In the little town where I live in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, we now have a 'Public Safety Complex' around the corner from what used to be our hokey Andy Griffith-esque fire station.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
It isn't safe to go to the parks. Toxic chemicals ruin the air and water. There is vandalism, even crime, and conscientious park personnel are demoralized.
In Boston I got to a point where I thought I was putting out fires more than being a baseball coach. And some of it was my fault. I was getting stubborn. My fuse was a little shorter than it needed to be. And that helps nobody.
Maybe I have an affinity for Andy Griffith because we both grew up in North Carolina.
I used to walk in the Bowery in the early 1980s, and it was not safe. It went from this to Disneyland under Giuliani and Bloomberg. This is now one of the best-run big cities in the world.
When I grew up, we went to Coney Island and Central Park. We'd find our way to the water and watch the fireworks.
We set the town on fire and burned down every house as a warning to other small towns along the river.
I work in my office on the campus of the University of Texas. It's the sort of place described as 'book-lined', but it's recently tipped over into 'fire-hazard' territory.
I'm fascinated by fire. When I was four, I wore an American fireman's hat all the time, and I still have one in my office today. Glasgow used to be called 'Tinderbox City;' there were always fires, people getting killed.
My accident happened in what should have been one of the safest places to be: in a police station, at the hands of trained police officers. So more guns are not the answer.
How could I stand by and watch my house on fire?