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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-09-12, Page 4}p; ,R41,944, r~44 SRS Ij! .1, 31; I • 4 While .l. blearily made vain attempts to watch the Canada -Russia hockey game an television Monday evening) memories of an historic' series between the teams a dozen years earlier surfaced: Everyone has his or her Own fond recollec- tions ecollections of that eight -game hockey war that on- ly fuelled the myth that Canada still produ- ed the best shinny players ever to patrol a prairie pond. Our argument may be quickly losing its validity and it may be painfully obvious that more than one country has taken a key page out of our hockey manuals and parlayed it into a superior game. We no longer stand alone. Irrespective of a battle of words over who still lays claim to the best hockey players in the world, Attat intrigued me the most of that relatively meaningless match Monday, was -the between-..pericul-interview with one of the Soviet hockey stars, Mr. Larionov. is .the. eustom in such penetrating and .,_.... _ ,w poignant interviews, the interviewer asks the .questions and a. translates in turn asks the hockey star the same question,. The hockey star will mumble an answer in Rus- sian and the interpreter will relay the message in English. Now back in1972, I was able to watch the Canada -Soviet super series in the comfort of hpme in Cambridge. Still attending school, I lived with mom and held a distinct advan- tage in that mom is most fluent in Russian, having' been born in relative obscurity somewhere in the Ukraine. During such interviews, mom could point out if any irregularities had taken place; ie. a player giving a totally, off-the-wall answer to a dumb question. It never happened, that I remember, but I have always been suspect of such interviews ever since. These Russians are clever peo- ple and are given to playing games with _Ca'nhdiai , spn ily-during--the-Ga, ada Cup Hockey Tournament. The Russians will invariably insist on wearing the same colour sweaters the -Cana- dians had planned on wearing, press reports purport, and they have a penchant for selec- ting the referee that will least appeal to the Canadjlancontingent. They will Politely complain and push their point to the lilt until they are dealt with in a firm but polite manner. For the most part theyyback off. But the point being, they look for very little edge. So it was with great distrust that I listened to the interview. Afterall, the translator was from the Russian News Agency, Tass, and he may have asked ,totally different ques- tions than those posed by the interviewer. Or, perhaps the converse was true and he may. havetehanged Mr. Larionov's answers. The hockey public may never know the truth. If that was the case, the interview may i' ii+'i%e'gfi�ilCe 2i9a: en ging the Canada cup' i'ournament?„ ' le translator spatted in Ru sslah, listeng as the player replica and responds. "Everyone in dis place here is complete and total crazy from home." "Ohfine. And how does he Tate the hockey competition here over the past few weeks?" The translator and player converse again and.the translator speaks; "I would like to be very much impressed with Coca-Cola and tight blue jeanses_ that I see Canadian womeii�.wear. Yes, very much impressed." "Well, I'm glad he's enjoying the hockey. Now what does he think his team's chances are of winning; the Canada cup?" . The two Russians exchange quiet whisPers, the player, nods, then the translator nods in agreement and offers a reply. "Yes, he says that everybody would be likin g to defect to Moose Jaw and be drinking much Bluebatts Beer; tank you "Most interesting, thank you," "Would you ask Mr. Larionov how he is Member: Second class mail registration number 0716 BI UE RIpBON AWARD 1983 THE NEWS PORT SEM CCCEFAC! S DISTPe6'I' SINCE 1848 Founded in 1848 end published every Wednesday at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA, OCNA end ABC Audit Bureau of Circulations. Subscriptions payable in advsnce'2O.85, (Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card number required) in Canada, '55. to U.S.A., '55. to all other countries, Single copies 50'. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on request. Please ask for Rete Card No. 14 effective October 1, 1983. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be pad for at the applicable rats. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong p ice, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely en offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK -- Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES - Editor � P.O. BOX 220 e c ,ro\, HUCKINB BT. G., INDUSTRIAL PARK 000ERICH, ONT. N7A 4B6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES. -.please phone (619) 624-8331 A clear mandate September sparkle by Dave Sykes for Brian Mulroney POSTSCRIPT. It was ultimately clear in the September 4th federal election that Canadians voted for change. Prime Minister elect, Brian Mulroney and the Con- servatives, rode the crest of a Tory Blue tidal wave that began in Atlantic Canada' and retused to subside until it bashed over the Rockies in Western Canada. Never has a Canadian electorate so overwhelmingly en- dorsed a change in government, sending Mulroney and his party to Ottawa with 211 representatives in the House of Commons compared to the paltry 40 and 30 seats held by the Liberals and New Democrats, respectively. One in- dependent was elected in Metro Toronto and speculation suggested he would cross the floor to join the governing party. Mulroney has been given one of the strongest mandates in Canadian history, and he boasts a balanced support with seats in every province and region of the country. But that kind of support comes the responsibility to act and to act with the interest of all Canadians at heart. The nation is now looking to Mulroney to take it in a new direc- tion, to provide new incentives and opportunities and mere numbers in Ottawa cannot supply the answers. The change in government, given the magnitude of the endorsement, will help the Canadian economy and, coupled wtih Mulroney's