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The Citizen, 2017-01-12, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017. PAGE 5. Other Views And in conclusion... Black signs off when I started out in the column - writing racket a wise old newspaperman offered me some advice: "Two columns you should never write, kid" he growled. "Your first one and your last one". Point being, I surmised, that my first column would be callow and cringingly embarrassing, while my last column would be maudlin. And cringingly embarrassing. Well, that old newspaperman was right about my first column — it got me fired. For my fledgling effort I wrote a review of the beverage room at the local hotel. It was a rural Ontario watering hole and the theme was Deep Redneck. I wrote about the gold - flecked cowboy hats that bedecked the walls. I hailed the Hee Haw quartet that strummed and twanged on stage; the wise - guy beer clingers who kept the tables afloat in draft beer and dirty jokes. I saluted the rowdy clientele that drank and swore and laughed and danced and drank some more. The hotel proprietor liked my review so much he threatened to sue the paper. The editor compromised and the paper's newest columnist was unemployed before the ink on that column was dry. Arthur Black Lesson learned: if you want a career in newspapers it's best not to annoy the advertisers. Now I'm about to find out if the second half of the old newspaperman's warning is true. I am halfway through my last newspaper column. It's been a good run. I began writing my weekly column back in 1976 in Thunder Bay, Ontario for a paper called Lakehead Living. Other papers picked it up and over the years it's been published in just about every province and, weirdly, in a weekly for vacationing snowbirds in Florida and — even more weirdly — a Canadian Armed Forces sheet in what used to be West Germany. It was published once a week for 40 years, with only one five- or six-week hiatus while I recovered from appendicitis — and that was 30 - odd years ago. Why quit now? Because it's time. Fifty-two times forty comes out to a little over 2,000 columns and that's enough. The long-haired, weed-toking hippie that started this column has gentled down to a shiny-skulled, grey - bearded septuagenarian who can't remember where he left his reading glasses. I don't want to make it sound like I suffered to write this column. It's been a blast and I thank you all for taking the time to get together with me once a week to peruse my scribbles. But it's time. When I started out I wrote my columns on a typewriter — remember them? And then I mailed out individual copies to every newspaper on my list. This column is taking shape on a glowing screen in front of me. When I'm done it will be formatted, spell - checked, then whooshed away with the click of a button to re -materialize on other glowing screens in newspaper offices across the land. All very efficient. All very Brave New Worldish. But to tell the truth, I miss the clackety-clack of a typewriter and the stately pace of snail mail. Was that old newspaperman right about writing last columns? Kind of irrelevant at this point. But just in case, and before I get too maudlin... I'm outta here. Plain honesty is the best policy There is a series of books out there called The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and it's a pretty expansive read. There are 14 books in the series, including the optional prequel, totaling 11,916 pages in paperback form and, within those pages, there are dozens of characters to learn about, many of whom have powers that are akin to magic. One group of characters, called the Aes Sedai, were able to access magic through what is called, "The One Power", however, in gaining that ability, they are made physically unable to lie. The group can't say anything they know to be untrue, which leads to the creation of an entire order of politicians. Seem like a jump? It's not. One of the characters in the book plainly states that while the Aes Sedai can never lie, the truth they speak and the truth someone hears can be completely different. We're not talking about people who throw in double negatives to change the content of a sentence here, we're talking about people who were so practiced at word play they could say exactly what anyone wanted to hear and have the actual content of their sentence be the opposite of what was said. I'd go further, but, with nearly 12,000 pages to cover, I couldn't do the series justice here. Suffice to say, when I heard about this idea, in my wild youth of being able to say whatever someone wanted to hear and have it mean the exact opposite, I was intrigued by the idea. At the time, it seemed so fantastical that I couldn't conceive of it being a reality but it is, basically, the basis of politics throughout the world. Things are promised and those promises may be kept, but that doesn't always mean the promises being kept are the same one we hear. I know, it sounds a little out there, but that kind of doublespeak happens and no one blinks an eye. South of the border, however, we've gone beyond the doublespeak. While we all expect politicians to shade the truth a bit to get elected (and I'm not okay with that, it just happens to be the way the world is run), but down there they have elected someone who has made statements he can't Denny -T. Scott _iimeim Denny's Den possibly back up. President -Elect Donald Trump's wall statements are a perfect example. Trump claimed in the months leading up to the election, that he would have a wall built between the United States and Mexico to stop illegal immigrants from coming north into the United States. I'm not saying the wall won't be built — the people of the United States have put Trump in power and given him the political clout to do anything he wants within the borders of the country. However, the big promise behind the wall was that Mexico would pay for it, a statement that seems to be refuted by anyone and everyone who can do so in Mexico. The former Prime Minister of Mexico Vicente Fox said there won't be a cent towards the project and Mexico's Foreign Minister, Claudia Ruiz Massieu, said the current Mexican