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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-02-14, Page 4Letters Photo by Janice Becker Looking Back Through the Years From the files of The Blyth Stan- dard, The Brussels Post and The North Huron Citizen 87 YEARS AGO FEB. 11, 1909 A Farmer's Club was organized in Jamestown. Executive was: pres- ident, Charles Forrest; vice-presi- dent, Wm. Moses and secretary-treasurer L.R. Ruttan. The intention was to discuss questions of interest to farm life and regular meetings would be held. In Grey Twp., a report in The Brussels Post states,"Wednesday afternoon of last week as Angus Campbell and some other men were employed in the bush on P. Ament's farm 16th conc. the farmer had his left hand caught between two logs resulting in breaking the 2nd and 3rd fingers. He has suf- fered considerable from the injured member and will be incapacitated from active work for some time. We hope he will regain the use of THE EDITOR, The Morris Tract, a 144-acre forest, on the banks of the Maitland River, is one of Huron County's most exquisite, most pristine and most beautiful forests. The Morris Tract is home to the hand as well, as ever. Mr Campbell had quite an experience getting home after the accident as the pain caused a faintness for a time after he got away from his fel- low employees." many rare and endangered birds and plants. With an established trail system, this forest has been enjoyed by many hikers, naturalists and snowmobilers for decades. The future integrity of this magnificent forest now depends on us. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, supported by The Friends of the Morris Tract, negotiated to buy this special forest froth the County of Huron, in order to protect it in perpetuity, as a natural, Continued on page 6 E ditorial PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14,1996 C The North Huron itizen BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1995 P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, Publisher, Keith Roulston BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. Editor Bonnie Gropp NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 , Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 Advertising Manager, FAX 523-9140 FAX 887.9021 Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $25.00/year ($23.37 + $1.63 G.S.T.) for local; $33.00/year ($30.85 + $2.15 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $62.00/year for U.S.A. and $75.00/year for other foreign countries. 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 Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Lessons to be learned The IRA bomb blast that tore apart the docklands area of London, England on the weekend was a tragedy for more than the families of the dead and the more than 100 wounded, it was a tragedy for millions of people in Northern Ireland and in Britain who thought they had put the "Irish troubles" behind them. Unhappy that the peace talks with the British government were not going The way they wanted, the IRA terrorists decided, without warning, to return to their ways of terror. For Canadians, the bombing should bring home the perils of dividing the country on ethnic or religious lines. When you create a "we" versus "them" situation and you demonize "them" while painting yourself as a victim, you arc sowing the seeds for this kind of hate crime. The Quebec government has been persuading its people that they are abused and can never expect respect and fair treatment from other Canadians. The only future is separation, they say. But though Canada is divisible, Premier Lucien Bouchard says, Quebec is not. So how does he keep those who want no part of an independent Quebec from expressing their own will, by armed force? And how do the repressed people react, peacefully or through violence? But those who see Quebec being split up, should also be aware of the pitfalls. When Ireland won its freedom, the mostly Protestant counties in the north stayed part of Great Britain. But the Protestant minority now became a majority and exacted revenge on the Catholics. A radical Catholic faction formed the IRA to fight back. Nationalists in Quebec have made it politically acceptable to demonize other Canadians. After years of public response outside Quebec being to try to understand Quebec's needs and reassure the province, it has now become respectable to openly dislike, even hate, Bouchard and the nationalists. Both sides need to calm the rhetoric. No matter what the outcome of the next referendum, we must continue to live side by side. Portraying others as the enemy will only lead to the kind of long-term hatred which has bred so much trouble in Ireland. After decades of stressing the differences between our founding peoples, it's time to start stressing the similarities. — KR Where's the romance? On Valentine's Day, 1996, it's fair to ask where the romance has gone in the love stories portrayed in major media like TV and movies. Perhaps calling them "lust stories" would be more to the point. The old movie cliche storyline had boy meet girl, boy lose girl and boy get girl back again. The modern story line would be something like: boy meets girl, 10 minutes later they tear each others clothes off in a semi-public place, the following day they decide they have nothing in common and never see each other again. There was a time when the movies got to be ridiculous in their avoidance of sexuality. You'd see a couple kissing passionately and suddenly the camera would pan to the ceiling or to waves lapping on the beach and you were left to your own imagination to fill in the gap. As laughable as this cliche got to be, isn't today's typical choreographed grappling just as ridiculous? Isn't it just as far from reality? In the age of instant gratification, yearning has been consigned to the attic of antique emotions. Yet in real life aren't there a lot more people who dream from afar about a romance with a member of the opposite sex than there are couples who meet each other and consummate the relationship on the spot? Only a few short years ago nice girls didn't kiss on the first date. There was a pleasant suspense as to when a relationship would be considered to have progressed enough to warrant a kiss. In today's movies sex seems to come easier than a handshake. The problem is we experience life vicariously through movies and TV and while we know it's fiction, after watching hundreds of hours of this young people can be forgiven if they think this is how everybody else but them lives. No wonder kids are confused about love and sex. Wouldn't it be closer to the truth of these young people's lives, however, for movies to show more shyness, More hesitation, more long-distance longing? Wouldn't it be nice now alnd then to see a couple go on a date and not end up in bed? Wouldn't it be nice to see a little more romance, and a little less skin? — KR