HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2006-02-23, Page 5THE C T ZEN THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 2006 PAGE 5.
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We have met the enemy
One of the great comic strips published
in my lifetime — and yes, Virginia,
there was a time when the
juxtaposition of 'great' and 'comic strip' in the
same sentence did not evoke a smirk — was
called Pogo.
It ran in hundreds of North American
newspapers from the '40s until well into the
'70s when its genial creator Walt Kelly called
it quits. Both to life and to writing comic
strips.
'Pogo' was the name of a whimsical, talking
opossum who presided, loosely speaking, over
an Evergladian swampland that featured a
cigar-smoking alligator, a poetry-spouting owl
and a pessimistic turtle named Churchy La
Femme among other unlikely and
unforgettable critters.
Mister Kelly's MO was ingenious. His strip
featured no humans, just animals. He gave
them the gift of speech then let them comment
on political events of the day.
Those animals said a lot of memorable
things in the years the strip ran in the papers.
One of my favourites came from the lips of
Pogo, who, surveying some political debacle
of the day, commented wryly "We have met
the enemy and he is us."
A pithy way of underlining the old chestnut
that humans are their one worst enemy.
Not hard to prove. Was there ever a species
on the earth that fouled its nest as
enthusiastically as we do? From poisoned
ozone to gas-guzzling SUV's; from pollution-
strangled rivers to chain-sawed rainforests.
We are not a class act, chum.
- And we never seem to learn. The fabled
premier Dalton prides himself on being a
good sport, but he has been a tad
physical in snatching a highly electable
football hero almost from the arms of an
opposition party.
The Liberal premier usually shows his zest
for sports by betting other politicians the
hockey Senators from his home city Ottawa
will win and playing in golf tournaments that
raise money to fight elections.
He has appointed Toronto Argonauts' former
star player and now coach, Mike 'Pinball'
" Clemons, to chair a fund that will provide
provincial and privately donated money for
programs to divert youth, particularly black
youth, from violent crime.
McGuinty is killing two birds with one
stone, because the violence has raised huge
concern and opposition Progressive
Conservatives and New Democrats have
accused him of being slow to tackle it.
Clemons and his club already run a
campaign,- Stop The Violence, which raises
money to help community groups combat the
problem and says he wants his team to be
more than good players.
he says "our true significance is not how
many Grey Cups we win (it has not won many
in recent years) but how we help the
community."
The Argos are not exactly a hot topic these
days, out Clemons has gained a high profile as
a campaigner for several worthy causes, to
which, as a sports celebrity, he brings publicity
others cannot provide.
He is articulate, black, more likely to quote
Martin Luther King than earthy football
coaches and says he loves serving the public.
A Toronto newspaper once called him the
city's unofficial mayor. ,., Clemons has not aligned himself with any
political party, but co-chaired John Tory's
unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Toronto
in 2003. - •
Cedars of Lebanon are just a cliché from the
Bible, destroyed for ships keels and — probably
— firewood millennia ago, leaving only desert
where they once stood, dark, green and
majestic.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe,
Easter Islanders were chopping down their last
trees to serve as log rollers to move their huge
stone monuments.
Are we getting smarter? Can we pronounce
`New Orleans'? A gorgeous city where for
most of the last century authorities drained and
bulldozed more than a million acres of
marshland — to sell houses. Marshland that
nature had provided to protect against
disasters like...oh, can we say, 'Katrina'?
We are dumb, no question. But maybe we're
finally getting it. The London Zoo recently
opened a new exhibit in a public display
situated between the polar bears and the
Siberian tiger enclosure.
It was called simply "Homo sapiens". It
consisted of a large cage containing eight
hairless, pink-skinned creatures dressed only
in fig leaves, which chattered at each other and
entertained themselves as best they could.
People — the antithesis of a Pogo comic
strip.
Tory since has been chosen leader of the
Ontario Progressive Conservative party and is
McGuinty's chief rival.
Tory also mused a few months ago Clemons
would be a formidable adversary if he went
into politics, which may have been unwise.
The Conservative leader said any politicians
who faced Clemons would be shaking in their
boots, because he is genuine, popular,
committed and above all, the real thing.
McGuinty may have heard this message. He
has recruited an undeniable asset and role
model in his attempt to reach youth and his
choice could not be criticized on merit.
But he also appears to have erased for the
time being the possibility Clemons, because of
his admiration for Tory and leanings toward
public life, may openly support the
Conservatives or become a candidate for them
and be difficult to beat.
Politicians like to have links to sport,
because this attracts voters who are sports fans
and at least makes them look more human to
the rest.
They sprinkle their speech with sporting
references such as McGuinty a few days ago
notifying the legislature which of his ministers
would be "next up to bat."
