Community

[Aldon Maleckas]

The Quest for Community February 13, 2026

The only reason evil triumphs is that good men (and women) do nothing.
Most men and women do not understand that many of our most pressing social problems can be solved only by the resurrection of such institutions as the family, neighborhood, church, and local community. Many successful schools that still manage to teach, even in the toughest neighborhoods, are those that develop a community of learning; with firm, shared standards of conduct; high and rigorously enforced expectations; instruction in moral values; and the cooperation and involvement of families and neighborhoods. Is it happening? I would suggest one attend a school board meeting and find out. Community does not mean state or federal.
The community has allowed elected officials (servants), the rich and famous, and the media to apply pressure to solve the community’s problem. Anyone who objects is prosecuted or persecuted. Eventually, the few that care give up and allow the servants to take over. The state’s bureaucracies and courts disparage and assail the moral and cultural standards of local communities as they manifested themselves in local laws and customs, suggesting that they were parochial, narrow-minded, reactionary, and even unconstitutional. Thus, local communities were told they could not have their children pray in the local school, erect religious displays in public places, enforce standards of sexual conduct, define the circumstances in which abortion might be proper, or enforce the law in such a way that genuine justice was accorded criminals and victims.
Yet, a growing number of men and women understand that many of our most pressing social problems can be solved only by resurrecting such institutions as the family, neighborhood, church, and local community. More and more men and women are coming to realize that the problem of poverty, the threat of a permanent underclass forever dependent on welfare, cannot be solved simply by providing more welfare. They feel this cycle of poverty can be broken by vibrant families, churches, and neighborhoods. During the depression, my grandparents told of people moving through the community looking for work. These people were taken in, fed, cleaned up, and given a place to stay while looking for work or moving from job to job. Is this happening today? The community has abrogated this responsibility to their elected servants who the community allows to freely borrow money in order to give grants to localities in order to help these people victimized by the same servants doling out the money. What a disgrace.
When are we going to learn that the business of educating can no longer be based on mandates by government servants and funding. We should not allow our educators to be bought by these grants and funds. All this does is give the government servants control on what is taught in our schools. The grants and funding are mostly federal funds used to buy state government servants and increases the Union’s debt. Remember, we are the Union. We will eventually have to pay the debt.
The men and women that started this country were not ashamed that they were Caucasian, Christian men and women who based their culture on the Geneva Bible. They understood, as stated in the Bible, it was their job to punish as needed. The Bible states punishment could be quick, final, and publically administrated. Hangings were public affairs where all the community attended. We have heard of the posse. These were men and women ready to take matters in their own hands to capture criminals and keep the community safe. The sheriff was a peace officer required by the community to step in, call a jury, and make sure that the jury’s judgement was carried out. The sheriff was part of the Town Meeting where the community gathered to discuss how their community was to be administered.
Community is, basically, the same thing as democracy. We have been told that democracy is mob rule. We have been indoctrinated into believing that we do not want mob rule. We are told that all matters should be decided by a few, strong hands. This is just the king thing the Israelites decided they needed over the objection of Jesus’ desire for community rule using his commandments.
Presented by: aldon: maleckas, 3011 East Wilson Road, Custer, Michigan, 231-757-3970