I don’t care if our state and county are both broke, they still need to clear all the dang weeds and brush lining our mountain roadways so we don’t have a repeat of the awful firestorms that have ravaged our communities in the past.
Keeping in mind that the 2003 Old Fire was ignited in weeds and brush adjacent to Old Waterman Canyon Road, it would certainly behoove the county road department and Caltrans to clear the weeds bordering roadways within their sphere of responsibility.
The fire danger along our state and county-maintained roadways has existed since before the June 1 deadline for weed abatement – yes, the same weed abatement ordinance that that Code Enforcement imposes on all of us property owners. I suppose a late start is better than none at all.
Hopefully, our mountain won’t burn to the ground in the meantime. And I don’t want to hear any excuses like, “We can’t afford it” or it’s too hard.” Do you think such excuses would fly with Code Enforcement when the average Joe Citizen fails to perform his county-mandated weed clearance.
Mom always said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Mom was pretty smart. She also believed in slave labor and, since she always like my brother best, I was the one who got stuck with slaving over all the weeds. As a result of my (forced) diligence in weed abatement, my boyhood home in the OC never caught on fire… except for the small flare-up we had when an errant sparkler I tossed into the air during a 4th of July celebration landed on the wood shake roof. No wonder Mom always liked my brother best.
I know one thing for sure: Slave labor works, it’s dirt cheap and I know where there is a seemingly endless pool of untapped, free labor. I bet this state’s prison inmates, instead of lounging around in their air-conditioned prison cells with nothing better to do than lift weights while watching their color TVs, would jump at the opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise in the great outdoors.
Well, don’t you know, that’s the sound of the men working on the chain gang. All day long, they’re singin’ hooh, aah, hooh aah, hooh aah. (“Chain Gang” – Sam Cooke – 1960)
What a wonderful way this would be to keep our mountain communities safe from the flames of another devastating wildfire, while at the same time providing those who’ve blundered an opportunity to get some fresh air and a tan while they repay their debt to society.
All day long they’re singin’ hooh aah, hooh ahh…
Keep it flyin’,
Uncle Mott
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