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Times-Advocate, 1987-06-17, Page 4i - Page 4 Times -Advocate, June 17, 1987 r < , Se.•i Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgama ed 1924 Imes dvocate Published Each Wednesday Morning at Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1S0 Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386. Phone 519-235-1331 LORNE EEDY Publisher JIM BECKETT Advertising Manager BiLL BATTEN Editor HARRY DEVRIES Composition Manager ROSS HAUGH Assistant Editor DICK JONGKIND Business Manager SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada: $25.00 Per year; U.S.A. $65.00 C.W.N.A., O.C.N.A. CLASS 'A' An ample deterrent The 10 -year penitentiary term hand- ed out by Judge F.G. Carter in Goderich last week should be lauded because of the seriousness of the incident in which the Toronto man was involved in Exeter ear- ly this year. While his previous criminal record and a history of psychiatric problems was an integral part of the sentence, Judge Carter obviously saw the need to protect the public and'even more so, to punish anyone who assaulted police in their normal duties. There is an obvious question as to why Lloyd Brooks was free on the streets to continue his activities in view of the lengthy record and the psychiatric pro- blems he has displayed. Court officials who handled his previous charges may have erred in allowing him to return to the streets without the necessary corrective measures that were indicated. The serious consequences of being le- nient were evidenced in what happened in Exeter and -those consequences could have been tragic. Offenders, in many cases, appear to get off too lightly and that not only fails to dissuade them from similar activities in the future, but does not provide deter- rence to others from following activities against the members of society who are injured both physically and mentally from criminal pursuits. Hopefully, the 10 -year term handed out in Huron will serve as ample warn- ing and deterrence against criminal ac- tivities which cause problems. Silly game continues • Only the people with a bad case of diarrhea probably spend more time in getting up and down than those respon- sible for changing the price signs at gasoline stations. The odor with one problem is rather consistent, while it accompanies only the gasoline station attendants when they're moving prices into higher figures. The motoring public can more easily welcome the move when the price is com- ing down. It is becoming obvious that it • is a very silly game and leads to questions about the executive decisions made in thAt regard. Just this week, motorists were star- ting to enjoy prices down in the low 40 -cent range. However, they were short- lived and then jumped a whopping•15 per- cent back into levels approaching the 50 -cent range. As owners of one of this nation's leading firms in that business, taxpayers must surely wonder when their ex- ecutives are going to show some leader- ship and set prices at a stable level that meets the required profit level; no more, no less. - - It appears that gasoline companies have no idea of what that figure is and so they carry on the practice bf jumping it around all over the place almost every day in the apparent hope that they'll balan•ce things out on the financial statement. About the only stable situation rests with motorists who invariably .pull in to fill their empty tank after the price has been escalated by that unconscionable 15 percent. That's a big stinker too! Tragedies have lessons It has been a tragic period for this area with the disappearance of two fishermen on Lake Huron, the drowning of a youth near Benmiller, the death of a member of the Brucefield fire depart- ment while in a vehicle responding to a fire call and two women being killed when vehicles slammed into trees.• .The sympathy of the community reaches out to the families and friends of those who faced the shock and suffering from the tragic incidents. Harsh though it may appear to some, the mourning should be accompanied by the realization that others must examine the stark reality that most tragedies can be avoided with more caution and commonsense. Each tragedy can be a learning ex- perience for others, and those who fail to make it so, face the risks that within split seconds can add to a community's suffering. Some sweat eliminated As you go along the highway this time of the year you can smell the sweet scent of new - mown hay. That scent brings back many ►nemories for me. In the 1980's haying has become a relatively simple job. it can be clone by one man sitting in the air-conditioned comfort of his tractor cab while the baler'draws in the hay, packs it into cubes which can be flipped from the baler right up into the wagon. in another system the hay is rolled up