Thursday, April 15, 2010

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.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Tyranny of the Minority

One of my journalist friends had a post about a doctor (urologist) who wouldn't take any clients who voted for Obama. Of course, I responded in the positive. Good for him. Then one of his friends posted the opposite basically stating that anyone who had a doctors license HAD to treat EVERYONE.

And then my blood pressure took a head north.

Why do certain people always want to tell others how to live their life or run their business? Is it because we have evolved into a people who lack personal responsibility so others feel we need to be told what to do?

This is a bi-partisan issue. My GOP Brethren have been known to pass "nanny" legislation too.

But the majority of this legislation stems from a whiny minority of people who have decided they know what's best for the rest of the neighborhood. You know the ones and they come together on different issues. I was okay when the moms of my neighborhood got together and watched after us kids and kept us safe from outsiders, but then certain moms must have gotten a little bored with this and moved on to the next step...they decided that the icecream truck couldn't come into our neighborhood because little Johnny was getting too fat, so the rest of kids had to suffer the results of their meddling (little Johnny's mother should have taken care of that issue at home). Then a few other moms got together and decided that ten speed bikes were too dangerous so they coerced the rest of the moms to donate ours to the Salvation Army. After awhile, our neighborhood ceased to be one of exploration, fun and camaraderie, it was about whose mom was going to tell us what to do next. We all became afraid to play together or with certain kids. It became hell on earth.

Well folks, that is how our country currently works. We are at the mercy of the "moms" who feel they know what's best for us. I, for one, am really dang tired of it. Tyranny of the Minority...yes, it is time for change.