Published: December 24, 2007 08:27 am            

Can we just have peace here?

Word Play

Want to dream an impossible Christmas dream? Work at the newspaper.

You get to see it all here, up close and personal. The Scrooges, the Grinches, the Misers (heat, snow and otherwise), and the real-life equivalents of Burgermeister Meisterburger, the chief villain of 1970’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” who decided it logical to ban all toys because he had a bad experience with one — he tripped over it.

Of course, it’s not all bad. You get to see your share of Christmas miracles, of love and goodwill and the spirit of giving, as well. But those are mostly in the “human interest” category. By and large, “the news” is home to the exploits of those likely to receive coal in their stocking, from those who merely make the naughty list to the bad bananas with the greasy black peels.

Thus, you get to where you have a lot of hope — hope for a new year, for a new start, for changes of heart, of mind, and for a little common sense to prevail. This is the time of year when you look for the good in people — even if you have to rattle Jacob Marley’s chains a little bit — and have a little faith that Santa will deliver some gifts that might not fit under a tree. It’s the time to come together, enjoy some fellowship over cider and gingerbread cookies, and put aside our differences — because boy, do we have some.

So here’s my top three Christmas wishes this year for Pulaski County. I suppose I should aim a little lower and just ask for a Wii or an iPod or something — but the older you get, the more you find the things you truly want in life don’t come wrapped in boxes and bows.



1. Peace on Earth — or at Least in the City and County

12 months ago, we welcomed two new administrations: Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler’s and Pulaski County Judge-Executive Barty Bullock’s. Almost instantly, the honeymoons were over — and more fussing and fighting than the annual family get-together at Aunt Shirley’s ensued.

Since then, we’ve had a City Council that seems about as opposed to their mayor as fire and ice; a rotating door for police chiefs that has resulted in Somerset not even having one; accusations about wrongdoing in the county government and frequent barking about allegedly poor conditions at the local animal shelter; and lawsuits to go around. There are three big ones in circulation right now that I can think of off the top of my chilly head — the county road supervisor is suing the county, the city’s police are suing the city, and it seems like it’s been since Moses came down from Mt. Sinai that we’ve been battling the ACLU over the Ten Commandments display in the courthouse.

During the Christmas holiday, we talk a lot about being nice to each other and encouraging glad tidings and generosity and all that jazz — but not when it comes to the things in which we’re involved. Because we have a point to make, darn it. But if you don’t make the effort to be the bigger person, why should anybody else? If there is to be peace on Earth, government officials of Pulaski County, let it begin with you.

Remember Baby Jesus in the manger? The whole reason he was there was to eventually bring forgiveness to mankind — even though the government of the day was trying to kill him because he threatened the power structure. Now who would you rather be like — a loving Jesus or a paranoid King Herod? That’s what I thought.



2. Goodwill Toward Both Mankind and Animalkind, But With an Emphasis on Mankind

Okay. I like animals too. I’ve had cats I loved as pets, I currently have a hamster, and while I’ve never owned a dog, I have had a few good relationships with them (including a pit bull, of all things). I think that anyone who tortures them for fun is a jerk, and probably deserves a sobering visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future to illustrate the error of their ways.

But Scrooge’s fate was the work of destiny — not of government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

And in all the throwing of stones (or roasted chestnuts, perhaps) about the animal shelter, debating whether the animals are being treated well, whether the kill rate is too high, etc. — and then a high profile dog abuse case which has resulted in a piece of legislation being brought forth to toughen the penalties for such crimes — I have to wonder: Have we forgotten about the humans? You know, the kind of creature we are ourselves?

Children in urban areas get killed in the streets every day, yet I haven’t seen a furor about that in our newspaper. Many minorities still struggle against prejudice and unequal treatment in society, but I haven’t seen many letters to the editor about that. Our sons and daughters are constantly in harm’s way serving their country in the Middle East — but some of us seem to talk less about that these days than our local stray dogs and cats.

The Biblical message was “peace on Earth, goodwill toward men” — which includes women, but isn’t usually interpreted to mean the sheep and camels. I’m all for treating animals with respect and care — but how much more should we worry about our fellow human beings?



3. Prosperity for Pulaski County

It’s been a rough year for us, fiscally speaking. We lost out on a bio-lab and the I-66 project appears to be floundering. Granted, there were plenty of Whos in Whoville who weren’t too happy about the above deals in the first place, but if there was an upside, it was the possibility of an economic boost.

Less divided were reactions to the lowering of Lake Cumberland to ease pressure on the weakened Wolf Creek Dam — in a community that relies greatly upon the tourist dollar, the perception that spread to other places that said the lake was as dry as the dreaded holiday fruitcake couldn’t have been good for the local economy. And while the summer vacations and Labor Day still brought a good number of visitors, it was a little scary to see how barren certain former swimming holes really were — a little like Charlie Brown’s wilted little tree.

The good news is, the Corps of Engineers said the lake won’t go any lower. It will likely even go back up next year, five to 10 feet, they say. And if you got a new motorboat for Christmas this year, it looks like you’ll be able to operate it without skipping along sand dunes next summer.

Still, it would be nice to add to the county’s bounty rather than just get it back to where it was by returning the Lake Cumberland we all know and love. Maybe this year, the jolly guy at the North Pole — or maybe someone like Hal Rogers or our new governor — will throw some presents Pulaski’s way that don’t pose a threat to the environment (probably the main concern about the bio-lab and I-66 as mentioned above). Moreover, a revitalized downtown — meaning more places to shop, eat, and maybe even some progress on the Virginia Cinema — would be the best gift I could imagine.

So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukkah, or maybe nothing at all, here’s hoping your December has been a wonderful one. As we approach the new year, it’s clear Pulaski County has a lot of potential for great things — and just as much for lapsing back into bickering and Bah Humbuggery. Let us pray for the wisdom to choose the former and avoid the latter. God bless us, every one.

        

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