Talk is Cheap - - Get Out and Vote

Everybody has that favorite story about an ancestor who did something really neat or really dumb. I'd like to share one of my favorite stories with you about my father-in-law and an adventure he had alongside of his father. Why? Because there is a lesson in there for all of us.

It seems the story took place back about 1925 in a small community known as Salty in central Texas. My father-in-law, Mark Towery was born there and is buried now in the Salty Community Cemetery.

Back in the 20s, there were many things wrong and few would speak out against a well know organization called the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This was a group of `hate mongers' who held the Black population in low esteem to say the least. They were a very strong fraternity in the towns that surrounded Salty. People did well to keep their mouths shut if they disagreed with the feelings of the Klan. Most did just that. Afterall, if one didn't get in their way, the hooded organization left you alone. Fear was usually the guiding factor in people "minding their own business" when it came to the Klan.

One person who never felt the need to back up from voicing his feelings was a farmer and store owner, Owen F. Towery. Being a hard working man who loved his God and Country, he felt that sometimes you must speak out
against an injustice because that silence could defeat the righteous. He did not believe in the doctrine of the Klan and was very outspoken about his feelings. More than once this man was approached and verbally warned that he should curtail his outspokeness against the Klan's doctrine. The sad part about this warning was that it came from very good friends that were members of the Klan; still Owen Towery spoke out!

One morning Owen and his family rose before daylight as farming families did in rural communities. He looked out the window and to his horror could barely make out a group of `hooded' individuals standing on the ridge line facing his home. He figured the Klan had come to help Owen to remember his place. After sending his family to security, he along with his eight-year-old son Mark (my father-in-law) walked out to face the dangers that might await them. Of course, he carried his shotgun along just in case it was needed. He saw no need to back down from the inevitable confrontation. This man planned to make a stand for what he believed in. He called out, "If you want me, here I am, come and get me."

He and his son laid in a clump of brush waiting for the altercation that was bound to take place. But strangely, the hooded men held their place on the ridge line. As the sun rose higher and the area where the `group' stood became more visible, a surprise awaited this man and his son. The hooded Klan turned out to be Yucca plants with white blooms that in the early morning dawn had only appeared to be hooded Klansmen much to Owen's delight.

I first heard this story from my father-in-law Mark Towery as he told it to my daughter Mariah. You see, Owen and his son are Mariah's Great-Grandfather and Grandfather. His lesson for her is that sometimes one must stand up against things that are wrong. What has this got to do with voting? Sometimes one person can make a difference.

It's easy to think Owen made a fool of himself. But....did he? This man went out to meet a dangerous adversary and was tested as to how much he believed in what he said and how much he was willing to back it up. A fool? Again I think not. How many of us have the courage to speak out against an injustice and then, more importantly, back up that statement.

The Indians have an expression; "It's better to have less Tthunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand". I hear lots of folks talking about what is wrong with their town, our schools, our Government and so forth.

Maybe we should get up and do something about it. If we don't like our public officials - we need to vote them out. If it is on a local, county, state, or national level, let your voices be heard. It is easy for us to sit on the porch and talk about what should be. It is something else to do something about it.

Register and Go vote!! Make a stand.