Well, it's official: the Belfast Water District has officially shed the twin burdens of sanity and reason. 

First the district entered into agreement with Nordic Aquafarms to allow Nordic to destroy dozens of acres of mature forest, wetlands and wildlife habitat for the benefit of corporate executives, stockholders and upscale consumers. Then it threatened to call the police if a citizen open house and press conference were held on that same land.

And then it tried to extort $1,500 to process a Maine Freedom of Access Act request smaller than ones the City of Belfast and the governor's office processed for free.

All that was bad enough, but now the water district has really gone off the rails. On February 14, Valentine's Day, a group of local residents held a little social-distanced "party" at the public picnic tables on the water district grounds and made Valentine's Day cards expressing their appreciation of, well, water. And then the cards were taped to the front door of the water district.

Apparently this act of vicious, violent terrorism was too much for the water district, which promptly called the Belfast Police Department, which immediately sprang into action and tracked down one of the card-wielding terrorists. Said greeting-card author was told that the beautiful, heretofore public scene of the crime would be henceforth closed to the public if any such violent terrorist attack were ever to happen again.

Wow. Really? A handful of people make Valentine's Day cards and put them on your door and you call the cops and threaten to close perhaps the most iconic site in Belfast? Wow. I'm impressed. And I don't know what's in the water going into the Belfast Water District offices, but I sure hope they don't put it in the water they're pumping out to the rest of us.

Lawrence Reichard lives in Belfast