Posted: Wednesday, 23 December 2009 11:13AM
Merry Big Mess To All
Steve Corbett Reporting
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas music drifted amid the echoes of the Luzerne County Courthouse Tuesday morning, sending sweet tunes of hope through the hallowed halls and into the dark corners of the majestic building.
A tall, thin Coughlin High School student raised her voice in song. A young man joined in with his own innocent solo. A wondrous teen choir backed them up.
Lights sparkled from a giant living tree set up in the rotunda.
And all seemed well.
But despite the glorious sound and the spiritual notes of the holiday season, I knew that in the county of the damned almost nothing is sacred.
Even the damn tree is tainted.
Former Commissioner Greg Skrepenak bought the massive evergreen with his own money after expressing disgust with last year’s artificial tree. Then he pleaded guilty to a felony corruption charge and abruptly resigned last week.
Merry big mess to all and to all a good plight.
The courthouse chaos is wretched.
But listening to the carols and taking in the scene, despite the gloom and heartache that accompanies the ongoing federal public corruption scandal, I knew that hope had again surfaced and that public commitment to renewal of good government must be reborn.
As bad as government has become in Luzerne County, good men and women must continue to count our blessing and strive for the courage and goodness to stand up to the criminals who corrupt the sacred nature of public service.
Still, when we hearken as the herald angels “sing,” we must wonder if they’re raising their voices to the heavens or cooperating with authorities to rat out disguised devils who bribed their way into paradise.
Outside the courthouse yesterday, county workers on county time had seasoned the Nativity scene and menorah with secular items that made the display legal. Yet the addition of a goofy-looking reindeer and candy canes only watered down the divine nature of the original intent, actually trivializing the deeply religious nature of the symbolism.
We really can’t win here.
So why bother?
Winning doesn’t matter.
Caring matters, because without nurturing the true meaning of the Christ child or the Jewish burning of the oil, we lose something of ourselves and the legacy of a reverent past that provides a savior’s guiding light for the future.
Faith is meaningless without action. And actions speak louder than silent prayers that life will improve. Of course we must believe that goodness will prevail and take our blessings wherever we find them.
But supreme strength exists in the hard work of truly loving thy neighbor and putting the well-being of others before our own self-absorbed self-interests. The devils among us take care of themselves first. Then they look out for family, friends, benefactors and a patronage in a pear tree.
But around here, patronage is as legal as nepotism. Crime is the political gift that must stop. More arrests will help stem the tide. More grand juries will aid the cause of peace and good will.
Oh, holy indictment, the cons are shining brightly. This is the night of our dear indictment’s birth. So fall on your knees and throw yourself on the mercy of the court.
But until salvation comes, even at this glorious time of the year, sadness will play a major role in shaping our lives and our communities. With betrayal at an all time high, we truly don’t know who to trust. Even when we discover the gangsters within, their defenders scream that they’re really nice guys with the best interest of the public at heart.
Of course that’s a lie.
But the line between fact and fiction blurs whenever good men and women go bad. We all begin in goodness. Then we change – some for better and some for worse.
Redemption remains an option - atonement a way out of the darkness. Faith in deliverance from evil is always worth the effort. So pick up that sword of light and start swinging.
I wish you happy holidays, merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Indictments for everybody!
Forever and ever,
Amen.
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Corbett
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