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The Citizen, 1992-07-01, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1,1992. E ditorial No excuse for not celebrating After several years of economic recession and constitutional depression, Canadians need a good excuse for having a little fun. North Huron residents have little excuse if they don’t get in a party mood these days with a trio of parties over a two weekend period. From last weekend's Blyth Rutabaga Festival to this weekend's Brussels FunFest and East Wawanosh Homecoming there's plenty of opportunity to forget the bad times and just have some fun. Put all three events along with Canada's 125th anniversary this week and surely there is cause to celebrate. Dozens of volunteers put in hundreds of hours to make these events a success. They deserve to be rewarded by people taking part in all the events planned. East Wawanosh residents have been planning for their 125th anniversary homecoming for years while the committees behind FunFest and Rutabaga committees have been planning since last year's events. Indications are the other events will be as successful as this past weekend's third annual Rutabaga Festival which was probably the biggest yet. Once again the Saturday parade was an impressive one with more than 100 entries. From talent show through firemen's water fight to Sunday's tricycle ball game, the Festival was a lot of fun for participants and audiences. The success of the event is a tribute to the work of Festival chairman Bruce Papple and his many volunteers and a fitting way to say goodbye to Jane Gardner, one of the driving forces in the founding of the Festival who moved from Blyth this weekend. Get out and make an equal success of this weekend's celebrations. The volunteers deserve your support and you probably can use a good laugh about now. None of the above The dissatisfaction of voters with established politicians is very much in evidence these days as they turn by the millions to political outsiders like Preston Manning of the Reform Party in Canada and lone-wolf U.S. Presidential candidate Ross Perot. It's not the first time voters have gone looking for a political saviour but let's hope it works out better this time than in the past. The 1930's were also a lime of economic recession and political disillusionment and people in many countries looked for one man with easy solutions to save them. In Germany and Italy that led to the rise of Nazi leaders who promised to restore the glory of their country. Any parallel with the mild-mannered Mr. Manning may be stretching a point but the American love affair with Mr. Perot is a little more chilling. Few Americans so far know much about Mr. Perot: he just looks good to them by comparison to the candidates offered by the main-line parties. What is becoming known is that he is a man used to getting his own way, and showing great determination in getting it. That kind of determination, if pointed in the right direction, can be an asset. If directed in the wrong way, it can lead to abuses of the political system. It's ironic that the upsurge in support for Mr. Perot comes at the time of the 20th anniversary of the Watergate break-ins that eventually toppled President Richard Nixon. The break-ins were carried out by men who felt the end justified the means. Interviews with many of the people involved showed they still think they were right. They were so dedicated to their right-wing ideology that they were ready to undermine the democratic system in trying to get some dirt to use against the Democratic Party during the break-in. Mr. Nixon, a man without a moral core, saw nothing wrong with the use of whatever power he needed to achieve re-election. Since then the Americans have also suffered through the Iran- Contra debacle in which top Pentagon officials look part in a plan to sell arms to Iran illegally in order to get money to support the Contras in Nicaragua despite a ban on support by the Congress. Leaders like Col. Oliver North still believe they were right on that one too. Many Americans agree with him. That's a frightening side of U.S. politics. Americans fear losing their place as the richest, most powerful nation on earth and many Americans are ready to give unlimited power to any leader who will promise to keep them on top. Watching the growing economic might of Japan and Germany these days, many Americans are worried their divine right to lead the world may be at risk. They're searching for a leader with magical answers to prevent that. Mr. Perot, a no-nonsense billionaire who fought his way up from the bottom, seems the perfect answer. Let's hope if this infatuation continues that he isn't as ruthless as he has now and then been shown to be.—KR Looking Back Through the Years ONE YEAR AGO July 3,1991 Brussels Mennonite Church wel­ comed a new pastor and his family, as Pastor Tom Warner, his wife Andrea, and their five children arrived in Brussels to replace Pas­ tor Gordon Bauman. Karen and Jeff Smith of RR3, Brussels won a brand new 1991 Chev Cavalier at the Club 284's dance held at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. THREE YEARS AGO June 28,1989 Mrs. Margaret Whyte, a woman with a lifetime of service to groups in Londesboro and Hullet Town­ ship was chosen as the Citizen of the Year for Blyth and area. A piece of Auburn's history was destroyed when the St. Mark's Anglican Church on the main street was tom down by specific request from the Diocese of the London Anglican Church. The church had been closed because of declining membership. Mr. John Roberts retired as min­ ister of Knox United Church in Belgrave, while his wife Kay retired from her position as teacher at the Blyth Public School. FIVE YEARS AGO July 1,1987 Sandra Walsh, a grade 2 student at Blyth Public School was the regional winner in her class group­ ing for the Ministry of Natural Resources poster contest. Sandra received a plaque from Smokey the Bear at a presentation ceremony. The Auburn United Church Women celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the U. C. W. at the United church in Auburn CitizenTheNorthHuron P.O. Box 429,P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont.BRUSSELS, Ont.Publisher, Keith Roulston N0M1H0 NOG 1H0 Editor, Bonnie Gropp Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Sales Representatives, FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 Jeannette McNeil and Merle Gunby The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance ata rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A. and Foreign. Advertising Is accepted on the conditiortlhat 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 © Copywright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 (j»QNA Serving Blyth, Brussels, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding townships.