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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-06-28, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 1989. Opinion Canada Day challenge Canada marks its 122nd birthday as a nation Saturday and the event marks another occasion to consider our progress on the way to becoming a great nation. If one judges Canada, the way history has usually judged great nations, we will likely never make the grade. It’s hard to foresee anyone ever pointing to a map of the world, as they used to with Britain, and seeing all the territory Canada controls. It’s hard to imagine the day when people around the world will hang on the latest speech of our prime minister the way they do on speeches of a U.S. president or a Soviet leader. Yet there are other tests of greatness, tests these powerful nations have failed. In the midst of Britain’s empire that the sun never seton, the country was burdened by a horrible class structure that saw children dying in factories and mines. The United States has a nation that lives in fear to the point a large part of the population carries weapons and thus perpetuates the problem of too much violent death. One needs hardly list the failures of the Soviet Union in providing for its own people. Canadians face a challenge, not to build a military might like these other powers, but to set an example to the world on how to build a country where people, not power come first. We have the opportunity because of our immigrants from all countries of the world, to show how people of all races and creeds can live in peace. The challenge is to each Canadian to be proud of his heritage, be it Scottish or Irish or Sihk or Chinese, without turning that pride into a negative thing against those of other races. We should all seek our roots but leave the old hatreds behind. We should take pride in what we are, not build ourselves up by diminishing others of different race, sex or language. A great Canada would be a country where each person seeks to be the best he can be. In a competitive world we cannot be complacent. We must use our resources and our gifts, both physical and mental, to strive for excellence. Still, we must remember that not everyone can climb that mountain of success. We must make sure there are places of dignity and satisfaction for all citizens, whether they can manage giant companies or can barely manage themselves. A great Canada would be a country that does not forget the lessons of the past. By looking to see from where we have come, we can often prevent errors in the future. Yet a great country cannot become so fixated on the past that it fails to properly prepare for the future. Our challenge is to find the right balance of past to future. A great Canada would have pride in itself. Like a person, a nation needs to have a sense of self-worth to be mentally healthy. And yet a nation that becomes too prideful runs a risk of becoming dangerous to itself and the countless millions. The challenge to Canadians in building a great Canada is to find the balance, a balance between pride and prejudice, between excellence and compassion, between patriotism and aggression. If we can find that balance (and keep it for it isn’t like getting to the top of a mountain where you can stop and rest) we will not only have a great nation but we will be a great example to the world. Dedication or dollars Down by the pond The current scandal swirling around the provincial Liberal government illustrates one of the ever present dangers for political parties when they come to power. There is an inherent danger for all political parties. They are set up to do good things for the general public. But to run a party many hands and talents are needed. When a party is in opposition and generally there aren’t a lot of helpers around, any pair of hands is welcome. Sometimes those workers can be dedicated to an ideal. Sometimes they can be along to play the political game and hope for reward when the party reaches power. Unfortunately, these people, who seek reward for themselves, can often make themselves most indispensible to the party and through the loyalty of the party can get posts they want where they can wield power improperly. The seeds of this kind of self destruction are there in every political party. The challenge is to get these people out of politics so the people who want to serve the people can do so, and not be tarred with the same brush of cynicism we save for the soundrels. Mabel’s Grill There are people who will tell you that the important decisions in town are made down at the town hall. People in the know, however know that the real debates, the real wisdom reside down at Mabel s Grill where the greatest minds in the town [if not in the country] gather for morning coffee break, otherwise known as the Round Table Debating and Filibustering So­ ciety. MONDAY: Hank Stokes was say­ ing he thinks the Humane Society should just let this whole bullfight thing drop. Anybody he talked to who was there, he said, figured maybe the bulls got the best of the thing anyway and if anybody needs protection it’s the bullfighters. Yes, said Julia Flint, but you had to feel sorry for the bulls. It’s kind of cruel to tease the bulls until they get mad enough to fight, she said. “What the world needs,” Hank shys, “is a plants’ rights movement to go along with the animal rights movement. I mean if teasing a bull is cruelty, what’s tossing a salad.” TUESDAY: Ward Black says he’s tired of all this talk of county government reform that would mean our town wouldn’t even have its own town council anymore. Aw, Billie Beane told him, you’re just unhappy because you’d be out of a job and you wouldn’t get to go to the Good Roads convention anymore. Tim O’Grady said he figured there might be some small savings with the talk of doing away with smaller municipalities so there’d be fewer municipalities and only 20 county councillors. You figure two cups of coffee for each councillor at each meeting at 50 cents a piece Continued on page 5 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario, by North Huron Publishing Company Inc Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $17 OO/yr ($38 00 Foreign) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited Advertising Deadlines Monday, 2 p m - Brussels; Monday. 4 p m - Blyth We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. Editor& Publisher, Keith Roulston Advertising Manager, DaveWilliams Production Manager, Jill Roulston Second Class Mail Registration No. 6968