Year
six has been one of true challenges for Mayorgate and
its monkeys. There have been fewer posts than usual this past year,
and that's not because six years in means old and slowing down.
Rather, it has been a year where a great deal of preparation had been
taken up with two legal battles.
As
legal battles go they can be likened to the equivalency of a
miniseries, and Mayorgate had
been a co-star in two separate ones for a couple of years. So the
year began with an article titled Brian McMullan Finally Under Oath. In a fashion this article attempted to walk alongside a
belief, a faith, in our legal system which binds this nation on all
levels. Our justice system is the mythical binding, and the courts a
battlefield where facts and evidence are permitted to be heard, where
questions of truth or falseness are examined before decisions made.
Well it sounds good but it happens to be all too often monkey
business.
This
saga with the former mayor of St. Catharines, Brian McMullan, was
reaching a battlefield stage in November of 2015. Mayorgate's
article walked through some very
serious issues relating to trust and accountability. A trial was set
for the 4th
and 5th
of November, and months of preparation were necessary. What
transpired at the trial was nothing short of shocking, and because
that was act one details cannot be opened for now. Some small points
though can be mentioned at this time that remain as gems embedded
into the mind.
First
of all when there is a trial under the Slander and Libel laws, one of
the most important issues at question is reputation. In this case it
was an elected member of government and issues of trust are of great
importance. The presiding judge from the opening of this session
admitted to having known Ms. Debbie Zimmerman, a Regional Councillor
Brian McMullan was having an affair with, and asked if there were any
objections, but
they were ignored. Little things such as an affair with a fellow
regional councillor, a divorce, potential conflict of interest, and
more were ruled out as irrelevant.
Year six's first article was filled
with confidence that finally the truth will be heard, but reality for
now proved it had to wait. At the same time the world was becoming
increasingly concerned over Vladimir Putin and his intentions.
Tensions were beginning to rise between the US and Russia, as a
number of European nations and Australia came together in an attempt
to force Russia to listen to reason. International trade sanctions
were imposed against Russia after it annexed Crimea. Putin claimed
that Khrushchev made an error in 1954 when he gave Crimea to the
Ukraine. He also claimed that it was an issue of Russia's national
security as it had its largest fleet sanctioned in Crimea.
The Horsemen Cross the Steppes of Ukraine, took time to look at the
history of the region and that of the stern yet charismatic Vladimir
Putin. On the homefront Putin could do no wrong; as far as much of
the rest of the world, they saw Putin as power hungry and dangerous
to world stability. All the sanctions simply proved to be useless.
Fighting in Ukraine continued with the innocent residents in towns
and villages paying the ultimate price for the power struggle. Now
some ten months after the article was published, little if anything
is heard in the news and the daily UN updates at one time peppered
with stories of casualties now have their interest turned elsewhere.
History finds itself so often
dealing with such rapid and dramatic changes. Human beings will
throw stones over the fence at each other screaming threats and
insults, only to find another bunch who scream louder or use bigger
stones. Whether it is world wars or more isolated incidents such as
Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan, humanity cannot cure itself of
its addiction to power. All too often the lust for power is
partnered with violence and destruction. Our headlines are
constantly filled with images of fleeing refugees looking to escape
the violence and find a peaceful life.
Power is an enormously strong lure,
cruelty and violence follow it hand in hand, yet how can we come to
grips with the monstrous cruelty displayed by poachers as they kill
and hack defenseless beasts? Poaching has reached epidemic
proportions and it is capable of wiping out whole species of animals.
Rhinos, elephants, tigers and more are threatened to extinction
simply to satisfy insane superstitions or to be carved into trinkets,
while others are hunted for trophies to be stuck onto walls.
Public
attention is growing and attempts are being made to combat this
horror. A group of caring and concerned individuals have come
together with an idea to save the rhino. The concept is
audacious
and at the same time the only truly feasible plan to save the African
rhino from extinction. Kill rates are beginning to outnumber new
births and this situation will only get worse. It was because of
this The Australian Rhino Project
found
life; Mayorgate's
article The Australian Rhino Project, can it be the answer? interviewed the
founder Ray Dearlove to understand what the goal was, and it was
rather simple.
Ray Dearlove and the Australian
Rhino Project want to set up a breeding herd of African rhinos in
Australia. Once or if the poaching stops, then the rhino would be
placed back into the wild in Africa. The Australian Rhino Project
has the support and backing of both the South African and Australian
governments. Fundraising has slowly produced results but when a
total of $80 million US dollars is needed, the going is tough.
Exposure, public awareness and corporate sponsorship is mandatory for
success.
After
some international topics Mayorgate's
attention
turned again towards its hometown with the article City of St.Catharines' By-Laws, what's up with that?. As citizens in a
democratic country we are bound by a series of laws to ensure the
equality and security of life. These laws range from the upper tier
federal level all the way down to municipalities and their by-laws.
In Canada the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees all Canadians
equal treatment before the law regardless of what level of law is
considered. So it had been difficult to understand how in a city
like St. Catharines that equality has apparently been ignored.
There were two issues at the centre
of the article. One was quickly resolved with the co-operation of
Mayor Walter Sendzik. The other has lingered for more than five
years. In those five years one individual had found that he could do
as he pleased with apparent protection from any consequence by City
employees at high levels. Here Mayor Walter Sendzik proved he was no
different to his predecessor Brian McMullan, and the travesty of
abuse of law and equality continues.
The articles may have been fewer
yet each found a thread connecting the topic to the most base ideas
of humanity. We can do great things and we can at the same time
destroy a great deal. Issues that bounce around the concepts of law,
equality and quality of life, are of equal importance on a wider
scale as they are at home. After all those concepts of freedom and
security of society do not shrink in importance depending on the size
of the theatre, and a troupe of performers travel to preform their
acts with equal motivation on a larger stage as one not so grand.
Our propensity towards violence and cruelty has sadly been a major
component of humanity's evolution. Whether this cruelty is aimed at
each other or at other defenseless creatures we share this earth
with, it is always destructive and we cannot ignore it simply because
it does not impact us personally.
Mayorgate
strives
to bring a wide range of topics, yet at the same time each has a
thread of commonality and a link to who we are as people striving
towards the future. Some battles had been lost, other battles are
won – regardless Mayorgate
does
not apologise for its existence, nor will Mayorgate
remove
itself or any article from reader's access. As far as miniseries are
concerned, they are still in play and the cheeky monkeys will not
concede defeat.
Defeat
comes through fear and through complacency. All the articles on
Mayorgate
find a thread of commonality linking them: a thread that attaches us
to the earth itself. Each and every one of us is responsible for the
future.
At
the turn of the new year into 2016, Mayorgate
published
We're Drowning in Thirst, not only as a review of the passing year
but more of a reality check on where we are heading as a collection
of nations. The Paris Agreement brought international coverage to
the single most pressing issue we collectively face.
Once
again environmentalists raised their hands into the air singing
chorus after chorus of hallelujah. According to so many of them the
planet was saved, though none of them wished to look at reality.
After all the conferences, after all the fundraising campaigns by
these non-profit prophets who tell you that you can save the world
with a $25 donation, there stands you. We, together en masse and as
individuals, need to change what we do. No international
conferences, no famous actor bouncing around the world in a private
jet, no pope or head of the UN can change anything. We can, together
and as individuals, the future is in our hands, and that is not a
cliché.
Mayorgate
crosses the finish line for year six and begins anew doing what it
does best. Join the monkeys and bring your comments and thoughts
with you.
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