HASSO HERING

Far from the madding crowd, I stopped at this gate on a bike ride on Nov. 10, 2024.

Being far removed from the action does not disqualify people from being interested in what goes on, right? Or from letting others know what they think?

As the photo shows, I was riding my bike in the wilds of Southern Oregon last week. But I kept abreast of developments in Albany (including the dismaying news that Albany school teachers seemed determined to walk off the job to press their demands).

I mention this matter of distance in response to the reaction one of the frequent commenters on this site occasionally gets.

The commenter used to live in Albany. Then he retired and moved away. But Albany apparently being such a fascinating place, he’s still interested. He follows this site. Often he reacts. And why not?

But he gets criticized by other commenters for no longer being a resident.

Distance has nothing to do with it. I got my start in the news business in Los Angeles. I have not lived there for more than 50 years, but I’m still interested. I get online newsletters from there — one from the Los Angeles Times and another one on bicycling in LA.

If it would do any good, I would send those people in the Southland a comment now and then, letting them know how they’re doing it all wrong. And I would resent it if somebody responded, “You don’t live here any more, so shut up.”

So, to sum up: There is no residency requirement for following this website or for commenting on its contents. Reactions are welcome from anywhere, as long a they’re reasonably civil and more or less on point. (hh)