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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1972-11-30, Page 4PAGE 4 ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1972 u Listen to thu ge (frons the Mount Forest Confederate) An unnamed reader recently mailed us the following comment, written by Michael Barrett in the Glasgow Weekly News; The law, somebody once said, is •an ass. And sometimes the comments of judges when they sentence people seem to confirm that view. But this week I came across a judge's obser- vations which were so acute and wise that they have been quoted all over the world. I would like to repeat them at some length. The judge is Alfonso Sepe and this is what he said when he sentenced a 17 -year-old youth to prison for possessing hallucinogenic drugs and assaulting a policeman. "Do you know who is going to serve that year? Not you; your mother and father will serve -that year. Your body is in the stockade for a year, but their souls are tormented for a lifetime. "I have not spent five cents on raising you. I don't know you from Adam, but your mother and father have put their lives, their hearts, their sweat, their money and everything else they have into bringing you up. "And now they have to sit in this court- room and listen to a total stranger, who had nothing to do with your upbringing, scold you and put you in jail. "This is a time when phoney kids your ages are yelling. "You adults have your alcohol, we want our drugs; you have polluted our water and air, you have polluted this and that; and all the rest of that garbage that comes out of your mouths. "I want you to think of this for one year and the reason why I say it is, if you are sick, a doctor will treat you, and he won't be high on drugs. The lawyer who represents you won't be high on drugs, and the people in whose custody you will be won't be high on drugs. "Your astronauts are not on drugs, your president is not, and your legislators are not. And your engineers, who built the bridges you drive across, and the tunnels you drive through are not high on drugs. Those who build the planes you fly in and the cars you drive are not. "But in the world of the future that same may not be true. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, legislators ---products of the new drug -oriented generation ---may well be high as kites. "You know whom to send your children to, or whom to trust your life to. Let's see what kind of world you leave to your children before you talk about the world that we left to ours," CBC -TV's popular show for youngsters Drop In has undergone some changes this season. The show is now seen five days a week at 4:30 p.m. (5:00 p.m. Nfld.) There are now hosts in eight locations instead of just Toronto and Vancouver as was the case last year. One of the additions to the Toronto Drop In" gang, and a plus in anybody's book, is pretty Lynne Griffen ZURICH Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 Auk Member: Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association 1,. Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association 4,11%," Subocription Rates: $$.00 per year in advance in Canada; OKI in United States and Foreign; single copies 10 cents. SQUIRRELS, RATS AND CATS -- I IUMBUG! Squirrels in the attic and a cat at the door. Winter is on its way. "Yep, the squirrels, after about five years of exile, have managed to chew their way back into the attic, and are happily holding their regular family quarrels, wakes, wedd- ings, bowling games and foot - races right over -head. There probably aren't more than three or four hundred of them, to judge from the com- motion. And I'm helpless. Once they get in, you might as well wait until spring, when they emerge and you can whack up some tin patches over their entries. I like to have black squirrels around the place, but not in the place. They're cute and picturesque hopping about on the lawn, picking up acorns in their dainty mitts and swivelling their little bright, beady eyes about as they chew. But when you can't see them, and all you can do is hear, they're not so cute. The only picture of them I have in winter is of a couple of young buck. squirrels gnawing away on the insulation covering my wiring, and chatting• "Hey, jack, this is better than the hole in the oak we lived in last winter. Right?" "Right, George. It was kinda crowded with the eighty-four of us. And no central heating except our own. And down to an acorn a day by February. This is great. Lots of room for jogg- ing to keep in shape. Lots of heat. And - mmmmmm- I love that electrician's tape," They remind me of a rat who took over nocturnally in our room in prison camp barracks in the winter of '44-45. One singe, lousy rat had eighteen grown men in a state of nightly alarums and excursion At first, he'd wake somebody up with his gnawing. It was a cross between the sound of a chain saw and that of a snow- mobile. It was a welcome diversion, in the beginning. Sort of comp- any, as though somebody cared. We named him Packy and talked about him rather fondly. For a while. But then the nerves started to wear thin. There's something nerve-wracking about a huge rat chomping away right in your ear, as it seemed. It got to the point where no- body could go to seep. We'd lie there, nerves strumming, wait- ing for Packy's evening perfor- mance to begin, each of us clutching a weapon, a boot or a bedboard. The little devil seemed to know that he had us right where he wanted us. One night he'd start right after lights -out, and suddenly stop, just when we thought we'd located him. Next night, he'd lie there chuckling --and we'd have sworn we could hear the chuckle keeping us in suspense until it was almost unbearable. Then he'd give a couple of zrooms. And stop. In a few minutes he'd start again, gnawing steadily and contemptuously. At last, somebody's nerves would break, there'd be the flare of a match and eighteen of us would leap out of our bunks, flailing at the spot we were sure he was in. He never was, and it's a wonder somebody wasn't killed in the confusion. Because we all had a different spot. Well, that's enough about squirrels and rats. But I know exactly why people use the term "squirrelly" as a synonym for being a bit mental. The other manifestation of winter horrors I mentioned was our cat. In summer, she's lean and tawny, a tigress prowling her domain, stalking bumble- bees and butterflies and birds. And she's outside, day and night A lovely cat. As soon as the first wind comes out of the north, she turns into Mr. Hyde. She hangs on the screen door, howling pit- iably. She has ruined three screen doors. Does she want love, affection, admiration? No. She wants in. And once in, she wants grub. I have never kicked an animal, but when that pig of a cat lurches in like a hyena scenting a fresh kill and starts rubbing against my legs when I'm trying to rattle up some breakfast for myself, there's a grave tempt- ation to turf her right into the kitchen sink. She's an unlovely cat. Fat and demanding, like some wives, And she thinks I'm her husband. Apparently my un -love affair with cats has been mentioned before, because I have here a letter to the Listowel Banner from Rita Dodkin, II. I'll quote parts, "Cats are very useful in many different ways than 'putting them on a calendar." They prov- ide rowide lots of company for old and lonely people who cannot have dogs because they can't give them the right exercise. They pamper and pet their cats be- cause they enjoy it." "I think this is far from turning them into 'bloated, contemptu- ous parasites' as Mr. Smiley said They look so sweet when they sleep on your best chair. When they rub your legs I think they are trying to show love. Our cats always tried to show love. I used to have one but now I'm getting one next spring." Rita, you might get one long before next spring. 0 SOMEBODY CARES When illness or unemploy- ment strikes, a family can't afford even small Christmas gifts. But the Salvation Army can see to it that there are warm clothes and toys for the children and a holiday dinner. Along with material assistance, The Salvation Army offers the reassurance of knowing that somebody cares. 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