HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-07-22, Page 4i'tNr •! 1'r►rt, : AJrwrrrtti Pay 22. iAltti,
Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett
Business Manager: non smut,
Production Manager: Deb Lord
AittB[tiSiog• Barb Consitt. Chad Eedy
Neiys' Kate Monk, Craig Bradford,
- Katherine Harding. Scott Nixon, Ross Haugh
Production- Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray. Barb Robertson
Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner
Traasnortation: Al Hodgen •
front Orrice & AccountiriE;• Sue Roltings; Carol Windsor
Ruthanne Negriln. Anita -McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple,
Ruth Staght. •
eew
The Exeter Times -Advocate is a member of a family of community newspapers
providing news, advertising and.informatlon leadership
1:1)IT()ltlr\I.
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•
We have a long way to go
1 .�
wt� : accent Leval decisions
have Drought women a step closer to
achieving in tact, the rights they have
on paper in the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedom. :.
A judge has awarded a Toronto wQrtl-•
ail. victim of the st-called balcony rap -
1st. -$220.000. saving police had a legalr"
responsibility to warn women of the.
danger but did not do so. apparently
tearing this would jeopardize their .
chance, of catching the man. The judge
said that I similar circumstances. a
man. Would have ben warned
Th:: crime' occurred tit 198(
l} ittl,
has changed since then.. In
199t. the •t0ui•ts relestsed Ratidv Iles
trona custocf\ .despite the tact there wa
anion..! e l idea ?.. to iilt.11cate fit' would ii!
fur:• or kill hi, love:. ;\dent 1vIa\ . Met=e
dar, atter- pi, releas . tic murdcred'hc' .
and kilted hinisel:r.,The result, ot tn:e coroner . oldness
into til tral_ett\ called for a•number (): -
`tning- specialized court's. greats
awareness of domestic Vtc)lencL.. In.
prilved access -to specialized.servicc,,
more public education and_ better prt
te.ction"ior victim _ -
In other wont,: May died -because she.
was not given adequate legal protee -
Rape and domesti:: assaulthave iong'
been regarded as different from othe.s .
cnmes.`Although statistics prove -VI( -. "
lent crimes have a high percentage ol-
inaies as both perpetrators and s.ictimS. -
gendcris;simply not perceived
sue with most thefts- assaults and
frauds With most crime:.-. the severe
of the damage is the' primary considers- -
tion m charging. trving.and punishing
the criminal. , ' • _
While men may be victims of, rape or
domestic assault. both crirneare pri-
mariiyperceived as acts 01 violence
committed by men against women. lit
Doth. the victini's moral character and.,
'her relationship with the perpetrator sur-
pass severity of injur` a, the most tnl-
portant issue in prosecution and,punish-
mem. What was she wearinr:',Wh:it did
she do to provok4'thJ attack'' Wei. she"
drunk.?-Uid.she fight hack''.Or more -Jo
the.pojnt - how will she stand u{sunder
cross examination. assuming she will
testify -stall' .
The answer is often. tic,. and for goo'
reason.
For centuries. domestic assault was n_nt
a crime. but a pill/ate matter heiween '
husband and wife: while rape was a
. crime only to the extent it reduced at
woman', (value as,a commodity on the
• marriage market. Until recently in this
provtli.. a man coulZI not he charged
witn raping hi. wile The law has,
changed: but some of -the old attitude,
remain .
Moreovci. rape and doinestic assault.
-bv-their very nature. rarely have Wanes --
es": Ottetl. the: only witness is.the vicuna -
who may not.want to testify in -court. br
cause she is too traumatized. is atraid o.
"her attacker. does not want ativone•tt'
know what happened. or is terrified nr
one will believe her_or take her serious --
IN .
erious°ie. It a relationship is involved, as'is.al-
way, the -case -for domesue assauh and -
aftluatntance 'or "date' rape. the matter
becomes even more complicated.
'it- wa:,anot so Very, long ago that the
victim df wife. assault had to lay"charges
herself. Until recently. rape victims
would beToutineiV and brutally clues-
tioneil -about their past sexual 'lister) •
-
..The -mere tact of:thy balcony rapist
lawsuit. and the Iles -May coroner, to .
'quest..proves we -still have a long way to
go()elope .female victirn,.ol rape and d(.)-
!nestle will be -able utast td(.)-
!nestled(.)-
!nestlehe
courts -tri treat them fair) . But those cas-
e, also prove we are getting there", slow
!Brioni surer,
Your Views
Letters to the Editor
Publishin anonymous letters
... oniv adds fuel to the fire and makes you• part of the problem...
Dear 1Sditlrr
For v'ti 1' publish iUP anonymous letter fifth
ridittutcs and insults r:x:al iyy,►crans only ;phis Cu,
to ire iue and makes you•patt of the•t►robieni instead ,
,t trying to help lino a suiuuun '
Andy UeBuer,.Exeter,
A View from Queen's Park
,By Brio Dowd
TORON•f(J -- Premier Mike>'Harris and' his..
gressive. (Conservative MPP, keep saying
rnment. should be run -like a business. but
if it was most of them would be fired. •
Mute than their predecessorti,:thc Tories are a•
government of businessmen and..•never stop
boasting they have :a businesslike .approach.'
as they did again in a major economic, state-
ment last week.
They have handed each ministry a -so-called
business plan to help it operate efficiently and
Harris recently 'told even police chiefs they
should run their forces "like CEOs."
