Blogging off of the top of my head

Dear Readers,
This is an open letter responding to an email I received and a news story posted in The Carroll County News and on ky3.com. The long and the short of it, as I noted in an earlier blog post, Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney enjoys a good drink and a little toke of the ganja and was found with both behind he wheel of his truck twice inside of twelve months.

Let's start here: Bad, very bad behavior. Impaired driving--whether you're drinking, toking, texting, doing a crossword puzzle, or whatever impairs your behavior behind the wheel--is very bad behavior and in some instances criminal. These behaviors have cause death and destruction in many lives and horror in every American community. Families have been ripped apart. People walk wounded both physically and emotionally and psychologically. Choosing to drive without focusing your full and undivided attention to the task at hand is dangerous and irresponsible.

If it is time to ask if I have ever driven while impaired, let me remind you I used to manage a bar. Yes, I have. When I was in my teens, drinking and driving was a hobby, not a felony. Thank God I have personally and as a society most of us have gotten over that.

What's the difference between the mayor and me? I haven't driven while impaired by alcohol in about fifteen years or so. By other impediments, twenty-five plus. When you consider the mayor is nine years older than I am, the difference between us is twenty-five to thirty-five years.

I have learned a lesson that Mayor McKinney might have learned finally on March 18, 2009 in Johnson, Arkansas. I hope he did.

I have come not to praise Mayor McKinney--nor have I come to bury him. He has made his mistakes and he will continue to pay for them. One of the prices he pays is thirty-nine days in county. Another which may be more embarrassing is one of wagging tongues and blogging hands, my hands included.

Yesterday, I got an email from an acquaintance about the Carroll County News article and his fury over the paper's response. The email I got was originally addressed to his pastor, but he sent it to me too with the salutation: CC for your information........act accordingly.

He writes (yes, the contents of the letter were written in a bold italic font):
What about character, responsibility, accountability, fairness, the example an elected leader is displaying to the youth of the community? Not one single Pastor has opened his pie hole.....to condemn this type activities.........silence signifies acceptance of this type conduct.......no wonder less than 10% of our people attend church.......the McKinneys are winning them over to the drugs, alcohol, gambling, loaded weapons, etc. type activity!!!!

He continues:
[My wife] talked today about writing an editorial about McKinney. She read the newpaper and couldn't believe that right in the middle of the story about his arrests Anna Matthews talked about all of his accomplishments for the city. [My wife] said that his accomplishments are outweighed by the negative example and influence that he is having on our students. She said that it is a shame that the person whose picture is on the wall of one of the new buildings also has his picture in the paper for drug and alcohol abuse. Her quote, "What message are we sending?" I told her that she shouldn't write an editorial because there would be repercussions toward her. Resentment and Retalitation run strong in Carroll County in general and Berryville in Particular.

From here, he complains about things that are wrong (his opinion that I imagine is shared by many others) with the Berryville School District. Among the things he talks about is an emphasis on athletics which he believes to be excessive and a salary structure that does not reward the work of support staff.

I have several problems with this message:
First--Why send this to me? He sent this letter to his pastor writing at the end "Think of you a lot.....come by sometime or call me.....I still think you are my pastor, am I wrong?" Private correspondence looses something when it becomes widely distributed.

Second issue--Even in indignation, if your argument is with education and the education system, using the phrases "in a academic distress state" and "money is throwed" hardly benefits your point.

Third--Straw man issues and slippery slope arguments do nothing to help this either. Yes, drugs, alcohol, gambling, and loaded weapons are all community issues, but to blame them on one man is neither valid nor helpful.

Finally--I appreciate you inviting your pastor (and me after sending me a copy of this letter) to get into the fray so that you and your wife can be safe and secure in your cocoon. It's nice for you to warn us that "Resentment and Retalitation run strong in Carroll County in general and Berryville in Particular" and then run to the shadows of your email allowing your pastor to take the brunt of a community's "resentment and retaliation."

Jesus called us to be his disciples in the world. The great commission teaches us to "go and make disciples." He knew it would be dangerous, shoot, he was crucified and risen before he gave the great commission. But know this, Jesus never said, "Here's what I want you to do, it's going to be dangerous, still I want you to get out and do it. In the meantime I will be here staying here at home with the wife. I will check up on you though and if you don't make enough noise I will zip off another email. Remember--I pay you to do the heavy lifting now get out there and do it."

The message tells me to ........act accordingly. Now gentle reader, I invite you to judge whether I am acting accordingly. That's what the "comment box" is for.

May the peace of God be with us all,
Paul