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The Times Advocate, 2005-10-12, Page 44 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, October 12, 2005 =CNA Editorial Opinion TIMES ADVOCATE PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the Financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing casts. Jim Beckett Publisher and Editor Deb Lord Production Manager &Published by Metroland Printing, rt Publishing & Distributing Ltd. Metroland 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • (519) 235-1331 EDITORIAL Plenty of blame for gas prices s it happening? Are Canadians starting to get used to paying through the nose to gas up their cars? Canadians were in for a shock in the summer when gas finally jumped the $1/litre mark, then jumped up as high as $1.34/litre in some parts of the country when petroleum sites in the southern United States were damaged in the wake of hurri- cane Katrina. Since then, gas prices have fallen back to, depending where you live, the mid- or high- 90s (or, if you live in Exeter, gas has remained well over the $1/litre mark before falling below it last Friday). But while people still occasionally grumble and moan about the prices, there isn't the sense of panic that was felt in the summer when gas ini- tially leapt over the $1 mark. Have we accepted that gas is expensive and we had been enjoying prices much cheaper than what citizens of many other nations have been paying? Or are we hold- ing out hope that prices will drop back to where they were before the summer? (Don't hold your breath.) Canadians might have to get used to the fact that driving a car is an expensive habit. We might have to buy fuel efficient cars and decrease the amount of driving we do, which isn't always an easy thing to do in a rural area like Huron County. Gas at $1/litre might simply be a fact of life. But the government's claims it can't do anything to curtail the high cost of gasoline are disingenu- ous — with taxes taking up a large chunk of the price at the pump, it's a simple fact that the more gas costs, the more money the government receives. The government could help us out by lowering taxes — they just don't want to. They're enjoying our addiction to gasoline, which has become a cash cow, and they're not going to give it up. But, given Canada's tendency to forgive the Liberal government (especially given the fact the Conservatives aren't much of an Opposition) high gas prices aren't something Canadians will likely hold the Grits responsible for. But next time your wallet is empty after filling up, remember your government is largely respon- sible for those high prices. SOME HARD FEELINGS ovER •rtilE LOCKOUT MAY LINGER,., Their time is past I'm usually all in favour of the phase 'lock em up', whether it's the criminal element, annoying kids or gloating Canadiens fans (but they haven't had much to gloat about for the last 12 years, have they?) But when it comes to real animals (basically anything other than cats) it's past time zoos and aquariums were closed. Although a cat zoo sounds like an idea whose time has come. Every four legged flea bag in the world could be rounded up for the enjoyment of those who for whatever reason like the company of the little hairballs. But for the rest of us, we don't need them anymore. (I mean zoos as well as cats.) The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) released its report on 16 zoos in Ontario last week and of the 16, only four got a passing grade. As a kid, like every family we made the ritual outings to Marine Land to see Killer Whales do tricks and the African Lion Safari to see monkeys get frisky on the hood of the car. At that time it was the only way most of us could see wild animals except for National PAT BOLEN Geographic, but what 12 year old boy was BACK 40 reading National Geographic to see the ani - VIEW mals back then? We never considered what the life of the animals was like, whether they were well fed, caged appropriately and especially whether the `king of the jungle', really wanted to entertain us. And before anyone tries to compare keeping animals and farms, take a good look at a cow. Everything about them screams 'fry me up and smother me in mushrooms' which isn't what comes to mind seeing the power and grace of a Siberian Tiger. It's bad enough when animals such as killer whales, bears and lions are treated at least close to properly at large zoos such as in Toronto. But the disrespect people show for the power of these animals borders on stupidity. The same people who wouldn't let their little darlings get on a bike with- out a helmet think nothing of letting a thousand pound animal capable of biting a seal in half kiss their kids on the cheek. Last week, a game farm out west made the news because it was allowing visitors to get close enough for bears to lick their faces. The only reason to feel bad if one of these bears followed its natural instinct at some point and removed the head of one of these idiots with one casual swipe, would be the loss of the bear that would have to be destroyed due to human stupidity. These animals can be mistreated without mal- ice, merely by not thinking of the type of animals they are. Wolves are social animals that live in packs and are mistreated by forcing them to live alone. Alternately, primates are stressed by hav- ing others living too closely. And can a predator animal which can have a territory of hundreds of square miles be even close to happy in a cage a few feet across? As for the old argument that zoos and aquari- ums are the only places children can see these types of animals, if this is the only way for kids to see them, then they shouldn't. Or if we really need to have zoos so kids can be instructed on the ways of the wild, maybe they should be combined with the schools' new emphasis on exer- cise. Dropping some of the chubbier kids into the tiger enclosure would be a great education on what nature is really like as well as getting some much needed exercise for fat little Johnny. But for the rest of them, get the National Geographic channel. It doesn't have pictures of naked pygmies anymore, but it won't show mistreated, miserable ani- mals either. Now about that cat zoo... About the Times -Advocate Address & Office Hours Times -Advocate, 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6. 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