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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1984-12-05, Page 4Times -Advocate, December 5, 1984 Imes - Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 dvocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by l.W. Eedy Publications Limited IORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager Bill 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' vtanuttr,,-9tweif Self destructing The new Conservative government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appears to be suffering from the same strange malady which inflicted that of Joe Clark during the latter's brief tenure at the head of the land's legislators. It is perhaps not surprising that many of the bizarre incidents plaguing the current government are stemming from the office of the current External Af- fairs Minister. That, of course, is the same Joe Clark. He's already been on the carpet with his boss over a couple of slips of the tongue and now he has further embarrassed himself by forwarding a tape to a radio station that included some private conversations. Not to be outdone, Finance Minister Michael MlVat +CNA BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1980 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1981 Wilson has been caught in the act of taping a private , conversation with a Manitoba official, just a few days after suffering the ignomity of leaving some confiden- tial papers sitting around in the lobby of a Winnipeg hotel. Already troubled with severe criticisms' over his government's move to cut off the flow of information to the public and constant reminders of his failure to move as quickly as promised on a myriad of election campaign promises, Mulroney has every right to wonder why the wheels appear to be coming off the machine which carried him to a sweeping victory. It appears that the last day of one embarrassment is the first day of the next; a situation that the Prime Minister should move quickly to correct. Hope it works Revenue Minister Perrin Beatty has issued a plea to Canadians to be honest in their income tax returns, with a special mention that those who now fail to file returns should do so. Beatty's intentions are exemplary. He thinks all Canadians should pay their fair share. During his stay on the opposition benches, Beatty conducted a concerted study of the Liberal govern- ment's income tax collecting methods and concluded they were nothing short of high-handed in many ways. There were tales of "quotas" imposed on collection of- ficials as well as "fishing trips" where no stone was left unturned in an attempt to catch cheaters. Unfor- tunately some innnocent people got hurt along the way. Beatty wants all that changed, although his faith in some of his fellow Canadians may be misplaced if he thinks they're going to accept the challenge to "come clean" and pay what they owe. The fear of being caught and punished for a crime is still one of the strongest deterrents in our society and those who don't believe that have never witnessed the adjustment in" speed quickly made by motorists, who see a police cruiser on the horizon (even those driving within the legal limit). It would certainly restore one's faith in mankind to find that Beatty's approach pays off, but there is a suggestion that his polite "please" will be answered by an equally polite "no thanks" by those who present- ly beat the system. While many of the scare tactics previously used may be objectionable and in need of some change, Beattie may find that people who try to cheat have to be repaid in kind, but not kindness. Blot on the page Given the secrecy in which governments operate, it takes many years to learn the actual facts of history. At last the organization which represents the interests of Japanese -Canadians has gained access to the minutes of cabinet meetings held during the early years of the war and the revelations do not reflect well upon our vaunted Canadian sense of justice. Despite opposition from the RCMP and the military, 21,000 Japanese -Canadians were removed from their homes and businesses on the West Coast and interned in camps, some of them as far inland as Ontario. The most brutal aspect of the action was that no con - Animal lovers It's difficult to imagine how the world can become more complicated than it is, but it appears that every passing day brings with it a new set of circumstances that manages to pit one segment of socie- ty against another. Part of the problem may rest with the fact people have too much free time on their hands and they seek ways in which to channel their leisure. One group becoming more vociferous is that of the animal rights protection peo- ple who have sprung up to do battle with seal hunters, farmers and scientists. Most recently, the transplant of a ba- boon's heart into an infant has given rise to considerable controversy, heightened by the fact the baby eventually died, thereby giving the animal lights people further ammunition in their battle against destroying four -legged creatures for such experiments. Some dismiss the proponents of animal rights as nothing more than bleeding hearts who have little justification for their cause. and in some instances that may hold true. Notwithstanding the giant strides that have been made in the quali- ty of life for humans through experiments that initially involved animals, there