He quoted a man named Dr. Alan Keyes: "When politicians want to make a decision, they put their finger up into the wind. Ladies and gentlemen: We are the wind."
There is a great deal of upset blowing across Lincoln County, yet too many people display the beaten-dog attitude and come up with all kinds of excuses about why something can't be done. I tell you, we have forgotten that we are the wind and we still have the power to bring government to its knees and it is our right to do so.
Everyone who works for the government on any level has but one boss and that boss is the public. As the public, it is our duty to question those in office. Anyone who questions the acts and decisions of elected officials should not be labeled as a "troublemaker" and shunned as such.
The great American system was set forth in a form of levels of government. Immense power is given to us, the public, on the county level. As I read history and the law, there was an underlying principle, that if the public could and would require a level of integrity at the county level, it would follow through to the state level and on toward the federal level.
It is not the common man's duty to know the laws of which every government office acts under. It is the elected officials' duty to know the law they operate under and their duty to keep the government employees appraised of such.
Sadly, however, if the common man does not become a near law student, he will not be treated fairly. This is inherently wrong. The law was set forth to protect the common man from unreasonable acts of those who hold the power. Take the personalities out of the question and ask the hard questions.
Winston Churchill said: "If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you with only a precarious chance of survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is not hope of victory at all, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves."
You want to "change" Lincoln County politics? Then do it, not by sitting around venting on blogs, writing letters to the editor or talking in coffee shops. Action speaks. That means going to town council and county commission meetings.
Let us not be a gentle breeze, but a wind of such force, we win. We can bring our elected public servants to heel. No one else going to do it for us.
If we don't, then the same crooks, cowards, and knotheads will remain in office and Lincoln County will suffer. Make no mistake about it. We are the wind. Believe it. Become part of it. Stay the course. Or die wondering what the hell just happened?