As a tot one of my favorite Bible stories
was Daniel in the lion's den. Unfortunately
it's rare that the underdog triumphs over
the forces of evil. Years later I was often
stuck in the corporate equivalent of said
pit. Being offered up as a human sacrifice
is rarely pleasant. Nor is the process of
being torn apart by wolves, giant reptiles,
or women scorned. Somehow I crawled
my way out of it. Yet the early Christian
martyrs aside, invariably we all end up in
hell because we put ourselves there. And
so, we've nobody to blame but ourselves.
Yesterday morning I attended what only
can be described as an exercise in futility.
Our community is currently run by a City
Manager. Years ago local citizens chose
to shift from an elected mayoral structure
to one led by a paid professional managed
by a group of elected City Commissioners.
Since then we've had our ups and downs
but mostly the city has been run effectively
given limited resources. Yet in the end it
seemed that most felt things were working.
Recently it became time to review this
structure. That's when the trouble began.
I'll be honest with you, I have not
been actively engaged in the process.
A committee was established with a
retired businessman named as head.
They've met many times with limited
participation from the community at
large. Initially many found the group
a waste of time. Well, that was until
it became obvious that some involved
either had hidden agendas or were
being manipulated by those who did.
And suddenly, we realized that we
had a major problem on our hands.
Sooner or later...I'm NOT going to get into the details.
Mostly because honestly, I'm still not
sure what is exactly what. All that I
do know is that rather than a smooth
and professional process, it turned into
what can only be deemed a witch hunt.
That's when a group of local leaders
decided they had to get involved and
attend a session. The result of which
was far beyond anything I'd imagined.
You see, we innocently walked into
a lion's den. Even worse, our fate was
sealed long before we ever arrived!
It was obvious that we were too late
to stop said tainted tsunami. Those
in control had already made up their
minds. After several newcomers had
the opportunity to say our piece, one
venomous vixen asked "Where have
you been all of this time." To which
I had to admit has been anyplace but
there. Hence the realization that our
absence just may have led the rest of
Lewistown to slaughter. Or in this
case the voting booth in November.
And so... the battle now begins.
Those who roar the loudest are usually
angry, hungry, or both. Meanwhile it's
rare that those who are truly happy opt
to speak up or get involved. One can
understand why most of us stay away.
There simply aren't enough hours in
the day! However recent events have
made it more than clear that without
our collective involvement, power can
quickly shift into the hands of a not so
moral minority. And so I'm jumping
into our local lion's den to fight for
what I believe is right. Am I wrong?
"What makes a king out of a slave?
COURAGE! What makes the flag on
the mast wave? COURAGE! What
makes the elephant charge his tusk
in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?
What makes the muskrat guard his
musk? COURAGE! What makes
the sphinx the seventh wonder?
COURAGE! What makes the dawn
come up like thunder? COURAGE!
What makes the Hottentot hot? What
puts the ape in apricot? What have
they got that I ain't got? COURAGE!
The Cowardly Lion
