Just wait a minute. Suppose, just suppose, that a major polluter decided they were going to deposit some of their leftover pollutants, that might harm you and your children, in your backyard. Suppose it was one of the richest companies in the world. Would you welcome them? Would you say, “Well, this is really the best we can do?” Nah, you would say: “These folks put it there, let them clean it up.”
Look, these people have lawyers and public relations experts up the wazoo. They pay for results and, all too often, they get them. Are these people paying the same proportion of their income in taxes as you are? What they do pay is a sin, it is so little (if anything.) It is interesting that they often look for places and communities that are on the lower end of the economic spectrum. They go to the poorer end of town, on the other side of the tracks from the doctors and lawyers and such.
Governor Baker is a very good and smart Republican. Actually, he is a Republi-crat. Half Democrat, half Republican. I voted for him twice. I like the cut of his jib. I do think he might have gone a bit farther in standing up to Donald Trump, but I get it. Republicans are almost universally Trump followers. If Baker goes too far anti-Trump, he may get primaried, but his present popularity is off the charts. If ever there was a time to tell us what he really thinks of Trump, this is it. For all of us who are “unenrolled” in Massachusetts, we can choose a ballot in either party at primary time. I’m sure that we’d be there for the governor if he were to get in trouble with the Trump gang. I know that I would.
I would very much like to be vaccinated so that I might avoid getting COVID-19. I read in the press that I am in the top class of people to get the shot. I am, among other things, a very young 79-year-old and I have diabetes. I keep hearing that puts me at the top of the list, but I can’t seem to find out how to get the shot. Don’t get me wrong — the people who are staffing the hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors’ offices, and other front-line workers should absolutely come first. We do know that the older you are, the more vulnerable you become, so that puts us up there in the priorities. Nonetheless, the heroes should go first.
What should you do if you find out that someone living among you was one of the miscreants who invaded our Capitol? What if you see his or her face on the television? Should you call the FBI? My take is that you should. As has been asked so many times, if this had been a Black Lives Matter demonstration and a protestor had spit on the ground, would he have faced charges? We know the answer. I am certainly puzzled that so few people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection.
I am very excited about the town of Great Barrington’s seeming commitment to Police Department transparency. Happily, we are moving in the right direction and have seen progress. Now is the time to solidify change. The old chief is retiring. The new chief, Paul Storti, is saying the right things. We have a DA who says she is dedicated to justice and is willing to do what it takes. That takes guts and I hope that she means it; after all, she has to depend on police during arrests and prosecutions. The proof will be in the pudding. It is not easy to critique your police department. It is tough not to send them money when they ask for it in the mail. Let’s not let this opportunity fly by.
