Loading...
Times-Advocate, 1982-08-11, Page 4Popo 4 Times -Advocate, August 11,1982 imes Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications limited BILL BATTEN ROSS HAUdH Editor " Assistant Editor LORNE EEDY. Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager' . DICK IONGKIND Business Manager *CNA Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0336. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $20.00 Per year: U.S.A. $55.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' and 'ABC' Crime shouldn't pay Exeter Mayor Bruce Shaw was quite correct in his comments last week regarding the vandalism of a local apartment, when he said residents must assume their responsibilities in being aware of crimes that may be going on around them and notifying police so the perpetrators can be caught and appropriately punished. Everyone suffers from crimes, albeit indirectly in most cases, but if lawbreakers are to be caught it re- quires assistance from the public, because obviously the police can not be everywhere at the same time. While it involves a crime of a more serious nature, the following comment from the Milton Champion regarding public involvement in helping enforce the law emphasis the points the Mayor was making. The recent decision by Metro Toronto police to of- fer $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of the killer of Toronto Argonaut -Sunshine Girl Jennifer Isford marks another sad milestone in this society in which we live. It has become Yet another example that disproves that old axiom, crime doesn't pay. As British Columbia child killer Clifford Olson pro- ved earlier this year, crime does indeed pay - and handsomely. It's bad enough that the police must resort to pay- ing criminals to admit their hideous deeds. It's worse when the public has to be paid to provide information about an element of society that is, in fact, preyng ion , their individual rights and freedoms, . ' And, if these citizens only realized; their hard- earned tax dollars are being used to bait these killers and informants - dollars that could be better spent at- tempting to cure our society of its ills. • The citizens of Canada have a moral obligation to come forward with information leading to the arrest of those involved in any crime - be it vandalism or murder. • Whether or not they realize it, a good percentage of the victims of crime did not know their assailant prior to the act. The Olson murders are a good exam- ple of this. Had those who later recognized Olson contacted police because of their suspicions, some children's lives may have been saved. Withholding information about a crime literally constitutes being an accessory to it. Citizens who pre- vent the police from solving crime are not much bet- ter than those who commit the act. And, when you consider the impetus for some peo- ple to contact police about the Isford murder, their in- formation will have to be considered somewhat suspect as well. The misleading information that.may become available through the windfall may only serve to fur- ther frustrate efforts by police to find the Ciller. The fear of reprisal by the criminal and his or her family, the worry of time spent away from the job in court or the fear of the police are all unjustified and irrelevant in this country. Part of the responsibility of being a Canadian citizen is the care and respect of fellow citizens, Silence in a criminal, matter denotes disrespect for other citizens and Is morally criminal in itself. Those with information leading to the iiieSt of those involved in the recent string of murders in Toron- to should come forward with the knowledge they have and refuse the $100,000 blood money. A great opportunity For other than family reunions, the South Huron area is probably not high on the list of those touted by international or even national travel guides. However, in addition to those who come from the various corners of the world or country to visit friends or relatives, the area is being visited kiy a number of young people who probably had to search diligently on their maps to find us. Similar to last year, local families are playing host to international visitors through the annual Lions ex- changeprograrn and they've been joined this year by another group of young visitors, the Katimavik members. All these young people provide area residents with an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn of different areas and cultures and so we extend to them a most genuine and warm welcome. Hopefully they will find us generous in our hospitality and anxious to make new friends. It's a great opportunity for us all t� become more enlighten- ed about the world around us. Index fingers are in Increasing unemployment is a problem not solely confined to this nation. Prac- tically every country in the world is ex- periencing some difficulty in that regard. Even Japan, which has boomed since World War II, has been hit by a decreas- ing number of jobs for the population. However, as usual, the resourceful Japanese have come up with some remedies for the situation, although by most standards they may be considered