Editorial: City and County Commission get it right

Over the past two months, Historic City News has reported on several local debates and public decisions that, frankly, are part of a disturbing trend that I believe are contributing factors in many of the inescapably “bad news” articles we are compelled to report.

Anyone who knows me, and readers of Historic City News editorials that I publish from time-to-time, know that my politics are conservative. I don’t consider myself extremely right wing, but I admit that I am fiscally and socially conservative. I am not offended by people with different points of view. I allow well written liberal rebuttal and progressive, Letters to the Editor or Guest Columns to be published, and I’m not offended by folks who hold different opinions, even though we may disagree.

Without belaboring a point, I offer our City and County commissions as good examples of a practice I have known all of my life. Before five men and women offer themselves to sit in judgment and render decisions directly affecting me and my neighbors, I appreciate the fact that they take three or four minutes at the beginning of each meeting to clear their heads and receive a spiritual message of encouragement from various members of our local community.

They also recommit themselves, with their pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the republic for which the flag stands, our national representative form of government for one nation, our right to worship our God, enjoy the freedoms of liberty, and protection under the concept of justice.

Last night, the St Augustine City Commission faced several controversial subjects, and whether I agree or disagree with their decisions, I am encouraged that they, and the audience, listened to the words of Crezel Turner, a member of the Zion Missionary Baptist Church in St Augustine, as she asked for the community to become more involved in their government and for the residents, city staff, and commissioners to work together to resolve the problems we face today.

I do not appreciate the well-intentioned, politically-correct, vocal-minority who are always poised to instigate a lawsuit at the hint of a prayer or recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the flag of country, an enduring symbol that we are one nation under God.

As I read the weekday headlines, at Historic City News and around the country, my opinion has never been stronger that we could benefit from a few more prayers, and should redouble our pledge to a representative government whose power comes from the people who are not afraid to make morally just decisions.