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WHITBY FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY. APR IL 24. 1985, PAGE 5 "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." - Thomas Jefferson w w0 M ilt71alR THE CROW'S NEST - 'A by Michael Knell Believe it or not, in 15 days we go to the poils. Two weeks tomorrow we are supposed to go and mark our ballots for the candidate of our choice. Say, what? Do you mean to tell me that there's an election going on? Yes, sir. I do. But this election is so boring that Frank Miller is even putting the Tories to sleep. Remember that recent meeting in Brampton when only 100 people showed up and aides had to fill empty seats and listen (probably for the first time in their lives) what their boss had to say. l'il bet they were simply thrilled. I don't believe we're holding an election. Nobody's saying anything (probably because the man from Muskoka won't debate the leaders of the opposition par- ties on television). In fact, despite the best efforts of David Peterson, this elec- tion is pretty dull. You know, there's nothing humourous about this election either. Normally someone takes a pie in the face or its political equivalent to give us all a chuckle in the middle of this organized bore. But so far it hasn't happened. The most intelligent suggestionthat has been heard during this campaign to date was a promise made by a Rhinocerous candidate somewhere in southern Ontario. Now, I don't remember what his name is or what riding he's running in but has promised, if elected, that he will fight for the development and introduc- tion of (are you ready?) edible beer cans! What a fantastic ideal Edible beer cans would virtually wipe out the litter problem after the Blue Jays games this season. Edible beer cans would be a great boon to people like me who find that after a can of brew their appetite is stimulated to the point where they could eat a horse. Just think of the fun one could have eating their way into a pint of one's favorite brand of suds. Beats the hell out of politics. As most of my long term readers know, I never endorse a candidate for office. It's not up to me to tell you who to vote for. That's your business and I don't want anyone to hold it against me if they made the wrong choice. But I do have a small piece of advise for those of you (and you're practically in the majority according to every poil I've seen) who are undecided. Now, I can't take credit for this. This advise is the product of the wierd and wonderful mind of Robert A. Heinlein, the dean of science fiction writers. In his major epic work "Time Enough for Love", Heinlein's central charac- ter, an uncouth old barbarian named Lazarus Long had this to say about par- ticipating in an election (and I'm not sure he is ail that off): "If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no can- didates and no measures you want to vote for...but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong. "If this is too blind for your taste, consult some well-meaning fool (there is always one around) and ask his advise. Then vote the other way. This enables you to be a good citizen (of such is your wish) without spending the enormous amount of time on it that a truly intelligent exercise of franchise requires." How's that for a piece of advise? When in doubt, vote against. If you think people don't follow that concept then you don't understand what happened last September 4. The Tories under Brian Mellowrunney (er, Mulroney) didn't win the election so much as the Liberals under John "I wanna pat your bum" Tur- ner lost it. People didn't vote for the Tories. They voted against the Liberals. It just so happened that the Tories were the major beneficiary of a national act of rebuke and rejection, . Although his forte is science fiction, Heinlein is also something of a philosopher and political scientist. He is particularly interested in the preser- vation of the American republic and the civil liberties its founding fathers at- tempted to give it. Heinlein is an advocate of the responsible electorate. He rejects out of hand what he calls the "warm body" approach to democracy. He can find no logical reason to support the notion that the sovereign right of franchise should be given automatically to an 18-year old human being whose body temperature approximates 37 degrees Centigrade. Heinlein has suggested that the right to vote should be granted on two basis: a) intelligence; and, b) social responsiblity. He also devised a means for en- suring that those who cast a ballot meet the criteria. First of ail, the voting booth would have two locks to the voting lever. The first lock could be opened with money. A large amount, he has suggested. (Heinlein has said that those who want to exercise power over the affairs should be required to pay for the privilege). The second lock would be unlocked if the voter could correctly solve a quadratic equation generated by the booth's computer. If the answer is wrong. You don't get to vote. However, he has put no age restrictions on the right to vote. Under Heinlein's suggestion very bright and responsible 12-year olds could exercise franchise while their parents sulked at home - ashamed to show their face and admit