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.

Tennessee & John Jay Hooker

One of my personal and professional fascinations is researching the reasons behind why laws were originally passed. It is kind of like CSI for the political junkie mind. I did the same thing when I tried to understand the art world, but I decided to stick with politics after I learned of the sordid story between Gauguin and Van Gogh and the real reason Van Gogh cut off his ear...the art mind is just way too out there for my conservative leanings. Now, I just prefer to appreciate the beauty of art. Hmmm...I guess I can translate that thought process to other people's feelings on politics. Egads!

Oh well, back to politics. Personally, I think we need to start repealing laws right and left because each law that is passed seems to shackle somebody to something. A few laws that get passed are truly done in this vein of thought, those laws are sometimes called "enabling legislation" (and yes, we have gotten much more of these this year). However, it seems the majority of laws that get passed each year are not enabling legislation at all but just more legislative slavery. The less nefarious ones are passed because of knee jerk reactions to tragedy or intentional malfeasance, they are sometimes called "public welfare legislation". The darker ones invariably get passed to benefit somebody in power under the GUISE of public welfare legislation because that is the only way they can get passed. It is a very, very old game. I see alot of it in organizational behavior, and unless you know how the game is played, many "good-intent" players don't realize the repercussions of the maneuvering until the deal is done. Machiavelli still has many dedicated and passionate disciples among us.

The best defense to this legislative slavery and abuse of power is an informed citizenry...and a demand for less government control. Our founding fathers knew what we were in for when our country was birthed. They were the parents who risked their own lives for their children's future. And like any good parent, they did their best to put the tools in our hands to keep us free from the tyranny they themselves had fought against...but they did warn us that without moral fortitude in the public arena, man's sinful nature would take over.

Sometimes I wonder if we haven't pawned off many of those cherished tools to Guido the killer loan shark for a spring break trip to Daytona Beach...but I digress.

Today, I was perusing my usual news sources and found this video gem. I can't remember a better 20 minutes of oratory than what John Jay Hooker gave last week in committee. It speaks to me on so many levels. And this man's command of Tennessee history and the art of old school oratory is breathtaking. Thanks SC for this one. You were dead on.

As Rosa Parks once said..."Not all laws are just laws". And John Jay Hooker confirms why and how a constitutionally flawed law came to be. Definitely a Wizard of Oz unveiling after my own heart.

Click on the link below for this amazing moment of political clarity.

http://dailydocket.blogspot.com/2009/05/john-jay-hooker-against-retention.html