HeatSink

"Were just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year..."
-pink floyd

It has begun. Where last week we were all sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing from allergies - these past days we have been trapped.

Stuck down deep in the bowl of the Roanoke Valley, the collect for all the heat and humidity. Closer to the Sun than say.. New York City. But not so high the atmosphere thins and cools. The pressure cap is on, and we simmer.

I find myself fighting an urge lately to walk into the Municipal Building, grab the first politico I see, and ask them what they did to this city so many years ago. Maybe shake them up, apply some pressure till I get an answer.

It seems as if the city was asked to choose at gunpoint, Your money or your life.

I'm pretty sure at this point there was a 3rd option, but what it was - its hard to tell. Muddled by the years, apparently thats the one the city chose.

A weak form of government, usually found in cities with smaller populations. A citizenry that is trampled in the name of progress. As evidenced by the current Sundays on the Market - where just 3 weeks ago vendors lined the tables along Market St., now it is slowly being overtaken by the restaurants outdoor seating - to the point where the street is now the public sidewalk, according to some.

A City which has shoved its best and brightest out the door, off to other places rather than engage in the futility of change, but will more than welcome them back when they retire - and are quiet and not likely to demand more.

Submission is a desireable trait.

A City where fear is the ultimate motivator. Ranging from fear of reprisal by the City itself, to fear of contact from your fellow citizen - worry they will personally attack you, take your job or somthing similar.

Baseless fears work, for reasons no one can understand. The City banks on the ignorance of the citizens to not fully understand all it says and does. It only works based on innunendo and rumor, no full divulgence of information. The less you know, and the more you think you know - the better.

A City which has layered itself in protective shields against all community involvement. Be it EventZone, or Downtown Roanoke, Inc. Even the Libraries lost in a cloud of disinformation.

Did you know the City Library system allready has a working agreement with Roanoke County Public Libraries? The nonsense of merging the two into one unit is just that, nonsense. It's a deflection tactic. They are, for all intents and purposes - merged. You can get any book, any media from any library in the area - and have it dropped right at your local library. You can also return that book to any other library, and it will find its way home.

Did you know that?

Regardless. A long time ago, this City banked on the lack of interest from its citizens - the continued alienation of the citizenry from those in power. Give them an issue or two to keep them occupied for 20 years or so, like Victory Stadium.

No longer can the City bank on such notions - there is a rising tide of younger adults who are not willing to stand by, oblivious to the actions of the City. These are Adults who are now willing to stand their ground, and not be chased from the City they love.

For those of you who had given up hope for Roanoke in the past, I have a song for you... a hot, hazy, humid version - perfect for Roanoke.

"Wish you were here..."