BADDA BOOM! by Frances Kennedy franceskennedy782@gmail com
Autumn on the shores of Lake Erie is kettling season -- hawks swirling and circling tightly in an air thermal are called ‘kettles’. They look from a distance like something boiling in a cauldron and this
explains the origin of the name of Kettle Creek. By watching these gatherings, the hawks find thermals, then easily cross over Lake Erie at minimum energy. What is described can also be turkey vultures, but regardless, the phenomenon prevails: the ability of birds, despite their ‘party of allegiance’ to communicate and impressively coordinate for the benefit of the common good. Consider how Canada geese honk encouragement from behind, organize and re-organize in V formation to share the effort of the point. I’m always baffled when bumbling idiots are called birdbrains. What’s my point? We can achieve great things when acting collectively with others with whom we share a common cause and, when in doubt, we must just look up. It’s early days but the federal election looms large in our future whether on or before October 27, 2025. It’s about to get vocal at a local level: Karen Vecchio, our Elgin Middlesex London (EML) MP has declined to seek re-election next term. For any ‘dyed- in-the-wool’ party members of no matter what stripe, this is not about partisan politics. If there’s one known we all own in common it’s our right to trust in the sanctity of our democracy. One lesson we all earned among many as a result of COVID is that good governance can’t be left to chance. Public leaders have no right to let their actions be influenced by personal interests; they must consider what is right, not what is advantageous to a party or class. The long shadow cast by the merchants of doubt and conspiracy theorists recommends we ask the right questions, right now. It’s well worth the time to undertake to understand the process, the role of the Electoral District Association and changes to the federal electoral boundaries. All that and more is available online. Electing the best representative for EML is no small matter; it’s imperative, and equally important is that we can trust the integrity of the election results. The extraordinary scope, nature, and duration of the pandemic made evident the truth in the truism ‘Absolute power demoralizes.’ As we watch the unfolding of the presidential election in the Excited States of America, we need to be aware that it’s not simply a baffling battle between Republicans and Democrats; it’s a global, real-time war between autocracy and democracy; the dismantling of the institutions that preserve the democracy for which life, limb and sanity of our very own were sacrificed. The volume of divisiveness that resonates at all three levels of our own government requires our attention, and intention to common purpose; we cannot settle, we must kettle! As Albert Einstein once opined: ‘When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.’ Badda Bing!
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Boomers and Beyond – Elgin • October 2024 Page 15
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