“There you go again” was a phrase used by Gov. Ronald Regan in the 1980 presidential debates. The same could be said of a self-appointed group of citizens now working the Thornton Heights neighborhood in South Portland. As if smoke stacks and tar sands weren’t scary enough, especially since Halloween is so near, now it’s propane storage tanks and the word Nagasaki.

I’m not saying propane isn’t dangerous; it is. Life is dangerous, but most of us refuse to cower in fear about everything. With all the rules and regulations required in the handling of volatile gases I feel assured that our Fire Department can adequately protect us.

This propane scare isn’t about dangerous gases, it is about control. Control over what businesses do in South Portland. We have ordinances that regulate business. Some people seem to think our city staff doesn’t know what they are doing and figure if they get enough people speaking out they can change city ordinances to suit their needs.

The Protect South Portland movement has morphed into an environmental activist group that will not stop until all petroleum and petroleum-based products are banned from South Portland. This movement started a little under two years ago. Where were they before that? Where were their spokesmen before that?

Maine will always be Vacationland, but it will never be Nirvana.

Michael Pock
South Portland