2012-04-30

the True 'Greening of Bridgeton'...

collage of views of the true value of bridgeton-
 the money, the claiming calendar, the million-dollar monstrosity,
 fairway litter, runoff rubbish and more, constant crash bits
 WARNING:    -Crabfest Ahead!
   After 13 years here you'd think I'd be used to the dishevelment that is commonplace city greed and wanton ignorance, but it just seems to never end. Since the airport- correction, the city- correction again, the military (oops did I let that slip?)- bought out nearly a third of the city of Bridgeton community residences for the land adjoining lambert field several years ago its only gotten worse for the community. I remember when every quarter you could see litter being cleaned from the streets, streets and lots being cared for, and general overall growth for the community and its residents by means of the upkeep and the influx of merchandisers /services etc. Since then I can attest only to the Death of what was once an active community. Where once there was activity for all ages including teen and elder, now there appears the only activity is that unbecoming for a healthy lifestyle; just within one block are 7 liquor stores and bars, 4 banks, and a zillion restaurants and a few over-charging retailers- of minimum wage pay and usually part-time work only, of course. Gone is the mall from years ago, the theater, a blockbuster, a kfc, and more. In their place instead are the aforementioned, and empty decaying buildings for lease, and the most common recreation since then has been a substancial increase of cigarette smokers where it seems half the population lives on nicotine-and-tar smoke for excitement -and I hear quite a fair amount about the use of the other kind also -just as like to the pipe dream that the area really has become. 

   So imagine when amongst the profusity of junk mail several months ago Bridgeton dared to cite themselves as 'Greening Bridgeton'. Did I miss something? apparently so... For at least 4 years now, the area has been trampled like so as shown by the photographic examples above- litter constantly abounds upon many main sidewalk greens, vehicle debris and damaged curbing and traffic pole pieces lie strung about for months on end, and waterways and runoffs are clogged, overgrown, and filth-ridden and polluted, even obtaining such fantastic items as doors and shopping carts. Now I know what alot of the top brass boys are thinking for excuses- well.. we lost revenue and what amount the traffic-flow from 3 main interstate crossings in one area alone, etc etc etc. -Yes I have heard it all before. But what about the 3 or 4 million I heard the city got just for clearing a certain bit of that in the buyout? no, instead of serving the city in the best way possible by upkeep and keeping its workers etc, it went mostly to one new building I shall not mention -and while it is indeed a needed replacement for that which sat on an area that was bought out, couldn't it have been wiser spent and divided accordingly? I suppose that with that kind of monies the city's streetcleaners also had to be sold to cover the cost of the largest monster building in Bridgeton. What astounds me is the absolute nerve of the city council or whomever to build such as though the rest of the city was as grand- one would think it was halfway downtown to require that type of gigantic monstrosity of a building to fit in- instead it is far more an eye-sore especially on the street upon which it is located.
    Another bit is the curious way city folk think that THIS is proper pruning... like the excess length of cut grass at around here. hmm.. I find it quite humorous how city people are want to call the poorest of those around them and simple country people as redneck stupid and ignorant. Quite. Within the month after the brush above was cut, the new growth rings were already rotting to disease. And the pruny tree pictured you should see in person- heavens above, it looks more likely to have been planted as the apple tree from the wizard of oz or some other garish hellbound forest. Yeesh. But then again I guess when most landscape is done by unregistered hispanics who air-toss manure chips from truck-height so as to unwittingly make other sick, one can't expect much perhaps.

   But then again, I suppose it's 'just more of the way of the world, that's just the way it is'. PLEASE- no more Al Gore tactics about how we're 'saving the planet' by buying CFL bulbs! Really 'Mr-i-invented-the-internet- Mr-the-world-is-melting- Mr-nobel-peace-prize- Mr-'our-purpose'-speaker' ? I believe it's become quite apparent especially the last decade what the top-rung 'purpose' is- GE money and mercury poisoning (yes did everyone forget the mercury in CFL bulbs and the 90 percent chinese death rate in manufacturing them?) PLEASE wake up people! DDT and lead aint got nothing on Mercury poisoning! Think there's an abnormally high amount of birth defects and child problems as it is, you just wait until 10 years from now. Mark my words good. I remember once upon a time when I was a child that we were told that we were to recycle and that everyone was recycling to save the earth as such. My, how the tactics have changed to turn upon the people. Growing up I was also far more keenly aware of the many advances of science that most people didn't realize existed. Case in point- it amazes me also that cars are the enemy vehicle, when in fact, any large diesel engine, that is as say for commercial dump trucks and freight transportation, is actually the harbinger of acid rain and the earth's air killers because of the minute metals latent within the fuel. I remember specifically in reading about a simple ionizer for a measly $250 per vehicle as remedy, not to mention the metals could be reclaimed from the ionizer as valuables- and this was the mid80s-early90s. -so go figure- deduce your own conclusions... I have enough concerns myself just dealing with the every-other day air pollution and wondering when a certain 3 spots on one street are going to become sinkholes to china (there are 3 spots where i have seen garbage, then street blocks, and then about 4 feet dirt overlayed ontop that, dumped into about quarter acre spots when buildings are torn down and the land 'reclaimed' for commercial purposes.)

   A prime example of the real harm already upon us < Midway > Now one thinks an albatross and that many is of no concern, but therein lies one's ignorance about how truly interdependent all life on this planet is. Compare half your body full of plastic bits suffocating one's lungs to mercury poisoning and such similar- things aren't as far apart as you'd like to think.

Peace.

--more on Chris Jordan's photography with a video trailer at the end on his film project concerning the crisis at Midway.


I say just 'Doze it All and start over!