By SHERRILL COUTS
Los Alamos

I am seconding Tobias Haag’s sentiments regarding the apparent degradation of culture in Los Alamos county, here https://ladailypost.comhaag-tolerance-in-white-rock-a-bit-rocky/

As a conservative libertarian (conservative in the conventional sense, meaning restrained, not radical right), I don’t have anything to say about LBGTQ+ except just let people do their thing in peace as long as they’re not stomping on anyone else’s toes. Happy murals on the white rock are hardly offensive; indeed, the colors were cheerful before the clowns came along with their black spray paint.

I am, however, similarly disturbed about the negative “politicizing” of the White Rock rock. Granted, it’s our dedicated public-bathroom graffiti wall, but:

I have imagined Los Alamos county to be a pristine iceberg floating in, well, I won’t say what, but apparently that’s idealistic. I’ve had visitors from big cities in the USA marvel at our lack of vandalistic graffiti.  Now those seem to be wishful thinking, not entirely true. And here I thought Los Alamos county was the one place in NM a prudent person didn’t need to “pack heat.” While cowardly anonymous defacement of positive public spirit isn’t necessarily a sign of physical danger, it does suggest a disturbing trend, as does the obvious de-gentrification of my own neighborhood. 

I guess one shouldn’t let one’s guard down, anywhere. With LANL hiring anyone with a pulse, and their charity-case brother-in-law as well, I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that riff-raff can get a toe-hold in our ridiculous real estate market. Well heck, I own a pickup truck, too, but I use it to haul stuff around; it’s not a brand new $80,000 jacked up short bed turbo diesel Dodge Rambo ™ with-all-the-trimmings daily-commuter showpiece that is kept conspicuously parked in the street to imply enhanced manhood, in some cases “chipped” to “roll coal” on pedestrians and bicyclists, a la at least one neighbor on every nearby street. I keep mine inconspicuously parked mostly out of sight–I wouldn’t want others to think I’m just another (wannabe) redneck.

Indeed, Los Alamos is “special” … but not exactly in the way I’d imagined.