My tiny town has a big problem. For 47 years now, the housing of lifestock of any kind has been prohibited by law within village limits. Apparently, in 1979, all livestock was slaughtered in one big murderous event because of this law, and a huge party was held. Since then, nothing has been allowed.
Except, that law has been ignored regarding chickens.
Now, not very many of us raise chickens, but there are rather more of us who hate chickens and do not want chickens anywhere in the village, not even on lots of ten acres or more. These haters want zero chickens anywhere. None. Nada. Nuh unh. So, they found out that the law forbids them and, even though there have been no problems at all other than a few complaints (according to the mayor, the police chief, and the code enforcer), the village board, the police chief, and the code enforcer have been hard at work fashioning a new law that will allow a very few people to have chickens. This law is so onerous to comply with that most of the people with chickens today will have to get rid of their flocks. One chicken lover put the question to AI which found a great many clauses in the proposed law that are questionable on constitutional grounds, and downright absurd, such as that fecal material must not be composted on ones property. Chicken lovers will recognize the ridiculousness of this requirement.
This 3000 word law would essentially prohibit the raising of chickens for nearly everyone in the village. There will be far fewer chickens than there have been while law enforcement was ignoring the law.
Are the chickens haters happy that neighbors would have to give permission for someone to raise chickens right next door? Nope. Are they happy that coops will have to be 50 feet from any property line? Nope. Are they happy that the code enforcer will be allowed to make surprise and warrant-less inspections of a property with chickens? Nope. All this and more is not enough for them. They want the chicken prohibition to remain in force, and to be enforced forthwith.
The vote on this ridiculously unconstitutional law is this coming Monday.
What did one of our chicken haters do?
Called Channel 2 News to alert them that my small town is going to allow the raising of chickens. Because - wait for it - The Big Bad Avian Flu.
Yup. We'll be on the telly for allowing a source of a deadly plague within village limits.
Who thinks like this? Only someone who wants another pandemic/plandemic in our midst. The last con job (covid) must have scared their wits right out of them if you ask me.
So this is what I miss about the pre-plandemic era: the good old days when pandemics were not believed to be a regular thing of life, here to stay, here to allow folks handy excuses to shirk responsibilies. Most aggregiously, here to be used to slaughter millions of creatures based on the plus or minus results of a plastic testing trinket from China, said trinket administered by the hands of untrained persons, and those results used to fashion public policy for all.
I've gotten heavily involved in the making of this law, even though I do not have chickens. I learned a lot! About the persons in "charge" of my life here, about how laws are made (arbitrarily!), and about how to raise my own voice in public. I am, once again, turning into one of my parents, in this case into my father, who was himself a local politician in this very town, as mayor among his many positions, and either hated or loved by everyone here. It's been fun! I look forward to Monday's meeting. I might even harass Channel 2 News for being there at all.
This is what I do not miss: my being hesitant to express an opinion that is contrary to the opinion of most of the other people in a room.
Good times.
This is my entry to @ericvancewalton's Memoir Monday initiative. I'm a bit late for this particular topic, but the question was "What do you miss about the pre-pandemic world?"
For nearly a full year now (I believe there is only one week left) Eric has posted a question about our lives for us to answer, in hopes that, after a year, the participants will have produced a valuable collection of memories.
In Eric's words:
Someday all that will be left of our existence are memories of us, our deeds, and words. It's up to you to leave as rich of a heritage as possible for future generations to learn from. So, go ahead, tell your stories!
