The Scoop: It really does pay to attend church
In the nine or so years I’ve worked at the Standard, I’ve always eyed this spot as a Sunday columnist on the editorial page.
It’s like advertising during the Super Bowl. More people are going to hear, or in this case read, your message. That’s because Sunday is the day when folks can really kick back, relax, and enjoy the newspaper without that annoying thing we call work.
And, as we all know, Sunday is also our main day for church services. It’s with that seamless transition I’m going to talk about church and its new-found role in our society.
Best I can tell, there are two sets of laws for the people of Warren County. There are laws for the people who go to church and laws for the folks who don’t.
I say this after a local businessman recently escaped jail time after failing to report some $75,000 in sales tax collections to the state. In all, it was 54 counts of tax evasion over a five-year period.
You would think a person who committed such a crime would at least get some form of punishment – maybe even a few days at Warren County Jail. Keep in mind, there have been folks jailed for writing hot checks for $61.
Instead, Mel Dixon, owner of McMinnville Mercantile, did not even have to enter a guilty plea to the 54 counts of tax evasion. He was given a two-year pre-trial diversion which means if he doesn’t get in any more trouble during that time the charges will be erased from his record.
That’s mighty fine justice if you can get it. And one of the reasons given for the very lenient sentence is that Dixon has been active in his church.
The question I have to ask is if Freddie Doe at Freddie’s Package Store got charged with 54 counts of tax evasion, will he get to walk free too? If Freddie is an OK guy, but without members of the congregation up there to support him in front of the judge, does he get thrown in jail? You can probably figure that one out.
The church issue was rekindled in today’s edition thanks to the front-page controversy about an entire family arrested by the sheriff’s department.
First, let me say it sounds like a completely bizarre story, and second I should emphasize I wasn’t on the scene. All I know about the incident is the he-said, she-said story that everyone in the community can read for themselves.
I don’t know if the Champion family was in the right. I don’t know if officers were simply doing their jobs.
What I do know is the words of defense attorney Michael Galligan, who should do a fine job representing the family. In trying to paint his clients as innocent, law-abiding citizens, Galligan said, “She’s a church secretary,” referring to the mother involved in the dispute.
To me, this means absolutely nothing. I did part-time secretarial work for a year to help pay for my college education (mainly because I’m pretty fast when it comes to a keyboard). I never once thought my job as a secretary would absolve me from possible wrongdoing.
But alas, I was a college secretary and not a church secretary. If I was a church secretary, I suppose I would be above the law.
OK, so above the law might be a bit of a stretch, but we can all get the gist of Galligan’s message. This lady is not capable of flying off the handle and arguing with deputies. She can’t lose her temper. She’s a church secretary!
I’m just thankful I attend church as regularly as I do. If I’m ever accused of a crime, it will sure come in handy.
James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at standard@blomand.net.