into huge circular bales which are left out in the field untilJ,,iey are needed. Though there were lots of hal- ing machines around when I was a youngster there were still farmers who simply forked the hay up onto a horse -pulled wagon and hauled it up to the Karn. There a huge fork came down f and carried the hay up into the loft. My wife remembers driving the tractor in with a load of hay By the Way by Fletcher when she was only eight or nine years old. Her mother was sitting up on top of the load. Her father was walking right in front of the tractor. "Follow me," he had said. She did what she was told, con- scientiously following his' steps, and when he tdrned sharply to the left she did too. The whole load of hay tipped over, her mother with it. Now if that had been a load of bales some harm might have been done but with all that fork- ed hay the landing was a soft one. The advantage of that kind of hay for youngsters was a huge one. You could climb right up to the top of the loft, grab hold of a rope and swing far out. When you let go it was just like flying and the landing was as soft as coming down in feathers. You would sink right up to your waist in that pile of hay. I'm sure that farmers don't want to go back to all the sweat and effort of the old-style haying but something is surely lost in the modern way. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 Published by J.W. Eedy Publications Limited a • Off • • • ;: • wie N t 0, er- e / ' . . lk X‘R i., k '�B s\\\\\\\\\\\\\k x x . \Nt\\%\\\‘.\ 'N ! 's e " 1....3 ,l ���� Ili '�\\\` \\��� :•?.iJ I �1}•�:: • : w�.r'Yr�....:�:4. '�r.j.... ..:i rr v rr r f �:?:?�?.�!'fi . 1' erf f .•.: "W YOU'RE GOINGTO STRIKE, MAKE. IT A LONG ONE - MORE TIME TO TRAIN MY PIT BULL TO WELCOME YOu BACK:' Estimates There are some very divergent statistics being related to child abuse in Huron County, and similar to many statistics that are literally pulled out of hats, there is no one who can actually be accurate. A recent story on the situation said "There are some terrible secrets in the lush and undulating hills of Huron County" and it went on to suggest that "behind the banks of roadside phlox, the neat, green hedgerows and trim farm gates, children are being beaten and sexually abused -- and few people are reporting it." Nancy Brown Burton of the newly formed Huron County Community Child Abuse - Co- ordinating Committee, added that there are some very real pro- blems in Huron with the failure to report child abuse, suggesting that it is particularly acute in rural areas where people tend to know more about each other's lives. If the situation is as bad as the woman indicates, it may be bet- ter that people don't make reports because they could shock most of us and prove that child abuse is "normal" in most families and those who escape such harsh action are the. exceptions. I, for one, discount many of the frightening statistics that give rise to • that some social workers sprea un erted statistics to protect their jobs in that field. Yes, there are cases of child abuse in Huron as there are in any other community in this pro - vice and country, but there is nothing to back the contention that the problem is more acute in frightening rural areas than in urban centres. The social worker apparently uses the rule of thumb that as many as one in four girls and one in seven boys will suffer some form of abuse. What constitutes abuse would have to be extremely encompass- ing to bring that prediction into Batt'n Around .with The Editor being and it is worth noting that a speaker from the University of Houston who was in Goderich recently said the estimates are "militant" and he suggested such over-estimates can lead to other problems. * *. * * * While there are child abuse case in Huron, one of the disconcerting aspects is that many people fail to avail themselves of information ses- §ions in which they can learn more about the problem and how they should react. A public session was recently held in Exeter by a variety of skilled speakers and it was an op- portune time for members of the community to become more knowledgeable. It was almost a waste of time. Only 10 people showed up for the audience, but - hopefully more than that took time to read the comprehensive report printed in this newspaper. That's maybe a false hope! .t One of the major ironies in- dicated by the attendance is a remark by the Texas visitor to Goderich who suggested the en- tire community is interested in the problem. Perhaps people in this part of Huron are also interested, but they have a strange way of show- ing that interest by staying away in droves from programs that could be beneficial. * * * * * The reality is that there are cases of child abuse in Huron, and while the numbers may be lower than smile suggest, it is ob- vious that everyone in the