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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1986-09-10, Page 2OPINION 4Huron ,Expositor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Incorporating Brussels Post 10 Main Street 527-0240 Published, In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning ED BYRSKI, General Manager HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor The Expositor is brought to you each week by the efforts of: • Pat Armes, Bess!. Broome, Marlene Charters, Joan Guichelaar, Anne Hull, Joanne Jewitt, Dianne McGrath, Lois Mcliwain, Bob McMillan, Cathy Malady and Patrick Raltts. Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $20.00 a year, In advance Outside Canada $60.00 a year, In advance Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1986 • Second class mall registration Number 0696 IG7 cn Humanize methods • It is always amazing, in a supposedly civilized society, to discover some area of that society still operating in a manner befitting the Dark Ages. Any efforts, however belated, to bring the Tight of day to such situations should be applauded. Ontario Community and Social Services Minister John Sweeney, has recently directed his ministry on a course toward. reducing, if not completely eliminating, the use of methods that sound more like torture than treatment, in Institutions for the mentally retarded. Several months ago the minister announced publicly, he was upset to learn that leading social workers and psychiatrists believed it was necessary to administer electrical shocks, by means of a cattle prod, to some mentally handicapped people with self-destructive tendencies. Use of straitjackets and heavy medication to control residents is also in practice at some institutions. While extraordinary measures are obviously required by those dealing with the mentally handicapped, it is to be hoped everything possible is being done to insure these measures are as humane as they can be. The mentally handicapped are, after all, III people in need of treatment, not criminals deserving of punishment. To his credit, Mr. Sweeney has taken his research Into the matter so far as to actually use the cattle prod on himself to determine Its suitability as a form of treatment, and he found it wanting. He has asked the Ontario Research Foundation to develop a new type of prod that would be less painful than the one now In use In several Institutions. He has also directed use of such prods In the future be limited to one Government centre, "to ensure that all Individuals receiving this treatment will have access to the same rigid controls." Not perhaps, as laudable a position as banning use of such devices altogether, but at least, a step In the right direction. At present 11 people are ctitiVh1171BATrirfreattlif With' We pY6d TI1 ihf'e'd diff&Ohl Institutions: • Despite the use of this antiquated device, Ontario Is still apparently a leader In progressive behavior -modification programs, according to Mr. Sweeney. The minister has stated that a survey of programs across North America has revealed not one program which uses more sophisticated equipment than this province. Still, any situation which could be construed as a violation of human rights must be carefully examined. Many dictatorial regimes In foreign countries have claimed their treatment of unsatisfactory Individuals is merely "behavior -modification." It's one of those shady -sounding Newspeak phrases, that are capable of application to a whole range of definitions. It is too easy, to shuffle the mentally handicapped off to institutions and forget that even there, they are entitled to the same form of human rights as everyone else. — P.R. Support the Fair Accomplice by trickery When the cat's away, the mice will play. Or so they say. I had always believed there had tobe at least a modicrum of truth to this old, and rather silly -sounding adage, but I wasn't aware to what extent until the head cat at this establishment recently took his chances on the good intentions of the resident mice, and went on vacation. "You want to move the boss' what?" i asked incredulously when another member of The FSmositor staff suggested the head man's absence presented the perfect oppor- tunity to relocate his filing cabinet. I had reason to be dubious since the whereabouts of the aforementioned cabinet had been discussed before, in the presence of the big guy, and any motions to move it had been vetoed with little discussion. However, when my co-worker insisted she ' hacl "authorization" from the boss himself, I concluded I would be justified in claiming I had been duped into assisting in this covert operation, should said "authorization prove tof have come from a source other than head office... The original plan was a simple one. Merely slide the cabinet from Point A,where it was allegedly causing near-catasrophic incon- venience to all and sundry, to point B, where it would not. What harm could that do? Unfortunately, Point B, turned out to be an even less satisfactory location for the cabinet than the much -despised Point A: and so began the search for the elusive Utopia of Point C. W hen the cabinet's final resting place was finally located, it turned out to be in another office altogether, namely that of the co-work- er who had instigated the idea of moving it. Nothing fishy here? FROM THIS ANGLE .1109.1 by Patrick Raftis Had the matter ended. there, one could safely assume the boss would have no more than a mild coronary, upon his return to work, But it didn't. Seems the area of wall behind Point A had been (intentionally we believe) overlooked by the previous .occupant of the office when he had painted the room, a considerable time ago. The boss, we concluded, would be slightly less than pleased with this new two-tone look to his office wall. in the interests