Take a friend to the polls
We now interrupt three-time Juno Award winner Luba to bring you the Editor’s Notebook.
I arranged for two first-time voters to cast their ballots. They were Summerland residents and I told the couple I’d meet them at The Beanery, buy them a coffee and sticky bun and then point them in the direction of city hall. (I’m allowed to do this, because I’m not a candidate.) It felt good knowing I was getting two new people involved in the process.
If you have children or grandchildren over the age of 18, or friends, encourage them to vote. Take them to the polls if you have to.
Many years ago, there was a hardluck kid (he was 20, but looked much younger than his age) who lived in our neighbourhood.
“Are you going to vote?,” I asked him.
“No, the mayor’s a (expletive deleted).”
“Then why don’t you go vote against him?”
There was a local busker who often sang outside the beer store, butchering beloved Cat Stevens and Van Morrison chestnuts. He was kind of a joke in the community, but he always ran for mayor and would get about 100 votes.
I encouraged this young guy to go and vote for him, rather than stay home. And I liked the mayor!
“I’d vote for you, James, if you ran, or your wife or your mom or dad.”
He was so convinced that the system was out to get him. Sad.
You win some, you lose some, but when you can introduce some new people to the process, you’re championing democracy. I love democracy.
A few readers took comments made in an editorial the wrong way when I pointed out the fact that we have candidates who are black, IndoCanadian, European immigrants and LGBTQ. I think this is great! For too long, Okanagan city councils and school boards were almost exclusively middle-aged white guys, like me. Diversity is a wonderful thing.
With the Brett Kavanaugh case, I have one question. Is there nobody else in the United States capable of being a Supreme Court judge?
Of the four major professional sports (NHL, MLB, NBA, NFL/CFL), the best sport to watch live is baseball. Even though it’s slow moving, there’s nothing better than getting outside, enjoying a hotdog and being with friends. With a sport, such as hockey or basketball, the television cameras follow the play, much the same way you would with your own eyes. But, with baseball, there’s so many things to see, that you’re at the mercy of the guy in the control booth determining the TV shots.
Speaking of watching more than one thing at a time, do yourself a favour and go see “Corteo,” the latest Cirque du Soleil show that’s on this weekend at Prospera Place. I love Cirque shows. Although their shows have an international cast from all over the world, Cirque du Soleil is truly Canadian with its origins tracing back to the streets and parks of Montreal. A reminder. If your candidate doesn’t win, relax, the sun will still come up on Sunday morning. They’re all good people. Be willing to give others a chance. As Jack Layton said, “Love is better than anger.” James Miller is valley editor for Okanagan Newspaper Group.