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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-06-01, Page 5Arthur Black Actually, Dick, you were a crook I am not a crook. Richard Milhous Nixon 1913-1994 Well, actually Dick, you were a crook. A crook who only escaped a sabbatical in the slammer by means of a self-generated presidential pardon and a sacrificial offering of 30 of your backroom boys, right up to and including Attorney-General John Mitchell. They did time. Tricky Dick got to walk on the beach at San Clemente and work on his memoirs. Still, he's gone now and I have to confess I miss the man. He was a world-class rogue and you don't see them much anymore. There was a time when rogues were a dime a dozen. Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, The Boyd Gang, Harold Ballard. And nowadays? I don't know if we're in the midst of a Virtue Revival or if the bounders of the world have hired better PR agents. All I know is that industrial-strength scumbags are thin on the ground these days. Well...rare, perhaps...but not extinct. We do have the U.S. tobacco executives. The chiefs of the seven largest U.S. tobacco companies spent five hours y International Scene When in Rome Part of my time at the Dept, of External Affairs was spent in the Consular Division and it was there that I came in contact with Canadians whose young sons or daughters ran afoul of some foreign law while travelling abroad and for their efforts were locked up in the local version of a jail, some of which fell far short of the standards to which our inmates are used to in Canada. It was quite depressing, actually, to tell the parents that their offspring were subject to the laws of the country in which they were travelling and that few were the nations which practised "habeas corpus," the rule under which you have to charge a person within 24 hours or else release them. There are countries, and even civilized ones al that, where a person is not innocent until proven guilty; on the contrary he or she is guilty until proven innocent. Thus we had young Canadians who were caught and declared guilty of smuggling drugs and sentenced to a couple of years in some jail in the Middle East. There wasn't much we could do al the Consular Division except to make sure that the Canadian Embassy in the country in question was able to visit the person in jail and make sure that his needs were being looked after. This is something that needs to be emphasized to every young person going abroad. Take every care not to break any laws in any country; be a model citizen and above all don't try to make a fast buck by smuggling something. Don't ever agree to lake a parcel across any border whatever the inducement. While this is true everywhere, the Middle East, Asia and Africa have jails that should be avoided al all costs. 1 mention all this because of a news item out of Singapore which, 1 am sure, some of my readers saw in the papers or on TV. An testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington recently. The Feds were trying to find out exactly what goes into cigarettes and just how dangerous smoking is. The tobacco executives were there to assure the government just how swell and inoffensive cigarettes were. They cooed in seven-part harmony that gosh, tobacco is not addictive - just a pleasurable habit - like a morning cup of coffee. They purred that heck, there's no real proof that cigarettes cause lung cancer or heart disease or any other health impairment. They went so far as to compare lighting up a smoke to "having a Twinkie for dessert." Now that's chutzp'ah. That is deception that raises the art of lying from the merely repugnant to the magnificent -ly repugnant. You know and I know and those tobacco executives sure as hell know that cigarettes (and the 700 additives they pump into cigarettes - everything from insecticides to coconut oil) kill half a million North Americans every year. You know and I know and those tobacco executives sure as hell know that even as their North American markets shrink they are preparing to blanket Asia with their advertising campaigns. The leathery visage of the Marlboro man already squints down from billboards in Bangkok and Singapore, Beijing and Ho Chi Minh City. By Raymond Canon 18-year-old American who was living with his parents in Singapore, was convicted recently of having gone on alO-day rampage defacing automobiles and street signs in the city. Also caught with him were some of his local friends and all of them were sentenced to caning, a standard punishment for vandalism in Singapore. This caused, needless to say, a considerable ruckus in the United States. Even President Bill Clinton got into the act, appealing to the Singapore government to grant a pardon to the young American. He was joined by Amnesty International who launched its own protest, stating that caning was a form of torture, and as such a violation of human rights. This, it was expected, would create a groundswell of support for the young American but, strangely enough, such was not the case. If anything, there was a majority of support for the Singapore court. The consensus was that caning was just what was needed for young people who engage in criminal acts. Even one Ontario judge jumped in with his opinion that such as punishment is exactly what is needed to make young people realize that armed and violent crime is not going to be tolerated. Il is worth noting that there has not been a similar round of protest against the caning of the Singapore youths who participated in the same vandalism as did their American friend. Was Mr. Clinton trying to say that American young people abroad are entitled to a different set of laws than the locals? In addition, other Americans have run afoul of Singapore's laws and have not been on the receiving end of one iota of support from The American government. Why is a young delinquent deserving of support and not the others? It has to be admitted that the laws in Singapore are pretty lough and there is little room for dissent. 