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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-02-02, Page 4To be brutally honest, I ain't understand the furor over. the latest •pay-TV con- troversy. Thera has been enough hype concerning, the advent and .dissemination of the new programming, 'wth having to put up with more hype about the type of programming.. Fay -TV has been a long time coming and no doubtcable subscribers (in other' areas) have the" favorite old armchair warm in anticipation of the debut Tuesday Pay -TV definitely marks a new'era in television; . While there has always .been a difference of opinion on the qua ity of television programing, pay-TV was welcomeda`s'the Messiah that would resurrect the idiot box fromltherdepths.of despair. People wanted commercial -free movies and round the clock entertainment. Pay -TV has offered to deliver that, for a modest monthly fee of course. But one company recognized that a segment of the population wanted more than television could delver and Morellian pay-, TV offered; adult programming:. Recognizing . that such a need existed, Fust -Choice struck a deal with Playboy productions and will Offer late-night adult progralrnrning. .The deal has sparked the biggest con- troversy in Canadiaa broadcasting history that has women's groups and politicians screaming and yelling. The bahic question seems to be a moral one, raising concerns on whether or not sex and nudity should be allowed on television. The debate Rad battle still rages on as pay-TV makes s. debut in Our homes but subscribers can be assured that the Canadian Radio -television and Telecom- munications Commission (CRTC) will soon. tighten up the content rules to protect` an innocent and unsuspecting public. Personally, I 00(0'11010g. wrong with; late, night titillation because OM not a cable subscriber alnd wall never watch the programing. But, considerinrthat we live in a, democracy, ;; and guard our freedoms, ally shouldn't people have the choice of watching the programming if they so desire- -In yon can carry the argument further and point out that people don't even have to subscribe to thestation in the first place, The choice is there and as long aswe live in a pseudo•democracy that choice should be available to. everyone. I can't understand why: people are getting so unsex. They simply don't^have to watch if they find the programming offensive. Certainly mo ..lists will argue that nudity does not belong on television (or anywhere else) or that such programming will erode the integrity of pay -television. - I'm not convinced that governments should have auaotte authority over what the masses can Mid eannet watch. It cer- tainly wreaks ofscensorshlR and onewould have thought that Canadians • were above that sort of action. Apparently not. Some factions don't believe the government should extend the courtesy,. of.efg.a choice. I don't really want that sunt ,off, programming on my television, but if somebody else does, then let him or her watch it. Why . should the government be able to infringe upon people's rights and'freedoms ict such a manner. Surely most Canadian adults make a sensible and rational decision forthemselves and if that decision is to watch a little a little skin on the idiot box at home, then why not. As long as my television brings in football, baseball, hockey, darts, camel racing and the'like-I don't care. *CNA A BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second clasp: mail registration number 0716 SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT oundsd In IMO and published awry Wednesday at Cioderlch. Ontario. Member of the COMA and OWNA. Adver. Using rata, an request. Subsfriptlons payable In advance '15.10 In Canado. °50.00 to Y.S.A., '50.00 to ell other count - tries, single copies M. Display advertising rates available on raspiest. Please ask for Sate Card No.13 of aitive Oc- tober 1, 1'007. Second class mall Registration Number 0710. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the. went of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for et the ap- plicable rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price. goods or services may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star Is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts. photos or other materials used for reproducing pur- poses. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER-President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK-Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES-Editor P.O. BOX 220, HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 When the party's ov The political pundits and prognosticators across the country were having a field day this week following the Conservative party national convention in Winnipeg. At that convention, Conservative leader Joe Clark gained the backing of .66.9 per cent of the 2,402 delegates. who voted on the question of leadership review. That percentage, represented about the same support for Clark in the previous convention but the opposition leader said it was not enough. After the vote he called for a leadership convention and announced that he would be a candidate. Since that announcement, late Friday evening, a host of potential candidates have been coming out of the wood- work. Everyone from, Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, Ontario Premier Wiliam Davis, millionair . Peter Pocklington to formes'cabinet minister Darcy McKeough have been touted as candidates for the position. • The entire situation presents a paradox of Canadian politics. The country is seemingly it odds with the present Liberal government and have made known their preference for the Conservative party in national gallup polls. But, the Conservative party itself is at complete odds on the leadership question. If Canadian had poor and suspect impressions of politics before, the Conservative convention did little to impress. The Conservative party may well find itself without a leader and the Canadian political system may well be without an official leader of the opposition in the House of Commons. Both present