6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 13, 1988 Editorial Comments FIGHTING CRIME The Metro Toronto Police Commission, at the urging of the Chief, wants to start sending list of names to the media of all the persons convicted of soliciting or communicating for the purpose of prostitution. The rationale behind this novel idea is that customers of prostitutes will think twice if there is a chance their name will show up in the public domain if they are con- victed. Thankfully, according to press reports last week, most Toronto newspapers, large and small, were very cool to the idea of printing the lists of names of those convicted of this crime. In the first place, there is a legal problem. What if a per- son's name was Bublished, who later appealed that con- viction successfully? If the police think they can embarass people into stay- ing away from prostitutes, why not take it a couple of steps further and publish the hapless guy's place of employ- rent, his service clubs, his mother's name, and the church he attends. Seriously, prostitution is a societal evil. But is this the way to sweep it under the carpet? No wonder the media are cool to the idea. Surely, the Metro police have better things to do than run around compiling lists on those con- victed of this "crime." UNTHINKABLE How many of you reading this column have young children who attend R.H. Cornish School in Port Perry? How many of those children must cross Highway 7A to get to school in the morning and then home again in the evening? How would you feel if there was no crossing guard to assist those youngsters across the Highway? Unthinkable, you say? Sadly, that is exactly the case. Despite advertising since August, Scugog Township has been unable to find two persons to work as crossing guards in two of the bus- iest traffic locations in the entire Township. One is the intersection of Highway 7A and the Oshawa Road, and the other is the school crossing on Highway 7A at the back of R.H. Cornish School. We are not sure exactly how many youngsters have to cross the highway at those two locations each day, but it's must be considerable. Knowing just how busy the traffic is at these locations, it is unthinkable that crossing guards are not there to as- sist the kids, especially the very young ones in Kinder- garten and primary grades. Last week, Durham Police filled in as crossing guards because of the emergency situation. But that won't con- tinue. The Township administrator told the Star last week that unless crossing guards can be hired, it is likely that youngsters will have to find their own way across High- way 7A. (Turn to page 8) A-- Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe Port Perry (5 % CNA STAR 8 cn em | 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO Phone 985-7383 P.0.Box90 LOB 1NO J. PETER HVIDSTEN Member of the Publisher Conaeian Com munity Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Advertising Manager Published every Tuesday by the 1B LELLAND Port Perry Star Co. Ltd., Port Perry, Ontario. Editor Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for cash bid OLLIFFE payment of postage in cash. News eatures Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Lis Conia ,. (@ONA _- Subscription Rate: In Canada $20.00 per year. 240000 ass0llhl Elsewhere $60.00 per year. Single Copy 50° © COPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver- tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited-are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. - comes from SEND ME NO LETTERS | HATE chain letters. Superstitious nonsense that they are, the things make me crazy, and when | find out who sent me this one, I'm gonna smack the sender upside the head. Read this, imagine that it was sent to you, and see if your blood boils: "KISS SOMEONE YOU LOVE WHEN YOU GET THIS LETTER AND MAGIC... This paper has been sent to you for good luck The original copy is in Scotland. It has been around the world eleven times. The luck has now been sent to you. You will receive good luck within four days of receiving this letter, provided yoy send it back out. THIS IS NO JOKE You will receive it in the mail. Send copies to people you think need good luck. Don't send money, as fate has no price. Do not keep this letter. It must leave your hands within 96 hours. An Air Force offi- cer received $70,000.00. Joe Elliot received $40,000.00 and lost it because he broke the chain. While in the Phillipines, Gene Welsch lost his wife six days after receiving this letter. However, before her death she had won $50,000,00 in a lottery. The money was trans- ferred to him four days after he decided to mail this letter. Please make twenty copies of this letter and see what happens in four days. The chain tland and was written by Sir Anthony Croft a missionary from South Ameri- ca. Since the copy must make a tour of the world you must make twenty copies and circu- late them to your friends and associates. After a few days you will get a surprise. This is true even if you are not superstitious. Do note the following: Constantine Dons re- ceived the chain in 1953. He asked his secre- tary to make twenty copies and send them out. A few days later he won a lottery of TWO MILLION DOLLARS. Andy Daddit, an office employee received this letter and forgot it had to leave his hands within 96 hours. He lost his job. Later, after finding the letter again, he mailed out twenty copies. A few days later, he got a better job. Please send no money. Please don't ignore this. IT WORKS!" Is your blood boiling yet? It should be. Be- cause you just received the letter. You see, as much as | hated getting the stu- pid thing, | feel obligated to pass it on to oth- ers. What choice do | have, really? Do | want to end up like poor Gene Welsch (whoever the heck he is), whose wife died because he ne- glected to mail out 20 copies of the chain let- ter? Do | want to risk a family member dying? Not that | believe in this stupidity--I don't think | do. But | don't want to risk the chance that the chain letter does have some super- natural power that might destroy my life as | now it. The letter came addressed to me at the Star office, in childish handwriting, postmarked Blackstock. It happened to arrive at lunchtime, when my husband Doug was here with me. | opened the envelope, read the contents, and threw it over for Doug to read. He read it, crumpled it, and tossed it in the garbage. End of conversation. We finished Sur lunch, kissed good-bye, and went back to work. A few minutes later, my thoughts were yanked back to the letter. | kept thinking "what if something terrible happens because | broke the chain. How could | live with myself?" Abruptly, | retrieved the letter from its nest of orange peels, and scanned the contents one more time. "KISS SOMEONE YOU LOVE..." Thank God, | did. What a relief. As | read it again, | got mad, really mad. Al- most mad enough to throw it out for the sec- ond time, but not quite. I'll admit it, the stupid thing scared me. | decided right then and there to write about it--not only to let people know how | feel about chain letters, but also to Indirectly "mail" out copies--about 6,500 cop- es. | thought, if twenty copies brings good luck, imagine what 6,500 copies will do. So while I'm extremely sorry | had to pass this chain letter on to you, | feel it's something | had to do in order to protect my family. Isn't that ridiculous? As for the one remaining copy, which I'm not supposed to keep, I'm going to deal with it right here and now. The crumpling feels good under my fingers, and the expert toss into the wastepaper bas- ket makes me feel like a basketball pro. Ah yes, I've fulfilled every directive of the chain letter. Four days from now, | should be wealthy. I'll let you know what happens. --