"It's the ECONOMY, stupid!"

Do you remember that catch-phrase? From Bill Clinton's 1992 election campaign? Well, I've put my own spin on it.

Yesterday, I spent a sizable amount of time on the phone with a representative from the Niagara Escarpment Commission. I've been in correspondence with someone from the Ministry of Natural Resources. And I've had conversations with various members of various divisions of City Hall.

All of this contact was about our clear-cutting situation.

I learned a lot. All the people concerned were quite generous in helping me understand the situation better, to develop a more rounded perspective than just the one resulting from wandering through the site, taking photographs and videos while muttering 'WTF?!?'

From the beginning, from the moment I found out that a) this wasn't Battlefield land, and b) there had been absolutely, positively no communication on the part of the owner as to what they had done/were going to do through any of the expected channels, my reaction wasn't rooted in some abrogation of rules and regulations, some contravention of laws and by-laws.

It was all about behaviour.

Conduct.

Manners.

(If you go back to my comments at the beginning of this blog, or if you were to examine those posts on my private blog going back to April 26th, you'd see me express that the owner's plans were not the issue, no matter how simple, no matter how grandiose. And my stance hasn't changed one whit.)

So though the tone of this week's Stoney Creek News article gives the impression that there's going to be this collective shrug ('Nothing done contravened any laws...'), because that was never why I was incensed, it's not like I feel any sense of defeat.

When I'm out on a trek through the area's wildness, I invariably pick up more than a piece or two of rubbish. Now, when this happens, I don't think 'Isn't there a by-law about littering? Surely there's some kind of legislation on the books about tossing refuse...'

What I do think is 'Fascinating. I wonder what mindset allows for someone to feel absolutely no compunction at all regarding dropping their garbage behind them.'

Or, not: 'We need to enforce our by-laws better!', but: 'It's sad that people don't feel the respect they should about the way they move through the world.'

Respect.

re·spect

   [ri-spekt] Show IPA

–noun

1.

a particular, detail, or point (usually prec. by in): to differ in some respect.

2.

relation or reference: inquiries with respect to a route.

3.

esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability: I have great respect for her judgment.

4.

deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment:respect for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect for the elderly.

5.

the condition of being esteemed or honored: to be held in respect.

6.

respects, a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or friendship: Give my respects to your parents.

7.

favor or partiality.

8.

Archaic. a consideration.

–verb (used with object)

9.

to hold in esteem or honor: I cannot respect a cheat.

10.

to show regard or consideration for: to respect someone's rights.

11.

to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with: to respect a person's privacy.

12.

to relate or have reference to.

If someone feels no respect towards where they are, their behaviour will reflect this.

If someone feels no respect towards others, their behaviour will reflect this.

But the kicker is...and not too many people want to see things this way, and that's fine; 'You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink'...a lack of respect displayed has to stem from a lack of personal respect.

A friend of mine has suggested that what's gone on at the clear-cut is all about indifference.

Someone else suggested arrogance.

Others have proposed 'stupidity'.

As I'm not the Great Arbitrator, I'll refrain from getting the labels ready on those fronts. But I'll glady hold forth on the notion that respect is involved with all of them.

So it should come as no surprise that if The Pithy Gods demanded their due (not at my default mode, because I get my words wholesale), my response would be:

"It's about RESPECT, Dummy!"