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The Huron Expositor, 1984-07-18, Page 21 Huron _ Osit r® SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST Incorporating. 10 Main Street Published in SEAFORTH,- ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning Brussels Post 527-0240 JOCELYN A. SHRIER, Publisher RON WASSINK, Editor KATIE O'LEARY, Advertising Representative Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (In advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (in advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 1984 Second class mall registration Number 0696 OPINION Race is on The race to see which political party Will win the 1984 federal election is on. And the main figures in the election'are John Turner, Liberal; ,Brian Mulroney, Progressive Conservative; and Ed Broadbent, New Democratic Party. The Iectlon should prove interesting since Mr. Turner and Mulroney are rel Live newcomers to the political scene. For the first time voters, they've pro ably heard very little of Mr. Turner and his past affiliation with the Lkerals. But the voters should now be familiar with Mr. Mulroney anc7jr .Broadbent and the policies they are fighting for. It seems every politician has jumped on the "rights for women" bandwagon. All are hoping to cap'tallze on that issue and woo women voters to their side. Politicians ha a finally come to the realization that wa'fien are people too. Now's the time for women to a ad ntage of what appears to be a first time recognition from political leaders. Women have had to fight for everything they've achieved and their first victory was the right to vote. But now women are finding their niche in politics. And if they keep up their fight for recognition and equality, then it will only be a matter of time before Canada will have its first woman Prime Minister, In Huron -Bruce, women are also playing a vital role•In politics. Valerie Bolton Is the NDP candidate. But two parties, the Conservatives and Liberals have yet to choose candidates. It's only a matter of going through the motions of re -nominating Murray Cardiff, MP to represent the local Conservatives. But the race is on for the Liberal nomination, Heather Redick and Bruce McDonald are vying for the nomination. No matter what the outcome at next week's nomination meeting, the present situation is that two women are in a sense facing off against two men, If Ms. Redick should win, then for the first time in history, a local male politician will be campaigning for the riding seat against two women. No matter who is chosen as candidate, there should be a good election in Huron -Bruce. Let's hope the best man/woman wins. - RW Be careful Being a good Samaritan can cost you your life these days. A woman was shot and killed by two men who flagged down the car she was riding in on Highway 402 near Strathroy recently. After the car pulled off the highway, the men ordered the woman out of the car and shot her In the head and chest In an apparent robbery attempt while her husband and nephew watched In horror. The lesson of thls Incident, other than the senseless brutality of man, seems to be ignoring any car or person in distress on the side of a highway. It appears that the reward for coming to the aid of your fellow man is a bullet in the head. The problem with such a cynical attitude is that people who really need help in an emergency are left to fend for themselves when everyone Is too afraid for their own safety to help. There's something wrong about a world where people are scared to do anything but mind their own business when someone else Is in trouble. Such senseless acts of violence as the recent murder of the woman near Strathroy are terrifying and can leave a person wondering how to react in a similar situation. Perhaps it's time we were more careful when lending a helping hand. It's unfortunate that a few people make -life harder for concerned citizens. Let's hope that doesn't stop us from helping others and let's hope such a situation doesn't happen again. - S.H. The dream weavers COUNTRY CORNER by Larry Dillon Flection time is coming and with it we can look forward to receiving, not the Queen. but an opportunity to hear how this country should be run. Then we must decide just who should be doing that job and put them there. Flections are an interesting phenomena which occur in democratic societies. They are a time of many promises and great expectations and each political party has the solution to all our problems. They ask us to give them the chance to remedy the ills of our society and in return for our vote. they offer prosperity. Our expectations of the behavior of the political party and of the candidate campaign• ing are quite straightforward. We look for a good show during the campaign Then it's all over until the next election. As for policies, we expect political parties to have policies, but we know that they are only temporary conveniences. Canadian politicians have a tradition of making election promises and then breaking them. Remember 1974, when a government was elected on the promise they would not institute the wage and price controls that the opposing party wanted. Then there was 1980. when the Liberals insisted that