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The Citizen, 2016-03-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016. Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Lori Patterson & Brenda Nyveld The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $36.00/year ($34.29 + $1.71 G.S.T.) in Canada; $160.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/year in other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Mon. 2 p.m. - Brussels; Mon. 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON NOG 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca The Citizen P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1 HO Ph. 519-523-4792 Phone Fax 519-523-9140 519-887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca Canada ..ocna CCNA Member of the Ontario Press Council We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or Department of Canadian Heritage. photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright CMCA AUDITED Do bullies have free speech? One of the most precious rights in a free society is the right to free speech yet there's always a delicate balance about how far this right extends. You can't, for instance, knowingly tell lies about someone and then claim it's your right because of freedom of speech. Last week a case was heard before a Quebec human rights tribunal that tests how much right a comedian has to use the problems of ordinary people as fodder for comedy routines. Back when he was only 12, Jeremy Gabriel, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, an illness that causes facial disfigurement, was the brunt of a portion of a comedy show by Montreal comedian Mike Ward. Gabriel's story should have been an inspiring one. Despite his appearance he was flown to Rome to sing for Pope Benedict in 2006 and later performed for Celine Dion and the Montreal Canadiens as well as in churches across Quebec. In the comedy bit, Ward said at first he was happy Gabriel was getting so much attention following the papal visit because he thought he was terminally ill. "But now, five years later, and he's still not dead.... Me, I defended him, like an idiot, and he won't die," Ward said. It was part of an extended bit in which he referred to Gabriel's hearing implant as a "subwoofer" and joked about trying in vain to drown the boy in a swimming pool. For the punchline, Ward said he eventually looked up Gabriel's medical condition on the Internet and discovered that "he's ugly". Ward is a very successful comedian in Quebec. The show that included this bit was part of tour that grossed $5 million and ran from 2010 to 2013 so his ridicule got plenty of attention. Jeremy's mother testified the boy was harassed at school. Invitations for him to sing stopped coming in. Her family's attempts to build the boy's self- confidence were shattered. "He [Ward] destroyed everything we had built for our child," she testified. Earlier Jeremy testified that he slid into depression and considered suicide. Ward's lawyer and other comedians have argued that they must be allowed to find comedy where they see it. There have even been arguments that Jeremy is a public figure, a defense against libel that might be made for degrading, for instance, the prime minister. But if this situation had happened in a schoolyard instead of on stage, there'd be one term for what Ward did: bullying. We have a grown man ridiculing a child with a disability — and making money from it to boot. Would we give a schoolyard bully a free pass because he claimed it was his right under freedom of speech to torment a weaker schoolmate? We wouldn't, and tasteless ridicule of a boy by a well-paid comedian mustn't be called free speech either. — KR Please, give us a wall When an Alberta cow was discovered to have "mad cow" disease in 2003, the U.S. immediately closed the border to Canadian cattle to prevent the spread of the disease. Now that "mad American" disease seems rampant south of the border with burgeoning support for Donald Trump for president, shouldn't Canadians be protected from its spread? Please Donald, since you want to build a wall across your southern border, can't you give us one too? The growing support for Trump's run for the Republican Party's nomination for November's presidential election has mystified media commentators and even the leadership of the Republican Party. Every time he's said or done something outrageous, there have been predictions this was the move that will trip him up. Instead his support grows. He called illegal Mexican immigrants drug smugglers, criminals and rapists, and he became more popular. He said if he became president he would consider requiring Muslim -Americans to register with a government database, or even making them carry special identification cards that note their faith, and a large number of Americans got on board. He has been insulting and boorish and yet his support grows. Trump's supporters seem to have borrowed the line from the movie Network about being mad as hell and not taking it anymore. They're angry at current political leaders from both parties and want a complete outsider to start fresh. In supporting Trump they are giving the finger to