Minnesota's angry humorist strikes again
One can learn (or relearn) a few things of interest about Old Scout Garrison Keillor through the detailed Star Tribune story on his lawsuit seeking to enjoin the house addition of his next door neighbors Lori Anderson and fiancé Paul Olson in St. Paul. The first thing one can learn (or relearn) is that this is one very angry humorist:
Olson said he and Anderson were on vacation in New Zealand when they received "an angry e-mail" from Keillor on Nov. 29. The e-mail accused Anderson and Olson of building "a carriage house" and said, "If we had known, we would have been horrified. ... Neighbors do not deal with neighbors the way you dealt with us."The second thing one can learn (or relearn) is the ease with which the "not in my backyard" protest is joined to a higher cause. Keillor, you see, is just doing his duty to hearth and history. Through a spokesman Keillor explained yesterday to the Star Tribune:Anderson and Olson cut short their vacation and returned home, hoping to talk to Keillor and Nilsson.
"We wrote them a very conciliatory e-mail to say we'll do anything we can to work it out," Anderson said. "They refused to talk to us."
"My wife and I live in a historic St. Paul house in a historic neighborhood, and this gives us an obligation to defend the house and the neighborhood against violations of the beauty of Ramsey Hill," it said.Not to speak of the damage it will do to the cause of American literature."A two-story stucco addition eight feet from the western wall of our house is a violation of it."
Via reader James Mewborn.
UPDATE: Reader Matthew Martini comments:
You're "obstructing my access to light and air." I think I've made that comment a few times after reading Keillor's writing in the Star Tribune.
JOHN adds: The Strib's article is accompanied by this photo, in which Keillor's house is on the left. You can see the beginning of construction on Anderson's addition. The Strib is also running a poll; so far, 86% side with Anderson and Olson. In Minnesota, by the way, an "Anderson/Olson" ticket would be worth an extra eight or ten points in an election.
