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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-12-14, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,1983 DAVE SYK _ Member: eNA Second class mail registration number 0716 The imperially slim owner of this fine establishment referred to as a newspaper in journalism vernacular, cruised through the department the other day while clutching a finished product. Knowing that it was too early for a daily dose of razor-sharp witticisms, amply dispensed with by the members of the editorial department, I mentally prepared a list of major fax pas over the past few weeks. Near as I could figure, there wasn't any major screw up, most the staff was showing up, late but at least sober and we'd long since given up sleeping at our desks. His presence, though, was unnerving to the point of distraction. I got up from a reclining position in my office and proceeded to exchange pleasantries with the man in that cute, manipulative way I have. Some call it grovelling, I rather prefer to call it manipulation. It was after a few brief moments of idle chatter that the publisher got the point of the matter. Glancing at the front page of one his prized publications, he noticed a posed picture of my son with the young daughter of a newspaper r„..olleague. "What's this nepotism?" he barked in that manner inherent in all publishers. "Nepotism?" I asked feigning stupidity. "Yea, nepotism. Your son is on the cover of one of my papers again," he offered by way of ex $lanation. "Oh, that kind of nepotism," I replied. "You had me there for a minute. I wasn't sure which kind of nepotism you were referring to at first." "Well look, it wasn't my idea, honest. They just told me to bring the kid in to work, smuggled him out to some barn with this little girl and took pictures. It was all en- tirely against my will. Cute picture though, isn't it." "Wasn't your kid's picture in the paper last year too?" the publisher queried. "Funny you should mention that. In fact it was and it won't be long now that he'll be on the payroll," I boldly suggested. Another Sykes working diligently to ruin an entire newspaper empire, unrelentingly built over the years, was more than the publisher could handle. He left the room quite suddenly and has not been seen since. Of course since that conversation, I've taken it upon myself to become familiar with this word, nepotism. Loosely translated it means favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business or politics. I'll have to concede that round to the publisher and I know that one day my kid will probably hate me for the public ex- posure he has unkowingly received to date. ++++++++ Is the crass eominer,i•liq,., of Christmas getting you down? I area having difficulty relating to the trendy Cabbage Patch Dolle and honestly can't understand the popularity of theltem. But, I am convinced, all you have to do is convince people they need something, especially at Christmas. The idea has spawned a host of imitators which will enjoy modest success on the market. I have to bite my lip everytiine I think of a reasonably same man making millions of dollars selling let rocks. The idea is so ludicrous that I wish I was the originator" Well, pet rocks were bad enough, now you can buy your youngsters Punk Rocks. A Florida real-estate salesman came up with the brilliant idea one day and sold his Chevette to buy rocks. Add a funny hairdo and glasses and you have punk rocks. Sound bizarre. The man now has 135 people working for him and he now drives a Mercedes. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded in 11348 and published every Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA, OC NA and ABC Audit Stamina of Circulations. Subscriptions payable in advance '20.95, (Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege Gerd number required) in Canada. '55. to 13.8.x.,'55. to all other countries, Single copies 50°. Display, National and Classified sdvertieing rates available on request. please ask for hats Gard No. 14 effective October 1, 1983. Advertising is accepted or, the condition that in the event 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 at the appliable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services eta wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sail, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos ar other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES - Editor P.O t`,e ael(e\C.,\Ci HUCKINS BOX lata BT. G ® INOUSTR AL 000E ICII, PARK OOOERICM, ONT. N7A 498 FOR BUSINESS DR EDITORIAL OFFICES...pleeee phone, [819] S24-8331 Cabbage mentality It simply boggles the mind, this craze about a toy called the Cabbage Patch doll The Listowel Banner says. For those readers who haven't caught up with this latest in Christmas marketing gimmicks, the Cabbage Patch doll is a chubby-cheeked, rather ugly doll being manufac- tured by Coleco Industries of West Hartford, Conn. Stores can't stock enough of the toys. In some large shopping centre fights have actually broken out among shoppers trying to get at the limited supply. So far this doesn't sound a whole lot different than earlier Christmas shopping crazes such as Pumpkinhead dolls, Barbie dolls, pet rocks, or last year's sensation, the game Trivial Pursuit. But there is a difference here — a difference bordering on sick. The advertising gimmick behind the purchase of the Cabbage Patch doll is that the purchaser doesn't BUY one of these things, he or she ADOPTS. it. This transaction comes complete with adoption papers, if you please. There's more. If we are to believe news reports, these dolls are being snapped up by not only parents for their youngsters for Christmas, but by lonely senior citiiens who purchase them as companions to be loved and upon which to lavish attention. On the surface this business of handing out adoption papers for make-believe