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There's something fishy going on
(by Barbara Christian - March 24, 2010)
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
There's something fishy going on
Some ideas are better than others, and the very worst end up on the list of Darwin Award winners. Then there are ideas that are not good or bad. Let's just call them questionable.
Like the 16-year-old California kid who convinced the state assembly to designate a cuss-free week in the Golden State. Ah, youthful idealism. Wonder how many people tried not cussing. More to the point, how many tried and failed?
It was therefore a good idea to make the ban on cussing voluntary. In his innocent exuberance, the young anti-cursing advocate has not yet come to know how therapeutic cussing can be. It may even save lives.
Hmmmm. That said, has anyone checked the assault numbers, road-rage incidents and murder rate for California during cuss-free week?
Another questionable idea is the informational packet that those of us who subscribe to cable television received from our beloved provider, telling us how our TV viewing was about to get easier.
In fact, the cover letter shouted, "TV Made Easy." And it took them two leaflets and a couple of fliers tell us just how easy it's going to be? I am suspicious. That much explanation does not build confidence.
An even worse idea came in the mail a couple of days later, a separate, more sober-looking notification card, announcing cable rates were about to increase by $6 a month. All that easy sure has a price.
Another suspect idea was the recent protest in our nation's capital by aggravated fishermen. Yes, I said fishermen. It appears there is an activist streak in these folks who generally do not make waves and are content to sit in their boats, bobbing around peacefully waiting for a bite.
These fisherman turned noisy lobbyists when news hit the Internet (news and Internet are not always synonymous) reporting both left and right coasts plus the Great Lakes were about to be hit with a fishing ban. A government task force was fingered as the villain.
This is a very bad idea, especially for commercial operations like charter boats, towns and resort areas that depend on recreational fishing.
Thing is, according to the White House spokesman, there will be no such ban, so anglers can just untangle themselves from all that angst before they turn into the rod-and-reel version of the National Rifle Association. What is coming is a plan to manage the "resource," said the spokesman.
At last report, the fishermen are still wary of this yet-to-be-announced and possibly bad idea.
To bring some local flavor to the scaley issue, we should tell you that, last we checked, overfishing was also a problem at the kiddies' artificially stocked catch-and-release pond at Whitesburg Park. Either the Whitesburg fish have made a run for it or the meaning of the "release" part of catch and release has eluded some of the anglers.
The good news and an even better idea is that Chagrin Falls Village Hall has announced no plan to ban fishing or manage the resource at the old fishing hole. Other than to keep shelling out cash to buy fish taken by poachers for the possible purpose of a dinner that is poached to perfection.
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