Asheville Citizen-Times columnist Eric Cox writes today about how ?freaky, artsy, activist types? make cities interesting, regardless of one?s reaction to their ideological quirks. Sounds like a silly argument, but I actually agree with it. I particularly agree with her sentiment about Asheville, which has one of the most interesting mixes of people ? professional, generational, political, and dialectical ? you will find anywhere.
It’s also worth noting that some of the problems she cites with preserving places for such ?freaks? (her word) stem from local government?s enforcement of zoning and code regulations. Health and safety codes are one thing, but I think we can establish a pretty good consensus among liberty-loving folks that when citizens use the power of government to roust out neighbors they don?t like, that?s abusive.
