There are some who want us to believe there is a blue sun, but they are the ones who would also like us to believe perception is truth. Their perception. We can see a blue sun, but only through a prismic curtain. When that veil is lifted, the light will reveal what was intended to remain in the shadows.
Moving on, how many of you knew only after the fact that our fair city was under a boil water advisory for a couple of days? Surprised to learn, from neighbors and fellow coffee shop sages, that a whole bunch of us learned of that order only after the fact.
We first heard of the advisory while sipping a big glass of locally mined H20 at one of our favorite grazing sites. Bearer of the good news had stumbled across the information from one of the most reliable sources know to humandom, social media. Knew instantly it must be true.
Our first self-question was how we had managed to remain blissfully ignorant of what goes on in town. But curiosity got the best and we decided to ask how our city goes about informing its citizenry of situations that could be problematic. Turns out the city, like many of its populous, turns to social media for dissemination of information.
Speaking of dissemination, we no longer wonder why so many bone and joint specialists and chiropractors have waiting rooms packed to the gills. It’s the DIGJAM social disseminators who constantly throw their shoulders out of joint patting themselves on the back.
We digress. That outlet is, of course, a good way to spread the word. But one has to consider just how many sit around checking the city of Minden web site or Facebook pages to get the latest critical information. Just for grins, we asked our resident guru to check the numbers. Seems that if indeed the city did post notice of such an order, those who viewed would number in the low, very low, hundreds.
There has to be a slightly better way to let people know if a problem exists. We would not, however, recommend the same method used to announce public meetings. Posting notice on the front door of city hall don’t quite cut it, but at least someone using that door is informed. One of our more cynical buddies said the notice was sent by carrier pigeons, but the flock apparently took a wrong turn at Pearl Street.
Another question came to mind when we were told the advisory was voluntary, a.k.a., an advisory. We’ve heard from a couple of insiders that the potential of microbiological invasion of the supply was possible and precautionary steps were needed. Therefore, we were advised (not ordered) to boil.
In addition to informing (?) the public, samples were forwarded to the state health department. Good. Those samples were cleared. Good. Microbiologically speaking, it’s a better thing that we ill-advised weren’t fraught with illness.
Fortunately, we have pretty good drinking water in town, and the delivery system has been relatively trouble free. In our humble opinion, it would have been nice to know that our warning delivery system works as well when we need it.
Finally, Mindenites (hopefully) go to the voting booths shortly to determine who will be leading our fair city for the next four years. Early voting begins soon. We’ve heard a couple of voter registration events have been held, but we’ve neither heard nor seen indications of a stampede of new registrants.
We certainly hope that doesn’t signal a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the great unwashed. Like candidates, we’ll be watching the early balloting numbers. This could be a measure of just how serious we are in looking for good leadership. Our future can be constructive, destructive or stagnant, and we control the levers.