Many pundits and modern-day philosophers, myself included, have opined upon “the break-down of the family” as the primary cause of societal failures.  While no doubt fundamental in addressing the question of “what in the name of God is happening to our society?” I sensed that there was a deeper, more sinister force at work.

As I heightened and intensified my observations of the ever-changing human condition, it became alarmingly obvious to me that mental illnesses have become epidemic.  Complicate that with all of the socially-acceptable substance abuse alternatives, alcoholism and the general malaise and sense of hopelessness felt by many and one can see the toll this is taking on us by simple observation.  The profoundly mentally ill are conspicuously in our midsts; it is not at all uncommon, we all see it every day.  Add to that the not-so-obviously afflicted; tormented and tortured but functional and outwardly able to mask their despair.  After all, we each carry our burdens, mostly private and unseen but burdens nonetheless.

I ruminated upon and carefully considered my new theory, believing that the increase and intensity of the advent of mental illnesses was the more foundational underpinning to our societal woes, but I neglected a consideration so obviously important that it took my breath away in my moment of illumination.

Our relationship with God.

While I try my mightiest to write in a secular tone so to not alienate non-believers, there comes a time when the truth and the Word rule the day.

Jesus casting out demons was a reoccurring theme in the Bible, referenced in some 25-Bible verses.  Our evolution into modern times did not eradicate those demons they are with us still today.

While Jesus may not physically walk amongst us today, his church and his soldiers carry on His message and His hope for us.  The demons are still amongst us and if anything they have multiplied, tormenting many souls, just as they did in biblical times.  Casting out these demons requires from us faith.  No demon can stand up to God’s love but it is up to us to seek Him out and ask for His protection and grace.

The line between the modern science of mental health and the demons of satan and evil are blurred to me but they are clearly both undeniable factors in explaining the degradation of our society.  The interplay between broken families, those infested with demons and the mentally ill are the three-key-components in understanding where we are in today’s shameful world.

We see the unthinkable without flinching, fail to revolt at the untenable, and are slow to recoil at the unspeakable and yet are pilloried if we fail to concur with the latest obscenity. The word of God warns us in Isaiah 5:20 when He says:  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

Where we cast out the Lord, we invite in the devil.  If you doubt me, look around.

The physical presence of Jesus on earth was to demonstrate to mankind His power and His grace.  His disciples were tasked with creating the church extending to the ends of the earth.  Jesus was crucified, died, rose from the dead, and on eight separate occasions He came back to Earth to reinforce his commandments upon the chosen; empowering them through His spirit and making possible all of the power of His salvation and redemption, even in the absence of his physical presence.  The church today is the physical manifestation of God on Earth, with all of those capabilities for us today that Jesus bestowed on the people of His time.

Good deeds, kindness and doing no evil are not hallmarks of God’s salvation.  The grace of God, combined with our own humility and surrender to His will are the keys to everlasting life.  The simplicity of grace is so flatly understated that its concept is widely and wildly misunderstood and yet ironically, it is the only pathway to heaven.

Say this prayer with me and obtain from God your place in his realm.  Dearest Father in heaven, please hear my prayer.  Father, I’m not worthy, but I come before you as a believer.  You are the messiah and the Son of God.  You are the son of man and died for my sins.  With you anything is possible and without you nothing is.  I seek your forgiveness and with it your redemption, of which I am not worthy, but nevertheless you love me and provide for my salvation.  Thank you Father and please guide my life in a way that pleases you, I pray it in your holy name Father, Amen.

Until we acknowledge our rightful place in this life and humble ourselves to God’s will, we can count on a continuation of the depravity, despair and degradation in which we have created for ourselves all because of our rejection of God.

In County government, the most personally threatening kind of power manifests itself in law enforcement and adjudication.  Power at this level can literally end a human life, imprison a man forever, force someone into a mental hospital or keep a parent from their children.

While we all hope that those whom we elect to govern are honorable and honest people with the best interests of the community in mind, we all know that this is not always the case.  This is why the positions of the county Sheriff and the District Attorney are crucial in defining the overall integrity and reputation of the entirety of the community.  The people we elect to these offices reflect the highest and best individuals we can elevate to those positions of trust, honor and ultimately, power.

There should be a healthy, professional distance and a respectful skepticism separating the relationships between police agencies and the judicial/adjudication side of the administration.  Clear personal relationships, even friendships to the point of mutual campaigning and commingled staff and volunteers does not set the proper tone for the natural inter-agency separation that should exist between entities that many times find themselves at loggerheads.      

The use of power demonstrates ones character.  When a inner-office romance bloomed with a subordinate, as it did in the sheriff’s office when then Captain Akshar was living with a female co-worker, or when then captain Akshar had a sexual encounter with the mother of a murder victim while the matter was actively being adjudicated, or when then Senator Akshar had another affair with a young woman that worked in his office, tripling her salary, prompting the ethics panel in Albany to slap the Senator’s wrists, or when District Attorney candidate Battisti called then Captain Akshar and ultimately had him dispatch his brother, a Broome County sheriff, to arrest Battisti’s estranged wife, in which all charges were ultimately dropped, well, we see power and character in action.

This kind of a quid pro quo power-structure is the worse thing that could happen to the residents of Broome County.  Those who play fast and loose with the rules, use their power inappropriately and are indebted to one another in a Gordian knot of payback and one-hand-washing-the-other shenanigans sets the bar too low and demonstrates a dangerous tenor from which all police agencies will get their cues and when those cues suggest anything other than fair-play, integrity and honorable behavior, you can count on getting none of that in return.

The people we entrust with great power should be those most reluctant to use it.  The lust for power is the surest sign of why the person seeking it should be kept from it.  Power engorges the ego of the tyrant while humbling the wise, the tyrant’s eager first choice, and the humble man’s reluctant last resort.

Einstein warned us when he said, “Force always attracts men of low morality.”  Edmund Burke finished his thought when he said, “The greater the power the more dangerous the abuse.”