NO GUNS AIMED AT WHITBY POLITICIANS

We're pretty lucky, really.

And so are our local politicians, because so often our municipal elections
come and go with such little public notice.

But in some places - such as municipalities in Colombia - running for local
office is a death sentence.

In fact, this South American nation goes to the polls only a week or two
before our own Nov. 10 election date. However, many municipalities, smaller
or larger than our own, didn't have any candidates running for office. For
many who announced their candidacy were kidnapped or killed. To be precise,
rebel factions and paramilitary groups murdered about 30 low-level
political hopefuls since July 4. That's 34 per cent lower than previous
elections.

While Canadians ponder the possibility of 'Uniting the Right', Colombian
villagers in places the size of Whitby watched the right, left, and middle
put bullets through the heads of political rivals.

Sure, we can dismiss it as the over-zealous politics of a developing
country. After all, poverty and violence go hand in hand. Even in Canada.
Meanwhile, our developed citizens, even some in Whitby, snort the cocaine
that is grown in their jungles.

While we worry about highway extensions, the people of Colombia worry about
guerrillas with machine guns. While we ponder our doctor shortage, poor
rural families are harmed by chemicals dropped by planes in an attempt to
kill crops in America's 'War Against Drugs.'

And while we worry about vandalism, these poor farmers worry about a
central government that can't promise defence to its own citizens.

In Whitby, these things are far away. They're surreal.

In Whitby, we don't think there are actually crack-cocaine deals and
suit-wearing cokeheads who live down the street. But we're wrong.

And while we prepare Santa Claus parades for our children, citizens of
other poor nations parade as well - for their children. They pound drums in
Bolivia, as people are shot, demanding government change and saying 'No' to
free trade with the U.S.; citizens in Caracas clash over support of a
leader - Hugo Chavez - who insists one of the world's largest oil economies
be publicly owned. And the poverty continues.

It makes the voters who support our provincial governments look sane. It
makes our municipal leaders look like saints. Our local debates are about
prolonging economic prosperity, not maintaining survival.

We have the odd grow-home, not thousands of acres of coca. But the drugs
are still on our streets.

And any urban landscape can easily become a jungle. It's just in towns like
Whitby, we can see so much more light through the leaves.

Because we're lucky. Really.

And so are our politicians.