On November 30th Jim Nabors passed away at the age of 86 due to complications from asthma. He was best known as the beloved character of Gomer Pyle from the television show The Andy Griffith Show, and later starred in a spin off series Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. We all remember the fictitious town of Mayberry. Mayberry and both television shows are a reminder of the way things used to be, and in many ways how we wish things still were.
I live in a small town in Southwestern Missouri, we have one Wal-Mart (I mean Walmart) and one McDonalds. Everyone at least recognizes everyone else even if they don’t know them personally. Friday nights are centered around the local high school football game. I remember on many occasions seeing a police officer stopped alongside a country road behind a motorist, not to issue a traffic ticket, but to help someone change a tire, or offer them a hand.
Lately things are different. Long gone are the days of the ‘Mayberry’ feel this town used to have. I haven’t witnessed a police officer helping a stranded motorist in over a year now, people in general don’t talk to each other like they used to. Ever since all the allegations of misconduct have bombarded us in the news it seems like people are afraid to talk to each other like they used to.
I remember not too long ago the girl behind the counter at a local gas station handed me my change and called me “hun”. Those terms of endearment used to be quite common around here, every place you went. I remember telling her it would probably be best if she didn’t use those terms anymore in order to avoid any misunderstanding. That thought must have been on many people’s minds because in the last few weeks not one person in town has used those terms… anywhere.
Don’t get me wrong it doesn’t upset me that those terms aren’t used anymore but this town definitely has a different ‘feel’ to it now.
The other day we even had 2 women protesting for ‘Black Lives Matter’s outside the local pharmacy. Understand, for this town, that’s a huge protest. Understand also, This town has never been one of those ‘white only’ communities exaggerated so often by the news, and Hollywood. I ought to know I am a minority, and have never been discriminated against. I have always been treated fairly, and with kindness.
I ran across an article this week about brother Ravi Zacharias in Christianity Today. His response to sexting allegations. I go through a lot of news, and have listened to Ravi many times on the radio, and have watched many of his lectures on television, and I had no clue anything had gone on with him. I didn’t believe it.
He did nothing wrong. it was a women he had met at one of his conferences who took it upon herself to send him, unsolicited inappropriate messages as well as photos. He filed a lawsuit against the woman and her husband when they tried to get money from brother Ravi. It was an obvious scheme but a reminder to all of us about accountability.
They tried to do the same thing to brother Terry Crews. He courageously talked openly about his experiences with unsolicited inappropriate behavior from WME manager Adam Vent. In attempt to silence him, Radar Online tried to black mail him with the threat of a false story about him hiring prostitutes. The story never went to print because he was able to prove he was at another place with his wife on the date of the made up story. He even provided photographic evidence. Again a reminder about accountability.
I have mentioned accountability twice because in recent months it should be obvious to all of us, the enemy will stop at nothing to spread lies, and discredit us all. Without accountability those lies could have had disastrous results to both Ravi, and Terry. With accountability Roy Moore would be able to prove the allegations against him are lies, like I suspect them to be.
There seems to be something else at play, a larger plan, a longer game, a long con if you want to call it that. It appears the days of making a claim against someone without providing proof are gone. It sure seems like Democratic Party power players are stepping down in a hurry almost drawing attention to them self about just how guilty as charged they are. The stories with Matt Lauer were way over the top and turned my stomach. Is he really that reprobate? Or is he taking one for the team?
That’s a fair question to ask.
Anyone can say anything about anybody can get away with it. Maybe it’s just me, and maybe because I live in Missouri I want people to “show me” the evidence. I never believed the allegations against Ravi and Terry. I believe the allegations against Roy Moore are politically motivated just as I thought they were when they were made against President Trump. Even Al Franken has responded to some of his accusers claiming he didn’t even recall them or the incident in question.
Begs the question though, are we being conditioned into believing any allegations of inappropriate behavior without proof? Lately it feels like if one questions the allegation they are accused of being misogynistic or against women somehow. So in many ways we are not even allowed to question it.
Don’t get me wrong all the behaviors being alleged are wrong and in my opinion disgusting. They should never be allowed, and if any of our leaders are guilty they should step down or resign, as Al Franken as announced he is doing just that. But we need to seek the truth always, and never be afraid to question anything even if it’s politically incorrect. Allegations like these have the potential to destroy marriages as well as professional lives.
The real casualty if all of this is that small town neighborly feel we all want in our communities no matter how small or large. Goodbye Mayberry U.S.A.
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