There was a recent town meeting where I was speaking with one of our Town Council members and he stated, quite emphatically, that I had blogged negatively about the Kiwanis Club.
Well, if you do a search on my blog for the word "Kiwanis" it does not exist. I have had family members and friends who were members of the Kiwanis Club all my life. One thing that I never knew one of them to do was to make false allegations.
False accusations, half truths, threats, and intimidation seems to be part of the status quo with some of those in Christiansburg government and in government at all levels. It seems to be developing into an epidemic.
My first reaction to this false allegation was to think that well I haven't but I can certainly start. After all, once false rumor start, once the lies are stated, they become incorporated into truth on one level or another.
However, now that I've cooled off a bit (being falsely accused makes me very, very angry), I figure I will have my say:
The Kiwanis Club just like every other group is made up of human beings. As such, there are those few members who are very good people, there are the few who are very bad people, and there is the majority who are just people doing their best to be as good as they can be. I am not one to throw out the "baby with the bathwater". I have no problems with the Kiwanis Club, in fact, I applaud their efforts towards community service.
On the other hand, I have some very, very big problems with people who tell lies and are deceitful with people in order to meet their own agendas. Now, if those people happen to be members of any club is of no importance to me because I do not feel that the behavior of the few should taint the good works of the many.
A bigger problem exist when this type of behavior comes from elected officials, people who are expected to be honest and respectful of citizens.
I did take the time to point out that rumors abound in many areas and that some concerned members of town council. I don't necessarily believe those either. What I believe are the facts. The Town Council meeting minutes, the recordings, and direct interactions with me.
One thing is for sure, you'll not get my vote if you display behavior that shows you make accusations without doing your research, that you do not treat citizens with respect, that you do not honor citizen concerns rather than scoffing at them, and you'll sure not get it if you tell lies about me OR if I know that you are spreading lies about other people. And believe me when I say that once I have caught someone in a lie, I check out everything they tell me from that point forward.
If I sound angry, it is because I am. I am angry that we live in a world where lies flow so easily from the mouths of politicians at ALL levels of government.