The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-08-16, Page 44
eje = * inahant
Clibbance -Zintels
Published each Wednesday at:
Box 390,
5 Diagonal Road,
Wingham, Ontario
Phone (519) 357-2320
Fax (519) 357-2900
J.W. Eedy Publications Ltd.
Second Class Mail
Registration No. 0821
We are:
Jihr'l3eckett — Publisher
Audrey Currie — Manager
Cameron J. Wood — Editor
Cathy Hendriks — Ad. Sales
Stephen Pritchard — Production
Jim Brown — Reporter
Margaret Stapleton—Reporter
Eve Buchanan — Office
Louise Welwood — Office
WON SOAK AUGUST 16,19.95
•
Memberof:
OCNA
CCNA
The W ingham Adv ante -Times
is a member of a family of
community newspapers pro-
viding news. advertising and
information leadership.
Letters to
the Editor
All letters to the editor
must bear the writer's
name, telephone num-
ber and address. The
Advance -Times wel-
comes letters. We re-
serve the right to edit,
but will endeavor to
preserve the
author's intent.
Deadline for letters is
Monday before 10:00
a.m.. Some exceptions
maFax: (519) 3a57-2900
or mail to:
P.O. Box 390,
Wingham, Ontario,
NOG. 2W0
Censorship doesn't scare many people in our socie-
ty. We are lulled by our freedom and law-abiding
nature into thinking it a benign, or even benevo-
lent, act. No material would be banned, we think, if that
was not in our best interest.
That's probably why many people will support the
ministerial association in St. John's which has made a
strong statement against "personals" ads in the city's dai-
ly paper. (Let's ignore for a moment the fact these items
neither promote certain lifestyles nor are they any defer-
ence to freedom of expression.) Look at the issue as a
problem of one group hoping to impose its own values
on another. Whether we agree with the values or not, we
do not allow anyone to impose viewpoints upon us, and
therefore we cannot allow anyone to dictate viewpoints
to anyone else.
The problem with censorship -- and the very reason it
cannot be accepted as a legitimate solution to TV vio-
lence or sexually explicit literature or politically distaste-
ful ideology -- is who defines "offensive."
Who is to say what type ,of values any group estab-
lished to impose censorship might have? They could be
so conservative and strict as to prohibit "The Barenaked
Ladies" simply because of their name, for example, or so
liberal and flippant that the few restrictions we now pos-
sess.would be thrown out the window. '
More dangerously, they could have a set series of po-
litical ideas they wish to promote, and others they wish
to repress.
No one should permit another to define art. That above
all else is a most personal decision, and includes the art
of living as one sees fit. Instead we have to take respon-
• sibility for what we choose to see or hear, and, live by
these choices. If a child was shocked by a rock video, for
instance, should she\he have been watching these videos
at all? There is a•great deal of adult content in a large
number of videos made by popular groups, yet many par-
ents feel videos are "kid's stuff" and do 't bother to
monitor their children's viewing. That rung through all
television programming, and as TV becomes more ex-
plicit the responsibility for what is watched or not must
be taken up by the viewer -- or parent. The same is true
for print. So while censorship may seem like an an-
swer, it is too easy to let someone else tell us what is and
is not suitable. Once we do, we give up ourright of self-
determination. Such decisions ultimately rest with us, •
and that right is a power we should exercise. It is why ra-
dios and televisionsconte with "on/off' switches in the
first place, and paper is recyclable.
Ken Simmons, Gulf News, NFLD
410:10A:'. s 4 z0.
m iTs p
YouU.
BUNDLE
it*
4.1 bwvimtk
a `►
litxon
.1.1114113,)
1995
pENNANT
A reason to .th `l i�ilcgfiiam
Congratulations to the Wingham Strikers Minor Soccer
team. The squad took the North Huron Co -Ed Atom Soccer
Championship. Great effort for a young organization.
er
with Margaret Stapleton
AUGUST 1948
Dudley E. Holmes, K.C., who
has been crown attorney of Huron.
County for the past 17 years, has
• been appointed magistrate of Hu-
ron. He will succeed the late J. W.
Morley of Exeter. A native of
Goderich, Mr'. Holmes received
his early education in Wingham
and is married to the former Hel-
en MacLean of Wingham,
John Fischer, Bluevale district
farmer, was admitted to the Wing -
ham General Hospital suffering
lacerations to his back. Fischer
was the victim of a hay fork acci-
dent. Struck in the back, the
prongs of the fork penetrated his
lungs.
Joe Kerr, Wingham, gravel
contractor for the Brant County
engineer's department, has com-
pleted the season's work at Brant
County pits, drawing, and crush-
ing 20,000 cubic yards of gravel.
Two carloads of beef cattle
were shipped to Buffalo from
Wingham last Tuesday •afternoon
in the first such movement since
the lifting of a government embar-
go Monday. .
AUGUST 1961
A big loss was sustained by Pe-
ter Jorrenssen of the sixth of
Turnberry when his large barn
was completely destroyed by fire
during the early hours of Tuesday
morning, The loss has been esti-
mated at'$20,000. The Jorrenssen
family purchased the 60 -acre farm
only one year ago from Eldred
Cathers.
