Liberation

I recently made a Facebook post about feeling "Liberated", and what would a conservative do to celebrate instead of burning my bra. It was obviously a tongue in cheek statement, but it had some pretty deep roots.

My hometown Monteagle, the town of my elders, the town that my namesake helped incorporate, had an election on Tuesday. Not just any election, it was an election that meant a possible end to 18 years of thug rule if the results went in our favor. Maybe I am exaggerating on 18 years, I want to give the man who was in office some due. I want to believe that he started out wanting to serve the public and do what was best for the town of Monteagle. But over the years, his interests became skewed and his ego took over. And along with his ego, came the breaking of laws and alot of political malfeasance.

Surely, how much harm can a person in charge of a little town of 1100 do? Unfortunately, quite a bit. Monteagle has been a well-known southern mountain vacation community since the late 1800's, it also has two exits right off the major interstate between Nashville and Chattanooga which means it is the financial gateway to many bedroom communities in the several counties surrounding it. Monteagle can help or hinder those communities. That is quite a bit of power to wield.

Over the years, there was also an unwritten rule that to do business in Monteagle, you had to hire the local plumber/electrician...yes, that would be the Mayor. Then, you had to deal with an uneven policy of zoning and water/sewer rights. If you made a deal thru the Mayor, the rest was approved. If you didn't play by those rules, you would pay...one way or another. Many a person has lost alot of money doing business in Monteagle.

Then you had just everyday rules and policies. If you paid homage to the powers that be, you wouldn't have to follow those policies. If you crossed hairs with the powers that be, then they found every law in the book to bring you to your knees. So if you live in a town of 1100, the long arm of the law could reach into every aspect of your life in a very short time with no recourse. For people like myself, this existence is like a prison. A beautiful prison, but still a prison.

So when I talk about the fear of our state and federal government overextending their powers "for our own good", I think about "who" will be carrying out those duties and how in a little town of 1100, hell on earth can happen when you give people the power of "the law".

The devil is always on our shoulder, he especially likes politicians and people in power. I prefer to take away his tools and let everyone deal with his/her own demons personally. Govt shouldn't be his playground.

Liberation? Yes, we won on Tuesday! With a little Divine guidance and sheer hard work, Monteagle, and all her residents have been Liberated! Time to start breaking down the prison walls and building up the life our Founding Fathers envisioned...it starts in small towns all across America folks. We all can make victories happen.

The Ballot is stronger than the Bullet.

My next installment? How a dead man won the Mayor seat in the town next to ours.