to be a bit on the severe side. Seems that to make ends meet, some Japanese folk are chopping .off their fingers to collect insurance money. No less than 18 people have been arrested in the Tokyo region so far this year in the amputation for money scheme. Police say some of the victims got in debt to loan sharks who insisted they take out insurance policies on a finger, cut it off after the insurance took effect, collect the money and pay off the loan shark. An index finger amputation is most common, because it nets $12,000. With the times being a little shaky, I decided that it would be a good idea to at least investigate such possibilities should the need arise for some quick cash in the future, but alas the pay -out is not as good as it is in Japan. The company insurance policy in- dicated that the loss of a finger is worth only $2,000 to yours truly and there doesn't appear to be any value difference bet- ween one digit and another. • • • • .• It didn't take much research to deter- mine that chopping off an index finger 1 was hardly worth the $2,000 remuneration that could be expected from the insurance company. In the first place, it would render the writer totally incapable of pounding out his weekly column or news efforts on the : BATT'N AROUND with the editor 49i1W. typewriter. Through a couple of years of intensive instruction and many hours Of practice, I managed\to type using the in- dex finger of my right hand, along with the second finger on my left hand. That index finger is also the one used to push the shutter release on the camera, hold a pen for taking notes or writing headlines and more importantly, the one that is used to hold a cigarette and also to tap the ashed off the end to prevent them from dropping onto my lap. As I was in the process of calling the local insurance agent to note that the in- dex finger amputation remuneration in Canada should be on a par with the pay- ment in the yen, I noted it was also the one used for dialing purposes and it took on even greater proportions. The real clincher came when I decided \ it was time to beat the summer heat with a cool refreshment and the result wasn't nearly as beneficial with only three fingers instead of the usual four for measurement. The Japanese may be considered the computer and industrial wizards of the world, but their claim to intelligence would be more convincing if they talked the insurance companies into $12,000 payments for toes. „Index fingers are invaluable! • • * * . Speaking of intelligence of people around the world, it was certainly called into question during the recent World Cup soccer spectacle. When the favored Brazilian squad was defeated in the second round, there was a sudden increase in the number of suicides, vandalism and nervous breakdowns in that cotintry. There were reports of people in Rio De Janeiro crying in the streets and the state security bureau reported three people killed themselves after the game in which the team was eliminated and five others collapsed and died before receiving treatment. The family of the losing coach had to have police protection after receiving anonymous telephone calls from fans who threatened them with death. Now can you imagine what would hap- pen if Toronto sports fans took their teams' losses as seriously? Given the record of the Leafs, Argos and Blue Jays in recent years, it would be fair to say that the population of the city would have dwindled to about the same as Khiva if the fans reacted with suicides, murders and' nervous breakdowns following each loss. • • Only three weeks Well, I hope you're hav- ing a nice, peaceful sum- mer, taking it a little easier in the hot spells, sit- ting on the front porch or the back lawn in the even- ings, contemplating the folly of man's world and the joys of the natural world. Or, if you're two or three, or four generations younger, I hope that you are lying on the beach, brown as chocolate, every eye on the three inches of your bikini. Ladies firs;.. If you're the same age and male, I hope you spend your days at the same beach, the sweat glistening on your virile body, as you and a buddy flex every bronzed mus- cle, one eye on the.bikinis, as you toss a frisbee back and forth, making incredi- ble one -foot leaps to catch it, or throwing it between your legs, or whatever turns your crank. Or. I hope you have a job, when so many don't. Or that your new baby doesn't have the colic and cry all night. Or that your husband leaves the golf course in time for dinner that is completely dried out. Or that you don't come home from the golf course or the bass fishing and find a note from your wife: "TV dinner in the fridge. Am over at the Blanks for cocktails and skinny-dipping." See how unselfish I am. I want for you all the things I don't have. True, I'm on holidays as most teachers are. Roll on, September! We have had visitors for four solid weeks. Daughter, then son-in-law then son. But at least they've only stayed a few days each. The really for- midable guests • are the two grandboys who have been here every day. And night. And morning. Let me say at the outset that they are