By Jessi DeVore

I think I must say something. It seems the Village needs to see or hear something and I hope I can express what I feel we need, to save ourselves. I’ve wanted to say something for a while and I feel it needs to be done now.

I was born and raised here in Enon. I take great pride in our village, pride in our citizens, and our basic way of life. We’ve been through a lot together, and my point is we did it together. There have always been problems, but we push through them like a family. The greatest thing about a village is the opportunity to be and act as a family. Yes, many families have problems, but so do we and we work them out. There is an abundance of love in the village it just needs to be let out.

Lately it seems we have taken our town and divided it into three sides. We’re operating in hatred towards our neighbors, our brothers. Hatred isn’t inherited it is learned. Our fighting is doing more damage than good could ever come from.

I have no doubt that the negativity of our country and society has hardened us all. This negativity has conditioned us to lose trust in each other. Mistrust causes more negativity but how can we trust anything when people fight and harm their own neighbors, our brothers? Hatred isn’t inherited, nor is it genetic, it is learned.

I have been thinking about this since the council meeting September 22.

We are more concerned with self preservation than we are with preserving relations.

I’ve been many places and seen many things in my short life time. Things I wish I never saw. But I can not deny the realizations which came from these special experiences.

I realize that people are special. No one can live without another person. We can not survive as a village without each other. I have taken people for granted I’ll admit, but I try not to, do you? It’s funny how special something becomes once it is gone. But it is better to have loved and loss than to have never loved at all.

No one is perfect, I’m not, you’re not, no one is. But the greatest thing we have as humans is a conscience. We can aspire to be the best we can be. Parents try to be the best they can for their children. Try to make the world a safer place and a safe homestead for when the world lets them down. We care for our children protect our children and love our children why can’t we show our neighbor the same affection?

Have religion and moral statures become just a faded memory in our society? Is there still a Good Samaritan?

I believe in mortality. I believe there is a God. I believe in people. I believe in the good and unfortunately the bad. I believe in the past and future, in our past and future. … I believe in love and honesty. I believe in us. I believe in Enon.

I’m not saying I know what’s best for Enon, or that I even know what is wrong for that matter. All I know is how I feel and what I think.

In all honesty I do not like Mayor Vernon. But I can’t say he is the worst mayor. Nor can I say he hasn’t done anything for Enon. Vernon has done us some good whether we want to admit it or not. He also has shaken the bees nest. That’s obvious because a lot of quiet folk are beginning to talk, very out of character. I feel that he handles things inappropriately. His words, the way he conducts himself, and treats others, most certainly needs polishing. Personally I think he should calm down quit being so dramatic and most importantly apologize to council and the citizens for his behavior and being so forceful. Everything he has accomplished he could have done in a more polite, respectful manor. The bridges have not been burned, just blocked.

Mayor Vernon, you are a bull in the china shop, with the curiosity of a small child. For the villages sake please calm down. There is no need to start a war here. And as a side note, a simple no would have sufficed, the way you handled Mr. Wasak’s request for your resignation was uncalled for, and embarrassing. In fact the way you conduct yourself in most council meetings is embarrassing, your attitude needs to change. You have this tone when you’re in council meetings as if you think you are the Supreme Being, your tone belittles everyone you address. But this is neither here or there, and my opinion does not matter, you are who you are and you have that right.

The problem in society is that we no longer believe in sincerity. Personal gain must be the motive behind every action. But maybe people do still have sincerity, and kind motives. The good Samaritan does still exist. Not everything holds a negative accelerant. If we begin to trust ourselves and others, if we believe in the good can we move forward again? It couldn’t hurt to try.
When the rich wage war it’s the poor who die. We as citizens are killing our council, for what, revolution? What revolution, what is it that we want from them. Obviously we are looking for something; otherwise there would be no arguing. Do we even know what we want? If we don’t know what we want how can we possibly expect them to know or to give it to us for that matter? We want the world for free, nothing is free something has a price.

Why is there a witch hunt in Enon? I understand we love to complain and no matter what is happening we will find something to complain about, or if necessary create a conflict. In that case rather than complaining about the people working for us as politicians, or police let’s complain about… well that’s just it they are working so hard for us as a whole there isn’t much to complain about. We have decent roads, good schools, excellent parks (plural), celebrations, Village décor, EMT services, a fire department, our own well fields, water towers, sidewalks, everything we could possibly need is around town. Enon is a beautiful place. So I guess you’re right, we only have the people who gave it to us to complain about. Let’s get them, all of them, no one should be spared, it is time for revolution. After all we can not allow people to provide such a nice place for us to call home, and raise our families in. Yes, the nice things were here before these latest people were voted in, but they are maintaining everything. They could have easily decided things were a luxury draining our funds and closed certain aspects of Enon. Actions such as that would suit the treatment our politicians are receiving from us. Yet, this is not the case.

I believe we have forgotten some words of wisdom we were taught in history class. I do not have time to write all words of wisdom but I will share a few of my favorite that I feel we should revisit.

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self evident—That all men were created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed; and whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it; and to institute new government, laying it’s foundation on such principles, and organizing their powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness”.—Exert from the Declaration of Independence.

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.—Preamble

“So I say to you, my friends, that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed—we hold these truths self-evident, that all men were created equal.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight and the glory of the
Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope.

With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning—“my country ‘tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride; from every mountain side, let freedom ring”—and if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.”—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have a Dream speech

Before you judge me please keep in mind I really don’t care about the arguments. I just don’t want to live in division. United we stand, divided we fall. That is all I care about.