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The Citizen, 2003-06-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2003. Editorials & Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising, Alan Young, Patty Van der Meer 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 $28.00/year ($26.17 + $1.83 G.S.T.) in Canada; $80.00/year in U.S.A, and $100/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: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. Publications Mail Reg. No. 09244 Canadian Publication Mail Agreement No. 40050141 The Citizen P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca jpcna <*cna Member of the Ontario Press Council Mad cows and politics There’s nothing like a chance to make political points, and to spend other people’s money, to turn a rabid free-enterpriser into a spokesperson for government spending. Albert Premier Ralph Kline has been leading the assault on the federal government, calling for compensation for the beef industry for losses over Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, otherwise known as Mad Cow Dis­ ease. Playing the western alienation card, Kline compares the lack of federal help to the promises of aid for Ontario, hit hard by SARS. This must be galling to Ontario beef farmers who simultaneously suffer the same losses as Albertan producers but get lumped in with fat cats who get help while westerners suffer. It must be tempting to reconsider that idea floated by Helen Johns, Ontario’s minister of agriculture and food who earlier suggested Ontario ban Alberta beef in the hope of opening the U.S. border for our producers by isolating them from the Alberta BSE case. Ms Johns was wrong, of course and Ontario’s farmers quickly told her this was not the way to run a country, pitting one province’s farmers against another. She heard that message and withdrew her suggestion. Would that Mr. Kline would get the same message. Mr. Kline likes to tell the feds how spendthrift they are while he is the model of fiscal responsibility, yet he’s also happy to tell Ottawa it should be spending more money on his pet issues. That said, he’s also right, in that innocent people who had no contact with that single Albertan cow, are having their futures threatened by the fallout of the border closure. The economies of entire rural regions, not just in Alberta or Saskatechwan but here in Ontario and elsewhere, are threatened as livestock salesyards close, truckers have nothing to truck and packing plant workers are laid off. Yet the government speaks of compensating only those who lost cattle in the mass slaughtering and testing program. Kline’s wropg to play one part of Canada against another, but he’s got a point about the apparent indifference of the feds to the suffering of people in the beef industry. — KR Sad reminder of who we were Looking Back Through the Years They celebrated the 59th anniversary of the D-Day landings last week with Prime Minister Jean Chretien presiding at the opening of a memorial to the thousands of Canadians who landed on Juneau Beach in France on June 6, 1944. At the same time back in Ottawa Canadian officials said we couldn’t take part in a United Nations peacekeeping operation to save lives in the Congo because we didn’t have enough troops available. Canada was a country of 14 million when it put nearly a million people in the armed forces during World War II. We were in charge of capturing one of five beaches at Normandy. Now with more than 30 million people our armed forces are so weak we can’t help out in a true emergency like Congo, where it’s reported three million people have died in civil war in the past few years, because we’re sending 2,000 troops to Afghanistan. It’s one thing not to have enough troops to help out the Americans in a potentially-misbegotten adventure like the invasion of Iraq. It’s another not to be able to uphold our unique tradition of helping bring peace to the world’s troublespots. Canadians are proud of our peacekeeping record but our armed forces are so depleted we can’t carry on that tradition. A combination of the demand to cut taxes and the Chretien government’s lack of interest in the armed forces has led to this pathetic state of affairs. It’s easy to see why the government would choose to sacrifice the military when one group of people is screaming that taxes are too high while others want more money for health care. The armed forces can be seen as an insurance policy: something you begrudge paying for if the house doesn’t burn down but you wish you had if you have an emergency. Since Canada isn’t in danger of being attacked, it’s tempting to cut the insurance cost. But Canada, through its international role in peacekeeping, doesn’t have to see its military simply as an insurance policy to protect us in case of attack. Our military has, in the past 40 years since the Suez Crisis, kept active in the important role in securing world peace. We must return to that prominence in the world. We may not need a million people in the armed forces as we had 60 years ago, but we need enough to be able to help save the lives of innocent people in places like Congo when called upon. It may be as glamorous as D-Day or a high- profile war like the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but it’s important to the peace of the world and to our own self-esteem.