Yes, The Lincoln Journal sees the big elephant in the middle of the living room.

The strife in our community is hard to miss.

The elephant is made up of rumors, innuendoes, half-truths, speculation, and a lack of communication, mixed with some truth regarding events surrounding a possible FBI investigation, a dumping site at a hunt club, the resignation of a member of the Lincoln County Board of Education, an NAACP inquiry into the hanging death of a young man at the jail, and a Macon County man arrested on stalking charges.

It's time to stop this madness.

The truth is nobody knows the whole truth. It would take an army of FBI agents, EPD employees, and lawyers as well as journalists, ministers, and psychiatrists at least two years if not three to straighten out the mess. And until the mess is sorted out and the FBI, the EPD, or whoever files charges against somebody, we will not print a detailed article on the "investigation" which the FBI will neither confirm or deny, the dumping site, or anything else. But when we do, our story will be accurate and verifiable - bank on it.

If those involved had spent more time listening to what was actually being said, resisting the urge to jump to conclusions, seeking out "the horse" so as to get the story from his own mouth, and ignoring outright pettiness, there would probably be no elephant in the living room. Even those with a passion for the truth can be seduced by their own biases.

So much for the elephant - we now have to find ways to bring healing to the hearts that have been broken, the families that have been divided, and to our community which is suffering.

At the end of the day, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion are a whole lot more important than being right. Jesus never said, "Blessed are the right."

He did, however, command us to love our enemies, whether they deserve it or not. This is the real truth, the truth that could rock our community and bring healing to our hearts - if we would let it.

Jacquelyn Johnson News Editor