One major difference between the Tories and
business, however, is that both Harris and his
MPPs have developed a habit of not turning up
for work. -
Harris has had -the legislature, meet. only. 33.
days this year -- considerably fewer than previ-
ous, less business -oriented goveniments -- and
will not .call it back until late September. And
he showed up little more than one-third of that
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Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Melfi St
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Telephone 1-5192351331 • Falk 519-235-0766
smaa•tsa.sey corn 6.5 i eRiestierl35
Kate's . takes
By Kate Monk
Your -names are driving me crazy!
- Anne of Green Gable
started it when she was
adament-her first name mus!
bt spelled Anne witti an r
because it reflected het
personahtj
Ever since, parents have -
-been tagging then children
with every variation undei
the sun and -moon sotheir,
offspring will be unique
• .Persornally , 1 am nips •
convinced a boy named -
Shawn will be a different •
person from another lad
named Shaun or even Sean .•
1� a Jetutitei different from ii„
Geniuter' • -
flut the. naming of a child is
a chance for parent's. to make
tnetr mark anit exert son]
.lorni of infl"uencc.-1V4aVb:
-there i.s.;t difference nu: ' n
morn Inclined tt, oelfevc uu:
per:sonaitties or: based..oi
more than .oft' tllrllie>
Vv'nat-does this have to tJ -
with the"Ott woutdn
believe hog. trustrauttr;getting the tastes ot anything
More than titt'i ee i 1dren in ;t.
photo. Just when 1 tlunc i
have it figured t►t;i I n
wrong because -sonic• girl.
loot, more like F'.aitivn ;Om
-they are:actually Cattlyr.
I.duti.t •hapliatardi\• writ: -
down names. I realize we
roust be perfect because -tttt
picture will be tint
•
•
grandparens scrapboof.
- beton- the ink is dry: .
So.,1 ye come up with my
- own fist of stielhng..of kid • -
harnes atrwtin,s is luiw they'll
appearunies'. you fel!_mu -
differentt\ .
rent:. Megais. Jessica.
Jennifer. Katt(. Katlyn.
Katlterine. Sarah. Jackie,
Stacy . (sarrtc. Curtstine.
Christy. Ctiristopher..
El1eu. Hatle�, Kebece i.•
•Robtik•Terryl AdairErin.
Ei.fe .Jared:
Nathan. Nicholas.,
'Garrett: "fravis. John. Shawn.
Ben. Claire! Glenn. Steven.
Jeff. Justin. Cori .Klan.
• Daniel and Jatiuc
We welCQrnc wr MUNI?. All letters td the editormust be signed and art• subjeC' to edltiig.
Deliver to 424 Main Stree:, or mail to P:0. Lipa SSC>. Exeter. On:. NOM 1 i(
ante 111 .it strategy that appeared designed to
-avoid embarrassing questions. .
Meanwhile, the Tirry MPPs, who dominate the
legislature in numbers arid are reasonably. sale
there; have taken tlteir cue from their ,boss in
not being around. The legislature has a "tate
that a quorum of 20.of its total -1.30 MPPs needs
to be -present in a debate or it is halted until suf-
ficient MPPs are.called in. which isnot a lot to
asl;. Harris's' recent brief session provided for
niore stoppages•lor lack of a quorum than any
similar period itt memory:
A debate on changes .in election law which
will give the Tories power to spend more had to
be stopped temporarily five times because not
enough MPPs were present as reinforcements
-were hauled in from back • robins and hotel
suites, •
A debate on Harris's plan to allow others to
compete with Ontario Hydro in producing and
selling power, an electrifying innovation, was
halted three times inside a couple of hours be -
Fire
cause tui. lets• MPPs were present, Each unit•
after re. -starting flt.'MPhs vantshed back to pie-
(erred pursuits. - • . •
'Other debate$ stopped •for.lack of MPPs in
'eluded those ori bilis to limit properlv tax ii
cremes on bdsiness and strikes in'construcuun.
prohibit untyns.signing; up wetlaic recipienis-
who take workfare jobs and create nett local
boards in tii:port)) to provide services. '
. The Tories had - brought in this legislation
claiming it was some of -their met important
and needed urgently to fulfil their program.
.Opposition -MPPs also deserve criticism for-•
being away, but Harris's 82 MPPs forst a big.
majority and the onus was on the goveriinient to
ensure a quorum was present because its legis-
lation was being debated. It also has.whip- and
even a full-time minister paid extra to ensure its
MPPs show up. -
Missing Tories probably thought they could.
get away with it because the legislature does
not record MPPs' attendance, but these absent- .
es are too blatant to miss.
Sown Iaubabiieli 1 alter his own pt..or
esampit• In alayuig a1+.r. unci li tvr dttfll:ui
t> iepi iivanditi them -
- Han is ha'- daiitpeited' then entlwstasnl also
because Dir legislation is wt'itten'iwostly b. un •
elected 'whir kids -and MPPs elected to make
laws dei not want to spend time sitting ut the
legislature defending thuse w i sten by someone
• who has never received a vot.
The premier has disheartened some ot hr
MPPs by such Bas as scrapptitr:otic-frttlhol (he
seats in the election due next year hi what ht•
gleefully called his Fewer Politii:ians Act: as it
eradicating some dread'discase,
Some Tories may also fcel.that after their tax
cuts they already, have the election won and do
tteitrneed to show up at the legislature. •
But whatever their. reasons, Hams's Tunes in ,
failing to turn up are not doing a basic. iiiipor--
tant part of the job for which they are paid.
Any • self-respecting businessman who got
such poor attendance front his employees
would have shown thein the dour.