The letter below is a response to a Letter To The Editor that recently appeared in Newport This Week on Sept 17, 2020.
To the Editor:
Let’s get a few things straight about dinosaurs: Dinosaurs are progressive adaptable marvels of evolution. Smart, fast, and feathered, dinosaurs would have continued to dominate our earth if it hadn’t been for a random meteor catastrophe that gave our mammalian ancestors a chance to diversify. Dinosaurs still exist today. Many humans adore the beloved avian dinosaurs that grace our skies and our bird feeders. Clearly we need to invest in our education system, so that everyone can reach adulthood with an appreciation of dinosaurs and quit using the term as an insult.
Neither Paul Marshall nor Kate Leonard are the Third Ward Dinosaur. I’m the Third Ward Dinosaur. I dressed up in the T. rex costume on the day of the primary to draw attention to Paul Marshall and Elizabeth Fuerte because I strongly support both candidates. What Daniel F. Meucci’s letter fails to mention is that dinosaurs are fun. Many people experience joy upon seeing a dinosaur. I decided to bring that experience to the polls.
When the opposing candidate Kate Leonard saw the costume, she exclaimed, “That so childish.” The children who came with their voting adults loved getting a wave from a T. rex. Some adults had their picture taken next to the T. rex. Is making voting fun childish? What if voting were a joyful experience? If it were, maybe more people would vote.
Come to the polls Nov 3, vote, and high five a T. rex.
Rex LeBeau (they/them)
Newport