babies from cabbage patch might seem cute and harmless. It's about as harmless as those posed and contrived photographs of females in all those magazines the public is finally getting worried about. Just as so-called girlie magazines dehumanize females, this idea of adopting a play -toy dehumanizes the reality of adoption. it turns' adoption into a commercial commodity, something to be purchased over a toy counter. Furthermore, the name given these dolls must be giving educators and many parents a sense of deja vu. It harkens back to those days long past when children who asked where they came from were told they were found under a cabbage leaf. Many children actually believed that to be true. What are they now being subtly persuaded to think — that adopted children come from cabbage patches? That this kind of dehumanizing advertising gimmick should be .tied into the Christian celebration of Christmas makes this craze not only a sick one. but a very sad one. r Thanks to volunteers Dear Editor, I am extending to the many individuals, clubs, groups, institutes and business people of Goderich Township and surrounding townships, towns and villages appreciation on behalf of the residents and staff of the Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally HandicaPPed. Your participation with us as a neighbor, friend and volunteer has enriched our lives and program needs for the residents at the • Centre over the past many years. I would be reluctant to list by name the many, many people involved with us for fear of. missing one. I would like to note, however, those members of the Goderich Ministerial Association and congregations who administered to our spiritual needs; Grace Patterson, Vi Bridle. Kaye Prevett, Fran Rae, Jean Papernick and George Ross for their confidence in us and for always be- ing there; John Hindmarsh for his generous contribution of property and buildings; Walter Maclllwain for consultation and par - LETTERS ticipation; Alexandra Marine and General( Hospital staff; and Dr. Coman Doorly for medical services. I am pleased to tell you that by all indica- tions more than half of our population of 150 are being welcomed and received into com- munity living and day programs, while the balance because of individual need, will con- tinue in facility training programs. May we continue to be mindful of the needs of our community's "special" popula- tion and provide some personal time and energy to assure their progress and accep- tance. Sincerely, W. T. Gregg, Administrator, Bluewater Centre. Wintery walk By Dave Sykes DEAR READERS SHIRLEY KELLER' Christmas or not, this week it's a large, loud B000000 to the six reeves in Huron County who are apparently so shortsighted they can't see the wisdom of teaching a few more courses on municipal affairs in the schools. This surprising sextet includes Goderich Township Reeve Grant Stirling, the 1983 Warden of Huron County; Reeve Lionel Wilder of Hay Township; Tuckersmith Reeve Robert Bell; Blyth Reeve Tom Cronin; Morris Reeve Bill Elston; and Brussels Reeve Cal Krauter. Along with my criticism of their undemocratic position on this matter comes my personal in- vitation to use this space in The Goderich Signal - Star in the next few weeks to explain their "reasons" - the ones to which Reeve Lionel Wilder referred in his comments at the council meeting December 1 - for turning down the resolution from the city of Stratford. That Stratford resolution asked that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Education create programs for teaching municipal affairs. 1'0 24 other reeves and deputy -reeves at Huron County Council, this resolution sounded reasonable and helpful for the long term ef- fectiveness of municipal councils. One reeve, James Aitchison of West Wawanosh Township, was absent when the vote was taken. As a taxpayer in the year 1983, I simply cannot believe there are elected persons in this county who are so backward and so pompous as reeves Bell, Cronin, Elston, Krauter, Stirling and Wilder appear to be from their stand on this issue. If it were not so very, very sad it would be funny. What possible harm could come of having people informed and intelligent about the workings of municipal government? Could it be that these six reeves fear that if people really do know their municipal rights, they would discover that some municipal of- ficials including those elected to office and being paid from the public purse, really aren't any more knowledgeable than they need to be? Or maybe they feel that if John Q. Public understood things better, he would be asking more questions? Demanding more openness? Giving more opinions? Taking more interest? Making more waves? After all, look at the headache county council is currently having with Elsa Haydon who knows her municipal rights as well or better than most municipal councillors. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing in such cases, especially when it results in requests for legal changes that could shake up a few rather comfortable old habits. It might not hurt at all for these six reeves to think back a few years ... to the time when municipal councils and school boards had much greater control over their own municipal destiny. They may begin to see that as federal and provincial government has become more and more sophisticated ... as more and more duties have been heaped on these two levels of government ... less and less of the decision- making has been left with municipal councils. The reason? There are those who tend to believe the explanation is that municipal councillors as a general rule have not kept pace with it all. They haven't made themselves aware of the needs and demands of society. They haven't been flexible enough to adapt to these changes. Part of the problem may be that municipal government - even municipal government as we know it in this part of Ontario - is no