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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-08-23, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 23, 1995 Publisher & Editor: Jim Beckett Business Manager: Don Smith Production Manager: Deb Lord Advertising; Barb Consltt /News: Heather Mir, Chris Skalkos, Ross Haugh, Brenda Burke production• Alma Ballantyne, Mary McMurray, Barb Robertson Brenda Hern, Joyce Weber, Laurel Miner Transportation: Al Flynn, Al Hodgert Front Office & Accounting; Elaine Pinder, Sue Rollings, Ruthanne Negrijn, Anita McDonald, Cassie Dalrymple .►M COMh,,,N� The Exeter Times -Advocate Is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership EDITOR! pinion" • Publications Mail Registration Number 0386 SilaSCRIPTION RATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $33.00 plus 82.31 0.S.T. outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address 833.00 pus 530.00 (total 63.00) + 4.31 O.S.T. Outside Canada 899.00 pus $8.83 OST (Includes $88.40 postage) Published Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Mab It., Exeter, Ontario, NOM 186 by J.W. Esdy Publications Ltd. Telephone 1-519-235-1331 • Fax: 519.235-0766 e.1.T. IR105210S9 Canadians feeling vindicated anadians young and old are feeling somehow vindicated now that Steven and Lorelei Turner have been convicted of manslaughter and are each serving a 16 year sentence in prison for their part in the death of their son John Ryan. For some reason, Canadians are more content knowing that Steven and Lorelei Turner are paying a price for the unspeakable agony they allowed their little boy to suffer before he died at age three in their New Brunswick home. Young John Ryan, the court heard, was kept gagged, harnessed and tied to his bed during the last few months of his life; Four arm fractures had been left to mend on their.own and he had diaper rash so severe that his genitals were scalded beet red. Doctors believe the child might have survived the physical pain had it not been for the emotional trauma of being unsupported, unwanted, unloved. In the end, John Ryan refused to eat and let starvation take him out of his misery. When sentence was pronounced on John Ryan's parents, courtroom spectators clapped and cheered because justice had been served. Justice for whom? Certainly not justice for John Ryan. Justice for John Ryan would have been if the weeping witnesses at the trial who testified to his abuse would have taken action long before John Ryan was in danger of death. Justice for John Ryan would have been if somebody - anybody - who suspected this defenseless child was being battered and mistreated by his own mom and dad in his own home and spoken up on his behalf. Justice for John Ryan would have been if the authorities had been able to step in and rescue the toddler, taking him to someone who would love him, care for him, tend his wounds, heal his tortured mind. But that didn't happen. Nobody intervened. Everybody failed to be what the Bible calls "a good neighbor". There was no justice for John Ryan on this side of eternity. "Somewhere in heaven there must be a nursery for battefed kids like John Ryan Turner. A place where children whose bodies and spirits were broken by the parents they were entrusted to, can at least find love." These lines are from a letter to the editor of The Miramichi Leader, John Ryan's hometown paper. Canadians everywhere pray this is true. - Clinton News Record Letters to:the editor • Program improves swimming skills "I would encourage other families to consider this worthwhile pro- gram for their children..." Dear Editor: We would like to compliment and publicly thank the Exeter Pool lifeguard staff who were involved with the Exeter Barracudas' Swim Team this sum- mer. This includes Becci Farquhar, Lori Coolman, Gavin Poole and Kristen Strang. It was the first year our children aged six, eight and ten were involved and they found it to be an excellent program in terms of improving their swimming and diving skills, endurance levels and overall having fun! I would encourage other families to consider this worthwhile program for their children next summer. Hats off to a job well done! Sincerely, Brad and Corlette Elder Speak Out! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Tunes Advocate continues to welcome letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaints and kudos. WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP YOUR LETTERS TO A MAXIMUM OF 300 WORDS, The Times Advocate reserves the right to edit letters for brevity. Please send your letters to P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S6. Sign your letter with both name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. A View from Queen's Park Toronto -- The old pipe dream of Ontario's two parties of the left uniting to get rid of the Progressive Conservatives is being revived, but it would be rash to start guessing at wedding dates. The idea has been resurrected by no less an authority than former New Democrat premier Bob Rae after he and the Liberals were tram- pled in the June election by the Tories led by Mike Harris. Rae said he would not rule out the possibility of the opposition parties realigning because they have to do everything in their power to en- sure Hams with his unprecedented cuts in ser- vices is not elected for another term. Rae pointed out 55 per cent of votes were against the Tories and urged they should not be allowed to "return to the divide -and -conquer politics" that helped them in the past. Because the vote against them was split, the Tories governed for 42 years until 1985 with- out once