Here we are, living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, a place where we walk the streets any time of day or night (watching for the occasional moose or bear), a place where we leave our doors unlocked, our keys in our vehicles, with no concern for losing our property, our safety. In the world, meanwhile, 400,000 people die in a religious civil war in Syria, 50 people are killed by a madman in Florida, while his crime is overshadowed by the twice that number who are killed every day on our streets and highways – over half due to alcohol abuse. And yet, we get upset by people who wear funny T-shirts to public meetings, by artistic treatment of crosswalks (Yeah, Ralph!), by some imagined “bullies have taken over Haines.” Hyperbole triumphs. If such things upset us, life must really be good. Listen to the wisdom of Ms. Hill: “Lighten up a little bit.”
Bill Broste