The Monsters Are Due On Main Street

With my apologies to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Episode entitled “Maple.”

A few weeks ago I was made to watch a taped PBS program of Maya Angelou discussing literature; my friend’s purpose was to help inspire me to write a story about our beavers hoping I might discover my muse along with tips on construction, pacing and voice. The piece of literature discussed was a short story that originally ran in the New Yorker in 1948 entitled, “The Lottery.” I found my muse alright, but the voice isn’t that of Marlin Perkins of Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom fame.

The same friend who likes to torture me with “good for you” television has at times questioned whether I play favorites where my children are concerned because I always talk about Noel. I laughed and mentioned this to both Keith and Krystal; Krystal’s response “Noel is like a wart on your butt, you just can’t get rid of him;” he’s in Taji, Iraq right now – so, from your lips to God’s ear. Krystal may be coming home on leave this summer; that is unless something else like school or terrorists (she too is in the Navy) get in the way, she should be home in time for our 4th of July Parade.

I’m very excited about our parade but recently that excitement has been tempered by what one print journalist with the Los Angeles Times described to me as “small town politics at its worst.” This past weekend I received a none too subtle warning passed from one Councilman* to another beaver supporter that if I were somehow involved with any anti-redevelopment agency talk the beavers and I might find ourselves stigmatized. I’ve heard warnings like this in the past.

I was given a peek into our city’s politics last September during the run up to what has been coined Sheetpile Palooza. It isn’t everyday that I’m bothered out of sleep (nothing like late night phone calls to get a military mom’s attention) with frantic phone calls from former city councilmen; but when I saw who was calling I let voicemail pick up. The next morning when I returned the call I spent an hour being harangued by Mr. Former Councilman* as he too issued dire warnings, urging me to keep everyone on the reservation regarding the upcoming City Council decision. Please Note: I didn’t say vote, I said decision. I was more than a little suspicious when I was told to just go along with the plans for this particular construction because it was in the best interests of the beavers.

It’s been awhile since I listened to Rush Limbaugh on a somewhat regular basis. Rush used to have a way of highlighting those instances when politicians would try to silence opposing points of view by emphasizing ‘it’s for the children.’ Apparently in Martinez we’ll be saying ‘it’s for the beavers.’ Pffft!

*names have been edited for the online version