Unity

The Rauns and the Umsteads made just about every local news outlet this weekend; some positive and some not so positive. Below is a letter by Laura Deitrick the daughter of Mrs. Umstead, to the Pottstown paper to answer the front page article that ran this past weekend. (link here) It looks like an old fashioned back pedal by the township. The township has made statements and put up a post on the township website (link here) interestingly the facts released only represent part of the picture. In the end I think it is important not to demonize the township officials. People make bad decision all the time. If you give someone the chance to think about their decision without beating them with the stupid/guilt/shame stick they will usually take steps to correct the situation. If, however you make someone feel bad enough about a decision they made they tend to make more bad decisions. Unfortunately our political climate at all levels has evolved into an “us verses them” process. The news is filled with adversarial images; “the battle lines have been drawn”, “boxers in the ring”. All of these images suggest that one side is right and the other wrong. I think we are called to be collaborative with one another.
About this time of year back in 1860 a new member of the fledgling Republican party was getting ready for the presidential election that he won that fall. This small town mid-west lawyer would face arguably the toughest decisions ever faced by a president. Through it all he always knew he would accomplish more by working with his adversaries than against them. Members of his own cabinet fought bitterly and he would bring them in a room together and keep them there until they worked things out. At his inauguration the battle lines had been drawn. The ceremony was marked by the attendance of an entire garrison to fight any number of possible adversaries. The new president started his term by arguing that our responsibility as a nation, detailed in our Constitution was “to form a more perfect union”. I use this president not as proof of position or an argument for or against a political position. I use this man as an example of what can be overcome by taking the attitude that we are created equal and we are meant to live with one another. Go and read Matthew 22:36-40.
I pray that at the next meeting that bad decisions will be corrected and that the community shows the same grace to the township supervisors that it has shown the Rauns and the Umsteads.

Thursday, September 18, 2008
To the Editor:
While today’s article (“Elderly residents resist land purchase for park”) seems to suggest that the Perkiomen Township Board of Supervisors do not intend to condemn the Umstead and Rawn Properties, the Board’s prior actions and correspondence suggest otherwise. As the Umstead’s daughter, I am intimately aware of the details of this travesty of justice.
In correspondence from the Township Solicitor, the property owners were told that they could not retain any portion of their lands but would need to agree to sell everything to the Township by the end of August or face condemnation. That is precisely why the Township convened a “special meeting,” with inadequate public notice, to adopt a resolution condemning the property. Thankfully, enough residents were alerted through e-mail and word-of-mouth, and the meeting room was packed with those objecting to the proposed condemnations. No one spoke in favor of the Township’s plans to create additional unneeded parks through condemnation.
Residents have also learned that in 1998 the Township encouraged FEMA to expand its flood plain district to include parts of these properties, which have never flooded, in an effort to decrease their property values and development potential. Now the Township has engaged a realtor, not an appraiser, to value these properties as though they are single lots, even though they could be subdivided into multiple lots.
These elderly residents have owned and maintained these farms for decades at no cost to the Township. In fact, these property owners continue to pay real estate taxes while providing free open space to the Township. In other instances, the Township has chosen to pay property owners for conservation easements. While the Township suggests that the owners can continue to live on the land as tenants, would any of the Supervisors like to have public trails and facilities on their property?
Please take the time to read more at www.helpoutyourneighbor.com. We promise to keep you informed.
Laura Dietrich

Help out your Neighbor

We often hear how some form of government has made a bad decision. Well this is happening right here in our backyard. The Perkiomen Township Supervisors have selected two elderly families that have something they want, land. The township is using “eminent domain” to force long time residents from their homes to make a park. While parks are generally good things forcing people from their homes is too high of a price. To add insult to injury the “price” to be paid to the residents is far below market value. The good news is that the decision to do this is not finalized. Say what you will about our system of government but the people about to make this decision are just that, people. These people have names and will listen to the voice of the community. Make your voice heard; go to www.helpoutyourneighbor.com and help the supervisors make the right decision to keep our neighbors in their homes.

Back to School

Today was the first day of school and it seemed to put the weekend in the distant past. We had a great time on the farm. I got plenty of butterfly watching in and managed to get a few good pictures. Watching butterflies seems to have its own rhythm. You can’t make them pose or stop to get a picture. If you want to watch for any length of time you have to come to terms with being on their schedule and not yours. You also have no idea which kind will show up. I noticed that after a few days I would recognize the same butterfly from one day to the next. Different species also had different behaviors. Some fly slow and easy while other were so fast they were hard to follow. Keeping track, I ended up with positive identification of 14 different species. I observed two different butterflies that belong to the Skipper family and one that belongs to the Sulfur family. Each of these groups has dozens of different species that are hard to tell apart. I can’t help with all of the identification, my dad is a wildlife biologist and everything observed needs to be identified. I think its human nature from the beginning; after all it was Adams first big job. (see Genesis 2: 19-20) I think the best part about watching butterflies is just how intricate and beautiful they are. The funny part is that the only thing as beautiful as butterflies is the flowers they are attracted to. The beauty goes beyond the visible. Each is completely dependant on the other for survival and the relationship adds to the others existence. To sit a think about it is to ponder our very existence.

The other big highlight from the weekend was the play my kids put on for the grownups. It took them a few days to work out the screen play and the props and music. The play was called “The Flower Girl” and had a well developed script with each actor required to memorize their lines. My mom, a life long organist at every church we ever belonged to, played the music for the wedding scene. The play also had an intermission so my youngest could tell his scary story for the audience. The whole thing was fantastic. I’m going to try and get the scary story on paper. It was pretty scary from a five year old. Forgive me if I sound preachy or come off as a bragger but my kids are not allowed to watch TV and this is the kind of stuff they come up with to fill the day. The slide show is from the farm this past weekend.