obtaining a majority of votes. By Eric Dowd 4/M9:1.'9s On the road again... Monarchs get stamped For the last couple of columns we have been talking about Point Pelee and the Monarch butterfly. Guess what? It's back to the monarch thanks to some infor- mation provided by our old bud- dy Tom Creech of Canada Post. Tom sent us the info by Cana- da Post and to protect his integ- rity and performance we won't say how long it took the letter to travel from London to Exeter, but it wasn't overnight. On August 15, Canada Post Corporation issued a set of stamps featuring frequent fliers that migrate between Canada and Mexico. They include the Monarch butterfly, the hoary bat, the northern pintail duck and the belted kingfisher. Mico issued a series of stamps on the same day, making it only the fifth time in more than 50 years that Canada has been involved with another country in joint releases of stamps on the same subject. One was an exchange with France featuring Jacques Cartier stamps. There were two with the United States, both involving the St. Lawrence Seaway, the first on it opening and the sec- ond on their 25th anniversary. This latest set of stamps com- memorates over 50 years of dip- lomatic relations between the two countries, and Mexico is- sued a set of stamps honoring the same four species to coin- cide with our release. While ducks and geese offer the most common image of mi- gration, species of insects, mam- mals, fish, and reptiles also dis- play migratory patterns A true joint release with an- other country was made with China with stamps depicting Dr. Norman Beathume. Migration is essentially the regular movement between two localities offering conditions suitable to the survival of the species. Distances involved can be as short as a few thousand metres up or down a mountain- side, or as far as twenty thou- sand kilometres ( in the case of the arctic urn). The four species depicted in the latest set all participants in an annual migration between Canada and Mexico. Diplomatic relations between Canada and Mexico were estab- lished January 30, 1944 and the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City opened on April 21 of that year. However, the close ties between the two countries date back to the 1860's when the first Canadian business mission to Mexico took place. The stamp set was designed by Toronto graphic designer Debbie Adams. Full color imag- es of each species give an im- pression of the animals in mo- tion, while silhouettes offer different profiles of them flying. Symbolic migration routes and and maps showing habitat rang- es in Canada and Mexico are pictured in the background. In conclusion of each of these columns during the future we will be leaving you with a Thought of the Week or Two. For this week, it will be "When their outgo gets greater than their income, people come . to find their upkeep is their downfall". The thought they could be defeated if the NDP and Liberals combined in one party was expressed often during this time, although not at as high a level as party leader. But Rae is about to step down and therefore free to muse in far-flung directions without his party being committed to anything he says. The most persistent earlier proponent of op- position parties uniting was an NDP MPP of the 1970s and early 1980s, George Samis, who suggested it annually as the only way they could pry the limpet -like Tories from power. The Liberals and NDP did enter into an alli- ance of sorts in 1985, after the Tories under premier Frank Miller were reduced to a minori- ty. The NDP provided the votes that put the Lib- erals in government and supported them for two years in return for enacting specified poli- cies. But the parties otherwise acted indepen- dently and the arrangement fell short of what could be called a coalition. Dream The NDP also felt the Liberals profited too much, because with the help of NDP ideas they came out smelling rosy enough to win a large majority in the 1987 election. One barrier to the NDP and Liberals merging is that they tend to dislike each other more than they dislike Tories, partly because for so long they were rivals to replace the Toric Many New Democrats lack respect tor Liber- als, feeling they are Tories trying to hide their identity, while real Tories at least can be ad- mired for fighting under their true colors. The opposition parties are widely separated by policies. The Liberals opposed the NDP government's running up huge deficits to main- tain and expand services and laws giving more power to unions, cutting public sector pay and attempting to extend family including adoption rights to same-sex couples, as just a few exam- ples. Rae was fond of calling Liberal leader Lyn McLeod "Dr. No" on the claim she always criti- cized but lacked policies and a "prophet .of gloom and doom." The Liberals in the election had policies in- cluding placing priority on balancing the bud- get, abolishing employment equity quotas and cutting welfare for those refusing to work or re- train which the NDP would have difficulty ac- cepting. A unified Liberal -New Democrat Party would not be assured automatically of getting more votes than the Tories. It would have to combine some policies of both opposition parties and therefore be consid- erably to the left of the present Liberals so that some on the Liberals' right wing might find Harris more appealing. Some Liberals and New Democrats also will recall that only a few months ago Harris was thought to have so little chance some Tories suggested their party should change its name -- they may feel their own fortunes could improve just as quickly.