is a need to ensure that such practices are conducted under humane conditions and that animals do not have to suffer needlessly. However, the movement is out in left field in seeking recognition that animals are equal to humans and must be given the same rights. So too are they over -stepping the mark in their unwarranted harrassment of in- dividuals and the vandalism, thefts, bom- bings and poison scares used in attempts to further their cause. There can be no excuse for that type of intimidation and it should be answered to the full extent of the law. • * $ s $ There's ample evidence that most pen - sideration was given to the fact some day these inno- cent people might be permitted to return and their pro- perty was ruthlessly confiscated, often without recompense. Today's organization of Japanese -Canadians is demanding more than a public apology for the in- justices suffered by their parents. They also demand financial compensation - but given the state of this country's finances at the present time it seems doubt- ful that the full demands of justice will be met. Wingham Advance Times over -step mark ple exhibit concerned feelings for animals and it is interesting to note that our vocabulary is filled with examples com- paring people to animals. Some are com- plementary and others are not. Consider the following: Our whole way of life is a rat -race, in a dog-eat-dog world where underdogs are badgeredandhounded by eager beavers. We grouse a lot, but those not easily cow- ed are lionized. Men are referred to as gay dogs, strut- BATT'N AROUND with the editor ting peacocks or even chauvinist pigs, and many a black sheep has been called a dir- ty skunk. Elderly men find themselves labelled pigheaded old goats, eternally beefing between catnaps. Sensible young people. cool cats all, are intelligent enough to organize bull ses- sions where they can talk turkey, with no pussyfooting, and when young people are in love. they are really lambs. It's touching to see young bucks and their turtle -doves horsing around in the throes of puppy love, the boy clamming up with a frog in his throat when asked, "Cat got your tongue?" A woman rightly resents being called an old hen, or being accused of being cdt- ty or shrewish, and many a young chick has outfoxed, buffaloed and made a monkey out of a would-be wolf by using crocodile tears. We wolf down our food, eating like pigs and hogging the lion's share. We squirrel 4 our money away in piggy -banks, knowing we'll have to pony up later. You can probably add to those words of John Duffie for your own amusement, but there's little doubt we're close& allied to the four -legged animal world in many ways, and while we have been given do- main over them, it must always be with some consideration for their well-being. Story writers have always recongized the special affinity people have with animals and some of the best known and loved stories are about animals and they have stood the test of time and are easily remembered by all ages. The list ihcludes Black Beauty, Old Yeller, Bambi, Lassie and a host of other animals which have touched everyone in their adventures in numerous books, movies and TV shows. In a society where cruelty to humans is visible in staggering terms, it probably only follows that there will also be cruel- ty toward animals. However, it is not as rampant as some of the animal welfare people would sug- gest and it is hypocracy that they would stoop to some of their dangerous tactics to further their cause on behalf of animals. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) in Great Britain terrorized that country recently by claiming it laced candy bars with rat poison because the candy maker used monkeys to study tooth decay. There have been letter bombs tobiochemists,hi- jackings of meat trucks, military -style assaults on research labs and destruction of scientists' property. Closer to home, researchers at the University of Western Ontario have ex- pressed fear for their safety and that of their families because of harrassment. It is indeed a strange world that becomes more complicated each day through the action of fanatics. Is this the government job creation programs line? Nope — unemployment line of cuts to finance job creation programs 1 Egr^o*eroe. aTouciKAL People really cared I have come up with some items that bring back memoriesand voices from the past. A few months ago, a young colleague of mine was heading off to Zim- babwe ( formerly Rhodesia) with his wife and children to teach school there. They didn't know a soul in that part of Africa. I had a thought, which oc- curs every so often. "Mark," I told him, "I have an old war -time friend who lived in Rhodesia. I'll dig up his address, and maybe he can at least give you some tips on life there." So I went to my old prisoner -of -war log book, and there it was. Unfor- tunately, Don McGibbon lived in Bulawayo, not Salisbury, to which Mark was posted. However, I gave him the address and a note to my old friend There was eve"), likelihood that he was dead, or had moved, or had got out of the country, as so many white Rhode- sians did when a black takeover seemed inevitable. Andthe other day, while I was having lunch, a member of our staff was reading a letter from Mark's wife. It turned out that they'd been sent to Bulawayo, not Salisbury. She described conditions, pretty grim - curfews, house searches for