com- munity should do his/her part in an effort to remove the problem to every extent possible because of the short- and long term damage that can result for children, and in many cases, one of the two parents involved. There are people who fail to_ take the anonymous route available to them to report suspected cases of child abuse in their neighborhoods and that can be as dangerous as any parent who inflicts it through the varie- ty of factors which may cause that person to become abusive. Unfounded statistics and un - based fears of some of the terri- ble abuses happening can distort things to•the point where people back off from seeking corrective measures. Let's get things back into perspective and provide the community support needed to im- plement the fete corrective measures that protect children and give a few adults availabili- ty to professional help that is possibly silently being sought by them. Not always simple Ever since last April I've been trying to.teach our kids the dif- ference between flowers and weeds. Not as simple as one might think. Most of our flowers look pretty ragged, and most of our weeds are very pretty. When Duncan - bless his heart gave me a big bunch of geraniums for Father's gray, I couldn't be cross, could I? And Stephanie cries every time I drive the mower over a daisy or a buttercup. What is a weed? My Heritage Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language says: "A plant considered undesirable, unat- tractive or trouble -some, especially one growing where it is not wanted in cultivated ground." Webster's New Col- legiate puts it this way: "A plant of no value and usually of rank growth, especially one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants." Well, my crabgrass certainly fits the above uescriptions, and so do the two or three dozen other creeping species that crowd out what I want to grow on the lawn and in the flower beds. But the king, of weeds, the stately dandelion isn't unattractive. And neither are the various clovers, plantains, spurges, forget-me- nots, bluebells, thistles, milkweeds, mustards, mints, violets, snap -dragons, and spider - worts that grow in profuAion around our house. In fact, many of them are a lot prettier than my pale petunias, insignificant impatiens, mangy mums, paltry pansies or sickly salvias. There are several characteristics most weeds have in common that the dictionaries don't tell us about: they are healthy, vigorous and unaffected by aphids, earwigs, cutworms, dry spells, downpours, and even frost. The more I'm .teaching the children about weeds and flowers, the 'more i begin to loathe my flowers and love my weeds. Have you ever looked closely at a shepherd's purse, for example? it is a thing of beauty with its flat - heart -shaped seedpods, each with a deep notch at the top. And the cow -parsnip that grows right in the middle of our driveway has foliage that reminds me of maple leaves, a ridged stem that is an inch thick at the base, and a great umbel of white flowers. in comparison with some of my weeds, most of my flowers_ ars anaemic, languid and downriith. unwholesome. if they're not in stantly serviced and panne, ed, they lay down and die and make me feel guilty. They need more water than nature provides, but jjust at the right time (evenings), ust at the right temperature (not too cold, please), in just the right amounts, and with a gentle sprinkling instead of a spray. Every time it rams the way it often rains around. here - in the form of cloudbursts - 1 feel I should run out and spread um- brellas all over my precious flowers to keep them from being flattened, the poor things. They need sheep manure and lime and a bed that is more carefully made than mine. They can't live without insecticides and fungicides and snail bait. Tired of pampering my petunias What is so pleasant about petunias; for example? They have unattractive leaves and dull. flowers. Their smell is irritating. Their stems are scrawny, and their shrivelling petals need con- stant picking. And while these pampered pro- ducts are withering away in spite of all the perpetual care they get, two inches away a yellow goat's beard will grow and thrive and produce its globular puffballs of seeds, ready to take over the en- tire plot. Why don't I leave the goat's beard and pull out the petunias, or the climatis that is too clumsy to climb? Whose idea was it, i wonder, to replace healthy wildflowers with nursery products? To transform our natural environment into an artifirii,; one? . 1 k� .ind I are going to 11 i h f We're going to o.. . delions and the to\ ►d get rid of the I. ii1, ne exotics. I on 'tappet) to come by our house this summer, don't get the wrong impression. It's not that I'm too lazy to do any weeding. It's just that I'm beginning to en- joy our lush spontaneous vegetation.