fuel prices could not be allowed to go up 18 cents a gallon. WEAVING CONTEST The electoral process in this country seems to be a dream weaving contest. The candidate or party who presents the best dream, impossible or otherwise; seems to have the best chance of forming the government. At the same time, candidates must follow proven methods if they wish to be elected. That means for a few short months. they must be what the peoplerexpect. The problem with this approach is that the people who are doing the voting are making their decisions based on a false presentation, A Canadian election is a difficult time for a candidate because his role has been estab- lished by tradition. If he doesn't promise miracles. the voters will ignore him and turn to another candidate. This is an unfortunate situation for any sincere dedicated and honorable person who seeks political office. He may not get a chance to prove himself unless he is willing to participate in a free for all of wild promisesif he does, the odds are that he will not be able to keep all the promises. PROMISES ARE INCONSISTENT Not all campaign promises are violated, but enough are that we expect the worst of those who make them. In our society it seems to be accepted fact that "honest politician" is a contradiction in terms. Already the political parties are pointing out how their opponents promises are inconsistent. and how the apparent inconsistencies in their own plat- forms are merely illusion. It is generally accepted that a democracy allows the people to elect the best qualified person for the job. This is essentially correct. A democracy does allow us to elect those best qualified. but it certainly doesn't force us to do so. It also allows us to elect the candidates who present the best dream. The greatest feature of a democracy is that it ensures that a population will be represented by a government that it de- serves. 4 Here's Kermit FROG JUMPING was the event of the day when Dublin and area youngsters and their favorite frogs participated in a frog jumping contest. The best frog catcher was Bruce i Ruston, left, First place winner was Danny Cronin centre, and the frog with the longest legs was owned by Sean Cook. (Wassink photos) Life in small towns is supe ` I'm not one to blow my own horn and tell the whole world about my personal experiences. But last weekend 1 had an experience which has an underlying motto. At the same time, it's kind of hilarious. Friday night I saw my better half. Some Seaforthites wonder if we ever see each other, Good news Frank, she looks the same. That night, I resolved to take Saturday off. There were no news events to cover and a good thing too; it was a lousy day. We were off to see the much talked about tall ships. We left home at the ungodly hour of 7 a,m., arrived at Ontario Place at 9:30. We were warned of traffic jams and people jams. Fortunately, we were early. After parking the car next to the entrance to Ontario Place, we made our way to the ticket booth. It didn't cost us a cent to get in. Several months ago, 1 received a bicentennial key card in my junk mall which allows the holder to take in provincial owned sites, ftSee. We stood in line to take in the einesphere show. Standing in line for an hour, wearing a sweater and jacket in drizzling rain is no thrill. But the show was fantastic. After- wards, about 11 a.m., we rushed to the harbor front to find a spot to watch the tall ships sail past. The sail past wasn't until 2, and already there were thousands of people. 1 wasn't in too good of a mood to start with, and to hear most people talk (they were.t; happy), didn't make me any happier. The •' rain didn't help. SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink But there we stood, and sat, and stood, hauling out the umbrella three times to ward off rain, waiting for the tall ships. And all around us were experts. They all had their cheap, spindly tri -pods and Nikon cameras, ready for action. That was at II. I thought to myself, "self, if they're too weak to hang onto a two pound camera, they shouldn't be here." And to see six foot tall men bending over their five foot high tripods, 1 knew it wouldn't last. 1 was right. Tri -pods were abandoned at 2. We were standing at a spot whelp we could watch the local yocals tight the water traffic iii their bathtubs. In the air, it seemed inevitable that half a dozen small craft would collide in mid-air. "Sailors" were fighting to get onto Lake Ontario, . bumping and smashing into each other. And then there were the "tall ships". What a disappointment. All they were, were glorified sailboats. They didn't seem that tall and they didn't rise 30 feet out of the water aa i had imagined. And the locals and their -tubs,.' fighting to get near the tall ships reinihded, me of' reporters at the Liberal leadership convention. 1 heard later that some captains of the tall ships were very upset when the tubs smashed into their ships. Disgusting to say the least. By 3:00, I had enough. We only saw three "tall ships". We had a meal at a nearby restaurant for which we shelled out 40 clams. An hour later, we were driving down Younge Street. The better half decided to do some shopping at the Eaton Centre. I went to a camera store and book store. 