loveable, smart, articulate, and a to go for four weeks. It runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and we'll have time to shop, play some golf, en- joy ourselves." It didn't sound too bad, if you didn't think about it. And we didn't. • I went on: "They'll be so tuckered out after six or Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley delight to the heart of the most hardened sinner. Well, I'm beginning to think of myself as one of the latter. Itve known it all along, of course, but I fear I might drop into the next category below that. In some benighted, sen- timental moment last winter, I told my daughter we'd take the boys for Ju- ly, as she had a chance to take a special course at university. Have you any idea how long July is? The promise was .the equivalent of saying, on some New Year's Eve, full of good, or cheap spirits, that you'd take Aunt Mabel, who had. already been thrown out of three homes for the aged owing to obstreperousness, mope and gawkery, for a month. My wife knew better, but she gets sedimental too, once in a while. That is, everything sinks to the bottom and becomes mud- dy. So they are here. "No problem," I assured her, when she became unsettled and unsedimental. "We'll put them in the YMCA camp seven hours of games and crafts and stuff that they'll come home and fall asleep like babies." Well, I was partly right. But they ain't babies any more. They are 6 and 8. And the. Lord, in his in- timate wisdom chose to endow kids that age with enough energy to keep them going, full tilt, for about 19 hours a day, and still want not one, but three stories at bedtime, by which time I can scarcely talk, let alone make up gory stories, their favourite. Just to help things along, my wife did something I've warned her about for years. Com- ing downstairs, with a big basket of laundry, she slipped and put her arm through a window on the landing. • That wasn't so bad. She'd only severed an artery. But instead of leaving her arm out the window and letting the blood drip on the ground, she pulled it in, and spurted it all over the carpet on the stairs. Doc- tor, stitches, carpet cleaner, possibly new carpet. OK. We can cope with that. Accidents happen. But ever since, she's been practically useless, with one arm bandaged. So. My routine now is to get up at seven, sort out what the boys are going to wear today (nothing ever seems clean), make them wash and brush their teeth, make their breakfast, make and pack their lunch, break up a couple of fights about which wears thedry swim suit, drive them .over to the camp, and pick them up about five. They are always the last out of the showers and somebody has lost his towel; drive them home, get dinner (usually fish and chips or a pizza,) play soccer with them until the mosquitoes • drive us in, and try towrangle them off to bed by. 9:30, when storytime commences. It's a good life, but an active one, as some idiot once said, somewhere. Imagine what the weekends are like, with no day camp. In many ways, they've improved since last time we "had" them. So far, on- ly one aluminum back door smashed by a well - aimed soccer shot, the clothes -line broken by a bit of Taman climbing, the polished wood floors look- ing like a wino's spec- tacles, and most of the door -knobs missing in the house. I can recall when they were destructive, as little boys. And only three weeks to go. Death seen as failure Everyone has to die sometime but many peo- ple are unwilling to face up to the regrettable necessity of death. It's the one sure fact about life. It will eventually end. When we do talk about the subject we either skirt it by saying "He passed away" or "He went to heaven" when telling children what happened. In everyday conversation death becomes a joke sometimes to cover our nervousness about the topic. . We see many symbols around us for death - skeletons, ghosts, the headless grim reaper who stalks people on TV's hor- ror stories. None of these symbols help to make us more .comfortable with seen on TV every day. Consequently we try to hide the nasty fact from Perspectives By Syd Fletcher death. Instead they create an air of spookiness that makes it even more unap- proachable and generally something to be feared. It seems that 20th cen- turman regards death as a kind of failure, almost a lack of success compared • to the bright happy people the rest of society. Up until 3 or 4 genera- tions ago people usually died at home surrounded by their families. Children were allowed to stay close to dying grandmothers or parents right up to the end, in fact were en- couraged to do so, and thus grew up with a sense of their own mortality. Now most people die in hospitals or nursing homes, cared for by strangers, shut away from a society which likes to believe that everything is always pleasant, therefore hires professionals to be its death -watchers. These people, the nurses and doctors in wards for ter- minal illnesses, find themselves, of necessity, creating artificial barriers of hardness, sometimes hostility, to avoid the danger of becothing too personally involved with dying people. More than a little sad, isn't it. •