Bad luck happens in threes — this adage is pretty much the only superstition I carry. Here’s a prime example that just happened to us at the Ink:
1) Leading up to deadline, Moonshine’s website went offline due to malware. We got it back up within 24 hours, thanks to the hard work of our developer. For my part, I worked hard at sending a few choice words into the ether for all the hackers in the world.
2) The next day, our deadbolt plumb fell out of its socket. Not something I’ve seen before.
3) Then, on the day when press page layout began in earnest, our router seemed to go belly up, taking down our server and internet access. After a tense bit of troubleshooting, I figured out that it was a faulty power button and with fierce determination, fixed it with wall putty, magenta duct tape, and a large blue rubber band. Good thing I watched a lot of MacGyver as a youngster.
With any luck, you’re reading the finished product, which means we made it to press, a victory made infinitely sweeter by overcoming obstacles. Moreover, this foul-luck episode underscored the need for a new Moonshine Ink website and we are more than excited to announce that the process is underway.
You know, perhaps I should thank the hackers. Their meddling prodded forward a much-needed update. Often, it’s the most difficult people or situations that come into our lives that have the most to teach us.
Along these lines in our local elections, district boards that are rarely contested made it to ballot this year because of single challengers, who were noticeably absent in a few forums. Regardless, because these opponents threw their hat in the ring, the community heard from incumbent board members at agencies that are usually tucked away, out of the limelight. I learned a ton — did you know Ron Sweet at the Truckee Sanitary District has been a board member since 1978? That the sanitary district has one of the lowest sewer overflow records in the state and is regularly visited by other districts looking to glean lessons? Have you considered that having public districts serve as electric providers allows us, the constituents, to have more say in where our power comes from?
It’s imperative in democracy that we know how local government works. In fact, a thought crossed my mind recently that getting a driver’s license ought to be contingent on knowing the structure of local government. The minute you drive off private property, you get in a communal world built or regulated by government — roads, water, power, police, airplanes, and more. We all have a say in governance of these things — shouldn’t we know something about how they work first?
Similarly, the necessity of voting cannot be overstated, both this November and in every election. Before putting pen to ballot, get yourself in the know through the many venues available in this community, including the extensive collection of election videos Moonshiners put together this year, start here.
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a president and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country,” said former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In moments of some foul luck, or when threatened by foul powers, we’d be well served to remember this.
You, our dear readers, are encouraged to write the Ink and guide us on what you’d like to see on our new website, besides an absence of spam — we got that. Reach our website team at website@moonshineink.com.