1 didn't buy camera equipment, but did fmd two books in what was billed the world's biggest book store. There were so many books,i became clausterphobic. Haing gone our separate ways, we had decided to meet in front of 'the Eaton building On the way, 1 took in a juggling act, right on the sidewalk. It was probably the biggest thrill of the day. On another street corner, I saw an unshaven wino playing a harmonica. Every so often, someone would throw a quarter into a battered cardboard box at his feet. I only visit Toronto twice a year, but each time, I'm amazed at how other people live, dress, walk and act, it's different, but not the life for me. er watchi he sideshows, i found the ' er ' all. She spent two hours shopping, but didn't buy a thing. She said $39 for a pair of shorts was ridiculous. "Take me home," was all she said. We arrived back in town at 8 p.m. It was durin4 the drive back, that we'd decided shopping in a small town isn't all bad. In fact, I'm a real advocate of shopping at home. We might not have as great a variety as we'd like. But for me, pants are pants, shoes are shoes and restaurant food is cheaper in Seaforth than Toronto. And better too. The local shoe store may not have my shoe size in stock, but they try their darndest to have a pair of boots (size 13's) for me the next day. Clbthes are the least of my worries. I'll buy locally anytime and usually the store owner remembers the size i wear and what I prefer. Small towns are super. The locals know you by name and are never too busy to stop and say hello. If 1 want to see sailboats, 1 can drive to Bayfield any day of the week. And the best part is. 1 can also see one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. And it's quiet. There's no rushing from store to store or being stopped on the street by a wino asking for a buck for a coffee. We don't always realize and are quick to complain about living in the sticks. But lets fare it, there's no other life than small town life. Idealism has changed to cynicism It's election time again. So where's the excitement. The last time Canada faced an election with two new leaders of the major parties was 16 years agd. it seems like a lifetime ago land it nearly is for some of the younger voters.) The world has changed since those heady days of 1968. Canadians were so glad to escape the interminable squabbles that plagued the country under the seemingly -eternal minor- ity governments of Lester Pearson and John Diefenbaker that the two new leaders seemed exciting. There was a huge new generation of idealistic voters influencing the way people thought. We had just come out of the yearlong• national ego boosting party of the Centennial and we believed our own propaganda that for Canada, anything was possible. And we had the prosperity to believe it was. It's hard now. to imagine now the excitement of those dans. I mean there in BEHIND THE SCENES . by Keith Roulston national newspapers was a picture of Pierre Trudeau being mobbed by followers in a main street vote -getting session for Mail Edgar in Huron County. A Liberal getting that kind of reception in Huron County? In thc 16 years since. it's hard to think of Trudcau drawing that kind of crowd in Huron unless it was to his public hanging. Ah yes, it was all so long ago. The people were idealistic, perhaps. They wanted to dream big. The political parties were a touch idealistic. The Conservatives elected Bob Stanfield because he was a nice. honest guy. The Liberals elected Trudeau because they liked his fresh style. rose in the lapel. sandals on the feet. none of the stuffy old feeling of former Canadian politicians. Flash ahead to 1984. The Conservatives have dumped their old leader because. although he was a nice. honest guy. they didn't fed he could win. They elect a man who has never made a commitment to run for office before. a man who's sat in the background waiting to ambush the nice, honest leader at the first ogpertunity. The Liberals elect a man who deserted them years ago, a man who stands against everything their former leader did. They elect him over a man who stuck with the party. who stood by what the party believed in and who many people wanted to have as their leader except that they felt the other man would win an election and keep them in power. Now we have the spectacle of a rugal tour being called off because the polls tell the new prime minister he's at the top and he can't wait until late September or October for a vote when he might not be there. 1 have never been a royalist. But. I couldn't help he embarassed at thc action of the man we call prime minister when the Royal yacht was Q&ready sailing up the St. Lawrence and the ueen had her bags packed ready to leave for Canada. The idealism of the '60's has given way to the cynicism of the '80's. And it is reflected in the people at Marge and particularly in the media. Mr. Turner is going to he shocked not to get the traditional honeymoon with the press. Mr. Mulroney is already finding that the press. who was nice to him when he opposed Pierre Trudeau. is not so agreeable anymore. And me? Cynical as I am aft€r watching our leaders. I'm thinking of voting for thc Rhinoceros party. You can't please 'em all It's extremely difficult, as any columnist knows, to please alt of the people alt of the time. In fact, if this column had done so. it would be extinct. Half my readers get so mad at me that they can't wait to read the next column. so they can get madder. The other half sort of enjoys it• forgives my lapses and looks forward to what the silly twit is going to say next, In the last couple of weeks, i've had some letters from both sides, A Manitoba editor is thinking of cancelling the column. Reason? "Too many columns dealing with personal matters." I quote bits from his letter: "While it is understandable that family members are dear to Bill Smiley ... 