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Times-Advocate, 1999-02-10, Page 88 Aolal "Pia ibwitOr. TintierAdvocate Wednesday, February 10, 1999 torial&Opimon 1 i TIMES-ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS `IAII. REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Don Smith General Manager Production Manager Deb Lord Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Leaders gather for funeral e entire world is mourning the loss of King Hussein of Jordan. The 63 -year-old monarch died on the weekend, following unsuc- cessful treatment for cancer. World leaders including Bill Clinton gathered to pay their final respects to the man regarded as the single major stabilizing influence in the Middle East. Significant in his absence was Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, whose staff announced he could not make it to Jordan in time for the funeral, which took place one day after the king's death according to Muslim tradition. Chretien is on a ski vacation in British Columbia. For most of his reign, which spread over more than four decades, Hussein walked a tightrope between the many forces threatening to blow apart the ever -volatile Middle East. Hussein never backed down from making difficult, often unpopular decisions, and he had the intel- ligence and diplomatic skills to make them work. He was a remarkable man who was comfortable with not only the traditions of his own country, but also with the west- ern world. Make no mistake, King Hussein was one of the most important players in the world political stage, _ and the eyes of the world will be on those who are attending his funeral. Chretien's absence will not go unnoticed. Everyone's eyes will be on the rich pageantry of the funeral ceremony.as Jordan buries its beloved king. Yet what happens behind the scenes will dictate the future of the Middle East and the entire world. Agreements and' understandings will be forged with the new king, Hussein's son Abdullah, described as popular with the army but politically naive. A brief discussion here, a handshake there, a promise to talk about important mat- ters -. the impact must not be underestimated. There will be no second chance to forge those impor- tant bonds with Jordan and the other world leaders pre- sent in Jordan. ,Whatever Chretien's reason for not attending the funeral, it will be viewed as an insult. The time factor will be regarded as the lame excuse it is. Hussein's death came after two full days of rumour and speculation, of reports he was already dead. Chretien had time, and the world knows it. Canada is not the most powerful country in the world, but it is an important player — too important to get away with sending anyone less than its top representative. Jean Chretien has made some questionable decisions in recent months which have led to speculation about his ability to lead Canada. Comments which should never have been made, much less made next to a live micro- phone in a foreign country... orders to use whatever force was necessary including pepper spray... have done little for Chretien's reputation at home or abroad. His failure to attend this funeral might appear at first glance to be unimportant. After all; it is a funeral, -not an event where decisions are being made. Or is it? Whatever the reason, the reality is the leaders of the United States, Russia, Britain and every other important nation in the world are gathered together in a single location. In the long run, Chretien's absence could prove to be a very serious lapse in judgement. reprinted from Saugeen City News legislate Can oucourtesy and tolerance? Parking, cats, dogs, snowmobiles, neighbours. The Lawn watering is another case. On Feb. 1, Exeter list goes on forever. council passed a bylaw that cut lawn watering time in All these things are present in the country but they're half. In the past, Exeter residents could water every. quite a bit closer in an urban community and tend to day during designated hours. Starting this year, .you'll get on people's nerves. only be able to water every other day during designat- How aggravated does a: personthave to .be before they ed hours. Oh and by the way, the town's properties are complain to a town councillor or staff? The level exempt from the short.watex}ng of tolerance varies from person to person All these years the watering restrictions depending on their personality and what both- " .' have been in place, they never had any teeth. ers them. <t . PUC staff would speak with the delinquents Councillors and staff hate dealing withthe who were pampering their pansies at inap propriate times and ask them to turn off their hoses. Now there's a $300 fine but the town says it doesn't have the staff to enforce it. They want the Hydro Electric Commission to do it. Let's not forget Hensall and its cats. Council has adopted a controversial cat bylaw and has been the brunt of jokes because of their feisty felines. And yet, the bylaw will only be enforced on a complaint basis. As far as this scribe knows, no felines have been forced behind bars. Dogs are the latest topic of contention across Ontario. Some municipalities are banning breeds and ordering muzzles. Most communities either have decent bylaws in place but no one to enforce them or fines that are a slap on the paw. It comes down to a combination of tolerance and courtesy. People should chill out a little bit and tolerate their neighbours' behaviour a little more. On, the other hand, people should show some courtesy. If members of your community, via town hall, ask you to put your dog on a leash, do it. Chances are your neighbours would like some quiet after 10 p.m. so move your deck party inside and give them some peace or invite them over. It'll make our community a more peaceful place, allow our town councillors and staff to spend time on more important issues and -keep our taxes at a reason- able level. complaints and can never keep everyone happy. Some people snap the first time a cat uses their flowerbed as a litter box. Others endure it but lie awake at night because their neighbours water their lawns outside the designated hours. Snowmobiles were a prime topic of irritation earlier this year'' Two people can live on the same block and have two different perspectives. One hates the sound of snowmobiles but for another it brings back happy memories. Myself, I can tolerate the sound of snowmobiles but a lawnmower engine on a Sunday morning sets me on edge. But when members of a community can't come to an agreement on their own, bylaws are created and everyone is painted with the same brush. An eight-year-old golden retriever must abide by the same leash law a two-year old rottweilermust obey. We are never going to have bylaws that please every- one. How much are we willing to pay to have bylaws? Are you willing to have your taxes raised $100 a year so Rex doesn't taint your lawn? I don't think it's a good use of tax dollars to have police officers ticketing cars on main street when they could be investigating crimes. Especially when the offenders are often business people who monopolize parking spaces their customers or their competitor's customers could be using. They're shooting themselves in the foot and taxpayers have to pay for enforcement. 'AR:XBK9Y�Ce?tXC6411..'J.'flt!yf'.•l•!xr.%f,N.4!f9.t`/i.:3:i�Ylff.'JSf4S?J/X/Q'UIGfNv�//.f!1//i�iY/.•9:�iCYf/H.+X!�'//f/,.7+7Y/%lra.9D.?'+.4Y//YAYA/i!/f/X'.CU//Y //i9W.9Y.A994Y/A%66Y.C6, i•;%/f//////fiJ9.'4' LIB19fC!'karYAYild«+d'.c°W�/N.`:ut!%. h/.�BAYX9YY//g:?G9Yi . . �Y. . s KATE MONK KATE'S TAKES ., About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box'850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. 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