Representative Robert Brawley (R-Iredell) stepped down from his position as chair of the Finance Committee. His resignation, according to the latest report, was in response to a request from Speaker Thom Tillis, arising over differences in opinion about toll roads. Brawley was allegedly only too happy to oblige, but not without throwing a final punch.
Brawley’s letter of resignation has an air of keeping the public in the dark while pricking consciences of those in the know. Some will say Brawley is vindictive, schizo, or at best fragile. What is-is is in the hands of the historians. As Jim Croce sang:
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape.
You don’t spit into the wind.
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with the Speaker.
Personally, I find Brawley’s actions commendable. Dealing with corruption is often murky, as deceivers don’t physically ooze filth and act nasty to prove the nature of their motives. It’s a twilight zone when trusted colleagues start behaving suspiciously. One can make excuses and rationalize on their behalf. At some point, the conscience will reach a threshold of creepiness at which point it propels the individual to risk being wrong in order to avoid collusion with the dark side. Brawley did the right thing to stand against perceptions of tyranny.
I now raise my glass of whirled peas in toasting Brawley and those who would follow with that quote oft misattributed to Nelson Mandela:
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. . . . As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Back to earth, Pete Kaliner on 570AM WWNC talk radio intends to pursue the matter in more detail Thursday. Kaliner argued that politics is a dirty business, and it is typical for the majority to strong-arm their agenda. He is irritated by whiners, like me, who abhor coercion, preferring transparency and due process.
