Que sera sera: The Buffalo syndrome

Those among us who reject climate change, and instead blame Kris Kringle for the massive amounts of snow, must come to grips with the grim reality that it’s not going to get better until we change our behavior. That is just a fact.

Unfortunately, today we have so many fact deniers that it is difficult to get people to understand the necessity for change. People tend to listen and believe that which already reinforces their preconceived notions.

Information which is tailored to those preconceived notions is not information at all, but in fact it is disinformation. I hesitate to single out any particular media conglomerate for this syndrome, however, it does appear to me that one “news” organization which might shoulder some of the blame, is shall we say, sly as a Fox. The definition of that old adage is “One who is clever, cunning, wily, tricky, artful (like a fox).”

That, to me, describes media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Take warning, Mr. Murdoch. You are not impervious to the effects of climate change, and even Australia is subject to the earth’s changing conditions. 

Truly, none of us can escape the reality of climate change, and the human involvement in bringing it about.

I have often told my friends from warmer climates that Oswego, Buffalo, and Watertown, while snow capitals, do not have the same type of drastically adverse weather as many of the sunnier places in the country.

I’ve often said we have very few tornadoes, flash, floods, forest fires, hurricanes, and other catastrophic weather events. 

Viewed from that perspective, the snow that we have is certainly tolerable. 

But of late, even we can’t seem to escape the excesses of Mother Nature. 

Oswego recently dodged a bullet between Buffalo and Watertown, but we are still the epicenter of the lake-effect snow region, and where the term was coined by the venerable late weatherman, Col. Bob Sykes.

As for lake-effect snow, there is definitely more to come. The good thing about snow is that you don’t have to evacuate your house where the siren sounds, because you ordinarily have several days after a big snowstorm to shovel off the roof before it starts caving in. That’s not so with a tornado warning. When the sirens blare you had best move immediately to a more secure location, or else your derrière could be grass.

So, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” 

But let’s keep our elected officials on a short leash to make sure they recognize the facts of life regarding our imperiled planet, and do something accordingly to avert disaster for us all.

John T. Sullivan Jr. has written and published four books: “Forks in the Road” parts I and II, an autobiography, and most recently a memoir of his younger days as a disc jockey titled “The Live 25 in Hi-Fi Jive.” 

He is a former mayor of Oswego (1988-91), trained attorney and former officer for the state Attorney General’s office. Sullivan is now retired. 

His books are available at the river’s end bookstore and online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Sullivan may be contacted at jtsullivanjr@gmail.com.