— KR Letters to the Editor THE EDITOR, The Alzheimer Society of Huron County extends our sincere gratitude to the dedicated volunteers and the generous support of the Huron County residents during the Society’s 10th Annual Tag Days held May 23 and 24. A total of $5,681 was raised countywide. These funds will be used to support local programs and fund ongoing research. Thank you for providing Help for Today and Hope for Tomorrow. Sincerely, Cathy Ritsema Executive Director. June 11,1958 The Brussels Lions installed their new executive. They were: past president, Robert Walker; president, D.A. Rann; first vice-president, C. Dunbar; second vice-president, J. McDonald; third vice-president, George McCutcheon; directors, Charlie Thomas, C. McFadden, R. Knight, F. Kirkpatrick; tail twister, James Armstrong; assistant tail twister, Charles Thomas; treasurer, Wilbur Turnbull; secretary, William Stratychuk; lion tamer, Selwyn Baker; assistant lion tamer, L< Brown, C. McFadden; pianist, Donald Dunbar. The installation ceremony was performed by R.B. Cousins. The Brussels Horticultural Society was sponsoring a birdhouse and poster competition. Jerry Lewis, Peter Lorrie and Phyllis Kirk appeared in The Sad Sack playing at Listowel’s Llashmar Drive-in. Seaforth’s Regent Theatre had Tin Star with Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins. At Listowel’s Capitol Theatre it was Lana Turner in Peyton Place. June 13,1968 An orange balloon with the lettering “Higgenbotham School, if found call DI-10557” was picked up by Mrs. Wm. Adams near her home on the fourth concession of Morris Twp. A phone call determined that the balloon had been released in the north-west section of Detroit. The construction of the restroom at the Brussels community park was underway. This was the centennial project on which the centennial grant that Archer Grewar, chairman, assured The Post was not lost. It was hoped there would be dressing rooms at a later date. The park bleachers were undergoing much- needed repairs by the local Lions Club. President of the Lions Club for this term was Jan van Vliet. Other executive members were:-, Cal Krauter, James Armstrong, Henry Exel, Jim Knight, Gordon McGavin, Ian McDonald, Ross McCall, Cecil McFadden, Cecil Parker, James Knight, John Hanna, Al Johnston, Selwyn Baker, George McCut­ cheon. At Brownie’s Drive-in in Clinton the double feature on Thursday and Friday was Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares in Clambake and James Garner, Jason Robarts and Robert Ryan appearing in Hour of the Gun. The weekend feature was Rock Hudson in Tobruck and Audie Murphy in Gunpoint. Specials at Stephenson’s Bakery and Grocery included the 18-oz bottle of Aylmer ketchup for 29 cents, a two-lb. jar of peanut butter for 69 cents and three, 48-oz tins of orange drink for $1. A pound of ground coffee was selling at McCutcheon Grocery for 83 cents, while the 16-oz jar of cheese whiz was 69 cents. June 15,1988 With both water pumps working properly again in Brussels, officials were breathing easier about water shortages. Now it was Blyth’s turn. The village had imposed a watering restriction as the water levels at the reservoir were found to be dangerouly low. Faced with a continued drought and high temperatures, lawn sprinklers had been on all over the village. The OPP were continuing the investigation into a gravel pit party on the Tumberry-Culross boundary which resulted in 26 charges being laid. Between 500-600 people had attended. The Brussels Bulls Jr. D. hockey club was in danger of folding if leaders for the executive were not found. June 9, 1993 Blyth and Hullett councils agreed to accept Turnberry Twp.’s household waste. Anyone travelling down Grey Twp. Cone. 14 would have been stunned by the horrific scene. However, looks can be deceiving. Members of the Grey, Elma-Logan and Elma Twp. Fire Departments did a mock school bus accident with assistance from the students of the Listowel District Secondary School’s Black Door Theatre. To save money the Huron County Board of Education decided it would no longer supplement the driver education program. June 10, 1998 Crops in the area were going' backwards as temperatures dropped and rain refused to soak the ground. The Huron County library branches in Brussels and Blyth received new computers thanks to an $87,000 legacy left to the county by a Morris Twp. native. The new computers were part of a proposal to use the money left by Susannah Lattimer of Mississauga. After growing up in the area, Lattimer became a school teacher. She passed away in 1993 in her 90s. Brownies moving on to Blyth Guides were Aislinn Purcell, Laura Kelly, Chelsea Carter-Brown, Kendall Whitfield, Brittney Peters, Ashlee Cook, Ashley Cartwright, Nicole Frazer. Moving on to Pathfinders were Guides Josie MacDonald, Katelyn Linner and Nicole Bailie. Blyth Pathfinder Laura Warwick and Belgrave Guides Vicky Black and Christie Warwick received the Canada Cord. Cassie Fischer, a Grade 7 student at Grey Central Public School was page for the June meeting of county council.