The Mago Earth Park Statue that's been erected between Cottonwood and Sedona. OK, OK! I 'll comment.

Let's start with some background. Within the outer City limits of Cottonwood, right next to and looking at the new Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a statue has been erected. The Korean owner of the property explains that she is a representation of Mago, (pronounced "mah-go") which translates roughly as "Mother Earth."

She's huge. The statue and base total 50 feet high. She also has an entourage of numerous other statues, (all comparatively tiny, all slightly ludicrous) of Jesus, Kokopelli, the Virgin Mary, 2 funny headed guys, 3 Disney-esque dwarfs, a Native American, Poseidon, a bunch of brightly colored and sparkly children............ you get the idea, all capering around her feet. I find the Mago circus to be kind of charming and amusing when I drive by.

Nobody that I've spoken to about Mago agrees with me about the whole thing being amusing. The vocal locals are up in arms. We've had weeks of poisonous letters to the Editor in the Verde Independent. The objections seem to be:

She's big.

She's a pagan idol.

There are tentative plans for her to be lighted at night.

She's not a Christian.

She's wasn't there before and it's a change.

She's mostly white, and doesn't blend in with the mostly brown landscape.

Even though she's white with blond hair her features are Asian.

Why is she named "Magoo" when she doesn't look anything like Mr. Magoo? Where are her horned-rimmed glasses?

Why does the Mago Earth Park get tax-deferred church status?

She's different and we don't like different.

If you're not from here, one of the things to understand is that Mago went up shortly after they opened the brand new Catholic Church next door. Like Mago, the Church is gorgeous. Like Mago, the Catholic Church is also huge and lighted at night and much lighter in color that the surrounding landscape and gets tax-deferred status and also wasn't there before. On my own personal hugeness scale, Mago is a 2 or 3 and the Church is an 8 or 9. See the picture, above? That's Mago to the right of the Church.

But you know what? It doesn't matter what my opinion is. If Mago was legally installed then I have no more right to complain than my neighbor has if I paint my house a color that they don't like.

But you know what else? This is my blog and I can say what I want, so I will voice my opinion, whether it matters or not.

We've had months of citizens yelling and almost coming to blows and writing letters to the Editor and showing up at City Council meetings, voicing opinions on both sides of the Mago issue.

Folks! It's a statue! We have hungry children in Cottonwood. We have homeless people. We have abused people, we have people sleeping under the bridge, we have animals dying in the shelters, we have life and death issues around here and YOU SHOW UP TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A FREAKIN' STATUE? Where were you when that baby was beaten into the hospital a few weeks ago? Did you show up then, expressing your outrage? Where were you when The Mission was concerned that they were running out of food? Did you write a letter to the paper? Did you show up with coats and blankets and food for the homeless when it got cold? People are homeless and dying and yet you sing "God Bless America" about THIS? If Mago is the only place that you're outraged then you should be ashamed of yourself.

That's what I think.