Just to get the discussion rolling this Monday morning, we'd like to shine the spotlight on a fine Standard-Examiner letter to the editor appearing in this morning's edition, penned by the always civic-minded Jason Wood:
I was bemused, then nauseated,while reading the puerile house editorial of June 10, "Support Ogden Ice Climbing."For those readers who haven't yet made the connection, the above-signed author is the same playful fellow who posts those highly stylized and ever-cranky comments under the handle Jason W. right here on this forum. You know -- the ones which are amply laced with references to "Chris Peterson's squirrel patrol," "onions," and "THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE."
Apparently, the Standard-Examiner's editorial board is comprised of those who easily fall prey to the irrational bleatings of Ogden's top high-adventure carnival barker, Mayor Matt Godfrey.
These people urge the city to allocate $100,000, "even $200,000," in taxpayer funds toward the erection of a nonsensical refrigerated ice tower, open for climbing all the year long.
In energy, mainenance costs and projected users, the idea is farcical on its surface, laughable in conception and utterly ridiculous on paper.
But not according to our delusional mayor and the leaders of our town's only newspaper; both entities seemingly think Ogden is a giant amusement park that needs circus ride after circus attraction to garner some sort of faux recreational cachet the community already possesses due to our natural wonders and the assets Godfrey often threatens.
We are a real city, home to real people who have real problems. Our infastructure is in need of repair, our firefighters are using equipment that's four decades old, we suffer from crime and gang violence, our police officers are underpaid.
But by all means, according to the solipsistic Standard, let's spend public money on another of Godfrey's silly boardwalk apparatuses; let's "get behind" Godfrey, Jeff Lowe and the ice tower.
Jason Wood
Ogden
As we lumpencitizens are painfully aware, keeping a lid on Boss Godfrey's crackpot schemes is a 24/7 job here in the upside-down, inside-out universe of MattGodfreyWorld. Today Jason has done his part. A Weber County Forum Tip O' the Hat to Jason this morning, for helping to deliver the message of truth and rationality to the general readership of our home town newspaper.
And for those readers who are disappointed that Jason at least slightly deviated from his signature literary style, and abandoned his "schtick" -- thus depriving Std-Ex readers of the full impact of his mighty pen -- we think that's OK in this instance. Somehow, we think many Std-Ex readers simply wouldn't "get it" at all. Golly heck. Even a few of our own Weber County Forum readers sometimes don't seem to get it either.
Amazing though, innit, what Jason can accomplish when he decides to play it straight?
And while we're on the subject of today's letters to the editor, here's another good one from this morning's Std-Ex letters page, delivering a grand tongue in cheek broadside against Godfrey, et al., on another perennial WCF favorite topic, the Mt. Ogden Golf Course.
Sell the El Monte Golf course and apply sale proceeds to improving our Mt. Ogden Golf Course crown jewel? Now there's one danged fine idea.
Time to clear out the weekend cobwebs, gentle readers.
The floor is open for your comments.
