Hello Westfield, especially Ward 3. Hi folks, to start with this past week I was in Holyoke for the Wear Orange rally for GUN SAFETY. I emphasize this because of the intentional misrepresentation being used to malign this movement. There, they too emphasized that this is not an effort to take away guns from actually responsible gun owners. Let’s be real, and actually honest with one another: that won’t happen as it cannot happen. There are some 300 million legal guns in America.
I did have the unexpected opportunity to say a few words at this event, where my emphasis was: it is not those seeking to stop the killing who threaten the 2nd Amendment, but the abusers of that Right. For that reason, the responsibility to reform our gun laws must come from those who want to defend the 2nd Amendment. And, not with some cleaver clichés as: guns don’t kill people, people kill people, or a good man with a gun can stop bad man with a gun. This is a clever distraction, but wrong. People using guns kill people; they don’t just stare them to death. And, image at Vegas, if people just started firing their guns even if they knew where the target was…the slaughter would have been tremendous! Hunting and home security are fine. Especially for those in the South and Western parts of America where they had and have reason to be afraid of people. They have been psy/socially conditioned for over 200 years to fear “other” people, even their own.
BUT, to quote Ronald Reagan: “I do not believe in taking away the Right for the citizen for sporting, hunting, and so forth, or for home defense. But, I do believe that an AK-47, machine gun, is not a sporting weapon, or needed for defense of the home.”
OK, local concerns: I got another scam on line, this time, that there were questionable issues with my Capital One account. I do not have a Capital One account… With so many people being so easily taken by on line, and phone scams, I figured I would give you a heads up.
2nd is that, to follow up on my concern re: fires, etc. at Whitney Park: it is charcoal burning in the woods season again, or very near into the woods. Also, that the littering is getting worse. I literally cleaned up a cooler’s worth of trash scattered around a styro cooler. Yes, again, I do clean things up. The evening parties have begun. So, if you live near Whitney Park you may want to be aware of the potential fire dangers. Whitney is a fantastic place to go for a walk, and with the bike riders using it more and more, we should want to keep it nice. Again, I will be recommending a gate at the entrance and exits of the Park, but the more who support this the better. This is a park that is mainly accessible, for the party crowd, by car. Contact the mayor so actions can be taken. I would suggest that we put in the fireplaces for family cooking, and that too would be wonderful for families to be there together for a cook out by the river. But, that last few times I tried that, especially, when on the Council, other councilors ran with the idea so as to use it for their own ends; created public uproar about being able to cookout at their homes, when that was not an issue, thus the real issues was lost in the confusion. Oh, for my fish stocking friends, while I was there trout, and previously, bass were stocked.
Your former Ward 3 City Councilor, Brian Hoose. [email protected]
