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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-04-05, Page 6Page 6 Times -Advocate, April 5, 1989 Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 Qii►. BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 150 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 ROSS HAUGH Editor HARRY DEVRIES t PCNA C CIVIL A, JIM BECKETT Publisher 8 Advertising Manager DON SMITH Composition Manager Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25:00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 Double standard This newspaper has always been skepti- cal of the benefits to society often men- tioned by supporters of the Young Of- fenders Act. Publishing the names of people commit- ting crimes who are seventeen and under has been against the law for several years. We've seen murderers returned to their neighborhoods after serving a nominal sentence. Others who have been convict- ed of committing a variety of crimes, many of them violent, are sent back to their communities with their identities protected by this foolish piece of legisla- tion. The media should have the right to di- vulge the names of anyone convicted of a crime. They should also have the right to tell people when offenders have been re- leased. The inconsistencies �f the system were driven home last week when we reported a couple of teenagers had been convicted locally for drinking under age. We could have printed the names of these two fe- males because drinking and Highway Traffic Act violations ate not covered underthe rules of the Young Offenders Act. If you are guilty of .a minor liquor of- fence or a driving violation, the fact you're 17 or under doesn't prevent publi- cation of your name. However, if. you're the same age and commit a serious crime, your name can't be reported. Our newspaper's policy of reporting all the names of people who appear in court i'n Exeter changed last week when we withheld the identity of two individuals who were both found guilty of minor in- fractions of the Liquor Licencing Act. We fail to see why we would have been allowed to let the public know who com- mitted a liquor offence when these young offenders would have been guaranteed anonymity if they had committed a more serious crime. Hopeless opposition Although their efforts turned out to be hopeless, six representatives from the south end of Huron. County voted against the huge increase in the 1989 tax levy and should be commended for their stand. The rise of almost 20 percent at the county level is really putting the pressure on local municipalities when it comes to setting their own budgets and lax rates. Exeter reeve Bill Mickle reports Exeter taxpayers will be paying about $73,000 more in county taxes in 1989 than they did last year. The figure may be higher in some of the other municipalities, especially those which went to market value assessment last year and had part of the blow sof- tened by the provincial government with .�,u :::az,.,--txarl. ion. reliefgam Of the 19.58 percent increase, 15 per- cent is made up of capital reserves in ex- cess of $1.25 million. These monies are targeted for future use for waste manage- ment and construction of a new Huron - view home for the aged. Exeter, Stephen and Usborne officials argued that the second phase of master plan for county waste management could be shelved for the time being and cut down on the budget increase. What it boils down to is, that if the county doesn't go ahead with the second phase of the waste management study, re - By Jim Beckett subject, a recommendation from the county senior care committee has been turned down by the province. It called for 100 beds at Huronview and 60 beds each in facilities in the north and south ends of the county. Provincial au- thorities came back with a proposal for 181 extendicare beds at Huronview and alternate housing in the north and south parts of the county and we are back again to square one as the county is opposed to this new plan. Regardless of whether the new Huron - view is built in one, two or three years, reserve funds for this facility woujJ cer- tainly serve their purpose. Waste management is also a very im- portant issue, but establishment of such a '� grogram seems to be quite a distance down the road. Setting aside reserve monies for two projects in the same year seems a little too much for the taxpayer to bear. The main objection to the waste man- agement reserve is that priorities set up a couple of years ago are not being fol- lowed. At that .time when the county museum project was approved, it was agreed that the Huronview project would be next. The real concern should be the extra burden being put on the shoulders of the taxpayers of Huron. Very few residents serve_funds wild nntle neCessa!'}'. ..-x�, -_: -of-t Bounty get any more than a five g---_---percerttcost of living wage increase each spent at Huronview. More accommoda- year and then are expected to shell out 20 our seniors is necessary. O _e ria in_count taxes. _ By Ross Haugh Letters to the Editor Dear Sir: On April 13 comes another Blood Donor Clinic to be held at the High -SchooY. The Ausable River Nomads are the sponsors and we need your Help, the donors, to increase our quota and keep the Red Cross blood supply up. • "Help Us To Help Others" is a motto of the Red Cross Society. There are many patients in need of blood transfusions and with just a few minutes of your time can result in improved or increased life for others unattainable by any other means. We welcome all donors, a blood donor is good for Life. If a first time donor, give us a chance, and come out to our clinic on April 13. We need you, the Red Cross needs all blood types. Feel good about yourself and give blood. Help the camping club make • this another successful blood donor clinic. Marie Brunzlow Clinic Organizer Dear Sir A word of appreciation should go to staff at Exeter Post Office. On Thursday, March 23, my mother received a letter addressed to her at- tention at her house number and street address. Inadvertently, the sender had identified the town as being Exeter, Ontario, with no postal code. The stamp had been cancelled in Exeter on March 22. There was a note on the envelope to "try Goderich." To receive a letter within a 24 hour timeframe addressed to the in- correct town with no postal code would seem to indicate that postal staff in Huron County go above and beyond the call of duty to ful- fill the duties which we expect but sometimes take for granted. For this, we all thank you. Don Young, Auburn, Ontario. