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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-12-22, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1989. The message is hope I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old familiar carols play. And wild and sweet, The words repeat, Of peace on earth goodwill to men. Every year at Christmas the countries of the Christian world at least, dream of the promise of the angels to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem of “peace on earth, goodwill to men’’. It’s been a year of successes and minuses in living the dream of peace on earth. There have been tremendous victories and terrible losses. And in despair I bowed my head, There is no peace on earth I said. For hate is strong, That mocks the song. Of peace on earth goodwill to men. Just this week there has been the news of terrible slaughter in Romania as citizens seeking freedom were turned on by the guns of their own army. In the summer there was the terrible night in Tiananmen Square when the peaceful protests of Chinese students who seemed they might bring new freedom to their country became a slaughter as the government cracked down, killing hundreds, perhaps thousands. In South America, drug-trade-related killings terrorize the people of Colombia. In El Salvador the death squads arbitrarily end lives of those they judge to be on the wrong side of the civil war. Here in our own country there was the terrible news of a sick man, full of hate, who took out his own feelings of inadequacy on the female students of an engineering school in Montreal. After years of trying to pull our country together, to bring greater understanding between the people of our country, distrust and anger has been driving a wedge between those who speak English and those who speak French. Our native people feel betrayed by government compromises that leave them out in the cold. Women feel afraid to go into the streets alone and many even fear being in their own homes when their husbands are home. Canada, a nation that prided itself in not suffering the kind of racial tension we see south of the border, seems to have cities that are timebombs waiting to explode. Then peeled the bells More loud and deep, God is not dead. Nor doth he sleep. The wrong shall fail, The right prevail, With peace on earth goodwill to men. But the world has made such great advances in the past year. Who could have imagined the happenings of Eastern Europe where once the iron hand of Communist dictatorship prevented any form of open protest. We saw pictures of the Berlin Wall being chipped away at by crowds celebrating new freedoms. We saw the government helping dismantle the wall and let people freely visit their relatives on the other side for the first time in 30 years. We saw a leader of the Soviet Union not trying to crush such expressions of freedom but encouraging them. We have seen non-Communists lead the government in Poland. We’d seen the SovietUnionleadingthewaytoturn weapops into scrap iron, moving so fast toward a new peace that it has left western leaders, so used to playing by the old script of atiimosity for 40 years, left not knowing what new words to put in their speeches to deal with the situation. The insane war between Iran and Iraq is at last over. There is even hope that the violent revolution that seemed assured in South Africa because of the unwillingness of the white minority to negotiate with the black majority might be headed off by an apparent willingness to move toward negotiations. Till ringing, singing on its way. The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chance sublime. Of peace on earth, goodwill to men. The words of Longfellow’s “Carol of the Bells’’ tells us not that the world is a perfect place where all war will have ended but that there is the hope that the world will get better. That is the endless joy of Christmas, the hope that this year the world will be a little closer to that magic peace and goodwill. The gift of hope is the greatest gift the world can have. 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 Soc­ iety. Since not just everyone can partake of these deliberations we will report the activities from time to time. We were sitting around Mabel’s the other morning discussing Christmas shopping. Julia Flint was complaining about the crowds wherever you go. Hank Stokes was complaining about how everything cost so much. So Tim O’Grady suggested we each come up with one gift we’d like to give somebody of prominence that we could buy only with our imagination: no money, no crowds, just imagination and fun. So Ward Black started it off. He said he’d like to get David Peterson a new book of excuses about the Sunday shopping issue because he’s getting tired about hearing the old ones. Maybe he could blame it on free trade or something, Ward said, instead of saying there’s nothing he can do about the situation since it’s now a municipal problem when he’s the one who made it a municipal problem. Well, said Tim, fair is fair so he figured he’d get Brian Mulroney something. How about a circular mirror so he could see both faces at the same time, Hank wondered? NO, said Tim, “I’d just like to get him what he deserves for Christ­ mas.’’ Billie Bean said that since the first million is always the hardest to get, he’d like to give Garth Drabinsky and Robert Campeau their first million since they look like they’ll be having to start all over again to make their fortunes. Julia said she’d like to get a new speech writer for George Bush since he won’t be able to blame Continued on page 5 The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $19.00/yr. ($40.00 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. 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