate.

So, YES, this IS Wyoming, America, Earth.  We may as well get good at it: populate Wyoming with individuals of demonstrably ethical character who peacably co-exist as reasonable neighbors for the goals of political liberty, free trade, and voluntary cooperation.  (Solid ring to it, BTP!)

Lex

[Lady Liberty]

The quote talks about a Joel and his relocation book.  Do you know who Joel is and what the title of this book may be?  Thank you.

The book is entitled "Strategic Relocation," and it's written by a man named Joel Skousen. I own a copy which I've gone through a couple of times, and I can tell you that I consider it an excellent reference.

[MamaLiberty]

I spent the last 20 years in the medical profession - RN - and in California, so I'm pretty familiar with the "game." I would never play the game, so was never acceptable to the "powers that be," and glad of it. I just did my little job and kept out of their way as much as possible. I lost a few jobs because I wouldn't "play nice," but nurses were in such demand that it never mattered much and I did my job so well that they had little leverage..

I've been in Wyoming now for almost two months, and love every minute of it. Lots of local  people ask me why I came here, and I love their big smiles when I say that I feel I've "come home," and tell them my father was born and raised in the Dakota territories in the late 1800s.  I've felt nothing but welcome and accepted, so far anyway. My neighbors have both come over to introduce themselves and offer their help! That's something you'll never see in California.

I don't expect to be accepted totally as a Wyomingite right away. I don't accept people as friends until I get to know them and feel comfortable with their character, so I don't know why anyone else would do otherwise. I expect to spend a while being a good neighbor, demonstrating integrity and self-responsibility before I'm accepted. Those who are not impressed with that and wish to remain strangers have every right to do so.

Let's build on that, folks. I don't know if we can do anything about the "Good old boys club" in the long run, but a good place to start is stay OUT of their game and live free as we can, building OUR reputation with our neighbors. I don't see how we can lose that way.

MamaLiberty

[Hunter]

Pete, we gotta love ya when you talk so ... gruff.? Can we get a hug?

Will ya hug my shi tsu?
That's a dawg right?
Sure, I like dawgs, I'd hug you 'n' da dawg

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?"even Pete's willing to be our curmudgeon"
I'm a what? [/color][/b]

Hunter

[Prairie Fire]

My take on the long quote that started this thread, is that its writer (not its poster Republicrat) probably took a bite out of Wyoming, failed in his attempt, and is looking for someone to blame.
 
Anybody whose life events reach their brain through a conspiracy filter will find corn-spiracies enough to stay entertained and permanently off track throughout his life.
 
As others have said in this thread, events such as those stated in the quote happen all around the country.  I tend to blame greed, a lust for power, and laziness as the root of many of the problems that the writer says he has experienced  in Wyoming during his latest bite out of the state.  Those qualities are hardly unique to Wyoming.
 
"Five generations in the state to not be considered an outsider?"  Feh.  Not in the Wyoming I know.  That writer just has a bad attitude, and would likely encounter the same problems in every state he lives in.

[wyomiles]

All, My family has had experience with the good old boy stuff and with the mafia that is mentioned in the post . This was in the late 70's and by the time we got done with it we were bankrupt and had to start over. We learned alot about the dark side during those years and since then we have also learned that  this is everywhere. The key is to due dilegence. Be careful who you associate with and trust in god.  I am not sure if this stuff still goes on but I am sure that , in this world ,there is good and bad and I choose to be good even if that means that sometimes they take my money, my home, my stuff . At the end of the day I know were my reward is and it is not with worldly things. As a consequence of this the lord has given me two wonderful gardian angels, and because of the way I view the world I have been blessed. ( There are still things that bother me and get me down of coarse )
I spent half of my life in Wyoming and what it comes down to is the choices we make, who we associate with , our faith. I am on this forum because I see hope in it!!

Mama Liberty, I am so glad your move has brought you new freinds and good neighbors. My experience in Wyoming, other than the couple of years mentioned above, is that of people who were very helpful and friendly. I am looking forward to having any of those here as neighbors.   

Miles