in- surgents, and so on - and the letter said: "And we're going for a picnic on Sunday with Bill Smiley's old air force friend." You could have knocked me down with a Spitfire. I hadn't heard from Mac since 1945, when we were both incarcerated in prison camp. We'd been on the same Typhoon wing in Normandy, where I knew him slightly. He'd been shot down shortly after I was, and, joined by a wounded Australian, Frank Land, we wound up as a trio doing a train journey all over Ger- many: first to camp oc- cupied by British and New Zealand veterans of Sugar and Spice Dispensed By Smiley Cyprus, then to an inter- rogation centre at Frankfurt, then off on a long haul across the war- torn country to a prison camp, where we wound up in the same room in barracks. One forms pretty close associations under trying circumstances. We did. I had a lot of respect for the Rhodesians I'd met: their courage, their cheer- fulness, their lack of swank. And, of course, they were only colonials, so we Canadians could needle them about that. Mac was one of the best of the best. As if that weren't enough to start the juices of memory flowing, my wife, while cleaning out drawers and boxes, came across a cache of ancient letters' and pictures that I'd forgotten existed. There I am, Leading Aircraftsman Smiley, at 21, black hair, white teeth (the opposite of the pre- sent), wedge cap tilted on one side, dashing moustache, cocky as only a young fellow can be when he knows he's going to be a fighter pilot. And there I am again, on a prison camp iden- tification card, complete . with numbers and finger- print, soon after I'd been shot down, looking bewildered and anything but cocky. And another photo, at another camp, front and side view, look- ing 10 years older, stubble of beard, mean. And final- ly, a photo taken soon after release, sporting the magnificent handlebar moustache I'd grown in camp. There's a picture of Freddy Wakeham, Cana- dian, Eric Necklen, New fiealander, and self, in front of our tent in Nor- mandy. I am the only sur- vivor. And another one, both leaning against a Spitfire's fuselage, of two of our gang, a motley crowd, when we trained in Shropshire to take off and land Spits without killing ourselves. Jacques Van der Perren, Belgian, and Singh Thandi, Indian Air Force. Van escaped when the Germans invaded Belgium, made his way through occupied France, got over the mountains in- to Spain and was thrown in jail for six months. He was eventually released, got to England, joined the R.A.F., and was shot down and killed on a mission not far from his home town in Belgium. Singh Thandi went back to India. I heard he was killed flying Hurricanes in Burma. We were closer than most brothers. The only one of that crowd left is Jack Ryan of Toronto. The others were from half the countries in Europe, and from - all over the then British Empire. Here's a -letter, written -to my mother, from Casa jus Pascal, postmarked M. Stammlager XI, Deutschland. It's in French POWs. He ends by saying, in French: "I hope that he himself will be able to write you soon." Why couldn't I write then? Who was Casajus? Must dig into the memory cells. And on they go. A letter from my squadron leader describing my last mis- sion, and holding out hope. A letter from a chap in Floridato my parents. He listened every night, on his short wave radio, to lists of Allied prisoners an- nounced by the Germans, and had caught my name and home address. And a happy, happy telegram, marked Sans Origine, and Important, from 64 Squadron: "Hap- py to inform you that your son F/0 Smiley W B T is safe and well as prisoner of war. Letter follows." A letter of commisera- tion from my college president, when the first "missing" report went out. Finally, a letter from a chaplain in England: "So happy to be able to welcome and chat with your son, on his safe ar- rival in England." Dated May 25, 1945. People in those days really cared. And I've on- ly skimmed the surface. Help any way you can Here in Canada and the United States, lands of Weight -Watchers, Weigh - Right, the Weight Loss clinic, Vic Tunny, Nautilus Fitness club, and Ed Allen, the word famine is really a foreign unknown word. We pay others to help us lose excess weight gained from our rich diets and pay others to help us keep it off, to keep in shape, whatever that means. Meanwhile, in Africa, a dictator by the name of Mengista Haile Mariam spends 100 million dollars on a wild celebration of his tenth year in power over the country of Ethiopia. Meanwhile, in that same country 900,000 peo- should not close their eyes to the desperate situation that the poor people are Perspectives By Syd Fletcher ple will die of starvation over the next year. Ironic isn't it. Despite that irony it is still right that the rich countries of the world finding themselves in. Canada is trying hard. Its contributions have in- creased by over 60 per cent from last year, food and actual dollars. Private organizations, such as churches are pro- bably an even more effec- tive way of getting your assistance out to the needy. Though these are not as widely publicized as some more public organizations 1' unders- tand that a smaller percentage of their costs goes toward administra- tion since they have been working all the way along toward the easing of the terrible results of the famine. Whichever way you decide to do it please take time to help in any way you can.