The recent disclosure by city officials that the potentially deadly contamination/pollution from the former city burn dump in the area of Keith Middle School exists beyond the school on residential property has so far seemed to reflect a responsible, proactive approach by the administration of Mayor Lang (See stories on SouthCoastToday.com of 6/11/08 and today). This is scary stuff. For the five homeowners the city wants to get out of their houses so they can be torn down, it also will be very disruptive.

Some people might see this as a time to play the blame game. The real blame goes back decades and as reported today, there are virtually no records or information indicating exactly where the burn dump boundaries were or what was trucked in and dumped there or by what companies or individuals. Some bad decisions were made in the past in New Bedford. The folks from "Wasted Away" have been -- to their credit -- in the forefront of trying to bring this to people's attention. It is important to note that citizen activists who challenge authority and so-called conventional wisdom can be right.

Wasted Away and its activist members are a powerful reminder people should stand up for what they believe in and not back down in the face of city hall, especially when they do their homework and approach the challenge in a responsible fashion.