Remembering a good man, who did a great thing.

Truman K. Gibson, Jr.

(In these days of Trumps, Abramoffs, Lays and DeLays, to name but a few, it's good to remember when admired men had the courage to state their beliefs -- nevermind what the bosses want to hear -- and the genuine integrity and wherewithal to make life better for all people. Someday, soon I hope, the pendulum will swing back.) Remember, if you're selling out your beliefs to gain greater power and money, it's not so easy to just swing back when the mood shifts the other way. And it will.

What you say and -- more importantly -- do today affects the future. Will your obit read as though you stand for something and aren't afraid of equal opportunity, or will it be interpreted that you appeased and groveled and played to the people in power, just to hold on to the inbred privileges that help protect you and yours? That begets the question: does my own hard work and effort earn me my place in the community, or did my advantages come at the cost of equal opportunities for others in neighboring places? Maybe we're not all as competitive as we like to think.