By John Colwell
REVVED UP
*Editor’s note: The views expressed in this op-ed do not reflect those of The Graham Star. Your hometown newspaper remains neutral on these topics and will continue to impartially print both sides of the issue.
During one of our many conversations, a good friend of mine – someone I consider to be a brother in Christ – warned me that unless I was born here, I would always be considered as an outsider.
That’s ok with me.
When I moved from the Adirondack Mountains to Belmont nearly 50 years ago, I was labeled as an outsider, even a foreigner. I’ve been an outsider all my life.
My friend also pointed out that many people who live in Robbinsville and Graham County do not like change.
A couple of months ago, another friend and I had a talk with one of our esteemed county commissioners.
We were informed that the local people do not want change. This commissioner went on to say that Corridor “K” would never be built, because no one wants the problems that come along with better highways and easier access.
Then, we were told that no businesses would ever come to Graham County. This commissioner said that the Board of Commissioners would never allow alcohol sales to go on the county ballot, because the people of Graham County would rather have another tax hike than approve the sale of beer and wine in our local stores and restaurants.
Furthermore, this commissioner would like to revoke Tapoco Lodge’s alcohol permit. And finally, this county leader let us know how much they disliked the motorcyclists who visit us every year. (This was especially surprising, seeing as how motorcyclists probably account for at least ²⁄3 of all the tourism dollars spent here.)
About a month ago, Graham Star ace reporter, Robbi Pounds, wrote an article titled “The Power of ‘No’ Transcends.”
In her story, Robbi pointed out the similarity of Graham County and the people of New Orleans, saying that they both had a “knee-jerk resistance to change”.
A week ago, I came across the following notice posted on the wall between the Shell Convenience Store and McDonald’s. It reads:
* Free Ticket to New York City
(Details Below)
Looking for a free trip to New York City? How about instead if New York comes to you? That’s what a vote for Corridor “K’” would be, because this highway – if built – will destroy our beautiful God-given mountains,
streams, rivers, forests and meadows and just leave us with overdevelopment, along with higher land and
property taxes. So please, just say No!
Thank you.
I wonder if the person who posted this realizes that without Corridor K, we are already paying the highest land and property tax rates west of McDowell (Marion) and Rutherford (Forest City) counties?
OK, I get it. Let’s not change anything! In fact, let’s never change anything again. What have we learned since the beginning of history? Let’s not have any new highways, cars, homes, appliances, TV’s, cell phones, or computers.
Let’s not have any supermarkets. Let’s go back to the family farm, grow our own food and hunt for what we can’t grow. Let’s not repair our roads. Let’s dig up the pavement and go back to dirt roads. Let’s get rid of our cars and trucks and go back to horses and wagons. Maybe we can follow in the footsteps of the Amish; they are good at resisting change. At least we wouldn’t have to worry about gas and oil spills in our rivers and oceans.
We can get rid of Duke Energy’s coal ash and our electricity in one fell swoop! We can cook and heat with wood stoves, fire places and open fires! Why stop there? Let’s go back in time and take away women’s rights to vote. Let’s take away the Emancipation Proclamation and give everyone the right to own slaves again.
I have a friend who’s lived here for decades. He tried to work for improvements to our county. Some of the local residents told him if he didn’t like the way things are here, that he and his wife should just go back to where they came from. They don’t try to help anymore and they still resent the way they were treated.
So let’s not change! Let’s take our own advice and go back where we came from. Let’s go back to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia, India and Asia.
Let’s give this land back to the Cherokee. They took better care of it than we ever did! Let’s go back to the Middle Ages and become serfs for the royals! Let’s get some of that good old Black Plague!
Let’s get a taste of what real religious persecution feels like!
Why stop there? Let’s go back to Rome, Greece and Israel. Let’s watch what happens to the one man who ushered in more change to this Earth than anyone else in history. Let’s tell Him that we don’t want change and watch and cheer as they crucify Him!
Then we can go back to Egypt and build pyramids and temples for a place to sleep and a daily ration of food and beer. Why not go all the way back to the caves we started in? We can grab our spears and pointed sticks and fight saber tooth tigers and hunt wooly mammoths for food. We can draw pictures on the cave walls, sleep by the fire, and grunt at each other as we pick the fleas off our bodies! Why change?
The plain truth is, whether we want it or not, change is going to come. We can choose to ignore it and it will happen all around us. Change is the only absolute!
Take a look at Robbinsville, the county seat and the largest town in Graham County.
Now focus in on Main Street. If we choose to ignore it, the kudzu is still going to grow up on the back of all the buildings on North Main. Someone will continue placing old tires, appliances, campers, pontoons and other discarded scrap on other people’s property. Feral cats will continue to be fed and housed on the vacant lot behind “The Wall.” Wild animals will continue to come to the buildings through the brush and kudzu to eat the food left for the stray cats and dogs. The groundhogs will continue to burrow under the buildings. The rats will continue looking for food and homes there. And the raccoons will continue getting into the attics of these buildings. And the thousands of cockroaches who live at bottom of “The Wall” will continue to thrive and slowly migrate up and down the street until they get into all the buildings. The retaining wall built by the WPA will continue to crumble until it completely falls down.
“The Wall” is already tilting in by two or three inches at the top where it joins the old town hall. The wood handrail on East Main will continue to need repairs and paint. And we can ignore turning the Snider Building into a museum and visitor center. The county will continue moving away from Main Street with the elementary school following suit.
Eventually, by ignoring change, the kudzu, rats, ground hogs, coons, and cockroaches will complete their infestations on Main Street, the retaining wall, handrail, and building façade will completely crumble and fall and the buildings will finally cave-in.
No businesses will ever come back. The lights will continue getting dimmer and no one will ever walk on Main Street after dark again.
Without businesses, we have no jobs. Without jobs, there will never be decent housing. Without jobs and housing, there can be no hope. Without hope, people turn to alcohol and drugs for hope. And without jobs, they turn to crime to support their habits. Without change, the change we get will be the death of downtown (uptown) Robbinsville as we now know and remember it.
If God had not wanted us to change, He would never have given us laws, or commandments, that He knew we would not be able to keep. And He would not have sent His son to sacrifice his life so that our sins might be forgiven. And Jesus would not have taught us that we cannot get to heaven by our own deeds, but only through God’s grace and our faith. And He would not have given us our new and easy assignment. Now, love is our most important task. We are not to judge others, but to love everyone, even our enemies, as we love ourselves.
We can build a new walking trail, clear the brush and the kudzu and nicely landscape the property along Main. We can get the tires and scrap hauled away. We can send the cats to Valley River Humane where they can find a good home. We can get rid of the rats, coons, groundhogs, and roaches. We can repair and rebuild our buildings.
Our town and county legislators have tough jobs. They get very little help and they get lots of criticism. We can work with our leaders to bring about the type of change we need and want for our families and ourselves. We need less fighting and a lot more loving.
As for me, if someone tells me to go back where I came from, I will tell them, “No Thanks.” I have very good and dear friends here. There are a lot of people I love here.
My wife and I are here for life!