dangeroussituatio for i'le Canadian public. . It may well be the right thing to do ii rk officially resigned both his position as leader of the opposition and leader of the party in -preparation of the leadership con- vention. So far he has been completely vague on his in- tentions. If he does in fact resign as leader of the opposition it could pave to way for the:: f d liv iberals to run roughshoer • the House. d it would &certainly be an opportune tithe for Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberals to call for an. election. . . If the Conservative convention sirved to accomplish anything; it certainly destroyed much of the party's credibility with Canadians. Clark had been elected Prime Minister, the party enjoyed a more than comfortable lead in theopnion polls and a clear mandate from the delegates would have stood the pary on good ground. Instead, Clark must now battle for his political life, the party may be suspect and split and unity is just a pre- convention word. - Time is running out on the Liberal mandate in Ottawa but it is also running out on the anti -Clark faction and soon the phantom would-be successors will have to come out of hiding and declare themselves as leadership candidates. The country and its people deserve an effective op- . position but the Conservative delegates at the Winnipeg convention have thrown the system into disarray. D.S. Will restore confidence For many years the Province of Ontario's trust com- panies occupied a respected position in the field of finance. The chartered banks were as safe as the government itself, structured and limited as they were by strict regulations which protected depositors and the , money they entrusted to the banks. The trust companies were, on. the other hand, less hampered by government regulation. For instance, many of them were formed for the precise purpose of funding the mortgage market in a day when the banks were not permitted to deal in mortgages. A few generations passed before any major trust company met disaster, proving that they were vulnerable to economic pressure or mismanagement. Most notable example was the catastrophic demise of one of the "biggies" British Mortgage and Trust. Within the past few weeks the general public has wat- ched the drama of dollars unfold as Crown Trust, one of the most reliable companies in the field, along' with two others, Greymac and Seawayh Trust, became involved in transactions which were terminated when they were taken over by the government of the province. The pivotal point was the rumored sale'of nearly 11,000 Toronto apartment units to the Saudi Arabians.. It would take a financial wizard to follow the wheeling and dealing which led up to the fiasco and as things stand at present, such a wizard has failed to materialize. How many investors will lose money there is no telling. Whether there was criminal actions in any of the deals remains to be seen. . . But one consequence is already clear. There is bound to be a loss of credibility in the trust 'companies generally: Depositors seeking safe havens for their savings will, in many cases, decide to stick to the chartered banks. Although such. reaction is inevitable, it is at the' same time regrettable. The trust companies have served a very useful purpose over the years and there is still a viable' place for them in our system. Obviously the Ontario government will have to draft new and stiffer rules for the opo tion of trust companies. It has aeady made the first move by requiring deposit insurance for $60,000, increased last week from the prevailing $20,000. Perhaps the greatest need is for an up -dated system of reporting by trust companies to the responsible sectors of government. In the case of Crown-Greymac-Seaway the questionable deals had proceeded too far for authorities to intervene. The only course left open was to freeze Ur em in their tracks. It is likely that within a few weeks new regulations will be announced, and depositors will once more be able to deal with the trust companies in full confidence that their savings are in reliable hands.<,(Wingham Advance Times) Christians should take a long hard look - Dear Editor, The King James version Bible says at Exodus 9:13,15,16: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up ear- ly in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say un- to him .. , thou shalt be ,cut off from the earth. And for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." Again, at Psalm 83:18: "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art t11te most high over all the earth." Thus Jehovah made clear his purpose to have his universal sovereignty vin- dicated. But, what have "Christians" done to the Bi- ble which is God's Word of which God himself says: "It shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) The "Christians" wh`o translated the Df UAY ver- sion, while admitting "the name is in the Hebrew text" have left the name out of the text entirely. (Footnote on Chapter 6 of Exodus, verse 2) The "Christians" who translated the King James version used the name "JEHOVAH" in only four places, and the abbreviation "JAH" at Psalm 68:4. But in every other place where the name occurs in the text originally, they have substituted "the LORD". (Exodus 6:3; Isaiah 12:2, 26:4; Psalnir93.18) The ' `ChrtStians" who pro- duced the American Stan- dard version used the name "Jehovah" 6,823 times in the No snow By Dave Sykes Hebrew text, but not at all in the Christian Greek Scrip- tures. These are incontrovertible facts, and should make those of us who profess Christiani- ty take a long, hard look at ourselves. They should help honest -hearted people see how necessary it is for each Christian, individually, to "Study ,o IsheW thyself ap- proved With. God,,a workman that needeth ' not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of th." (Second Timothy 2:15) C. P. Barney DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER I caught a few dramatic moments of ' the Progressive Conservative convention in Win- nipeg Friday evening. You know the ones - just after the vote when everyone was waiting for