1 reported last year that the island had officially banned the use of You know and I know and those tobacco executives sure as hell know that millions will be seduced by those ad campaigns and millions will be hooked on tobacco and millions will die. And yet there they stood in Washington in their three-piece suits, purring and smiling. And lying through their snowy-white capped teeth. I wonder if their mothers know what they do for a living. I wonder what they think when they look in their bathroom mirrors each morning. Probably they think much what Richard Milhous Nixon would think, were he to come face to face with his five o'clock shadow over a sink tomorrow morning. My favourite Nixon Moment occurred when the then-disgraced ex-president was being interviewed by British television interviewer David Frost. Frost wanted to know how Nixon could explain his approval of a plan of action including such criminal ingredients as burglary and the opening of other people's mail. Nixon heard the question, looked at Frost with those black-button eyes, and replied without a tremor: "Well, when the president does it, that means it is not illegal." Sound screwy to you? Me too. But I betcha a tobacco executive would understand perfectly. chewing gum because of the negative effect it had on certain items like seats and doors. If you are found guilty of having a quick chew, caning is not one of the punishments. It will be worth nothing what comes out of all this. Few, if any Americans are supporting the boy for his acts of vandalism which went on for a period of 10 days and was not just an isolated act. The punishment for such a crime is well known in Singapore; at any rate pleading ignorance would not get very far in a Singapore court. It all goes back to what I said at the beginning of the article. If you are going to another country, you are subject to the laws of that country. That should be kept in mind by everybody, including young people, who sometimes get the feeling that the world is their oyster. Letter to the editor THE EDITOR, "The government has no place in the nations' bedrooms." This was once quoted by the former Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau and still holds true today. The gay community applauded it with a roar. But now they come out of the bedrooms and demand all sorts of things. There is not a day that goes by without a gay issue being displayed. Sex is about procreation and the normal way to express male and female love and enjoyment of the act. Any other form is unnatural. , Love also decrees that we should be tolerant of others who do not share our view. But to pretend and even demand that homosexuals be treated as a family unit is asking society to approve of their lifestyle, to accord their benefits reserved for those who preserve the human race in an orderly family environment. As the gay community raises its voice, so should we and protest Bill 167 of the samc- scX legislation. Adrian Keet THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1994. PAGE 5. By Bonnie Gropp ! It worked for me and in Singapore, too Recently, I witnessed two acts of cruelty committed by children against children. Even in the few minutes I was present it was clear that the victims had been singled out because they are exceptional. There is something that makes them stand out and away from the others and for being special and unique they are targets. In 399 BC Socrates held little hope for the younger generation. Noting their disrespectful attitude and terrible manners he asked what kind of "awful creatures will they become when they grow up?" The first time I read Socrates' thoughts I remember being mildly amused. As a teen, I felt these views were shared by the adults I knew. Later as an adult, there was some comfort in remembering that the generation gap is centuries old. The wheel goes round as the antics of adolescents continue to frustrate and frazzle those of us who earlier frustrated and frazzled our parents. And, I further relaxed knowing that while a lot of young people have become adults since those words were spoken, generally most haven't turned out too badly. A respect for the law and an understanding of responsibility and consequences has helped in the past. That's where I start to get nervous, now. Coming home from work I often drive past the Masonic Chapel, which was dedicated this past weekend. Sitting in a park-like area next to the river, it was built as a community project and meant to be a place of respite from the cares of the world. People are invited to use the grounds for picnics or as a setting for photographs. Its interior, a miniature replica of a church, complete with pews, was intended as a sanctuary, a haven for reflection, solitude or comfort. For that reason it remains unlocked. As is the case with many such projects, completed through the efforts of volunteers, the chapel is a shrine to the hard work and dedication of people for a community. I don't consider myself to be a devout person, neither am I religiously indifferent. 1 could, in all honesty, never see myself as someone who might be compelled to spend time inside the chapel. On the other hand I find its existence a welcome addition. Ils quaint beauty has added a unique feature to the community. Unfortunately, like the children I mentioned earlier, it is probably that uniqueness which has made the chapel a target for vandalism. Its windows have been broken several limes, its guest book defaced. It's too bad that there are a few who must use cruel and destructive methods to bum off childish energy. And after seeing examples of this type in court, I find it equally unfortunate that so many find the consequences of their actions so amusing. For most kids mischief is part of growing up. So is pushing the limits. There is a curious need to find the boundary and see how far over you can go without getting caught. But, it’s not right to enjoy hurling an innocent human being or destroying something precious to someone else. It may become less enjoyable if somewhere along the line, children arc taught that they will be accountable for what they do. I know my generation was and I think it works that way in Singapore, too.