1 feel our readers might tire of how the grandboys are behaving. Once or twice a year would be sufficient." 1 should be so lucky. You are quite right, sir. Once or twice a year would be sufficient, for the grandboys' visit. And from Vancouver. a young mother writes to say, "Keep on writing about your family and grandboys. 1love these columns." The editor was fair. He added: "Columns, other than family -related, are good and have received favorable comment from our read- ers." Thanks. 1 get letters from religious people who accuse me of becoming the right-hand man of the Devil, when 1 jestingly remark that God must have been out to lunch when he was drawing up the menu for this year's winter. 1 get letters from other religious people who send me dreary tracts and letters full of SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley Biblical references. with the hope that 1 will print the lot. And 1 get letters from still other religious people. mostly clergy. who enjoy quibbling with me -over a point but urge me to continue writing as 1 do. to make people think. But on the whole. it is not exactly a dog's life. 1 remember receiving a fairly vicious editorial blow from a weekly editor who said 1 wrote too much about teenagers. because I Was a school teacher. 1 retorted with a bit of tongue in cheek. in high dudgeon. he cancelled the column. It's still going. 1 wonder if he's still the editor of that papeya deciding what his readers can read. (Had a number of letters from his subscribers supporting me, none supporting him.) 1 receive letters from places like Baker Lake, N.W.T.• excoriating me for talking about the tough winters down here. which to them is almost the deep south. And I get a letter from -my kid brother retired and living in Florida, with pictures of 'the house, flowers, pool and an outline of his day: coffee and morning paper, walk down the beach with the dog. etc. The swine. Wait till the Florida flies get to him in July and he wants to come north and visit for a month. No room at the Smiley inn, Intla Smiley. On the whole. the letters 1 get are delightful. A typical example came in the other day from hill Francis. Moncton. B.C. He says such nice things about the column that 1 blush even to read them. and would never put them in print. But more to the point. his letter is witty. informative, alive. He's no chicken. a W.W.I infantry private. I'll quote a bit. "Though obviously a man of sound common sense. 1 wonder how. in your youth, you got involved in flying a fighter plane. let alone risking combat in one. (Ed. note: me too!) 1 remember during those war years, watching a young fellow land his old Avro Anson like a wounded pelican in the middle of our freight yard and walk away from the wreck looking a little sheepish. Soon after. and nearby. another boy flew his Harvard trainer at full speed into a grove of trees one foggy morning. He -didn't walk away from that one." Speaking of education. he says he attended five different schools and doesn't think mush of today's big schools. Of the new permissive- ness: "Anti -social behaviour today may he blamed on everything from sun spots to Grandpa's weakness for women and hard liquor, which all agree is a vast improvement on the old concept." A strapping at school and another at home for being strapped at school. His last school was graded "superior", because it taught to Grade 11. Equipment consisted of a tray of mineral specimens. the remains of a cheap chemistry set. and a leather strap. but managed to turn nut a number of people who went into the professions. Bill Francis says: "The school's rather good record was due not only to excellent instruction, but also to draw, ng. from a radius of five miles around, those whose ryes were fixed on distant goals and whose legs were equal to hoofing it hack and forth. There was nothing wrong with my legs and 1 lived nearby. "Just a little light upstairs. they said; a handicap I've learned to live with. "Now. some seventy years later and a little wiser, 1 have become just an old fellow round whom the wind blows in the laugh of the loon and the caw of the craws and the wind whistles by so dreary and cold. in chilling disdain of ways that are old. But this feckless old fellow just putters around and heeds not the wind nor its desolate sound. Cares not a whit for what the winds say: just listens for echoes of things far away." 1 think that is wise and honest and real. May 1 feel the same. I'll be in touch. Bill Francis. You're a literate man with some brains in your head. An unusual phenomen- On.