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Orono Weekly TImes~ Wednesda3t,~ flecember l7~ 19g7 - 1~ FROM PARLIAMEN« HILL Alex Shepherd People being roughed up' because of their loyalty to Canada, a convlcted murder- er and terrorlst burning the mnaple leaf, and molotov cock- tails thrown at homes dis- playing the Canadian flag al while police look on and do nothing. Is this some banana repub- lic or a history book of fascist regimes? Sadly they are real incidents taking place in Quebec durlng the last two weeks. I was annoyed while dis- cussing these acts wlth an MP from Quebec. I noted newspaper articles claimed police were not protecting these people whose only sin was to stand up for their country. I was even more annoyed when she confirmed this. And she should know, it was one of her constituents who received the molotov cocktail and she is a former member of what we would caîl the Police Services Board in Montreal. Where were the separalists durlng alI this? quietly saying nothing, which for me, speaks volumes about who and what these separalists are. When Parizeau muses about the pesty little "ethnic" who got in the way of his grand plan for a new nation, it Is nothing more than pure racism. Separatists lîke to talk about their pure lineage which is central to their argu- ment that they are a nation. To me the unblemished Quebecols race if folklore. Their pure lineage can't be defended based on geniealogy since there bas been a great deal of inter-marriage within the francophone community as there is wthln the anglo- phone community. But the philosophy is sick- ening. It would all be laugh- able if not for the real threat they pose in Qu ebec. I don't remremnber Mr. Bouchard refliting any of this, 80 to me, that makes him guilty by omission. While I wonr't say all sepa- ralists are this crazy a lot are. I think these people control the school systemn and are very skilled at getting their message out. On a recent trip to France my wlfe was asked to pick a Canadian song for a guitarist and she chose one by Celine Dion. The gultarist in all seri- ousness said the song wasn't Canadian but Quebecois. We informed hlm Quebec was part of the Canadîan fed- eralion. He didn't understand this. When I see people In the rest of Canada taking a non- chalant attitude toward the flag I feel we are well on our of self destruction. What can we in Durham do about arrestlng this Insidlous condition. communication amnong Canadians is one answer. Generally when people communicate with one anoth- er they realize they are not al that different. Mutual respect and understanding are qulte normal feelings once people know each other. The problem with a good number of French Quebecers is that they have been out- side the comm-unication loop for a long time. In this day of telecommunicalions there is no need for this. I know some of our schools have been active in exchange programis and I am lnvolved in ensurlng an exchange pro- gram will occur this summer wlth local high school stu,- dents. Wth e-mail so easy to work wi-th, for those so indlined, I would be happy to start up an e-mail pen pal system. I will even arrange for transla- lion services. Finally letters stlll work well and I would be happy to broker these con- tacts. As we approach the holi- day season and speak of peace and goodwlll to all mankind maybe taking a litle bit of yourself and sharlng it with fellow Canadians would go a long way in allowing US to know one another better. Let's not be so staid or shy to show our allegiance to Our flag and country. Many have died for Our rlght to do this. The least we cari do is respect that. Claington Fire Cails The Clarlngton Fire Departmient responded to the following cails during the perlod of December 8 to 15: 2 vehicle fires, 2 chlmney lires, 2 grass fires, 4 fires, 2 motor Vehicle accidents, 14 medical assistance cails, 3 alarrn acti- vations and 1 check-out cali. Kendal Hall News At the regular card party on Friday, December l2th. Hlgh score was taken by Orland Drinkwalter with 84, 2nd place Doreen Lowery with 77, 3rd place Helen Couroux wlth 76 and 4th place Frances Cathcart with 73. The draw was won by Elaine Cathcart. Free admis- sion to the next card party was won by Wayne Lowery. There wlll be no card party on Friday, December 26th, as the Hall bas been rented o>ut for a Farnily Chrstmas Party. The card party wlll be held on "Saturday, December 27th." On Wednesday, December lOth the members of the Ladies Lodge, their spouses and friends went to Cullen Gardens for supper and a tour of the Christmas lîghts. If you have not been there this year, do go it is beautiful, and the Story of the events leading up to the Birth of Jesus is so realistic, you feel as if you are there. A very enjoyable evening. This week is the Turkey Bingo. Good Luck to the wln- ners. P. Lowery i FILM DEVELOPINO * SPECIALI I 24 EXP OnIy $5.99! I 2 1&5 EXP -$4.99 &36 EXP -$9.99 I C-41 Colour Print Film, lst set of prints only. Sizes - 110, 126, Disc & Full Frame 35MM Exludes: Panoramic 35, Seattle Film & Advanced Photo System.' Lm4it Coupon per order. Coupon must accompanyI I~odr whaNot to beused in cnjunctions 39 1 withay * ersi al.VaiO e1 "7Jn 18 RZL ............. .... .. . . . ....................... .......... ... . . ..... . ..