Time for local news
Among the leading news items hereabouts is that the owner of a local excursion boat, and of a floating restaurant, is facing fines of $300,000 for dumping raw sewage into the harbour. If I understand the meat of the charges correctly, it happened because his company didn't want to pay to have the sewage tanks pumped out, as do ordinary mortals with floating real estate.
Moments like this make me glad I'm not in the reporting business any more, so that I can say it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
I first met this person in a business setting more than 15 years ago, soon after he'd established his floating restaurant. At that time, he made clear that he wasn't doing the floating gig as a unique selling proposition. Oh no; he said he did it because it made him exempt from local liquor licencing laws, as he felt he was entitled to be. Soon after, he decided that his evening jazz and booze cruises on his excursion boat were entitled to go where they pleased in either of the two crowded harbours they visited. It didn't matter to him that the navigational rights-of-way in these harbours had been laid out for the safety of all concerned. His company was entitled to do it.
Entitlement, or rather arrogance, has seemed to be the leitmotif that runs through this individual's life. I disagree with the people who think he won't miss the $300,000, but I sympathise with those who would rather see him behind bars. Unfortunately, being an asshole isn't a felony in Massachusetts. This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it would vastly increase the prison population. We'd have to turn all of, say, Lawrence, Fall River and Brockton into prisons. On the other, it would give the rest of us one hell of a lot of elbow room.
Let's just make him water ski behind his excursion boat as an incentive not to pump overboard.
Moments like this make me glad I'm not in the reporting business any more, so that I can say it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
I first met this person in a business setting more than 15 years ago, soon after he'd established his floating restaurant. At that time, he made clear that he wasn't doing the floating gig as a unique selling proposition. Oh no; he said he did it because it made him exempt from local liquor licencing laws, as he felt he was entitled to be. Soon after, he decided that his evening jazz and booze cruises on his excursion boat were entitled to go where they pleased in either of the two crowded harbours they visited. It didn't matter to him that the navigational rights-of-way in these harbours had been laid out for the safety of all concerned. His company was entitled to do it.
Entitlement, or rather arrogance, has seemed to be the leitmotif that runs through this individual's life. I disagree with the people who think he won't miss the $300,000, but I sympathise with those who would rather see him behind bars. Unfortunately, being an asshole isn't a felony in Massachusetts. This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it would vastly increase the prison population. We'd have to turn all of, say, Lawrence, Fall River and Brockton into prisons. On the other, it would give the rest of us one hell of a lot of elbow room.
Let's just make him water ski behind his excursion boat as an incentive not to pump overboard.
Labels: Salem MA harbor
posted by Uncle | 01:42
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