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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1984-09-26, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, September 26, 1984 Ames - 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 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager Blll BATTEN ROSS HAUGH Editor Assistant Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager DICK JONGKIND Business Manager Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 235-1331 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $22.00 Per year; U.S.A. $60.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' Challenge for all Pope John Paul II left Canada this week sug- gesting he'd like to find some reason to pay a return visit. Most Canadians will be hoping it isn't too soon. Fact is, not many had the stamina to keep up with the Pope's hectic pace and will need ample time to rest up before they can engage in another tour which has to be considered one of the highlights of our time. It will also take Canadians some time to digest the passionate messages and the inspiring challenges which were issued during the 12 -day love -in across the nation. The visit is indelibly etched. The Pope gave a catechism lesson to the young in Vancouver, told the old they were needed, encouraged the .handicapped, OCN.A wowed the native people with his concerns, told the world humanity was still more important than technology, reaffirmed his strong stand on contracep- tion and warned the rich to help the needy or reap the terrible results. People stood for hours in pouring rain to hear the messages or slogged their way through mud and ma- jor traffic snarls. They indicated a willingness to overcome adver- sities to see and hear the man. Hopefully, they will show the same type of willingness to consider the messages an 1 put into practice those challenges which they were handed. There were challenges for members of his faith in particular, but the majority were for all who seek to improve the society in which they live. Needs full study The official score in the current debate over com- mercial trucks parking in residential areas is 2-2. Ob- viously that's not very decisive and Exeter council will have to judge other factors than the opinions of the four neighbors who appeared at the recent hearing staged by the planning advisory committee into a minor variance application on behalf of a Sherwood Crescent couple. Council have appointed a special committee to make a recommendation regarding trucks and that committee is scheduled to make that report at the next session. To be fair and thorough in that decision, members of the special committee should conduct a rather ex- tensive survey into the number of people who will be affected by that decision and attempt to ascertain the ramifications for those currently involved and those who may be in the future as new laws will govern. The principals involved in the advisory board hear- ing have already given an insight into the situation as far as the truck owners are concerned and a letter in last week's issue also added some factors as aired by another couple similarly involved. Council members have already been criticized for using hearsay evidence in their official objection to the minor variance application and obviously must be prepared to present more convincing arguments than that in backing whatever proposals they will be asked to approve. The special committee should attempt to define the number of truckers involved and determine the ramifications for them. At the same time, some poll of those truckers' neighbors should be considered to ascertain their private opinions about the matter. In addition, truckers and ratepayers in general who wish to have some input into the matter before a decision is made should do so now, rather than com- plain if the decision reached is not to their liking. There also appears to be the necessity for the com- mittee to establish if a truck tractor is a commercial vehicle under definition of the Highway Traffic Act and local bylaws. The final decision is one of obvious importance to many residents and should be reached only after thorough and well-documented research. Straight talk pays dividend A few weeks ago, when the sun was shining hrightly, and most area residents had an extra spring to their step, it was noted that the fime weather appeared to play a significant part in the news of the day. Controversial subjects appeared to be non-existent, and the few that may have been circulating. were basically avoided in favor of enjoying more pleasant pursuits. At the time, the writer suggested that indeed the weather was a more in- strumental factor in our behaviour than most would imagine. You may not have agreed with that sug- gestion, but there's now further proof to present in backing the argument. We've just come through a long period of wet, cold miserable weather. Did it have the opposite effect on people by mak- ing them grumpy and ornery? You bet it did and one has to look no farther than last week's issue