Editorial: Wishful thinking

Posted 12/30/16

In the spirit of the new year, may all enjoy peace, heath, love and prosperity … A few of the following would be nice too:

We wish that:

• Westport at long last cleanse its reputation as a …

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Editorial: Wishful thinking

Posted

In the spirit of the new year, may all enjoy peace, heath, love and prosperity … A few of the following would be nice too:

We wish that:

• Westport at long last cleanse its reputation as a haven for those who treat animals badly. And that those who cast judgement from neighboring towns remember the “people who live in glass houses” adage.

• Justice is finally meted out to those who would treat any living thing in such a way.

• We be treated to more characters like the “old bull” and “young bull” who, on a wager, hoofed it from a Westport watering hole to a Little Compton one and back — 11-plus miles - raising money for a good cause every step of the way.

• Donald Trump handles the office he will soon hold with the respect, dignity, wisdom and humility that it deserves and demands in precarious times.

• Tiverton leaders remember that they can mess up a lot of things but that failing to pick up the trash at reasonable cost will not be tolerated. Fall River regimes have been toppled for handling this task badly.

• We continue to be amazed by people who devote themselves to improving some little corner of their community … The likes of Geraldine Millham and Westport’s old houses, Caroline Wordell and young Little Compton scholars in memory of her late brother; Roger and Gail Greene and Simmons Mill Pond; all those who delivered food, money, help of any sort to those Westport animals …

• The Coast Guard spares the sweets sound of Sakonnet River bell buoy 2A (it’s also useful for navigation).

• That some state/municipal union leaders realize that a slightly diminished gold-standard pension is better by far than what bankruptcy would provide.

• In the spirit of the late but not lamented gas station by Grinnell’s Beach, we finally see:

— the last of the old Sakonnet River Bridge

— a certain Westport used car place put out of its misery

— the demise of winter moth caterpillars (gypsy moths would be nice too)

• That there be progress toward the Sakonnet Peace Alliance’s dream of a world with less strife. We’ve asked this before but the need has not diminished.

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Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.