Time’s up for crying wolf

The recent letter by Krys Crimi of Mars Hill [“When the Wolf Is at the Door,” Sept. 26] was yet another installment—and a particularly fine one—in a long series of letters decrying the ruthless manipulations of developers who, seemingly in cahoots with indifferent county commissioners, are ripping up our mountains for the sole purpose of reaping exorbitant profit. Notwithstanding their epistolary merit, these letters, I believe, are no longer effective in obtaining their stated objectives.

The commissioners have seemingly sold their souls to the highest bidders. Voting them out, the accepted democratic solution for attaining better and honest public officials, no longer works. The replacements always seem just as corrupt. I’ve given much thought to this revolving-door conundrum, and the only common denominator I can detect is the acceptance of bribes that turns commissioners, sworn to uphold the public interest, into voting blocks serving the diabolical intentions of irresponsible developers. Writing letters will vent one’s spleen, but it will not silence the rumble of the bulldozers. Those who sugar the fuel tanks of these bashing behemoths are called vandals; those who use these machines to destroy a work of nature are called developers.

Finding alternative avenues of protest, such as physical involvement, is difficult in this area because there is not a sufficient number of dedicated members embedded in the prospective protest pool—such as the group that recently invaded Bank of America. The local citizenry is overloaded with sybaritic yuppies, who think that recycling and out-greening each other will somehow save the mountains; whose commitment of choice is to protest the putative maltreatment of circus elephants and the barbarism of meat-eaters; but who, giving them their due, occasionally make the supreme sacrifice by waving placards in Pack Square denouncing the Iraq war and the rapacious developers (whom many of these dilettantes might have patronized).

We are now faced with momentous decisions regarding our stewardship of our forests and mountains. We need a Gandhi and a Dr. King to provide the gritty, steadfast leadership for the valorous few who are not afraid of committing civil disobedience, who are willing to pay a heavy price to halt the despoilers. Such robust resistance will disabuse the commissioners of their condescending attitudes. The developers will be notified that they no longer have carte blanche to run amok in our cherished mountains.

Finally, a real and therefore dangerous battle to save our piece of the planet will have begun. And if this reconstituted duo of Gandhi and King fail, we will, perforce, summon Heyduke and his monkey-wrenchers from the wings.

The time is over for writing to the editors. Go now and tell it on the mountain, shout it with all the might you can muster while you are chained to a tree or lying in front of a bulldozer, because if you don’t have the stomach for courageous demonstrations, the mountains you supposedly love dearly will become Levittown aeries, the rivers and streams just so many brown smudges oozing off to the sea.

— David J. Stanley
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.