A charity concert for the Gold-
en Circle School was staged by
children at the Harry Spry home.
A total of $12 will be contributed
the school. Star performers were
Barbara and Sheila France, Neil
Renwick. Donna McKay, Dianne
Argue and Patsy Walker.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry (Scotty)
Rdss will be at home to friends
and neighbors on the occasion of
their 50th wedding anniversary.
At a special meeting of council,
Constable James Miller, who has
been the town night constable,
was appointed police chief replac-
ing the late Gordon Deyeil.
AUGUST 1971
A convention will be held Sept.
1 in the town hall at Wingham to
select a Progressive Conservative
candidate for the provincial riding
of Huron -Bruce. An election in
Ontario is widely expected for the
fall with candidates rumored to be
Len Metcalfe of RR 5, Mildmay
and Lou Boyce, Kincardine.
Bill Henderson Sr. will mark
50 years in the barbering business
next month. He has operated a
shop in Wingham since 1937.
Hensall United Church was the
scene of a pretty summer wedding
earlier this month when Catherine
Ann Scane.. became the bride of
Niel Arthur Edgar.
Construction of the fabricating
plant for Royal Homes is moving
ahead.
Funeral service was held Mon-
day afternoon for Wee Lee, well-
known resident of Wingham who
passed away at Wingham and
District Hospital on his 83rd
birthday. A native of Canton, Chi-
na, Mr. Lee came to Wingham in
1918.
AUGUST 1981
A local girl scored a major ac-
complishment last weekend when
she was selected as third runner-
up at the Miss CNE Queen of the
Fairs pageant. Janice McMichael
of Wroxeter, reigning as Miss
Howick Fall Fair, competed
against 97 other girls from all
across the province.
Candystripers of Wingham and
District Hospital honored their
former director, Mrs. Barry Pass-
more, at her home last Thursday
afternoon. Mrs. Passmore and her
family are Moving to Owen
Sound.
Only
the cast is d
so far
TORONTO — The Beverly Hillbil-
lies are back running Ontario -- only
the cast is different.
The Progressive Conservatives be-
fore winning the June election la-
belled the governing New Demo-
crats the Hillbillies because they
stumbled through more than their
share of personal indiscretions.
The Conservatives likened them
to the TV backwoods clan which
struck it rich, but did not know how
to behave and implied the better -
bred Tories with a long tradition in dealer under the slogan "any Palladi-
governing, including 42 consecutive ni is a pal of mine" has been driving
years up to 1985, would show a lot on the wrong side of the highway
more class. since he was sworn in.
But the Tories are raising suspi- The new minister said he accepted
cions the Clampetts have returned. public transit because "not every -
Premier Mike Harris has no trouble body can afford an automobile." a
getting his cost-cutting policies ap- grudging endorsement of a system
proved by a majority, but his team in he is supposed to champion because
only a few weeks has piled up gaffes it cuts costs, congestion and pollu-
at a quicker pace even than the NDP. tion and is the only means of travel
Harris had to fire a top aide, Jaime for many.
Watt, who designed the advertising Palladini implied no one who
crucial to winning the election, after could afford a car would be seen
a newspaper reported him among dead on public transit, wherea.s many
"the group of seven who help Mike feel it helps themselves and the com-
make his mark". munity. The minister said he felt his
Angry readers recognized Watt dealership should be free to sell cars
has having been convicted of fraud, to the province, although he aright
a much more serious offence than seem to be influencing sales and
any committed by New Democrats, have a conflict of interest. The con-
, yet he had been warning voters not flirts commissioner had to persuade
to trust other parties and assuring him otherwise.
that cutting welfare and firing civil Palladini also took umbrage at the
servants must be accepted for the notion that ministers may lose their
public good. limousines because Harris has said
On a lesser level, Transportation he will review their use. This is
Minister Al Palladini, a former car probably no more than a public rela-
with Eric Dowd
tions gesture. There is no prospect '
ministers will have to ride buses or
thumb rides.
Palladini complained he has to
drive in heavy traffic from his subur-
ban home and previous ministers
had limos. Letters have flooded in.
saying hearts would break if a minis-
ter had to drive himself.
Community and Social Services
Minister David Tsusbouchi has had
to explain why, in discussing cuts to
welfare, he echoed a reporter's sug-
gestion that, "The weather is nicer in
British Columbia," so that he was
viewed as callously pushing people
struggling on welfare to pack their
bags.
Tsubouchi also wrote a bizarre
poem in which he shot dead a mime
who irritated him. The media has
had a Heid day interpreting this as
his secret desire -to get ride of the
weak and poor.
Then MPP Morley Kells, left out
of cabinet, claimed that ,Harris is a
dictator and ignores backbenchers.
This may turn out accurate in the
end because the premier shows signs
of authoritarianism and wrote most
of ' his policies before the election.
which reduces scope for his MPPs to
influence them -- but no backbench-
er ever has made such a complaint
so early.
Harris's Tories in opposition were
known for their gaffes, including ap-
pearing to praise people who gave
up jobs for welfare . They may be
blue -bloods in government, but they
can still act like Jethro and Jed.