"You may be sure that we are as well aware as you of the difficulty of contending against your power and fortune, unless the terms be equal. But we trust that the gods may grant us fortune as good as yours, since we are just men fighting against unjust, and that what we want in power will be made up by the alliance of the Lacedaemonians, who are bound, if only for very shame, to come to the aid of their kindred. Our confidence, therefore, after all is not so utterly irrational." Response of the Melians to the Athenian Empire from History of the Peloponnesian War 417 B.C.
"It is “really complex” and, surely, we citizens are not grown up enough to understand it. But, nonetheless, rest assured that it is yet another thing that we little people will end up paying for, and not the developers." Alex McLean // Mon, Nov 18, 201 in response to Wendy Harris latest article in the Northwest CitizenI feel like such a complacent idiot for not getting involved more in the Waterfront Planning Process. I suppose it was just one more thing that I didn't think I could handle. Better leave it to the people who actually know the difference between a VOC and an SVOC. Besides, it always seemed like competent activists were on it: The Waterfront Futures Group, The Healthy Bay Initiative, Frances Badgett, Tim Johnson, Wendy Harris, Dan McShane. Now it looks to me like the "Old Boys" have won again. Through wearing good people down? Through ignoring our best citizen activists? Through distracting us by blaming some other "Old Boy" or "Old Girl" whose main objective was simply to run enough interference so the "Old Boys" could use tax payer dollars to:
- subsidize a rich man's marina?
- a dangerously shoddy clean-up alternative?
- some half-assed efforts at habit restoration and a waterfront trail?
- We can attend the this week's three City Council meetings (see below) and try to inject at least a show public strength into the process.
- We can gather together in outrage; pass a big hat; maybe hire someone like David Brinklin to help us sue the City or Port or otherwise legally 'monkey wrench' the process.
One thing seems certain. While you and I were chasing toddlers, cleaning house, and making it to work every morning, no one was successfully injecting public input into the Waterfront Planning Process. And everyone, good soldiers all who fought in our stead, has been turned back, in one way or another defeated. Arise ye citizens of Bellingham!! Arise!! The waterfront future may still yet be yours to claim!! Don your bronze breastplates and Corinthian helmets! Grasp your 15 ft doru! Perhaps the Lacedaemonians will not come to save us. But we can still fight nonetheless.
Tim Johnson "Catch 22, Power of Ten"
Wendy Harris "City Council Misled on Waterfront Planning"
Doug Karlberg "Smoking Gun: Fraud and Deception"
Whatcom Watch Facebook Page
Wikipedia on Bellingham Waterfront
City of Bellingham Waterfront Planning page
Port of Bellingham Waterfront Planning page
Link to City of Bellingham meetings this week; Possible Waterfront Planning in Red
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