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by j.W. Eedy Publications Limited Every week special What week is this? Well , it's the 14th week of the year 1989. • Almost every week of each year is designated for something special and this is Quackgrass Week. Before you laugh, remember this is a serious matter for farm- ers. Dale Good who is manager of W.G. Thompson and Sons in Hensall says that farmers overall in Canada could be losing as much as $200 million in produc- tion to quackgrass. The following week belongs to the Canadian Cancer Society. Not only will their annual cam- paign for funds be underway, but members of Beta Sigma Phi Sororities in many communities will be selling daffodils. In Exeter, Sorority members will be out on the streets on Fri- day, April 21 with bunches of daffodils. The latest issue of the Canadian Cancer Society newsletter lists the breakdown of the use of eve- ry dollar contributed with a head- line, "Every Penny Pulls Its Weight". Of every dollar, 57 cents goes to research,18 cents to patient services, 15 cents to education, six cents to fundraising and four cents to administration. The Society bulletin also re- ports that despite anti-smoking legislation, 25 years of medical warnings and the efforts of anti - cigarette lobbies such as the Can- cer Society, smoking in Canada is on the rise. From the ; editor's disk by Ross Haugh The increase is marginal, but is. nonetheless perplexing: Health warnings aside, the price of a pack of cigarettes has more than tripled in recent years because of higher taxes, many urban munic- ipalities have banned smoking in public places and many work- places have also forbidden the practice. Yet, Canadians smoked 38.8 billion cigarettes, 1,500 per capi- f ta on average, in the first eight months of 1988 and that is near- ly one percent more than for the same period in 1987. This year the Ontario Potato Growers Marketing Board is do- nating a sum of money to the Ontario division of the Cancer Society to produce a recipe card which will be handed cut with campaign materials in some resi- dential canvasses. The card which fits into a stan- dard size recipe box, contains the Society's dietary recommenda- tions. instructions for microwav- ir . putatues and low-fat topping ideas for baked potatoes. National Wildlife Week is also recognized at the same time as the Cancer Society Daffodil sales and April 24 to 28 is Ontario Charterways first-ever Driver Appreciation Week. During the week, Charterways bus drivers will be issued with special badg- es carrying the slogan, "Charterways thanks you for caring". Pun of the Week - Flattery - The art of telling another exactly what he thinks of himself. Freedom of expression All the big literary guns have spoken, and all the great editorial writers have had their say. Per- haps now is a good time for a very pedestrian columnist writ- ing for Canadian community newspapers to put in his ten cents worth about freedom of ex- pression. I am referring to the publication of Salaman Rushdie's Satanic Verses and the threat on the au- thor's life by the Ayatollah Kho- meini and other militant Mus- lims. First of all, I wish to express my respect for the Islamic faith and for all other world religions. I do not condone blasphemy, and I condemn all forms of hate. propaganda directed against re- ligious, racial, national or lingu- istic groups. rtndl'rstand why the Aya- tollah would wish to ban Rush - die's book in his country, since in modem -day Iran his particular brand of the Islam has become state religious In his view, any- thing that undermines this faith constitutes a threat to the system in power. I can equally under- stand why Hitler in Nazi Germa- ny banned and incinerated certain books, why Stalin did so in the Soviet Union, etc. Understand- ing does not mean supporting such desperate and despotic measures. But neither Hitler nor Stalin went as far orderinf the death by assassination of foreign authors whcAe works they banned in their particular dictatorships. By placing himself above interna- tional law and universal morali- ty, the Iranian ruler once again proves his inhumanity and lack of wisdom. He is a threat to mankind, and there should be a way of bringing this public ene- my to justice. This affair might still lead to good or bad consequences. The worst scenario would be if someone carried out Khomeini's order to kill the author, causing other writers to think twice be- fore publishing controversial material on any subject. We would all be the losers, because other militants might use the same method of removing intel- lectual opponents. At best, time will take the pressure off the case, and' Rushdie will once again be free to move about without fear. This would be a re- jection of terror and violence, a victory for reason. Freedom of expression is a Canada_ is only marginally in - basic human right that otigh .�,�.yol be restricted only when it con- have submitted to fear and decid- flicts with other human rights. ed against carrying the novel. For example, by expressing my Our government,on the other opinion, I must not threaten the hand, has protested Khomeini's life or safety of other individ'u- tiueat and inadc. the adnmittedlq als. Hate propaganda may very token gesture of recalling embas- well pose such a threat, but the sy personnel from Tehran. All novel Satanic Verses does not Canadians have much to lose if threaten the lives of anyone. we allow any author' freedom of That is the reason why the Ca- expression to be throttled by bul- nadian government, after exam- lies and terrorists. ining the book, allowed its dis- If we cherish our ways of life tribution. and our rights, and if we wish to The Ayatollah is offending us preserve our freedom for future on two grounds; 1. He has un- generations, we must vigorously lawfully called for the murder of oppose and loudly protest all at- a human being, the citizen of tempts to shackle the authors of another country. 2. He has intellectual works. We cannot af- pressured the book's publisher, ford such a precious right as the its distributors and booksellers freedom of expression to be around the world to withdraw eroded by anything or anybody. Rushdie's work from the mar- This is important to us, whether ket, unjustifiably restricting one we live on a Canadian prairie of our basic human rights, the farm, or a small Ontario town, freedom of expression. or in a world capital.