of this newspaper to prove that. The Mayor was voicing his criticism of the area rec board and they in turn were taking pot shots at council. Neighbors were arguing the merit of allowing com- mercial trucks to park in residential areas and there were reports that things were not going smoothly in the local police department. A member of Zurich council was rak- ing the provincial government over dump regulations and members of Hay council were still voicing their consternation over Exeter's objections to an agri-industrial park in the township. Farmers were becoming intolerable as they watched the rains continue to inun- date their corn and bean fields and even some young soccer players I watched ap- peared to be more aggressive than usual as they sloshed their way through mud- dy sections of a playing field in their at- tempt to win playoff tournaments. Not only was the weather serving in its customary role as the topic of converse - tion, it was apparently playing an in- strumental part in the personal manner in which people were tackling other facets of their life as well. That's not all bad. While there's a great deal to be said for those who manage to carry with them a sunny disposition despite the circumstances in which they find themselves, it is perhaps equally im- portant that at times people get a little ril- ed and let off some steam. It's a delicate balance that is required, but I maintain that people in positions of BATT'N AROUND with the editor responsibility have to show a harsh or even mean streak at times to accomplish the tasks with which they are confronted. The very complexities and contradic- tions of the English language often re- quire a facial expression or a vocal tone to clearly indicate the intent of a phrase or statement. A statement or expression accompanied with a smile or docile voice can mean just the opposite when the same words are used with different enunciation or a cold. hard stare. Those who attempt to camouflage their communications with facial or tonal ex- pressions that appear contradictory to the words they are using usually only leave confusion in the minds of those with whom they are attempting to communicate. That has resulted in "what do you mean?" becoming one of the most com- monly used expressions stemming from conversations around the kitchen table right through to the parliaments of the world. * * * * * The problems associated with those who attempt to appease or not upset others by accompanying their words with a contradictory tone or facial expression, or vice versa in some instances, are a par- ticular consternation to those of us in the reporting business, particularly the print media. Not only do we have to report what was said, but at times it is necesary to indicate what was apparently intended. As noted, the words used can be the same whether they are uttered in jest or in anger. Sometimes that is difficult to ascertain, especially when one is con- fronted with those who are masters at concealing their intent. Those who enjoy pulling one's leg or revel in tongue-in-cheeek antics often end up having a good laugh, although there are occasions when that can come back to haunt them if they are mistakenly taken serious. It is usually imperative that those with whom they joke in such manner have an equal sense of humor and perception or the results can be rather disastrous. The secret to frank and serious debate is to assume that at least one person in the audience is blind and another is deaf. In that way, the speaker must ensure that his facial expressions convey the true in- tent of the thoughts being expressed even for those who may not hear the actual words or see the facial expression that ac- companies them. So, while it appears the weather plays an integral role in attidues and actions it can not always be blamed for excesses or misconceptions that may be communicated. Sincerity and clarity are all important and those who have mastered those facets of communication are those having no problem saying what they mean nor in in- dicating they mean what they say. It is a gift that too few possess. • "The nerve! How DARE the country manage without me?" Down to serious things Thank heaven the elec- tion's over and we can get down to serious things. As predicted by all the pundits, we have a new Prime Minister, not that we haven't had a new one lately. Alias John Turner. But, shades of Dief the Chief, Billie King, and other assorted ghosts, we now have, with the greatest number of seats ever — Ta Da — Prime Minister Mile Mulrooney. What's that you say? It's Brian Mulroney? Nonsense. Oh, I know.. He gets the title. She lets him read the speeches, which he does quite well, with her hand on his back: "Is that a dagger that I can see behind me?" Canada, despite Indira Ghandi of India, Golda Meier of Israel and Mag- gie Thatcher of Great (once upon a time) Bri- tain, is not yet ripe for a woman P.M. That's why they must have a consort who can read the speeches and keep his mouth ab- solutely shut about everything except the weather. Maureen McTeer