reality, embracing a strongman who offers simple solutions to even complex issues. They want a president who will impose his will, even if those elected to the Congress don't agree with his proposals. They want their country to be able to do whatever it wants in the world, ignoring the fact that other countries that are almost as powerful, like China and Russia, may not agree. They seem to have confused the man's name with his power and think they're getting the ultimate Trump card by electing Donald. It's not Trump himself who's most frightening — billionaire bullies have come and gone before. What's troubling is that so many Americans seem to think he would make a good president. Here's hoping this disease isn't infectious and moves north with the spring migration of snowbirds. — KR Looking Back Through the Years March 11, 1959 With a 7-4 win over their counterparts from Auburn, the Blyth hockey team were champions of the Rural Hockey League for the first time in the league's history. The team from Blyth dropped the first two games of the best -of -five series, but fought back to tie the series at two before winning the final game. John Elliott and Larry Walsh were the highest scorers on the Blyth team, notching two goals each. The pair was complemented with single goals by Jim Foster, Don Young and Ed Watson. March 12, 1970 Three men were injured in an accident on the farm of George Wheeler just north of Brussels. A fourth man was able to narrowly avoid injury. The men suffered a variety of injuries when they sustained a fall in a silo. They were putting a roof on the 90 -foot silo when the fall occurred. The Brussels Post reported that it was thought that the scaffolding being used by the men gave way, resulting in the fall. Brussels United Church hosted the village's annual World Day of Prayer service on March 6 with over 80 women in attendance. The year's service was not developed by a group of women from the same country, but by five women from different countries: Egypt, Guyana, India, the Philippines and the United States. The special day was observed by women in over 130 countries in 1970. The afternoon was marked by a special musical performance by a 15 -member choir composed of singers from all four of the village's churches. The women collected an offering of just under $40, which was to be sent to the Inter -Church Council of Canada. The first public hearings on the discontinuance of passenger rail services throughout the area were set to be held in Owen Sound at the end of the month. The hearings would deal with services on seven lines within a triangle in western Ontario between Toronto, Goderich and Owen Sound. March 5, 1986 A proposal for a tourist lodge in West Wawanosh were in their early stages. Dungannon -area resident Al Sherwood presented his plans, drawn up by Auburn -area resident Nick Hill, that called for Sherwood Forest Lodge to be built on 400 acres on the township's fourth concession. Sherwood said that early estimates of the project said it could cost as much as $500,000. He proudly told council that he had been working on the proposal for over 30 years. The development of a new supermarket in Brussels, and the delay of the demolition of the former Brussels Queen's Hotel, were being held up over the smallest of legal technicalities. As reported by The Citizen, the demolition and new construction were being held up due to the fact that the hotel had actually encroached 0.7 feet (0.85 inches) onto the village's road allowance. The technicality resulted in council having to pass a bylaw to allow the encroachment before any further work could proceed. The bylaw was passed, however, and it was believed that work would be allowed in a matter of days. Lions Clubs from both Blyth and Londesborough joined forces to host a special Las Vegas night that featured an elimination draw, as well as a number of Vegas -themed events. March 13, 2002 Huron County was set to reimburse the Blyth Fire Department to the tune of $2,200. The money was spent on oxygen, training and supplies through providing first response services that would, under normal circumstances, be supplied by Huron County paramedics. At the time, the Blyth department was the only fire department in Huron County providing first response to its residents. The Blyth Midget Bulldogs eliminated their counterparts from Bothwell over the course of the weekend moving them one step closer to the coveted All -Ontario title. The locals would take on Sunderland in the finals to determine who was best in the province. The Brussels PeeWee Rep Bulls were also in All -Ontario action, tying the team from Cayuga in the best -of -five semi-final series. Brussels would lose the next game on the road by a score of 2-1, setting up a winner -take -all game in Brussels. The youngest member of the Huron Hurricanes was also its most impressive at the Cami Winter Invitational meet, held in Ingersoll. Jessica Sparling competed in the event's 10 -and -under category, finishing first in two categories and second in a number of others. The Blyth Festival named its new general manager, John Shaw, who came to the Festival with a strong background in arts administration.