longer a parttime thing for those elected to public office. To be really effective as a member of any municipal council, one has to be ready to work hard ... to give freely of one's time and talents hour upon hour. It used to be that council membership was rather like a social club membership, a group of the community's elite getting its rewards from the respect of the "little people" who were on the outside looking in. All that is gone today ... or at least it should be. Today's council members need to read and to study, to attend courses and to keep up-to-date on a multitude. -of new and complicated' affairs. It's no snap ... and it's not something one can acquire by simple osmosis. Local municipal councils are having more problems than ever before filling vacancies with people who are not only interested and willing, but who have the time and the energy to fulfill their duties. Too many times the best candidates for municipal council just cannot be recruited because they are wise enough to comprehend that it's too big a job to do after work one or two nights a week. Perhaps if municipal affairs were a subject at school - like math and science, spelling and reading - our youth would grow up with a basic working knowledge that would help them help their communities. Maybe they would develop new interest in municipal affairs. Maybe voter apathy would decrease because voters would know more of what to expect and how to achieve it. Surely all this would have a positive effect at all levels of government, for all types of people in all walks of life. Finally to the six i eves of Huron County Council who opposed the resolution originating in Stratford, I remind them they are invited to have the last word this time. One or all of them can respond to this column - in writing - and their comments will be published without further editorial opinion in this column by this writer on this vital issue. Let's hear from you guys. The platform is all yours. There is great comfort and security in the knowledge that in our country a person is in- nocent unless proven guilty in a court of law, in accordance with certain principles, pro- cedures and practices which apply equally to everyone. It would place all of us in a dangerous position, if some groups or in- dividuals could be picked for privileged treatment in the application of laws. This is such a basic and simple premise that one could hardly expect to have to men- tion it. It appears, however, that from time to time we come face to face with cases in which a whole lot of well-meaning people seem to lose track of it. One such case is the Ottawa woman who said that she had been raped and then refus- ed to testify in court under oath when the two alleged rapists were brought to trial. For her refusal to testify, the judge found the woman in contempt of court and for that she spent five days in jail. A great deal of controversy raged last week (and continues in a more subdued form) in political arenas, women's "action" groups, news media and private conversa- tions. Our natural reaction of revulsion at the thought of rape has clouded a surprising lot of reasoning. Most of the headlines and editorials contained words to the effect that a rape victim has been jailed while rapists go free. As the woman refused to testify, no guilt or innocence could be proven. There were no rapists in this case. We do not know for sure whether there Was a victim. There were only allegations. How could we ever want anybody to be tried and convicted without the necessary admissible evidence, including sworn testimony? The woman was not sent to jail for being an alleged rape victim. The judge was not even dealing with rape at the time. He was dealing with a person's refusal to testify before court, i.e. contempt of court. I am among those who feel that the judge was un- fairly and unjustifiably attacked for simply upholding the law. The woman would not testify at the trial under oath; she said she feared reprisals against herself and her family' Although she admitted that they had received no threats, she demanded 24-hour protection for 20 years for herself, her mother and sister. 1 find it somehow difficult to reconcile in my own mind that a woman with such a strong fear would appear at a televised news con- ference. Although she remains nameless, the men who are said to have raped her surely must know who she is. One can readily imagine and understand the suffering and the terrible tumult of feel- ings of a woman who has been raped. One can also understand a woman's reluctance or refusal to come forward and complain in the first place, for all sorts of reasons, fear among them. However, this woman had fearlessly taken the first steps, causing the arrest (and release on bail) of the two men she accused. Their names were repeatedly mentioned by the media whilst hers remain- ed protected. She did not receive any threats. It is a pity that at this late date she did not feel she could continue with her case at the trial of the accused. For her refusal to do her duty, the woman became a media celebrity and, predictably, another feminist "cause". The men were acquitted. At the end it was the judge who received a tonguelashing. What bothers me about this case is the recently acquired tendency to demand two kinds of )justice - one for women, one for men. What exactly is the feminists' message in all this, seconded by some op- position politicians? That a man could be held in contempt of court, but not a woman? That a man could be tried and convicted of rape or whatever on some person's say-so, without the full and due process of law, without evidence, without sworn testimony at the trial? How is it logical to conclude that "now rape victims must also fear im- prisonment"? If we were no longer equal before law, it would be a terrible loss and danger for every individual. There can be no favourites. ELSA HAYDON