“If
we love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility
of servitude better than the animating contest
of freedom, go home from us in peace. We
ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch
down and lick the hands which feed you. May
your chains set lightly upon you, and may
posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
Samuel
Adams
|
. . . But not in my Backyard
Monday,
9 August 2004 - Question: If you
knew that a large city dumpster was to be placed
against your backyard fence to include pre-six o'clock
loud
early morning dumping, flies swarming in the hot
summer heat around rancid oil and butter, and the
terrible smell of the metal bin of waste, would you
take measures to have the article of civic rubbish
relocated?
This
dumpster position (see
the plans) is yet another
of the items we are told we will have to endure
for
the sake
of community
entertainment,
not to mention additional revenues to the owner
and the city of Cullman. We were told today, "He
can put it where he wants to".
Our
Children's Safety With
the theater so close to our home, my wife and
I are worrying what kind of movies the ten screens
will show. Will they have five of the same, most
popular movie out or will they run out of good
movies and go for the cheaper "B" rated
movies when attendance begins to decline? Will
movies
of the restricted (R), ill repute type be shown
only to have men leaving the latest testosterone
elevating flick make lurid remarks to our young
children not knowing what they are saying? Would
you want to live in this neighborhood, by choice?
We
have already experienced one such attempt to
abduct one of our children from our front yard
only to be told by the authorities the man was
retarded and wouldn't hurt anyone. Let's not
test it with
my child.
How much more tempting would it be for a man
coming from one of 'todays latest hits' to venture
over our backyard fence? There are many
reasons
for
having
businesses well separated from residential areas
and not by just a six foot plastic fence and
a loblolly pine. I believe our city ordinance
is quite deficient in protecting it's citizens
and this has been brought up more than once.
More
Promises To Be Broken? The plans also
indicate a break in the fence (buffer) to exclude
the end of our road, to have it open to the back
of the new shopping center. We were told by Mayor
Green that as long as he is in office the road
will continue to be a dead end as earlier promised.
What we need is a permanent solution
to protect our neighborhood from the adverse
interaction
with
the traffic
both automobile and delivery trucks. Our children
now ride their bicycles up and down the dead
end road with some margin of safety. This will
soon end when an irritated customer leaving a
store runs down our street and doesn't see the
small obstacle in their way. We do not wish to
see this happen when we can do something about
it
right now.
Nor do
we wish to see the back of these businesses and
wonder what they will look like
ten
years
from now? Does anyone truly believe our homes
will appreciate in value now? I personally don't
trust
our city
officials even though I
grew up
with
a great
number of
them.
What's
Next? Remove
the city's conscience and you will have a decline
in the moral fiber. A good balance and an equitable
compromise makes for a common focus toward posterity
for all concerned.
I
trace my family roots to settling in what was
then Blount county near North Walter soon after
1830 and my wife is
a 6th generation Alabamian. We have a vested
interest in the positive moral health of Cullman.
However, we can surely see a definite decline.
I've been told that Cullman doesn't have enough
revenue
to finance what is required to stay on top of
the increasing crime fought by our Police department.
Take this as an "I
Told You So".
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