commitment to encourage in- vestment, check government spending and put a halt to the national debt, and should provide some short-term stimulus. While Mulroney has the endorsement of a nation, he will be saddled with the arduous task of keeping the governing party on the right course and keeping it unified. Govern- ments cannot be expected to provide solutions, economic or otherwise, to every problem but it helps if they are part of the solution rather than the problem. While the fortunes of the Liberal party soured drastical- ly during the campaign, the party cannot look off in dif- ferent directions for a new leader. The campaign, in its dying stages, was rife with speculation that only a man of the calibre of Jean Chretien, could have restored the hopes of the Liberal party. He may have made a slight dif- ference in the province of Quebec, but even his own plurality in this election was severely cut -over the numbers he posted in 1979. Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau may have had more of an influence on the election than the party intend-' ed. While former cabinet ministers fell by the wayside in this election, their fate may have been sealed in the patronage issue. Trudeau was generous to departing ministers and members of the House, and Turner's acceptance of those gifts effectively told Canadians that he lacked leadership qualities. He was in a touchy position, but made no at- tempt to deal with the issue. Ed Broadbent renewed the fortunes of the new Democrats in the election, after numerous polls suggested the party would reach new depths of despair. There is reprieve, for the moment, and Broadbent is calling his caucus the "only real opposition." The Canadian electorate has *put faith and trust in Mulroney and the Conservatives. With the memory of the slow -to -develop government of Joe Clark still fresh in peoples' minds, the Prime Minister -elect will do well to get on with the nation's business. Cars and I'have never gottenclog. I don't like them and they don't like me. I see them as a necessary evil in today's modern world. They are more trouble than they are worth and if I didn't have to have one, I wouldn't. I guess part of the reason why cars annoy me so much is because they make me feel helpless. They are a mystery to me. I have no idea how they work and as a result, when something goes wrong with my car, I panic. At one time, whenever I would hear my car making a strange noise, I would just turn my radio up louder to drown out that noise. My theory was that if you ignored th`e noise long enough, it would go away. However, this theory proved false. I also figured that maybe I could talk to my car and coax it to run better -you know, the way peo- ple talk to houseplants to make them grow. This theory proved worthless too. No matter how I pampered, wheedled and tried to reason with my car, I would always end up taking it to a garage and would then have to display my ignorance to an exasperated mechanic. I remember one particular time when I had to have my windshield replaced because a stone had cracked it. I phoned the garage to explain the situation and to see when I could bring my car in for an appointment. "What kind of a car is it," asked the voice on the other end of the phone. "A blue one," I replied. "Can you be more spec'ific'," he asked. 1 thought I detected a slight note of impatience in his voice. I told him I would go and check and call him back. When I called him back with the snake and year of my car, he had yet another question— "Does your car have an aerial" This time I was confident in my answer. I knew there was no little steel antenna poking up from my hood so 1 told him "no". JOANNE BUCHANAN He seemed hesitant about accepting this answer -perhaps because of my previous answer. "Does your car have a radio," he con- tinued. When I told him it did, he insisted that I had an aerial. Are there two thin black lines running up the middle of your windshield," he grilled. When I told him there was, he informed me that that was my aerial. "Well, isn't that amazing. I never knew why those lines were there," I said. He didn't seem happy to be playing the role of teacher. One more thing. He asked me to bring my in- surance card with me when I Brought the car in. • I wasn't sure if he meant I had to get a special card or just bring in my regular one so I repeated, "My insurance card?" I thought I detected a slight note of sarcasm in his reply this time. "Yes, you know. It's that lit- tle square pink thing," he said. When 1 took my car in the next day, I walked into his office and handed him my card. Then he came out to look at my car. "You told me your windshield wasn't tinted," he said sternly. I had forgotten about that part of our conversation. "I couldn't tell. I didn't think it was," I replied and left feeling like a child who has just been scolded for a misdeed. Not long after I had my windshield replaced on this particular car, my exhaust system (is that what you call it? ) fell off. The rust was so bad on the whole car that I was afraid it would disintegrate right before my eyes one day soon you'd think if they can put a man on the moon, they could invent a car that doesn't rust, wouldn't you' i " Anyway, it was then that I made a major deci- sion and decided to buy a new car. Not brand new. Just newer than what I had. After car hunting until I thought I'd go crazy, I finally' settled on a 1982 Buick Skylark. "I really like this car and I am determined that we are go- ing to be friends," I told myself. I started by memorizing its make and year so I wouldn't have to answer by color when people asked me what I drove. I also took to hanging around car washes on the weekends, trying to keepy new vehicle meticulously clean. And I bout nice fancy floor mats for it. However, recently I developer • proble li star- ting my car in the mornings whe tr, ,,r: scold. It kept stalling. Stalling can be erve-wracking, especially when you have to back out of your driveway onto the highway every day. There I'd sit in the middle of the road with traffic coming at me in both directions while I tried to re -start my car. I