Obsession at The “Independent” Community News

In June it appears that there will be a vote on Recreation Park Rules that will create an ordinance making the park rules enforceable by local or state police.  Maria Moore of the “Independent Community News” isn’t happy with rule number 1.  She wants it to say “Hours are Sunrise to Sunset.” It says “Park Hours are Sunrise to Sunset unless authorized by Recreation Department Commission.”

We knew it wouldn’t take long.  It wasn’t possible that Maria Moore would try to run a real newspaper and stop trying to stir up controversy, that nobody except for 15 of her friends who want Brodie Park South to be a dog park, think are controversies.

In her latest rant in her paper, she laments that “responsible adults were denied access to their boats after dark,” yet advocates that everyone be subjected to the same denial; she doesn’t advocate that the same responsible adults have access to anything in any park after dark.

It doesn’t seem to make a difference to her that she lives on advertising dollars, and that many of those advertisers might not be so thrilled about advertising in a paper that holds such an obviously anti-children’s sports slant.  Many of those businesses are trying to make a living in town.  Parents who don’t appreciate Ms. Moore’s editorial positions might make the choice not to contribute to her obsession by not frequenting those businesses.  Those businesses might come to the realization that it isn’t healthy to their business for them to advertise in the Independent.  Ms. Moore is entitled to her freedom of speech, but she has no idea that the freedom of speech requires responsibility and doesn’t understand that freedom of association says we don’t have to support her endeavor if we don’t agree with her.

In this article she complains that at Brown’s Corner lights have been used to extend use after dark, “while the neighbors in that quiet, residential neighborhood are unable to enjoy a peaceful evening in their homes.”  Has anyone around Brown’s corner complained?  The nearest houses are quite out of range of any whistles, cheers or other sounds of happy kids playing sports.

Ms. Moore and her friends started with insistence that Brodie Park South not host football practice because of rule #1, “Hours are sunrise to sunset,” which she considered a hard and fast rule.  When she and her friends went to the Recreation Commission and insisted that they reaffirm the rules written in 1987, their only goal was to shut down football practice.  They wanted to enforce the “sunrise to sunset” rule, and had no problem breaking rule # 10 which said, “No dogs, pets or other animals shall be allowed.”  1987_Park-rules-revised One of the dogs belonging to one of the “Friends of Brodie Park South” scared my poor young grandson because the dog owner was at Brodie Park South and the dog was off leash. The dog charged my grandson.  Her husband accused my son-in-law of “accosting” his wife in the park while at a town meeting.  No sir, the accosting happened to my poor grandson, by your wife and your dog.

We all agreed though, that the no dogs allowed rule is silly.  Dogs on a leash with responsible owners who pick up after them are not a problem to anyone.  We just also thought that not letting kids practice football was silly.  Rules that they wanted enforced were fine; the rest weren’t rules at all.

So Ms. Moore wants the town to vote on and create an ordinance that says the hours are “Sunrise to Sunset.”  She claims that the rule set to go before the town for a vote that says “Park hours are sunrise to sunset unless authorized by the Recreation Department/Commission” is not acceptable.

Realize that what she is asking means no evening summer concerts, no weddings or other evening events at Brodie, no skating at Chapin Park, no Boy Scout activities, nothing.  You won’t be able to put up lights for adult softball or baseball anywhere in town if we want them in the future.

Ms. Moore and her friends have made fools of themselves with their noise video, where they enhanced the noise so badly that the crickets were frightening, then contradicting the noise problem by posting the video of her walking on Niles Road next to the park while the kids were practicing, and all you could hear were her footsteps.  Any kid noises are faint and distant.   Ms. Moore takes her own walks through the park admittedly in her own videos without permission, that end after dusk, against her own proposed rules.

I encourage the Recreation Commission to keep the rules as they are.  This silliness has gone on long enough.