Apr. 23, 2002 - 20:51 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Diogenes Weeps

Be honest, work hard, do a good job and what profits thee ?

Maybe because I lived and mostly grew up just a few blocks from the Shattuck Chemical Co. near Santa Fe Boulevard and 1700 Block So. / 1800 Block So. and played all around that whole neighborhood. My once upon a time turf and I am deeply interested.

The site was found to be highly polluted. Of course the EPA got into the act and it was decided to cover over the whole site (a block or so) with supposedly impervious clay, etc. I think the top was four or five feet high. Seems to me that every time some agency, corporation or another decides that is is safe to bury and cover over something, later on down the line comes a catch, groundwater seepage, an earth tremor causing cracks, or some other ungodly thing would cause the so called contained stuff to be spread again. I think EPA did cause it to be covered over, creating an uproar among the people living in that area. Rightly so I think.

Webster type dictionary defines -- Ombudsman: a commissioner appointed by a legislature, as in some Scandinavian countries, New Zealand and elsewhere, to hear and investigate complaints by private citizens against government officals or agencies.

Mr. Robert Martin lived up to the foregoing title, a buffer between the people and governmental injustice or any kind of mistreatment. He made his move as a true ombudsman and opposed that such a thing be done. If I remember correctly such an uproar backed by the ombudsman caused a new plan to dig out the dirt and truck it out -- somewere.

The high muckety mucks of the EPA don't like him and were transferring him to EPA's Inspector General's office, where his job description would have changed. Probably a decently paid high level janitor's job or some such. (Bud Light ?) At least to a position where he would have no say and no power to stand up for us peons. When the smoke cleared it was obvious the EPA would never allow him to again to fight for the little guy.

It amazed, delighted me and made me sorrowful. This high principled man resigned rather than accept the dishonorable thing the EPA was trying to do to him. What a rotten way to go. I don't know his age but I can guess that no government agency or corporation wanting to do business with the government will ever touch him - even with somebody else's ten foot pole. I do hope he has put enough away to retire comfortably.

So, as in the case of many other honest and dedicated people who made great efforts toward better things they tried to promote him to a position of impotence -- and by golly he refused to go! It is times like these that I think Diogenes Weeps . . . . . . .

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