Opinion by Shari Johnson, Republcan Vice-Chair
At what point does the American people, West Virginia people, Calhoun people get so sick of the bullarky that the politicians are spewing that they go face to face with them and demand an explanation of their stupidity. It is seldom without an agenda that they speak on anything. We ignore the obvious and proclaim what any person with sound reasoning knows to be an absolute lie.
As I checked in on the national news this morning I seen a statement from Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat who said “Heartbreaking fires in Hawaii! Scientists are clear that climate chaos wreaking havoc on ecosystems everywhere is the new norm, We need to take action immediately or else it will get even worse.”
No, the Maui fires began when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact. Maui County, Hawaii, has now sued the Hawaiian Electric Company for damages from wildfires that killed more than 10
eople and burned thousands of acres of land. There are currently over 1,100 people missing. The county claims that the utility company’s negligence caused the fires. The county alleges that Hawaiian Electric failed to shut down its equipment despite warnings that hurricane winds could knock down power lines and spark wildfires. The county says that the destruction from the August 8 fires could have been avoided if the company had taken essential actions. Police, in fear of the downed powerlines that were still live, stopped people from leaving the area as the fire spread and began to kill.
But for Pete’s sake, let’s make sure we bring global warming into this equation so that we beat that dead horse one more time and ignore the facts and the families that have suffered this great tragedy.
We can sit here in Calhoun County, West Virginia, having no concept of what’s happening in Hawaii, but when you hear the story of a teacher that fled the fire and ran into the water, where she stayed, treading water for 8 hours, as she watched children and adults around her give in to exhaustion and drown. The teacher was found a mile from the island where she had drifted. While even the story does not give us complete understanding, it creates an empathy within us that should make the antics of a manipulative politician so disgraceful that he’s run out of town.
Am I saying that there aren’t Republicans guilty of the same. Nope. But I can tell you this, as a Republican I’m going to call them out, and I’m for certain not defending them.
The reason I bring up this topic is because it causes me great concern and trepidation on where we stand in a community with regard to the safety of our people and the leadership that governs it. When it came to Calhoun EMS, in 2022, our county commission ignored warnings that there were serious issues within the agency until it got to the point of a license revocation and the forfeiture of that agency over to Minnie Hamilton Health System. At that time, Commissioner Mike Hicks, sat on the EMS Board oblivious to the issue. Kevin Helmick, made sure that Republican Commissioner Craig Arthur didn’t get the position overseeing 911 when the new Commission came in at the beginning of the year, knowing that it too was in a mess. Any effort of calling out the agencies was met with the suggestion that it was personal vendettas, when in truth it was valid complaints from citizens and other agencies having to cope with county politics. We don’t want to find ourselves in a crisis situation with people playing politics with county emergency services. Those services are the first agencies we depend on when a crisis occurs.
At the present time, Calhoun 911 and Minnie Hamilton Health Services EMS seem to be adequate, although there are some complaints looming on the horizon.
These are local issues. This is where we must start if we’re going to make a difference in this nation. As Vice Chair of the Republican Executive Committee of Calhoun County, there is very little I can do to help with regards to the tragedy in Hawaii. But locally, I can be aware of who’s in charge of the governing forces that we rely on for the safety of our families.
It was suggested to me that as a Christian, I should not become involved in politics because it is of the world and the world is evil. Well, did it start that way, or did it get that way? And if it got that way, at what point did good Christian people relinquish their rights to voice their opinion?
We are headed into an election year. Now is the time to make your voice heard. The Republican Executive Committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month. If you’re tired of the status quo that has been in this county for 60 years, join us to make Calhoun safe again.
Let’s do this!!
Enough