government won't pay for a wall, though they are looking to work with Trump on relations between the two countries. However, in the past week, it's become apparent that Trump may not have meant that Mexico was going to open the country's coffers and pay out for the wall. Since his very plain statement that Mexico will build the wall, Trump has qualified that statement saying that the wall will be "paid back by Mexico later." He said this during a speech in October of last year, before the election, so I guess voters were okay with the idea of US congress trying to play debt collectors. The issue came up again earlier this month when a news story broke that members of congress were looking into ways to fund the wall with taxpayer money. Did Trump lie? Not in his mind. Maybe he's come to the realization that there is no way to force another nation to pay for such a monstrous expenditure or maybe someone explained to him that reality isn't on his side, but regardless, he seems to believes that, in some way, he will make Mexico foot the bill for the wall. As I said before, statement made (Mexico will pay for the wall) and the reality that may be (Mexico may be forced, at some time, to reimburse some of the money for the wall) aren't the same. However, that doesn't mean Trump doesn't believe the two notions are identical. Why does any of this matter? Well it isn't a practice limited to our neighbours south of the border. Political promises are thrown around regardless of what side of the longest undefended border in the world we are on. At some point, however, we do need to expect better of everyone who wants to represent us, whether it be at the municipal, provincial or federal level. We need stark honesty. We need simple, closed statements and, most importantly of all, we need the people we put in positions of power to be held accountable when they fail to make good on those simple statements. Whether it's meeting a self-imposed deadline to make a presentation or dealing with an organization that didn't hold up its end of a funding bargain, we need everyone to speak plainly and be held accountable for what they say, what they promise and what they do. Doubletalk, flowery speeches and unfulfilled promises are the norm nowadays and we all deserve better than that. Tell the people in power what needs to be changed and, if they don't make good on promises to make things better, speak in the only language they will understand: vote against them in the next election. Most importantly, when it's finally time for someone to face up to the fact that they misspoke when they made a promise or made a mistake, they need to do so earnestly, honestly and, again, plainly, explain why the mistakes were made. Honesty is the best policy, but only if the same honesty is being heard by all people. 411. Shawn 171dr" Loughlin Shawn's Sense Guy behind the guy This week, we here at The Citizen begin a new series of stories in the nine-month lead -up to the 2017 International Plowing Match (IPM) and I think it's going to be a good one. I myself have never attended an International Plowing Match. I attended elementary, secondary and post -secondary schools in the Greater Toronto Area, where an IPM was not really high on the priority lists. Not to mention that it isn't very often that one is held in a setting very close to the area. Looking back, the first two IPMs were held in Toronto (1913, 1914). The next match was held at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph and then the fourth match in history was held in my hometown of Pickering at the farm of R.J. Fleming. In recent years, however, the match has appropriately shifted to more rural settings like Simcoe County, Perth County, Finch and now Huron County. In a way I'm happy I've never been to one before. It means this year's match will be my first. And while I may be accused of drinking the Kool-Aid being served by enthusiasts like Jacquie Bishop, Emily Morrison or anyone carrying the name McGavin, I feel like it's going to be a great one to go to first. The team at The Citizen will be producing a comprehensive guide to the match when it rolls around this September, but we're also planning on telling the stories behind the stories in the weeks and months leading up to the match. Every second and fourth issue of the month, we will have something interesting for you to read about the match. However, the stories are not going to be about simple facts about the match or something you can expect when you attend in September. We hope to bring you the stories of those who are working diligently to make the match happen. Huron County has a great history in the world of competitive plowing and in the world of agriculture. Every time you discuss a different aspect of the 2017 IPM set to take place in Walton, a new and fascinating connection presents itself and we want to bring you those stories. Whether it's the McGavin family and its rich history the world over in competitive plowing or Matt Cardiff, the youngest -ever president of the Brussels Agricultural Society who will preside over potentially the biggest year in the society's history when the Brussels Fall Fair is held at the IPM — a first in IPM history — there are plenty of stories to tell. Take, for example, today's story. There was only one place to begin this series and that's with the chair: Jacquie Bishop. Jacquie is the first ever woman to chair an IPM. This is the 100th actual match in Canada's 150th year and we're only just getting to the point where the match is led by a woman now. And it's in Huron County where this history will be made. That, in itself, is something to be proud of. There are plenty of stories to tell, but those who are busy organizing the match, committing more volunteer hours a week than you and I devote to our jobs, are the real heroes behind the effort and we hope to show you what makes them tick, what makes them special and what makes them want to serve their community as they do. As someone who has been in Huron County now for 10 years, you don't have to be told how special the people here are. But we hope to tell you something about them maybe you didn't already know.