There was a great little Peter Sellers movie from 1959, "The Mouse That Roared."

It was a gentle satire about a poor little European country that declares war on the U.S., hoping to lose, then reaping the benefits of our aid. Problems ensue. Rent the movie and you’ll see what we mean.

It’s a funny movie with a point: Do something audacious and you’ll get noticed and can effect change.

Newton County has its own Mouse that Roared of sorts, Newborn Mayor Roger Sheridan.

Newborn is one of the smaller municipalities in Newton County, but Sheridan is taking action for a much larger cause that would benefit us all. He’s leading the way in the move to buy the unused Norfolk Southern railroad corridor across the county.

He sent a letter to the railroad earlier in the week giving notice of Newborn’s "strong interest" in buying the right-of-way.

The old railroad bed could be used as a trail or a path for water pipes to supply the county from the future Bear Creek reservoir. If the county doesn’t take action, the railroad may well declare the tract as abandoned, which would mean that the land could be sold piecemeal and lost to the county as a whole.

Sheridan is taking the lead because Newton County’s Board of Commissioners have no plans to act on the purchase of the 15 miles of tracks. The railroad has indicated it wants to know what our intentions are as soon as possible, or it will abandon the property.

Sheridan has gotten the railroad’s attention and ours, too. Hopefully the county has also heard his roar and will follow suit.