Samuel Gerald (Jerry) Firman, oldfogey, Publisher
The time has come for us to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword. We must wield this mighty weapon with integrity, honesty and, above all, honor. Integrity will prove our dedication to Community. Honesty will be the content of all we write. Honor will be the hallmark of our efforts to bring truth to as many as will listen.
As grand as this sounds it is absolutely necessary that we maintain these intentions if we are to present The Free Press as the very embodiment of the Press as named in the United States Constitution. The protection from infringement provided by our Constitution can only be defended if we conduct the Press in an honorable and beneficial way. If we allow our publication to become a detriment to other freedoms we will fail. If we allow our publication to seed discontent for political, social, religious or financial reasons we will fail. If we allow our publication to be a gathering place for those who would distort, mislead or those who would destroy we will fail. We will fail if we take our responsibility to our readers and ourselves too lightly and allow distraction to enter our discussions. If we fail there is no Free Press.
If we can bring one truth to one new reader we will succeed. If we can provide a gathering place for those who would work with others to build a better way of life we will succeed. If we can convince just one that reporting the truth is essential we will succeed. If we can spread the honest news to an ever growing audience we will succeed. If we keep the faith, work hard and be a friend as well as a messenger we will succeed.
I implore all Members to take their pen in hand and chronicle the world as they see it before them. Each Member has a unique view and understanding of what they witness. It behooves each of us to let all the Members see our viewpoint. This is a unique and important time in the United States. It is a time of change, a time of opportunity and a time of need. It is time we use The Free Press to spread the word. The time for The Free Press is now. Thanks.
