In the Aug 17th paper Mr. Sweet has written a humorous letter which is one of the best I have read in this sorry paper in a long time. Congratulations to Mr. Sweet.
People move here from “down south” for our way of life and rural freedoms and then work like the devil to change our area into a mirror image of the closely regulated cesspool they left to come here.
His admonishment to “smarten up and learn how to be patient and tolerant with your neighbour, your fellow man.” is a very good model to live by albeit his hope for such people to smarten up may be destined for disappointment.
His points are classic. Most people enjoy fireworks or they wouldn’t have huge displays over the world on Jan 1st. A few complain so ban them for everyone. We have rented our cottages for over 70 years; a few people complain so regulate, inspect and tax them out of existence. Now they are trying to extend the no wake zone out well past the harbour mouth so the tourists can use there kayaks “safely” to run into the ferry. No thought for our motorboats that we have been running for decades.
So in sum, everything is fine here. That is why you moved here, retired here or bought a cottage here. Why are you trying to change it into the type of uptight place you just ran away from? Do you get a charge out of telling people what they should think? Telling them what they should do?
So yes, stop it people. Your mewling and whimpering letters to the paper and to the council. Stop those one-sided glad-handing editorials. And stop trying to mirror the restrictive lifestyles of rich year-round places like Blue Mountain. Accept like adults that population growth and the growth of tourism is a worldwide phenomenon – this is not and never will be a gated community!
Two new examples since Mr. Sweet is the debacle of the Cabot head road lovingly described in the editorial of Aug 17th. The effort’s lack of consideration reaches new heights with the catch phrase, “The Cabot Head joint committee …has satisfied all the stakeholders they talked to.” What about the many stakeholders they didn’t talk to like myself? Like seniors who will now be cut off from the lighthouse forever with only a bicycle/hiking path. Like wise the disabled will be eliminated from enjoying the tourist attraction – is that even legal? All this talk about a part of the road being on private land – so what? In the civilized world you either buy it or expropriate it. What’s going on here, some sort of backroom deal?
And the highways having to rip up the expensive wildlife fencing on highway 6 because it interferes with the movement of deer into the Native’s hunting ground. Were all the “stakeholders” consulted then? Stakeholders – what a fatuous, misused and self-serving word to have slipped into our vocabulary during the last 10 years as some people try to force their agenda down the throats of others.
Life is short, let’s try to get along!
Kevin Doyle,
Dorcas Bay
PS: (My grandkids wanting to see fireworks on the Labour day weekend – you want to take that simple pleasure away from them? The family memories. Does it make youse feel omnipotent or do you just have nothing better to do?)