was beginning to feel like a kamikaze pilot so I decided to take my car in for some ex- ploratory surgery. Of course, I needed a certain part replaced and it ended up costing me more than " I had an- ticipated. As the mechanic patiently explained what had caused the problem and what had been done to fix it, I couldn't help but think, "Here we go again." I got to bring the old useless car part home in a plastic bag. I don't know exactly what it is but I think I'm going to keep it on display or use it as a paper weight or something -just to get my money's worth. Somehow, a part of my relationship with my new car has been destroyed. "I fed you. I kept you clean. I am nice to you. And look how you've let me down," 1 lectured when I brought it home from the garage. And in case the old guilt trip didn't work, I add- ed some threats. "If you break down again soon, I may trade you in and you could go to a family with four kids who will drip ice-cream cones all over your upholstery and jump up and down on your seats." We'll have to see if my car has a conscience or an aversion to children. If so, perhaps we can re- build our relationship. I'll keep you posted. "I am a police officer. You call me to chase the kids off your lawn, Then you call me a bully! You call me when your husband beats you But you shout "Pig" when he's handcuffed! You call me to catch a itckless driver And you curse me when you get a ticket! You call me when you're threatened with harm But you cry "Brutality"when force is met with force! You call me to protect your property But complain when I catch your son stealing." This is part of a poem written by Jim Kincaid, publisher of Sault Ste. Marie Weekly, and reprinted in general and police publications.! picked it up in The Mitchell Advocate where it appeared udder the heading "The other side of the ticket". Although, the poem addresses another issue, the lines caught my ,eye as sadly applicable to a local situation and presumably to police work in general,] am, of course, referring to a number of quite remarkable comments made at a recent meeting of the Goderich Board of Police Commissioners and described in a report last week.! feel deeply uneasy about some of the expresssions; they read like a bad script for a cheap movie in a location I do not know. So we take our seats at the annual police - bashing ceremony.This includes the usual swipes in the general directionof our young people who "wouldn't think twice"about bashing in the heads of our frightened police officers trembling in' hiding places and waiting to be rescued by rock -throwing vigilantes charging ahead with baseball bats, • urged on to victory by popular battlesongs from the commissioners. I have always felt safe and secure in this town, day and night,and expect to continue to do so.Blowing relatively minor incidents to dramatic and even hysterical proportions, harassing the police in their naturally difficult work by vague accusations,and. finding constant fault with the officers fof failing to remedy society's ills in ,every corner at all times is very unreasonable .It will not lead to a better relationship and safer situation, but is humanly likely to undermine confidence and morale on several levels.As a resident of this town I am concerned about the nature of possible signals and invitations in suggestions that any restraint by the police in dealing with minor infractions is the result of fear of our off -spring. Hearing • vigilante committees even mentioned disturbs ine deeply.I find commissioner Alvin McGee's comments a comfort. the worst thing we could do would be -tolerate vigilante altivities under whatever name or excuse,let alone making official use of"such groups or individuals, in or out of uniform. I want to be sure that my protection is in the hands of trained professional officers and never at the mercy of possible personal animosities, intrigues,biases and preferences of private interests. If there is a complaint about a police officer either neglecting his duties or giving offence in another way, such a complaint must be factual to justify its existence. Each case obviously has a time, a place and a name attached to it and the details must be reported promptly, in order to make it possible to conduct a meaningful enquiry 'There is a fair mechanism in place for investigating complaints, either against police -offtCers or otherwise, in a businesslike and rational manner. In my view it is the commissioner's duty to uphold the businesslike approach to law and order. Private individuals may indulge in gossip, up to a point; persons holding official positions have a responsibility to do better. I refuse to believe that our local police officers were sleeping on duty. If a commissioner received such a complaint and failed to investigate the serious allegation immediately through proper channels, the commissioner is negligent in her duties . Again, without a name, place and time there is no case, .just gossip. I expect that the factual information is forthcoming; if not, an apology to the local police force is in order. Undeserved shadows left on our police officers reflect on the public they serve. It appears that the commissioner's discussion at the meeting included a reference to the increase . in •criminal activity in Goderich-an odd observation in view of the fact that Chief King's reports to the commissioners repeatedly stated the opposite. Besides, a lot of the happenings described are surely more of a temporary nuisance than serious "criminal activity ". Some of them (like a person's right to spend the night on the beach) are not even that. Any restrictions of civil rights would certainly result in an outcry of a different kind. I also object to the frequent put-down of our young people. Let us teach good habits and manners by example in our homes from where they come; let us not presume that their aim is bashing heads in, even if they. are noisy. It goes without saying that any get -tough policy cannot be selective -it must be applied to young and old alike, and to people in glass houses. We expect fair treatment from the police - let us be fair in return. ELSA HAYDON