In the seventh century AD Sister Gobnait, a Catholic nun, was administering to her flock in County Kerry, Ireland when foreigners arrived and began building a castle. Sr. Gobnait and her flock did not want a castle destroying God’s natural beauty.

Eventually, the holy woman took to throwing rocks at the castle, forcing the foreigners to pick up their tools and leave the land.

Now I don’t condone throwing rocks to attain a desired result but it did work for Sister. Sr. Gobnait, now Saint Gobnait, feast day February 11 in Ireland, has had many centuries to peruse her method of negotiation and how it could have been accomplished with less violence.

Perhaps those who wish the Outer Harbor to remain a condo (castles of the 21st century) free zone could commune with St. Gobnait and hopefully receive inspiration on how to convince the Buffalo oligarchs that the Outer Harbor, God’s gift to Buffalo, should be restored as a pure and simple natural area for the average citizen.

Anne Beiter, Amherst