Together we stand divided we fall

I think Lee Adrian and Sarah Beaudet hit the nail on the head today in the WN when they reflect on the sad state of whining and bickering that litters our wonderful WN. I was at the Eco LaPeche meeting last night at the Black Sheep and witnessed polite and constructive discussion on the highway extension and other “urban sprawl” type issues that threaten to drastically change our little village. Perhaps the real issue is our sleepy town has become overwhelmed with outside imposed change and we have become divided in our frantic response. Perhaps this is no accident? I think it’s great that people are concerned and impassioned to add their voice to the democratic debate, but why do so many outspoken people feel that the WN is the only forum to do this and not the face to face forums or blogs that many have worked hard to organize and attend? Storm Russell and I helped to start the Wakefield Newsletter under a different name many years ago and it was meant to be one of levity. When we had enough, we passed this rag-tag Newsletter on to our neighbors, Phil and Glennis who took it to a level that was meant to unite us. Now Nikki has done the same but it would be a shame to see the WN degrade into a forum for whining. It would be sad to see it become censored. Maybe we should take our cue from the sign above the door at the Black Sheep that says, Be Nice or Leave.

Andre Lalonde, Wakefield