Special Delivery to Pinopolis

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Here in the remains of the day we've pulled up at the U.S. Post Office at Pinopolis, SC., 29469 as far as the postal system is concerned. Beyond its zip code it doesn't count for much in Washington. There are, however, special interests in Washington and elsewhere which have designs on the life and land in these parts.

The few actual villages we have left in South Carolina lie at the termination of dead end roads. Since progress does not pass through them it passes them by. The little towns which lie in the way of progress usually perish in its wake. Progress can be like a predator on the prowl. Many little hamlets crouch like rabbits waiting for the wolf to move on, hoping it neither sees nor smells them. It is powerful vested interests rather than actual progress which is disturbing the peace of this community and what they smell is a fast buck.

Three of those posted bills on the board are pleas for help in resisting a new plan to bring heavy barge traffic through the Tailrace Canal via the Pinopolis Dam. While these handbills represent popular sentiment in this area, they don't stand up to the promise of jobs and prosperity being dangled by supporters of the project and their political allies. Orangeburg County in general and the town of Santee in particular are pushing the barge project. It is so often at the local political level where the quality of community life and the integrity of our natural resources get sold down the river as elected officials are recruited by one means or another to do the bidding of developers. At least developers build things for the money they make off the land, but CaroLinks barge plan would simply consume.