almost made it, but her consort kept trying to ram both feet in tus mouth at once, and stubbornly refused to discuss the weather. But Mrs. Mulrooney (sounds like someone from the wrong side of the tracks, but isn't) made it. I shudder to think what it will cost us to re - redecorate the P.M.'s house on Sussex St. in the capital city, Bytown. You think I'm joking? Didn't you have enough stamina to stay up and watch the last ap- pearances of the party leaders on election day? A tired Turner gave up gracefully and dedicated himself to something resembling the re -building of the Great Wall of China. A beaming, belligerent Broadbent reiterated for Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley the umpteenth time that he was going to look after the ordinary people of Canada, and warned Mrs. Mulrooney, though he had grace enough to call her Mr. Mulroney, that if she/he did not use every plank they had lifted from the NDP platform, she/he was in dire straits. Mila, our Prime Minister -elect, was much less inhibited, as she should have been. She jigged and jogged and waved for the cameras, drinking in the applause, grinning broadly (she doesn't have a jaw pro- blem ), and soaking up the cheers. She pointed with aban- don and a wide grin . at various members of the congregation who will ex- pect to be senators next week, and punched her consort in the ribs until he too pointed and bared his teeth. She didn't retire gracefully into the background during the victory speech, but stood so close to her consort that she could read it and make sure he didn't make any boo-boos. She put her hand, lovingly behind his back while he was speak- ing: "This is a dagger that I feel behind me." In short, it is not Caesar, but Caesar's wife, who is, and must be seen to be, beyond reproach. I think she'll make a dandy Prime Minister. Not that Mila doesn't have her faults. She doesn't have a strong jaw, like Flora Macdonald. Maureen McTeer,and her consort. But because of that, she has an impish grin, which none of the others can achieve, and which turns people on, if they are turned on by im- pish grins. She speaks too many languages, at least three, which is anathema to those ordinary Canadians Ed B. is always talking about. One is enough for them, two is suspicious, and three is downright dangerous. She is not exactly a great "build" as we used to say. But that's in her favor, in these days of feminism, when a sweater is something to keep you warm, rather than reveal. Another thing going against her is the size of the majority. Huge ma- jorities are more dangerous for the winner than small minorities. About a third of Cana- dians who voted Tory are going to be shouting in the pubs: "Wattaya talkin' about. Mila kissed me, an' the uddaguy shook hands with me. I'm a cinch for the Royal Commission of Highways. I got the boys warmin' up the machines right now." One more thing that may hurt her, about 1998, is her femininity. She's goodlooking, intelligent, and sophisticated. As long as there is a secret ballot in Canada, I can see, in the future, vast hordes of Canadian men voting against her, out of sheer frustration and envy. However, she's got a lot going for her. She has guts which don't hang over her belt, as most politicians do. She has brains, proven b y the fact that she choose a blarney for her consort, instead of a true and tried politician. She's a great if slightly elderly cheer- leader, as witness her very visible handclapping every time her consort stopped for a breath. Good luck, Mila. I'm positive unemployment, inflation, and women's rights will disappear under your reign. Little worries best In Belfast a young boy tells of how his father was murdered in his own hallway. The killers walk- ed in, very polite. My mother didn't know what they wanted. She gave them tea. They drank it. When my father came home they shot him. A boy from Cambodia tells how his father, a doc- tor, was killed by com- munist soldiers. His mother died of starvation before his eyes. Another lad, from Viet- nam, escaped on a boatload of other refugees. They were 52 days at sea and the food was all gone. The boatmaster told another boy to take a ham - children named Einat and Yael, five and two respec- Perspectives mer and hit the lad on the head so that they could eat his flesh. Fortunately somebody else was chosen to die and so he survived. Hadara, a girl of Israel, used to babysit two By Syd Fletcher tively. Terrorists burst in- to the children's apart- ment, killed the father, picked up Einat by the feet and cracked open her head on a rock. The mother and the two year- old were hiding in the utili- ty room. The little one started to cry and the mother clamped her hand over the child's mouth. It died of suffocation. Hadara will never forget those two little children that she once babysat. Our children worry about whether they will be able to buy another Michael Jackson record or about tomorrow's history test. Rightly so. May little minds be concerned over little problems. May our country remain so relatively trouble-free. 1