Raise the Hammer

I am not neccesarily trying to defend the Cats here. More specifically, I am trying to be open to the entire picture. My eyes are open. A little more so than I sometimes wish they were, but I think this process has forced us all to open our eyes really wide - and it's a scary thing to do and that alone, could be the reason many people aren't engaged?

I hear people talking about Brayley and Troop in this equation as well. Speculation could lead us in so many directions. Might as well add the mob in there too while we are at it.

The only solution I can think of and I am sure some are tiring of these little plugs, is to get together as larger groups and talk about how we can show the powers that be that we feel are straying our communities in the wrong direction, how they can have their cake and eat it too and perhaps even a nicer ice cream cake too, if they'd work more closely with us.

How engaging us and allowing us to be a part of the decision making, can be a positive thing if we work together to determine how we might make this work so it isn't as scary a concpet as it may seem on the surface.

Everyone. From politko's to artists, to average Joe citizens and dare I say even less desirable citizens. Bob Bratina wants to talk about a Red Light District. You think as a father, that that is really what he wants, or does he realize that it's perhaps time to stop fighting something that will never go away, and learn how to somehow embrace these sorts of activities that might in turn, create a safer Hamilton community.

People are going to do drugs. People are going to believe in God. People are going to let their dogs of leash. People are going to engage in less-desirable acts to get what they want.

People are going to do things whether we like them or beleive in them or not. Aside from bullying or rape or murder and the like, the rest are perhaps, things we need to find better ways to work with - instead of pushing against a brick wall.

I love football. I love Canadian Football. I love the Tiger-Cat brand. I love Ivor Wynne Stadium, and some 50,000 other Hamiltonian's love some or all of these things too and for those reasons, I'll continue to support the brand in light of some of the dealings that might be going on behind closed locker room doors.

Is anyone's going to tell me that there isn't some part of the James St N Art Crawl or the Lister Bldg or Gage Park for Pete's sake (dare I mention churches in this equation), that aren't corrupt on some level? However small or large that corruption - or in lighter terms, ear-whispering dealings, are.

Millions still attend church for example, aside form some of the very distrubing actions we read or hear about because bottom line, the faithful still believe in the underlying message that their religions are founded upon. They believe in the foundation - the history, the resulting message, not neccessarily some of the wrong hands their faith have been placed in.

So for me, I believe in the history of the game and the team as it relates to our city. I believe in the community that puts up with 20,000+ people walking their neighborhoods streets who greet us with parking spots on their front lawns, on their streets, or in their church parking lots. Who decorate their houses in oskee wee wee cheer. I believe in the underlying message. I believe in Civic Pride and nobody is going to change that. Not a corrupt politician or city staff member or some owner or a high level representative of that ownership. If indeed any of the above are corrupt. I can give up on it or push to bring back what these games (and I'll add hockey and the NHL in there), are about - community. People.

If some business folk are a little corrupt in their dealings, then that's something they have to live with in their minds knowing that people see through them. And if these people are not doing anything wrong then they just need to realize that there will always be someone who judges us. We need to know and embrace our own worth. Be accountable for our wrong-doings, but also know that the only judgement that matters at the end of the day, is the way in which we judge ourselves - and sometimes even we, are too hard on ourselves.

We are all just human. It's not an excuse for lying or being deceiptful or selectively short-minded, but sometimes a sorry or some sort of acknowledgment of being wrong, goes a long way in mending wounds. I also realize some people aren't good at saying they are sorry so I'll accept it anyway and move on.

I still don't think we should simply accept a lot of this stuff but if we really want change, we need to take it upon ourselves to create that change. Even if change is unfortunately not realized in our lifetime, at least we will one day pass knowing that we did the best we could for our children, to leave them a better world. I think there will always be one thing that we do find in the end no matter the outcome, and that is a group of like-minded souls that touch our paths along our journey's to making a difference. Red Hill and Ivor Wynne are just too examples for me, of what being enaged can do for the soul and the wonderful people it introduces you too. Whether change is created (although I would hope I don't die in 60 or so years not having been a part of a victory), I think the way in which the human spirt touches us, is far greater than whether a highway gets built or a stadium is saved - although I hope we can better learn through continually fighting, how to eventually stop things like a new highway from being built.

I am not saying that everyone should simply say shucks Larry. You're right., but at least really step back and maybe look at it in a different light. Should you have to lose out on something you enjoy, whether it be a Tiger-Cats game or a Hecfi event given all the news about that arms-length group as of late, because some people who have lost site of what those things are actually about, aren't playing by the rules? I don't know about anyone else but if these things are going to move ahead and exist anyway, then I feel the need to push towards bringing those things back to their origins, or as we have done with Hecfi, taking matters into our own hands if we don't like the way someone is running something that is dear to our hearts. Festival of Friends could be another example of this.

At least - if we still don't feel in the end that these things are being run the way they should, we need to support them so they don't completely die, until we have come up with a way to make them run themselves. Else they die, and we may never get them back?

I think this tranparency that we have been talking so much about as of late, can not only have a great impact on muncipal politics, but on the general health of people in general. I think if we can create a greater confidence in people - in self worth, in making people feel like they are not alone in their worries, fears, dreams and faults, than the city will evolve and flourish around that confidence and sense of being just as human as the people who lead us each day.

Comment edited by lawrence on 2011-08-30 14:17:05