their stupidity. Other suggestions Heinlein has put forward include limiting the right of fran- chise to veterans. Limit the power over the state to those who have risked their life for it. Isn't that interesting? Heinlein is full of interesting ideas on how to make democracy more meaningful. His notions are designed to help ensure its survival. He notes that democracies such as ours often lead to harsh dictatorships (e.g. the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany). I don't agree with everything he has to say. But he does give me cause to think. I'm also glad he's not running in this provincial election. If they knew what he had to say, I'm sure the politicians would be too. But he would make it a lot more interesting. Stewart (left) mainstreeting in downtown Whitby Stewart's calm hides a burning anger EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second of three ar- ticles profiling the candidates of the three major parties seeking the Durham West seat in the On- tario Legislature. Through these conversations, we hope to give Whitby residents and voters a better insight into what they stand for and what they believe. This week, we profile New Democratic Party candidate Don Stewart. By MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staff Underneath that calm exterior, that reasoned demeanor, there is a deep burning anger. Not even 14 years of teaching so stoic a subject as history bas clamed the inner storm Don Stewart probably acquired, as most of us did, during the idealistic days of youth. Like Liberal standardbearer Brian Evans, the 34-year old New Democrat is a political rookie. Although he ran Geoff Rison's unsuccessful federal election campaign locally last year, this is the first time Stewart has been the candidate. It's a role he seems to have grown into. After conversing with this newspaper, it was evident that he could have been (or should have been) an oldtimer. While his criticisms of the incumbent MPP for Durham West, Progressive Conservative Energy Minister George Ashe are broad and far reaching, Stewart's fundamental criticism is what he sees as Ashe's lack of deep seeded con- cern for people and people oriented problems. In fact, he sees George Ashe as one of the most important local issues in this campaign. "I think the incumbent is an issue," Stewart says adding that this is especially so when one thinks of him as the Minister of Energy, which the Whitby resident believes was one of the worst appointments made by Premier Frank Miller when he formed his administration a few months ago. "I notice in his first newspaper ad, George Ashe is described as a man who speaks for the people of Durham West and I know a lot of people in Durham West who wonder where that kind of statement comes from," Stewart says. "Here's a key one," he continues, "I think it is a fundamental mistake to make Minister of Energy a MPP from a riding that contains a nuclear power plant. I think it is untenable. Where is a worker, who's health and safety are threatened on the job turn to on the political scene when his own MPP is, by the force of nature, the Hydro spokesman in the house? "That is bad planning, that is bad cabinet selection," he continues, "It's pretty pointless when there are other alternatives. If he was the MPP from anyplace else but here it would be a tenable notion. But i think it really compromises the system to have a man who's obviously com- mitted to a Hydro project as energy minister who is also the constituency man for those people that work in that plant. And I don't think they have a voice. "I think he's the MPP for Hdyro and not the MPP for the Hydro workers." Furthermore, if Ashe really speaks for the people of Durham West then Stewart wants to know where he was when the Ministry of Gover- nment Services decided to increase the rent it charges tenants in government owned homes in Squire's Beach by as much as 16 to 20 per cent. "The people who lived there approached their MPP for solace and a turn-around and, instead of talking to their MPP, they're talking to the Minister of Government Services who felt he had a mandate to raise more money from within his ministry," Stewart says. Another Durham West issue that raises his ire is the proposed transportation of tritium from the Pickering Nuclear Power Generating Station to its sister station in Darlington. Tritium is a highly radioactive byproduct of the nuclear generating process and is used by the Americans as a major component of their nuclear missiles. "I want to see a plan put before the public that ensures that tritium will move through here safely," he says, "And the other issue is: where is this tritium going?" And on this one, he believes he's found Ashe clearly in the wrong. "And here is where I think I've caught our sit- ting member really dead wrong when he says that tritium is not a component in modern atomic and hydrogen bombs," Stewart says, "He's ab- solutely wrong. It is a scarce and stradegic element that is required, by the American military in ever larger amounts every year. We are talking about injecting into the United States a substance that is a fundamental, stradegic weapons material." At this point, he adamently stresses that he is CONT'D ON PG. 7