Fish and Politics

The Presque Isle Advance, our local weekly, is the newspaper-of-record for Presque Isle County.  They run lots of dull stuff, like public notices of foreclosures and minutes of meetings of the Rogers City councilfolk and Presque Isle County commissioners.  However, the "blotter" reports, which cover activity by the police, sheriff, and MDNR conservation officers (COs) almost always make interesting reading, especially for those whose names are not mentioned.

Long-suffering COs put up with a
lot of strange people!

The MDNR Law Enforcement Blotter almost always provides a chuckle.  Poaching and snagging salmon are illegal in Michigan, but some hunters and fisherfolk assume that the rules apply to everyone else.  For example, in this week's edition of the Blotter we read: "A CO was in his marked patrol truck watching fishermen at the Cheboygan River dam when two fishermen pulled up next to him, got out and commenced fishing.  The CO moved his patrol truck, and then watched the fishermen snag and keep several fish.  Both were ticketed and later stated, 'We must be the dumbest fishermen alive.'"  I'd agree!

Another laugh — I've just finished reading Gillian Gill's biography entitled Agatha Christie: The Woman and her Mysteries (The Free Press/Macmillan, New York, 1990).  This is not the most exciting book, but it does provide interesting insights on a master of British detective fiction.  Born into a comfortable upper middle class family, Dame Agatha wanted a career of her own and was unabashedly interested in using her talent to earn money for her family.  Her 66 detective novels, as well as other books and plays, gave her fame and fortune beyond anything she ever imagined.

Christie showed little personal interest in politics, but was happy on occasion to have her characters deliver wry comments on the political scene.  The following observation by John Gabriel, protagonist in The Rose and the Yew Tree, seems appropriate for this moment in America's political history:

[Gill writes:]  "Gabriel's political philosophy is... prophetic in its cynical understanding of how the right wing can maintain its hold over the electorate in a democratic society. 'There are only two things that ever stir people politically.  One is to put something into their pockets.  The other is the sort of idea that sounds as though it would make everything come right and which is extremely easy to grasp, noble but wooly — and gives you a nice inner glow.'"

Only two days left until this election is over! •••