Former Conservative premier Mike Harris
was noted as a golfer, having been briefly a
professional, and was happy to talk about it
until some thought it kept him away from the
legislature too often.
New Democrat premier Bob Rae, with his
Sort of a day in the life of The Simpsons
without the suburban trappings of Springfield.
The exhibit only lasted for four days but it
made its point. And it pulled no punches.
The press release announcing the Homo
sapiens display explained that it was meant to
"highlight the spread of man as a plague
species."
Maybe it's a good sign. Perhaps if we can
publicly recognize the damage that we've
done, we can turn it around and use our fabled
ingenuity to actually heal the planet.
Maybe. But it's not like we haven't known
the score for some time.
I remember years ago when a travelling
circus came through the small town I lived in.
The circus featured the usual B-circuit
offerings — a miniature midway with a merry-
go-round and a carousel. A Guess Your Weight
gypsy, a Fat Lady and plenty of overpriced
cotton candy.
They had animals too. Some chimpanzees, a
boa constrictor and a mangy brown bear
wearing a silly hat. -
And there was one curtain behind which, for
25 cents you could see the most fearsome
creature on earth.
THIS WAY TO SEE THE WORLD'S
MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL the sign
read.
You paid your two bits, pushed your way
through a moth-eaten curtain and came face to
face with the most awesome, destructive beast
ever spawned. For a mere 25 cents you could
see this ravening beast in all his fearsome
majesty.
In a full-length mirror.
horn-rimmed spectacles and Rhodes Scholar
background, was categorized as an
intellectual, but once wrote a newspaper
article describing his "love affair" with
baseball, started as a child when his diplomat
father was posted to the United States.
Liberal premier David Peterson was fond of
recalling he was a handy boxer in university
and as opposition leader boxed three rounds
with a reporter for charity and ConserVative
premier William Davis did not mind it being
known he had a back problem due to a football
injury and betted with reporters on games.
Premiers also like to recruit sports stars as
MPPs because they are instantly recognizable
and often electable and they have included Syl
Apps, among hockey's all-time greats, and
swimmer Cindy Nicholas.
McGuinty now appears to have taken
Clemons out of politics at least for the Ontario
2007 election and scored a first down and
some Conservatives will be disappointed.
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Think what if
I t can be one second.. A simple little
moment, an action so familiar/which for
some reason on this occasion may lead to
tragic consequences if we don't move ahead
with caution and respect for life's
capriciousness.
While we can't go through our days worried
and concerned at every turn, it can't hurt to
consider the what ifs of our actions before
taking them. What if I don't wear the seatbelt?
What if I leave the engine running while I
check out the swather? What if I have just one
more drink? After all, what's the worst that
could happen?
Because if we actually allow ourselves to be
honest and acknowledge the answer to most
what-if questions we would see that one
second we make the choice may not be worth
the risk.
And for those who may have to live with the
outcome of a less than wise decision it can be
almost intolerable.
Our newspaper does not cover the days in
court for those individuals found not guilty.
However, a recent trial stirred up some of
these feelings. It is not about whether the
finding of reasonable doubt was right or
wrong that has prompted comment but more a
hope that a lesson has been learned if needed.
It's not an unusual story, not a particularly
naughty one. A group of young men had been
out enjoying a day of recreation. There was
alcohol, not excessive they claim, and there
was a crash that left one of the party injured.
Witnesses' testimony alluded to the fear and
shock at dealing with a friend who had been
hurt.
But it was when the officer testified that he
attended the home of the victim to tell their
family that I felt a shiver. It's a visit people
dread.
In his decision that there was enough
reasonable doubt as to whether the victim was
impaired at the time of the crash, the judge
also added a comment, that he hoped those
involved had learned something from this
experience.
There is a tendency for people to feel
invincible. Youth in particular can be
headstrong and less likely to consider
consequences. They take risks, their high
energy will take them on adventures the rest of
us wouldn't, and probably can't take.
I would not presume to blame here. No one
but those involved will know for sure whether
or not there were unnecessary risks taken that
day. Only a small group know if they drank
too much, drove too fast or perhaps a little
recklessly.
But if they did, I hope they acknowledge it
and as the judge said will learn from it.
The message theie days is that there are no
accidents. Safety organizations strive to
remind people that what we often consider an
accident could have been avoided with a little
more care and a little more thought to where
an action might take you.
Every second of every day a split second
decision has altered the world of a family
somewhere. The extra pain comes from
knowing it didn't have to be this way.
Too many people unfortunately never
understand that and continue to ignore any
attempt at foresight.
' We can't protect ourselves from everything
but it doesn't cost anything to try.
Premier scores first down