Cooperative Living January 2018 - 4

Viewpoint | by Richard G. Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor
Vol. 72, No. 2
ISSN 1529-4579
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
Executive Editor
BILL SHERROD
Editor
LAURA EMERY
Field Editor
JANET BAILEY
Production Manager
LAURIE MILLS,
Apple Eye Studio, LLC
Graphic Designer
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Advertising Sales
TOMMY CAMPBELL
Design & E-Media Coordinator
To contact magazine:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F
Phone: (804) 346-3344
Or at any time:
Fax: (804) 346-3448
Email: bsherrod@vmdaec.com
Web: www.co-opliving.com
Published by the VA, MD & DE Association
of Electric Cooperatives
JAMES E. HUFFMAN
Chairman
HERBERT R. PATRICK
Vice Chairman
FLETCHER B. JONES
Secretary/Treasurer
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
President & CEO
Board of Directors: R. Wayne Browning, Belvin Williamson, Jr.,
A&N; C. Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser, BARC; George N.
Goin, Gary E. Wood, Central Virginia; Robert E. Arnold, Michael
I. Wheatley, Choptank; Jeannette S. Everett, Steven A. Harmon,
Community; James E. Huffman, Shawn C. Hildebrand, CraigBotetourt;
Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee, Jr., Mecklenburg; Russell G.
Brown, Greg W. White, Northern Neck; Wade C. House, Stan C.
Feuerberg, Northern Virginia; Dale McNiel, Randell W. Meyers,
Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Micheal E. Malandro, Prince
George; Linda R. Gray, Kent D. Farmer, Rappahannock; Larry C.
Howdyshell, Michael W. Hastings, Shenandoah Valley; Frank W.
Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
56 American Heroes
Our nation's founders risked it all for a chance at self-governance,
and ended up building the finest, freest and longest-lasting
democracy in history.
" We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are 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 just
powers from the consent of the governed. "
T
his passage from the Declaration of
Independence is pure genius, the first
sentence soaring in its eloquent
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expression of human rights, the second
succinctly noting how such rights should be
obtained: through " the consent of the governed. "
This Declaration, artfully crafted by Virginia's
own Thomas Jefferson, was a spark that ignited
the flame of freedom, hope and justice that still
burns brightly a quarter of a millennium later.
That right was hard-won by our nation's
founders, and has been hard-kept over the
centuries by countless brave American men
and women.
It's appropriate, though, to remember how
these rights we enjoy first took flight. It began
when 56 leading citizens from the 13 original
colonies signed and sent this bold Declaration of
Independence to King George III of England,
thereby risking their lives, their wealth, their
honor and everything else, in the cause of liberty
for themselves and their fellow colonists. Among
this group were seven prominent Virginians -
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin
Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot
Lee, Carter Braxton and, of course, Mr. Jefferson.
None of the signers had to risk anything,
much less all, for what was at best a fool's
errand, of demanding from the most powerful
nation on earth - and then defeating it to
secure - the opportunity for self-governance.
For these 56 brave colonists, the easy,
simple, safe route would have been ...
to do nothing.
And yet, they chose instead to risk all by
signing this audacious challenge to the King,
their pen strokes at the time marks of treason,
but for the ages, emblems of courage. After all,
how many of us today would risk everything
for an untested principle, putting our name,
our honor, and all we have on the line?
2
In the bittersweet road ballad " Me and Bobby
McGee, " Janis Joplin sang that " freedom's just
another word for nothin' left to lose " ; the
Founding Fathers, however, had plenty to lose, yet
still put their lives on the line. If it seems difficult
for us today to understand such extraordinary
mettle, it's at least partly because we spend our
days navigating through a steady shower of cyber
news and social-media posts that drench us with
stories confusing celebrity with courage, athletic
skill with heroism, inconvenience with sacrifice.
Our nation's founders built this republic of solid
stuff and, like the soaring cathedrals of medieval
Europe, constructed it to last through the ages.
As the passage from the Declaration of
Independence published earlier in this column
makes clear, governments are the instrument of
the people, not the reverse. Governments are
created as a way for us to secure our rights to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Maintaining
these rights is the responsibility of the people ...
of all of us.
Our nation's founders created a political
masterpiece, a near-perfect governmental system
that's precisely balanced to correct the injustices
of imperfect people, ensuring rule by the majority
while protecting the rights of those in the minority.
Nothing before or since comes close to matching
this beautiful blueprint of self-governance.
And with few exceptions, this system has
provided us with almost 230 years' worth of free
elections and peaceful transfers of power, from
George Washington forward, featuring political
parties ranging from Democratic Republicans,
to Democrats, to Republicans, to Whigs,
to Independents from all points on the
political spectrum.
In this month's issue, you'll find our annual
Virginia State Legislative Guide. In it are photos
and contact information on the 140 members of
the General Assembly, plus details about the three
branches of state government.
The General Assembly begins its deliberations
on Jan. 10. We heartily encourage you to use this
guide to stay in touch with legislators on the issues
important to you and your family. By doing so,
you'll be paying homage in a small but significant
way to the vision and the sacrifices of our nation's
remarkable founders. 
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Cooperative Living January 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2018
