Of Crime and Progress

A family I know has been in this town for about 3 generations.
They have farmed and been a great part of our community.
Because they farmed, they owned much land. As the years passed, the land became too expensive to keep so they put up a portion of it for sale. Great location. It was on the market for 4 years and nobody around here seemed interested in buying it.
Finally McDonalds (Yes. Big Macs) insisted that tey wanted the property. The family did not want to sell to them because they were a uge corporation etc and we are a small, family business oriented town. But the family was REALLY needing to unload this property. SO...they bargained. The family would develope the property, building the space for McD's and a small convenience store and gas station. They would rent the space to McD's. This would allow the family to insure that the spirit of the town (small western building facades/false fronts) was upheld.
Well, the idea of a McD's coming to town did not sit well with the community. There were MANY town meeting and alot of hot debates occuring in the editorial section of our small newspaper THE NUGGET NEWS. People try to pass ordinances limiting or banning franchises from opening in the town.

But the building is now ready for use and the "We're Hiring" signs have been up for 2 months now. They can't get anybody to work there.

But the big thing came this weekend, when our population soars from 10,000 to 45,000 because of the Sisters outdoor Quilt Show festival:

SETTING IT UP :
The town is filled for one weekend with 40,000 little old ladies who save up all year to come spend their money in our town. The surrounding towns within 100 miles have full hotels and b&b's because of this event.

It is also the height of Fire Season.

At 4:30 in the morning on Sunday, with a packed out town all asleep, some imbecile set fire to the new McDonalds and burned it down.

The sad thing is that McDonalds doesn't own the building, it belongs to the family.
Yes there is insurance but only after a hefty deductable.

Any perceived evils to come into town via the presence of a McDonalds are eclipsed in my mind now because of the crime that was perpetrated on one of our own families by some one in the same community.

The ends DO NOT ever justify the means.

It ticks me off, because when the news hit town on Sunday, most people's first reaction was to laugh.
How callous.
How short sighted.
Our town is supposed to be friendly and kind.
Gracious and helpful.

I don't see it right now.
I see a family who has been hurt, and a town that doesn't care about its own because it is too obsessed with its own image.

Stupid.

They are lucky the whole town didn't go up in smoke taking innocent lives with it.