of our continued employment with this company, we began to rack our brains for a solution. It was pointed out, by a member of the office entourage who had gathered to observe our redecorating efforts, that thseveral scras ofperep was at our fleft over rom thsale last time anyone had attempted to upgrade the esthetic situation of the building's interior. We could, she pointed out, use these to rectify the situation. As I am wont to do at such times, 1 dug out my ponderous supply of sage advice and warned myco•workers against the dangers of performing unsolicited wallpapering in your supervisor's workplace. My sage advice went, as it usually does, unheeded and the wallpapering began. At this point, Iattempted to absolve myself of further involvement in this sordid business, but to no avail. I was already in too deep. I was called upon to change the position of the octopus -like maze of speaker wires that had hung 'unattractively, yet perfectly functional, all over the office, i assisted in displacing the bulletin board to the point where it, like the cabinet, was no longer even in the same office, I even participated in the near-sacreligious ritual of moving a man's desk to a new position without his sanction. Actually we moved it to several new positions including one which would have seen the boss pinned irrevocably behind it in the far corner of the office, should he find himself able to gain access to it at all. Much to my relief the desk was eventually found to be most suitable in its original position. Some things, after all, should never change. As of this writing, I have not yet been able to gauge the full effect of this disruption of the boss' sanctuary. He has at this point seen it only briefly, and said little about it. This may be a gobd indication, or only the calm before the storm. Should the storm break in the near future, you will not be able to find out about it by reading this column. You will have to turn to the classified section and look for this advertisement. EXPERiENCED -- Reporter-redecorator seeks employment with progressive comp- any. Available immediately, if not sooner. ,q Men at work The Seaforth Agricultural Society, in planning the 1986 Fall Fair, has certainly come across more than a "fair" share of stumbling blocks. Perhaps the biggest of these has been the increased liability insurance rates, which are causing small town fairs throughout the province to dwindle in size and/or numbers. Seaforth has however overcome that obstacle and it is once again, Fall Fair time. In recognition of that fact local residents are urged to attend the myriad of activities at this, Seaforth's 141st Fall Fair. Activities are scheduled to take place Thursday, September 18 beginning at 8 p.m. and will run all through the day an Friday. TO THE EDITOR Letter hits hone To the Editor: I discovered this artiae in the London Free tares and it really' •hit home". Please print it with the hopes some of our young people and others will "see the light." A Concerned indivldaal Fbr the sake of this story, we will call the high school Central. We will place it somewhere in the Midwest, say Minneapolis. Central has a football team, a band, a Latin club, and until this moment, it had a Senior lass of about 200. To make a point, we are going to let Central High School assume the burden of all the teenagers who will die in one year in accidents involving drunken driving. Threw be neo seniordass at Central this year. seniordass for the nett 45 years. By that time, 9,000 young people won't live to See their drploriras. Half of them may hot have taken a drink or have driven the car. They will be the victims of drunken drivers. Amanda *DI be one of there. She always believed you had to eornehomewith the Sonia bey who took you to a dance. She didn't stop to think that the young boy who -showed up at the same boy fiveher door sober ryas not hours. laterwhocot du'tgettheCarkeyinthe ignition by bmmself. The junior,dass prophecy! said Pam, was going to be the next Supreme Court *gee. She didn't like her image. -She was bred of being considered out of it' ,so she accepted m a tide bottlefrtlApia& With a boy Whom asleep at the,wheei of acar'witli a beet carton his hand. Pane's head went through the windshield. Had Andy been born, he would have been fn the dass of2'017, but his bother, who died, a member of the 1994 Oass, never had the dianedto malty or give With to hunt. She was riding a bicycle at dusk when a motorist who drank too much at his retirement party ran her down. Central High Moot closed its doors in 2029 as itS entoIment steadily deaeated• The has ecbeed with mal songs that were never sung. valedictorians Who never spoke and cfieers that never were heard. But more than that were the promises.of 9,000 destinies that never were to be fu'tfiiled. The peeple of this country diarnpion the lives of helpless seals, unborn�> �, abused abandoned dogs and eats, alcoholics-, the elderly and the, diseaserid- den, When will We weep for the phantom lasses at Central High. The wonid-have= beans and ,,'the should have -beans Who thought death was a companion to old age. To hefar4+ral, Iwouldhave topoint outthat in the 45 years that the senlor classes of Central were wiped out, 405,000 young people between the ages of i5 and 24 also would have died, eliminating the need for 44 more Cenlial High Sd cols the number of When yore; add to••;bthat .._a �d. . p_a�re,-ntS'y IirdtherS, s�§ters, �1'8t7 plreh ifr ends an lovers wb''died with thein, the Pl of human nnsery js s geriing. That's nota pun. lea a reminder. by Patrick Raftis Males, females can be friends Life is full of many frustrntlons, and one of my biggest is attempting to deal with people who can't accept a friendship at face value. I have difficulty comprehending the antiquated views that friendship can only occur