The twang of country music may
or may not be your thang. My attraction to the Nashville Sound is
threefold:
1. The
catchy beat
2. Words
you can hear and understand
3. Story-filled
lyrics
When Randy Travis sings “Three
Wooden Crosses”, you can visualize triumph
emerging from tragedy, tied to that bloody Bible. How about Garth Brooks and “The River”? Can
you feel those words flowing through your life, your soul?
As
Wayne County goes into its second year of a David-vs.-Goliath battle to protect
our health and environment, Aaron Tippins’ tune keeps playing—over and
over—inside my head. We didn’t go looking
for this toxic coal-ash fight. Republic Services, aka Goliath, brought it to
our doorsteps.
If
you’re not familiar with “You’ve Got to Stand for Something”, go to YouTube and listen. In the video, watch the smaller boy “stand
for something,” using his toe to draw a line in the sand. See the bully back away. Here’s the opening of Aaron’s song:
“Now Daddy didn’t like trouble, but if it
came along
Everyone that
knew him knew which side he’d be on
He never was a
hero, or this county’s shining light
But you could
always find him standing up
For what he
thought was right
He’d say you’ve
got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything …
“Now we might have been better off or owned
a bigger house
If Daddy had
done more givin’ in or a little more backing down
But we always
had plenty just living his advice
Whatever you do
today you’ll have to sleep with tonight
“He’d say you’ve got to stand for something
or you’ll fall for anything
You’ve got to be
your own man not a puppet on a string
Never compromise
what’s right and uphold your family name
You’ve got to
stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”
I
believe landfill companies, such as Addington and Republic, knew exactly what
they were doing when they lured rural communities, such as us, into
agreements. Traditionally, we are
cash-strapped—looking for ways to take the tax burden off our citizens. Likewise, our leaders are quick to fall for solutions,
i.e., “easy” income to the county coffers.
These behemoth waste managers know we are likely to get hooked on the
new dollars, making it improbable for counties to break the addiction.
That’s
exactly the dilemma facing Wayne County and its commissioners today. If Republic continues to muscle us into a
corner, we have to decide: “Are we willing to live without a ‘bigger house’?” If we are, we will have to be “our own man not a puppet on a string.” To deny Republic’s greedy thrust into our
environment and our future’s health, we’ll have to pay some more and spend some
less.
If
my daddy had been a country singer and not a country undertaker, one of his
songs would have been: “Live below your
means, and you’ll always have plenty.”
Wayne County should adopt Big Dink’s and Aaron’s advice, and we’ll do
just fine without Goliath’s habit-forming, landfill money.
So,
if you can’t stand up for the people and
the place you love, for what are you willing to take a stand?
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
