Those who would undermine

Introduction: The last meeting of the Calhoun City Council had to do with an effort on the part of some officials to restructure the city government. Items discussed, articles written and comments made are the central consideration of today’s column.

One of the great failures in writing is the use of ambiguity of expression. That simply means that many speakers or writers use expressions in such a way that what they say can mean everything or it can mean anything. Often it possibly means nothing. The worse incidents are when writers use language to imply great wrongs concerning the person, action or thing about which they write.

It is easy to completely ignore matters of importance by using ambiguous expressions or by attacking institutions (schools, the Calhoun Times, governments, offices or positions for instance) without defining what the attacker finds actually wrong.

It is difficult to define what should be said about people who ignore the elements of a matter but rather attack some personality associated with the matter. I use an incident of a personal nature to illustrate my point: A few years ago, I wrote a column that got a certain group up in arms. Hundreds of remarks were directed to the paper. Now listen to this: Every one attacked some element of my life from far in the past to the present time. Not one introduced the specific elements of that to which they objected. Those remarks about me might or might not have been true. The point is the writers did not deal with the subject under consideration.

The Two Articles in the Calhoun Times: Last week, at least two articles appeared in the Calhoun Times. Managing Editor Brandi Owczarz, along with two other members of editorial staff, attended the Calhoun City Council meeting and Brandi reported things said in that meeting. Please note that the majority of her content in those two columns were taken from the recordings of the events and things said in the meeting. The whole issue of restructuring the city government was an issue not heard about by this writer until I read the articles.

A look at remarks made: Soon objections to the articles begin to appear on the Internet’s Social Media. One person declared, “…DISGUSTED in the Calhoun Times for inaccurate and biased reporting.” Note: The biased and inaccurate reporting was not identified.

The writer who wrote the above statement had already written “So impressed with the great strides our city has made the past couple of years toward the betterment of the city!” Yes, the city has made great strides the past couple of years; but guess what: I have lived in this city all my life and for any two year period the city has made great strides. In whatever the writer thought or preference, read the position of Dianne Kirby very carefully. Only an idiot could not understand there were great variations and inconsistencies in explanations given by the current applicant. In fact, her responses were the most deviant from normal reasoning I have heard. Before anyone calls this erroneous reporting, please note the facts were taken from documents on record at the City Hall. It is the conviction here that the application on record as reported by Ms. Kirby is accurate and truthful. It appears (remember this is an opinion piece) to me that either the principals were ignorant of the laws on the book or an attempt was being made to circumvent the law as stated. Who is going to come out of the woodwork and label those facts reported as incorrect? Remember: “What is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

The move to change the structure of the government of Calhoun City: Now here is where it appears power brokers are at work. Without detailing all aspects of the structure of Calhoun’s present government, nor to explain a newer proposed structure, I think I can take to task the necessity (implied necessity, or course) to modify the present structure.

I will set forth a fact denying the least thought of change. I have read of all the good things that have come about in Calhoun. I will grant that fact. I want readers to sit up and take notice all these “good things” were brought about and put in place under the structure the power brokers are endeavoring to change.

If you read the articles you will notice one of the Power Brokers used a lot of reasoning (void of real logic) to justify a change. There was something about preparing our young people to follow; something else about personnel leaving and so on. Listen, I have seen our young people prepared and move into local management for more years than most of the Power Brokers are old. I have watched Calhoun grow and prosper for some 65 years. I am 82 now and I will disallow the first 17 years of my life as beyond the scope of my understanding the finer points of city government.

The question at the forefront is which Power Broker thought of this great idea? The proposition did not just appear on the table in front of the council and say “Here pass me.” Some one person had to come up with the idea. Will that person go public and say, “I am the one. It was me who was inspired to introduce this change.”

Then there is the issue of “change.” One of my former football players produced his opinion and used words I thought I dealt with several elections ago. The idea was “I believe in change. Change is good.” That position is not sufficient. First, tell me what is wrong and needs changing. Then tell the population of Calhoun “To what are we to Change?” It appears the changes considered are simple exercises in spinning one’s wheels. We don’t need to change for the sake of changing. No, let me affirm we don’t need to change, period.

Conclusion: I am not through but I must bring this column to a close. I will do so by saying that when battles begin and engaged in I will be in one of the corners and with all my being. I will be in the corner with my friends, Mayor Jimmy Palmer, Councilman Al Edwards and General Manager of Utilities Larry Vickery. Any effort to undermine Mayor Palmer and loyal servants of the city on the part of some Johnny Come Lately and any clique following him will be met and taken head on.

Calhoun is my town, as it is for many others who have been here for all the days of their lives. Those who would undermine a mayor, a coach, a preacher or someone in authority in non-transparent (I use the word “transparent” here in the sense of without guile or concealment; open, and frank) ways are to be opposed. I choose to do exactly that. It has long been a position here that transplants to a city or any organization have not earned the right to discard, dispense or replace those who have been chosen by an established and fair process.

I and other natives of our fair city have already allowed an event to happen that should not have happened. I hope we can all join in resolve to see that such doesn’t happen again.