A politician with his priorities straight is not always easy to find, but for Buffalo, a weekend of disaster brought the best out of some individuals. In response to the state of emergency, Mayor Byron W. Brown kept a level head and open mind with allocating relief efforts, and ultimately handled this disaster the right way.
His methods were called into question by city residents and reporters as to why he wasn't fighting for every possible resource he could find to help the city along in disaster relief. He calmly explained his reasoning behind a seemingly downsized effort in obtaining help with a very insightful observation. To blindly fight for every resource, despite the cost, could endanger the greater efforts throughout Erie County. Brown made it clear that cooperation was the key to success, and he is one hundred percent right.
Although the City of Buffalo had its fair share of destruction and chaos, the fact is much of the surrounding suburbs were hit far worse than downtown. More heavily treed suburbs suffered most from debris and road obstruction. Hard-hitting power outages spread rapidly through towns, including Tonawanda, which at its peak outage time had 96 percent of their residents in the dark with no heat and little water. These types of situations should have been priority number one, and with the leadership of Brown this was made a reality. When the National Guard came rolling in, the City of Buffalo didn't selfishly swallow them up all for their own. Brown was mindful of the needs of other communities, and without that conscientious thought, we would be in an even sorrier state.
Mayor Brown and supporting officials demonstrated unprecedented selflessness and tactful grace that shouldn't go unrecognized. Whether in a nicely pressed suit or a sweatshirt and a ball cap, Brown was here for Buffalo this weekend.
North Korea shortens fuse
Time is running out to defuse the ticking bomb
When North Korea detonated their first nuclear bomb test last week, the leaders of the world took notice. The seismic blast supposedly shook diplomats into action, and while sanctions are imposed and indirect talks are escalating, North Korean officials divulged yesterday that a second test is underway. Our world leaders' feeble attempts and efforts in containing North Korea have only resulted in one outcome: Kim Jong-Il is planning to detonate a second one.
The United Nations' resolutions will enforce the harshest sanctions on North Korea since the end of the Korean conflict, but not only have these sanctions been unsuccessful in pressuring the Koreans to end their nuclear program, they have sparked a frightening stance of innumerable consequences. North Korea has officially told the UN that unless these measures are dropped immediately, they will perceive the sanctions as a "declaration of war." North Korea does not have the largest army, nor the most advanced, but they do have weapons that can make a negative impact anywhere in the world. Unless we get out of this diplomatic rut, Kim Jung-Il could very well initiate desperate attacks before his regime crumbles.
The UN's big guns - sanctions, sanctions and more sanctions - are obsolete and ineffective for such an issue. It's about time old diplomacy and international resolutions are thrown to the scrap pile and brought back to the drawing board. Governments across the globe need to stand up and find innovative ways to solve this imminent danger. They need to be willing to step out of diplomatic comfort-zones and try something new. Whether it is a world summit, something as simple as direct peace talks, or something so new that it has not been implemented before, the UN must come up with alternatives for dealing with North Korea, and they must do it now.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
