Redneck Review!
No. 161 - 5/20/2018
In view of last week's claim that this week would deal with possible solutions to the many "short fuse" problems in our country today, we submit an edited article from a fall, 1983Cottonwood Chronicle article entitled at the time   LET FREEDOM RING!.
"It happened at halftime, on Homecoming night.  One 50 yd. long rope, and about 100Prairie High School students, roughly divided into two groups, struggling mightily in a "Tug of War." Drag your opponents across an imaginary line in the center of the field!
"Freshman, Seniors on one side, Sophomores, Juniors on the other, the teams tugged at the rope with feet dug in and veins popped out!  Ever so slowly the lines would drift a bit, first this way then that, as each team made a new effort. But....stalemate!  Each burst of new effort by one side would quickly be countered by new energy on the other!
"Suddenly, one lone senior boy came running across the field, grabbed hold and began to tug.  The tide was turned!  Ever so slowly, then with increased momentum, the two forces started moving toward the senior side. It was all over! That unknown lad had turned the tide!
"And so it is in history and so it is now. Through the ages, wars have been won and lost and civilizations have survived or perished due to the efforts of individuals. That was the case at Thermopylae Pass in 480 BC when  King Leonidas with "300 Spartans" stopped the giant army of Xerxes's Persians in its tracks, and thus preserved Greek's  heritage for those to come. So too was it at Tours in France in 732 AD. Charles Martel stopped Moslems from entering France and Europe, thus saving the day and history for Western Civilization.
"But never forget!  Behind each historical hero there stands the unmentioned many who play their part. On Prairie's field, at Thermopylae Pass, at Tours in France, it’s all the same. No hero can win without the zeal and dedication and sacrifice of the rank and file. It’s in the trenches where battles are won and lost, history is made, and civilizations are preserved.
"And so it is today. The forces of history are locked in a mighty struggle, and each of us is destined to play a major part.  At one end of the rope are the forces of selfishness and evil, on the other are the legions of decency characterized by respect for others and their rights, their property, their human dignity, their zeal for God, country and community. The struggle is on. The rope is taut. And each of us must decide anew whether to grab on and give a tug, or stand idly by and watch. Make no mistake about it.  Each effort made is vital and plays apart. In every tug of war, the winning force is a combination of all the individual efforts. Had the one senior on Homecoming eve not got involved, the rope might have gone the other way!  Had any Spartan turned and ran, Leonidas might not have made his name in history!
Had Martel's soldiers lost their nerve, the history of Europe could well have changed!
"Just one last thought.  What each one does or fails to do is not the whole story.  For no one acts alone. Rather each of us has a ripple affect on those around us and the future to come."
So ends the quoted article. What does it suggest might be done by each of us?   Maybe by the many students graduating shortly?  Can we not pray daily for our country, for the courage we need to be part of the solution rather than the problem?  Would it not help if each of us would put God, neighbor, and country ahead of our own specific wants?  Could it be that the fate of our country might be decided by my own effort?  Could that possibly be? 
Jake Wren

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