the announcement about whether or not Joe Clark would get the majority he needed to carry on as leader of the party? As usual, the television announcers had to fill time until the ballots were counted ... and until Joe had an opportunity to determine his strategy and to outline his statement concerning it, to the crowd., And as usual, they did an entertaining job. They talked to some people in favour of Clark and to some people opposed to Clark. They tallied to a few very knowledgeable political animals and to a few ordinary delegates whose political savvy Was negligible. They asked some predictable questions and they asked some rather pointed questions designed to unnerve and to trip the respondent into revealing a little more than normal. And they speculated about why it was taking the PC organizers so long to get the results ... and about what Joe Clark would do about the results if they were favourable or°vnfavourable: They even tried to guess what would happen in the Liberal and NDP camps if the results. were favourable - or unfavourable - to Joe. But with all their questioning and speculating, they failed to accurately determine Joe Clark's actions. And..while .Joe Clark had their full at- tention, he i" tainly didn't fall into the mould set for him by the press. In my opinion, Joe Clark surprised everyone except perhaps some of his closest associates when he asked for a leadership review even though he' had a Clear majority to proceed as PC leader: I've always viewed Joe Clark as a scrapper - the kind of politically ambitious guy tvho would hang onto power with every .fibreof his being. The country has certainly seen that side of Joe Clark as he has doggedly battled' against op. - position from all. side's - even from his own party members. But for a while Friday evening, I wondered if I'd been wrong about Clark. I was ready to ap- plaud when he demonstrated some' real party loyalty and suggested he was willing ' to relinquish his leadership if it meant the Progressive Conservative party would be knit more tightly into a viable alternative to the present government. In his speech following the vote, Joe Clark gave the impression the PC Party - not Joe Clark - was uppermost in, his mind. And I was im- pressed. I was even more impressed the next day when it was announced that Joe Clark had resigned"as party leader ... and that he would be a serious candidate in the leadership race - which was planned for June or so. That takes guts I thought. Joe Clark must be admitting to himself that maybe, just maybe, his style of leadership isn't fully appreciated by the people of this nation ... and that his party should at least have an opportunity to select a new leader if such was deemed necessary to the continued success of the PCs in Canada. But when Monday came, my hopes were dashed. The lead story in Monday's London Free Press stated: "Joe Clark has called for a Progressive Conservative leadership convention but hinted Sunday he might try to stack the deck by in- timidating potential challengers out of running n against A Toronto=Star front page story the same day said: "Clark clouded the search for his successor by showing up at the first meeting . of the executive' .to say he would resign at an "ap- propriate" time. A Clark aide, the story went on, implied Clark is trying to smoke out his challengers ' and make them confront him publicly. The Star also suggested Clark was attempting to engineer an early leadership review so that he would have a clear advantage over any others who might oppose him. A party spokesman, according to The Free Press, said it could be interpreted as a dare for high -power -candidates to take on Clark in what might be a "bloody squabble". "He( Clark) might be saying it's disloyal to the party to challenge him," the. Free Press story continued. Alas, Joe Clark appears to have recovered from a momentary lapse of putting party before personal power. A good sleep and a weekend of ego -pumping seems to have restored Joe Clark's cocky attitude that he's the best answer to all of Canada's woes. There is' no doubt that the Liberals ate en- joying the PCs disarray, and .the fact that Joe and the boys have been washing their dirty linen on national television is just that much more icing on the cake. Did you see the party faithful carrying anti -Clark placards? .On Friday evening, Joe Clark behaved as I would expect a.mature -Canadian political party leader to behave. On Monday, it looked as though it was back to the same old Joe with the same old foot in his mouth. Even a new party president from Alberta won't be able to offset such childishness. So, I would stop and think a moment Drea Deal. Editor, The boys down on Queen's Street Met, one sad October day They said, we haven't much to do So, let's close a facility or two. We can start on the small institutions The hicks up there won't know We will put numbers in a hat And watch the big ones grow. I hope the.eabiinet realises That things do not work that way So I would stop, and think a moment If I were you Mr. Drea. LETTE I can see trying to save money We all try as hard as we can But to treat people like cattle It must be hard for you to keep friends. I know all the burden Shouldn't lie on you alone But why send the joe boys up And you stay safe at home. I guess the six facilities Will not mean that much to you But to close them down permanently Is the wrong thing to do. The residents at Bluewater Would lie to stay I'knoW And if they were in a position There is no place they would go. The thing that bothers me on this I think you will agree That all these residents, Enjoy this facility. To' close down these in- stitutions Is a sad thing I must say But what the hell is the difference The residents are the ones who will have to pay. They say that Most of these residents Will go out into group homes Whoever heard of sucli. ' nonsense It's to the larger institutions they will roam. But when all is said and done And Queen's Park is sitting on their butts I hope they will stop and think Whatever happened to the residents. Harold Larfib, Goderich. More letters appear on page