between persons of the same sex, and that friendship between those of different sexes can only lead to something more than a platonic relationship. Rubbish. I will admit that a lot of serious relationships have resulted out of friendship, but that does not necessarily mean that every co-ed relationship is destined to the same end. A friend is a friend is a friend, so to speak, and whether they be of the same gender really Is inconsequential. Perhaps some of nay thinking to from the fad. that i grew up in an o t setting than Seafortb. Somehow life in the city seems to stimulate less conjecture abut relationships. Friendships are encoued whether they be between males and males, females and females or a combination of the two. FYom talking to some of the loeal teenagers in town, primarily females, I've been surprised to learn the majority of them are afraid to maintain friendships with persons of the op, . ite sex. Most say that fear caws from ', a fact that no one believes Such an innocent and beautiful thing soda as SWEATSOCKS EATSOCKS by Heather Mcllwraith friendship can evolve oetween two persons who aren't scientifically categorized as similar. And that's sad. Sad because males and females can offer each other much more than sexual gratifica- tion. They can offer each other a means of broadening their outlook on life. Since their interests are most often different or at least either more or less intense than their counterpart, their friendship can be an educational experience, ft can also be a lesson in bridging the communlcation gap between the sexes, But understanding that is another thing. Unfortunately though it is primarily the male populace that has the most difficulty understanding the io-ed, nonsexual rela- tionship- for whateverreason, !certainly saw that reflected in some of my brother's words and adions hen we were growing up. And it frustrated me to think he could not accept the fact that female could be dating one guy and be friends with another at the carr ' time • especially given the environment we grew up in. Certainly one wouldn't drop a friend who was a girl simply beteusa one had aegnired a boyfriend, just bemuse he happened to be a boy. it was a ridiculous reason. But getting that point across has always been a struggle for females. While most would say they are entirely dedicated to the person they are going out with at the time, they would also admit they are nevera when free of the air just cornimats ofterr they reveal a friendship with someone of the opposite sex. Most of the time, I would wager, those comments are uncalled for. Friendship should be regarded as sexless • and in striking cue up, gender should have no bearing whatsoever. For in promoting a friendship which is struck on suds a basis, we are promoting segregation between men and women, And with deet rift already there it would be a shame to widen it furter. Committee to review plan JACK'S JOTTINGS by Jack Riddell, MPP As part of the recent $54 talon Pork Incentive Plan I recently announced as Minister of Agriculture and Food, I have appointed an 11 member advisory comnut- tee. The committee, which IS composed of petit producers, veterinarians and staff from my ministry, wi11 review the pi:tigress of the program,oe (farmers' response and recom- neerid revise Already, my Ministry has announced some of the incentives available under the plan, including help under a new extension program that would include the hiring of 13 newpork advisors, as well as help with farm management progianas to improve the efficiency; productivity and profitability of Ontario's pork producers. There will also be grants to aid pork producers covering two-thirds of the costs for correcting ventilation problem ; buying weigh seas and washers, pregnancy detect- ing etecting equipment, and embryo transplant facilities. Grants will be available to help thrillers with rodent control problems, artifcialmseminatien, and veterina'ry-super- wised herd health programs. '. s few_o g li , . the These are '_ toof the hi hhghts of pageant and should you wish more details, please contact yoarldcal ag rep office, In the near future Twill be announcing more details of the other phase of, the program --the Marketing Assistance Plan for pork. CROP [NSITRANCE REVIEW The weather so far in the summer of 1916 has not beet kind to some of Ontario's cash croppers and fruit and vegetable growers, and crops have, suffered heavy damage ni isolated spots throughout the province. As Minister of Agriculture and Food, last Spring I had anticipated some ,problems With the federal-provrfCial cave insurance plan and had asked the Crop Insurance. Commission, together with the Ontario Federation of Agntuiture, to took mtothe program to see if it had any shortcomings. "their report is expected bythe•end of next month, and.. at that time I anticipate examining all options, together With my federal counterpart. I'OTATOSTABI ZATION Because of excellent growing conditions across Canelo last Year for fresh market { potatoes. Ontario potato growers were faced with some of the lowest returns for the crop in some years, some getting es little as $2.50 for a hundred pound bag of potatoes, far below their cost of production. The Ontario Government has decided to grant them 5500.000 in stabiliiahon grants. The grant, being made in anticipation of a new stabilization plan for fresh market potatoes which Thep to announce in the nein few weeks will pay the farmer 20.5 cents 'a hundredweight to a niaxirtum of $6,560 per farmer. • AGRICULTURECONMENCE During the last week of August, I have been privileged to represent Onfafo at the Federal Agriculture. Miinieteis' annual conference in Victoria 13 C,. At the same time l am helping II Ontario cwrecpanfds •and marketing boar, f1s to Markettheirprodtret at the giant Food Pacific rt 6 In Vans duvet, I )