Greensburg... changed

I know we're supposed to rah-rah the changing face of Greensburg.

After an F-5 tornado decimated the tiny community in western Kansas five years ago, the greenies moved in with a plan to rebuild the community into an environmental mecca of sustainability.

Cue the applause.

But I remember Greensburg as it formerly was. Its people were friendly and its face, though worn, had a sincere warmth that only experience brings. The physical changes to the community can't be helped.

I was there a few weeks after the tornado. Very, very little could be saved. It had to be rebuilt, and I guess if we had to give a nod to the liberal hippies, well, hopefully they learned something just by being in contact with the down-to-earth, no-nonsense folks of Greensburg.

Unfortunately, everyone also lauds the cultural change in the community as well. It's younger. Hipper. Greener.

And probably not as nice, and certainly not as wise. I know we're supposed to celebrate youth, as you can see from this article, the community planners in Greensburg now do. But darn it, I like old people and their traditions. Where would we be without them?