Cedar Valley News – November 3, 2025

Ron Rabe
November 3, 2025

When Justice Sits in the Chair
By: Teresa Nikas, Editor

From the fictional town of Cedar Valley, where characters from Quiet Echo continue to respond to real-world events.

The other day I read about James Comey—his once-steady position as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation now replaced by the everyday unsteadiness of a man answering questions under oath.

It made me pause—not simply at the grandeur of headlines, but at what it means for a community like ours when systems we’ve trusted wobble, then stand upright again. In Cedar Valley, we don’t have grand courtrooms or sweeping indictments at the diner counter. But we do have faith, responsibility, and daily accountability.

Here’s where the connection matters:

In Washington, the charge is whether a man in power misled the public, misled his own record, or misled his own conscience. Here in Cedar Valley, the charge is simpler—but just as real: Did I show up when I said I would? Did I tell the truth when the other person believed my word? Did I listen when someone asked me to?

When a man as prominent as Comey sits before Congress and faces the question of what his testimony really means, we’re reminded that no one is above the chair of scrutiny—not the big names, not the hidden names, not even the small-town names. The bedrock of community rests on trust. And when that trust creaks, our foundation trembles.

In Cedar Valley, we believe in second chances. We believe someone can repent, fix a mistake, and start again. But we also believe accountability doesn’t end when the spotlight dims. It gets quieter, deeper, persistent. It becomes the neighbor who mows your lawn randomly, the parent who remembers the permission slip, the friend who says: “Sorry I missed your call.”

This week I invite us to hold two thoughts in our hands:

Watch carefully. Power matters. Testimony matters. Whether in Washington or across our county line, how people behave under pressure shows what we’ll accept as community norms.
Act locally. You may not face Congress, but you will face your neighbor. You may never enlist a grand jury, but you will enlist your character. Keep your word—not for applause, but for belonging.

In this moment of national reckoning, Cedar Valley must not shrink. We must walk toward clarity, not away. We must choose integrity, not convenience. And we must remember: the heart of justice is not always dramatic—it is quiet, faithful, persistent.

This week, when you hear about testimony, courts, indictments and power, take a breath and ask the simpler question: Am I keeping faith with the people who see me every morning? Because that’s where our real story lies.

This editorial is part of the fictional Cedar Valley News series. While the people and town are fictional, the national events they reflect on are real.

It’s free, live, and fresh! Quiet Echo—A Cedar Valley News Podcast is live on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4nV8XsE, Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hdNHfX, YouTube: https://bit.ly/48Zfu1g , and Podcastle: https://bit.ly/4pYRstE. Every day, you can hear Cedar Valley’s editorials read aloud by the voices you’ve come to know—warm, steady, and rooted in the values we share. Step into the rhythm of our town, one short reflection at a time. Wherever you listen, you’ll feel right at home. Presented by the Readers and Writers Book Club: https://bit.ly/3KLTyg4