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The Citizen, 1992-11-11, Page 4E ditorial PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11,1992. Lest we forget the cause of war This week millions of people around the world will pause to remember the supreme sacrifice of those who gave their lives in two world wars. Given recent events, hopefully people will also remember the cause of those wars: hatred, bitterness and racism. The news these days is filled with items that illustrate we've forgotten the lessons of World War II. In Germany, neo-Nazi youth gangs, particularly in the eastern part of the country, have been attacking immigrants, blaming them for what is wrong with the country. Times are tough in what was once communist East Germany. There is disillusionment that the fall of the Berlin Wall and of communism didn't bring the capitalist heaven people thought would come. Bombarded with images of western affluence projected through American television shows, people were encouraged to revolt and win their freedom. But freedom has brought economic chaos, not only in Germany, but across all of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Western countries were prepared to spend trillions of dollars in military spending to prevent the spread of communism but now that communism has been routed, there is a strange apathy on the part of western governments. A small fraction of that military spending, invested in the right way, could prevent much of the hardship the people of former communist countries are facing but our governments would rather continue to build arms than to really help the revolution. Sadly, they may help make people so desperate that new extremist governments, either communist or fascist, might take root and grow. For four decades we dreamed, spurred on by the rhetoric of our leaders, of the death of communism, as if by ridding ourselves of the Cold War, we could finally have eternal peace. Instead, the defeat of communism has brought an outbreak of mean, petty inter-tribal warfare in many areas that were once held in check by the hard fist of communism. Yugoslavia is the worst example, of course. Here the kind of mass murder we hoped we'd seen the last of when Hitler died, has been revived. Stories of ethnic cleansing, of the leadership of a whole moslem town being murdered as the rest of the inhabitants were driven from their homes by Serb forces, bring the kind of gross cruelty we thought had been put to rest forever. The truth is that this dark side of human nature will probably never be changed. There will always be those with hatred so strong they are ready to kill and torture to punish those they blame for their problems. It is up to the world to try to prevent these types of people from getting a strong enough position to carry out their reign of terror. The one way of preventing this is to improve the lot of the ordinary people so they won't support these fanatics. Around the world we, who have so much, have the responsibility to make sure that people have a decent standard of living. If people have no freedom and if they are desperate to get the necessities of life, they will be apt to turn to desperate solutions. We can spend out billions and trillions on weapons to protect ourselves from these people, or we can help them so they won't want to get revenge. The choice is ours. —KR A job well done Reporters who cover municipal councils on a regular basis can get discouraged at times watching how ill-prepared some councillors are to carry out their jobs. There could be no such criticism of the ad hoc committee of Huron County Council that took on the job of deciding which bidder should get the contract to provide pharmaceutical supplies to Huronview and Huronlea homes for the aged. The committee, comprised of Leona Armstrong from Grey, Howard Armstrong from Stanley and Bill Vanstone of Colbome took on a dirty job when it agreed to take over the selection process after the Seniors and Social Services Committee was deadlocked in its decision. Unlike most tenders where price is involved, there was no easy way to choose. Since the provincial government stipulates the price to be paid, the decision could only be made on the basis of which pharmacy would give the best service. The decision came down to a choice between the company that had been providing the service for many years, and a new one that promised a computerized tracking system. The committee members did a lot of homework over a three week period, reading background reports, interviewing members of the Huronview staff, talking to other institutions that deal with the two pharmacies, finally talking to representatives of the two companies. They also sought the advice of the dean of pharmacy at the University of Toronto. They came up with a decision that few could argue with. There is so much cynicism about our politicians these days. Hard work like this helps restore confidence in the political process. — KR Short and sweet ONE YEAR AGO November 13,1991 An unusual accident happened in Belgrave at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Irwin while their son Peter was watching T.V. A large deer jumped through the living room window, kicked the T.V. to the middle of the room and went out the window again. The Hullet Pee Wee boys and the Hullet Bantam girls both won the A Championships in the Intertown­ ship ball league. The Radford Overload Oldtimer Hockey Club put together four straight wins to capture the Blyth Minor Hockey and Ringette Tour­ nament. THREE YEARS AGO November 8,1989 Huron County council chose the Morris township farm of Bill and Marie Turnbull, just south of Brus­ sels, as the site for the 81-bed northern unit of Huronview. Cindy Bernard, Gary Martin, Katrina Somers, Cherida Gamiss, Marjorie Campbell, Shannon Rice, Michelle McNeil and Jody Boyn­ ton were the Brussels Public School graduates who received the George Menzies Endowment Fund for graduates who are going on to post-secondary education. The Huron County Library Board approved the move of the Blyth branch to expanded quarters in Blyth Memorial Hall once renova­ tions at the hall were completed. FIVE YEARS AGO November 11,1987 Brussels Fire Department responded to a car fire after a car driven by Mike Bridges of Brussels burst into flames as he was driving west on County Road 16. There were no injuries, but the car was a write-off. The Belgrave and District Kins- Photo by Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot men Club marked the group's 10th anniversary since its charter in 1977. Linda James, Connie Alcock, Jackie McCutcheon, Nancy Exel, Shawn Bremner, Oscar Van Den Assem and Mark Breckenridge were the recipients of the annual George Menzies Endowment Fund. Letters THE EDITOR, I just had to let you know I quite enjoy reading The Citizen. It probably shouldn't be, but the funniest part of the paper is the Blyth Council report. It is usually the first thing I look for. Quite Continued on page 5 C itizenTheNorthHuron The Citizen Is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a 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, Ustowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A, and 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 © Copywright. PAID P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1 HO Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Merle Gunby Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140