You know something? I’ve never hit my wife. If we make it to December it’ll be 36 years, and I’ve never hit her. She’s hit me a few times, though. Folks who know me are probably nodding in agreement and sharing the sentiment, "Not hard enough!"

Seriously, though, domestic violence is a vicious, evil thing. And when an elected official is arrested for domestic violence, immediate resignation should be the only option.

Last week Newton County Commissioner J. C. Henderson was arrested for domestic violence. Guilty or innocent, police files show more than 100 calls made to that address over the last few years for similar and related purposes. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The most telling line from the reported incident to me was when Henderson said he’d tell the truth either Monday or Tuesday following his arrest. I guess he figures he needs a few days to figure out which truth he wants to tell.

Simply, my take on the whole thing is this: it does not matter whether it’s a Newton County Commissioner being arrested for domestic violence, or a person being nominated to head the U. S. Treasury who owes back taxes, or an elected state senator or representative in the Georgia Legislature who has failed to file income tax — any person purporting to represent the public simply must be held to the highest standards of good and proper conduct.

And if their marble pedestal cracks one day and exposes them to be idols of clay, they should resign immediately or be thrown out of office without delay.

Aristotle defined character as "that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids."

Leonardo da Vinci put it more clearly, saying "the depth and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves."

And America’s second president, John Adams, said with prescience, "Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases."

This much is certain: Henderson surely squandered an opportunity to be a force for good. He’d managed to get a community center virtually donated to his district, although he now wants somebody else to run it and fund it. This incident surely will make a call for volunteers from within his district to "man up" and make it happen a tough sell.

Oh, while I’m thinking about that community center for Henderson’s district, let me switch gears and mention the park which has met with some opposition out in Commissioner Nancy Shultz’s district. I realize the issue is not a simple one, but I am a simple man and see things in a simple way, and I’m thinking there’s a simple solution.

Why not take the money that has been allocated for that park and put it into the non-profit fund that is raising money to equip all Newton County Sheriff deputies with top-grade flak vests? The amount would pretty much fully fund the amount needed, and it would table the controversy for a little while and give folks in that neighborhood time to let things shake out a bit.

Let me say, also, that by simply mentioning the park I am in no way tying that issue to the Henderson incident. You’ll have to look far and wide to find a more conscientious and dedicated public servant than Nancy Shultz.

Now let me touch on one more matter to wrap this up in as politically correct a manner as possible for this old boy.

Domestic violence is not a racial issue. Domestic violence transcends race, creed, color, socio-economic income and levels of higher education found in the home. Domestic violence, like breast cancer, is found all across the spectrum of life in our society — and around the world, for that matter.

And I don’t live in J. C. Henderson’s district, nor do I live in Nancy Shultz’s district. So it’s entirely possible that I’ve quit preaching and gone to meddling, as we say in these parts.

But I want to be clear that I’m not deriding Henderson’s current problems because he’s black and I’m white. Nor am I offering advice to Shultz because she’s female and I’m male.

What I am saying is that if Henderson battered his wife, they need to lock him up and throw away the key. And if the money for Shultz’s park can be better put to immediate use by funding flak vests for deputies — that seems like an elegant solution to this simple boy.

I’m just saying.

Nat Harwell is a long-time resident of Newton County. His columns appear regularly on Sundays.