NOTE: Normally the Biddeford Gazette does NOT publish anonymous letters to the editor, but after careful consideration we have determined it appropriate and only fair to publish the following anonymous letter that was sent to us via an anonymous email address on Monday, June 8.
Editor:
I am writing with grave news. Another anonymous email has been released.
Thankfully, the authors once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to transparency by hiding behind a fake email address.
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Nothing says “clarity, consistency, and transparency” quite like a Yahoo account with a mysterious name, a lengthy distribution list, and another installment of allegations, rumors, speculation, innuendo and recycled grievances dating back nearly a decade.
At this point, the UNE pier opposition movement appears to consist of three bitter, salty souls standing around a waterfront bar, crying into their beers over what might have been, wondering why nobody appreciates their genius, and plotting the next email blast to save Biddeford from a research dock.
Every week brings a new revelation. A new scandal. A new outrage. A new theory. A new conspiracy.
And somehow, after years of investigations, hearings, reviews, permits, meetings, appeals, site walks, agency decisions, legal filings, videos, drone footage, Facebook posts, emails, rebuttals and rebuttals to rebuttals — the smoking gun remains just over the horizon.
Any day now.
Definitely next week. Possibly after the next drone video.
What is most impressive is how every outcome proves the same conclusion.
If a board approves the project, the board was misled.
If an agency approves the project, the agency was confused.
If a permit is issued, the process was flawed.
If a permit survives appeal, the appeal process was flawed.
If evidence contradicts the narrative, the evidence becomes part of the narrative.
It’s a remarkable system. Completely self-sealing. Like a Tupperware container of resentment.
“It’s a remarkable system.
— Anonymous
Completely self-sealing.
Like a Tupperware container
of resentment.”
Meanwhile, the rest of Biddeford is trying to figure out things like housing costs, taxes, schools, economic development, infrastructure, public safety and whether summer will ever arrive.
But not our waterfront truth seekers. They remain locked in an endless struggle against a pier that has occupied more of their lives than most marriages.
One almost feels sorry for them. Almost.
In the end, the saddest part is that the constant stream of anonymous emails, rumors, exaggerations, half-truths, and recycled talking points has become less about a pier and more about a desperate search for relevance.
When nobody pays attention anymore, another anonymous email appears.
When that email fades away, another one appears. And another. And another. Like a maritime version of Groundhog Day.
So let us all pause to thank the anonymous authors for their service. Without them, many of us would have forgotten there was a pier project.
Sincerely,
Pierly Obsessed
Chairman, Committee for the Preservation of Anonymous Waterfront Emails
Senior Fellow, Institute for Rehashed Allegations and Maritime Grievances
Lifetime Subscriber to “The Journal of Things We Already Argued About Last Year”
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