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The Citizen, 2000-07-12, Page 4PAGE 4, T’RE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2000 Editorials & Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27 00/year ($25 24 + $1.76 G S T.) in Canada, $62.00/year in U.S A. and $100/year in 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 newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs Publications Mail Reg. No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 1374990 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1 HO Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com jpcna (*cna Member of the Ontario Press Council Mutual respect needed Trustees with the Avon Maitland District School Board blew their cool last week over negative criticism from the public. Anyone who follows the local political situation closely can sympathize with their frustration. What set off the board members was a delegation from a Stratford school that wanted the board to retain ownership of the school which is being closed. The delegation had its say and left the meeting, not staying long enough to listen to a budget discussion that would have explained how difficult it was for the board to carry out the parents’ wishes. “People get up on their soapboxes but won't even stay and listen or they talk rudely during our presentations,” said Trustee Atje Tuyten. Only other local politicians could probably fully understand the frustration of the trustees. We're in an age when people have less and less interest in the affairs of their community and just want to leave the decision making to somebody else — until the decision is something they don't agree with. Once aroused, the public, which has not been following the issues, suddenly knows more about any particular issue than the politicians who have been around the situation all along. If, after members of the public have made what they think are perfectly reasoned arguments, the politicians don’t agree, suddenly the new-to-the-subject citizens sneer and occasionally cast aspersions as to the ulterior motives the politicians may have for not acting in what is clearly the appropriate way. The danger doubles if the politicians become equally cynical about the public they are trying to represent. Faced with what they feel are unreasonable actions of half-informed critics, politicians can lose their respect for their electors and be apt to brush off even fair criticism by informed people. Democracy is a fragile institution which requires an informed public and dedicated politicians to work. But many ordinary citizens don't want to work hard enough to become informed. Even fewer people want to run for public office. If those who do offer their service are abused regularly, they may wonder why they bother. Democracy also requires that the public and the politicians respect each other, a respect that seems lacking these days, at least on the part of the public. This lack of respect actually undermines our ability to function as a democracy. — KR A question of moderation An attempt to strike down the law that allows parents to use limited corporal punishment was defeated by an appeal court judge last week in a victory for moderation. Though critics of spanking continue to argue that the law gives parents the right to beat their children, the law has always limited the force parents could use. The critics argue that children are denied the same rights as adults not to be “assaulted” by others. Yet children have fewer rights than adults in many ways. If they are to have equal rights, should they also have the right to vote as soon as they can make an “X”? Should they be able to drive? The problem with the issue is defining spanking. When does a Jaw that allows a parent’s simple slap on the bum become the excuse for physical abuse? There is no simple answer. No matter how much some people think making a law to ban all forms of physical discipline is the solution, there will always be a line to be drawn between a normal parent’s physical interaction with a child and an abusive one. A parent who grabs a child by the arm to keep him from running into traffic, for instance, is different than a parent who angrily drags a disobedient child around by the arm, actually hurting him. A simple law won’t cover both situations. Judgement will always be involved. The people who want spanking abolished are doing it for all the right reasons: they want to see abuse of children ended. But in trying to create laws that make bad behaviour impossible, they are creating the kind of overkill that drives the voting public to support those politicians who promise fewer restrictive laws. You cannot legislate wisdom and patience. No matter what law you pass there will always be those who go too far. The current law calls for moderation by parents. Moderation by children’s rights advocates might also be helpful. — KR Letters to the Editor Fanning out Photo by Ashley Gropp Looking Back Through the Years THE EDITOR, Just when it appeared the population had lost a grip on reality, Banff comes along and puts the Great One on ice. Town council decided the statue of Gretzky was too tacky for the flood of offshore visitors who wouldn’t know him from a hole in the net, and put him in storage. But that didn’t put a lid on the worship of so-called sports figures as evidenced a week later on the final hole of the U.S. Open. Tiger was striding up the 18th fairway when a group of adoring fans knelt and bowed in homage, prompting Woods to flash a sheepish grin. All in fun, some would say, but Continued on page 5 July 9, 1975 Blyth Councillor William Howson was put in charge of looking into an automatic system to ring the Memorial Hall bell since councillors agreed that it was just too expensive to have someone ring the bell twice a day. Huron County Federation of Agriculture adopted a resolution to try to halt the spread of brucellosis, which was a growing problem in the area. The resolution called for foot baths for all personnel visiting dairy barns and for a bath for trucks to pass their wheels through to disinfect them. Mostly Clover opened the Blyth Summer Festival. Murder on the Orient Express and The Towering Inferno were two of the films playing at Brownie’s Drive-In Theatre. July 11, 1990 Brussels FunFest proved another success on the previous weekend as community groups banded together to raise money for community activities. One of the major attractions of the parade was a Toad­ running train that undertook a nine- hour trip from Brussels’ twin city of Standish, Michigan to take part in the festivities. Lightning was thought to be the cause of a fire that destroyed a bam full of hay just west of Walton. The bulk of Huron County government would be staying in Goderich not moving to a renovated Huronview building under a plan released to county council. Bessie Johnson was presented with her plaque honouring her as Citizen of the Year for the Brussels area. Six people were arrested and $19,000 worth of cocaine and quantities of hash, hash oil and drug paraphenalia was confiscated during a search conducted by members of Wingham OPP and the Mt. Forest Crime Unit at a Wroxeter-area home. July 12, 1995 Despite pleas from Ashfield Twp. residents and indications the rules of the game in waste management might have been changing with the new Progressive Conservative Government in Queen’s Park, Huron County councillors appeared adamant in continuing the current search for a county-wide landfill site. With the arrival of Union Gas to the area of Blyth, Brussels, Belgrave and Londesboro, two temporary customer centers (one in Blyth and the other in Brussels) were recently opened. The first phase in the construction of the new ball diamond in Brussels got started as community volunteeers and experts installed the line to supply the drain for the park. F.E. Madill Secondary School named local students Christian Eigenheer, Micah Hussey, Janice Nicholson, Thomas Schroecker, Angie Yoon and Angie Lynn Ortlieb among their Ontario Scholars, while Listowel District Secondary School’s Molly Morton, Jennifer Stratton and Rachel VanVeen were among theirs.