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U= 8301 2% ylul ¢sbeouT -- AATZ YARKIN TA09 6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 25, 1989 The Lovf Peery Slav 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO PHONE 985-7383 FAX 985-3708 The Port Perry Star is authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, for cash payment of postage. Second Class Mail:Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: InCanada $20.00 peryear Elsewhere $60.00 per year. SingleCopy 50¢ EDITORIAL Publisher - J. Peter Hvidsten Editor - John B. McClelland News/Features - Cathy Olliffe News Reporter - Rob Streich PRODUCTION Annabell Harrison Trudy Empringham Darlene Hlozan BUSINESS OFFICE Office Manager - Gayle Stapley Accounting - Judy Ashby Billing Department - Louise Hope ADVERTISING Advertising Sales Representative: Anna Gouldburn Retail Sales - Kathy Dudley, Linda Ruhl, Heather Jones Advertising Co-ordinator - Valerie Ellis { (| | eh) Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Ontario Community Newspaper Association Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd. Port Perry, Ontario Editorial Comment THE NATION | One of Canada's major newpapers, the Toronto Star, has just concluded a three-part series of articles on the "state of the nation" in Canada. After talking to people coast to coast, decision mak- ers and average folk alike, the paper came to the rather gloomy conclusion that Canada may soon feel an "earth- quake" of signficant proportions, not the natural kind that destroys buildings, but one that could destroy the nation as we know it today. The paper suggests that Canadians are tired, con- fused and very cranky to the point of "burn-out" over two issues that have dominated the national agénda for more than a decade: the Constitution and bilingualism inter- woven with that common thread of Quebec separation. One need not travel coast to coast conducting so- phisticated surveys and talking to the movers and shakers of the land to determine that. Though not as "scientific," f the Toronto Star could have come up with the same con- ' clusions just by eavesdropping on the conversation in the : coffee shops and taverns in many parts of this land. ; - The article suggests that English speaking Canadi- { ans may have mis-interpreted what Quebec really wanted when it comes to language. Quebecers, it says, may only have wanted to guarantee that their language and culture | survives within the borders of that province. Whether peo- ple in Calgary or Halifax can speak French, or indeed if ( French language services are available in those and other parts of the country really may not matter a hill of beans to Quebecers. { ( Which is why Quebec has what appears to be a dra- ( conian language bill on its books (ruled unconstitutation, f by the way) while the rest of the country works hard and spends enormous sums of money on things like French { courses for employees and civil servants, signs in two lan- 1 guages in every post office, and French immersion for \ their children. ; And Quebec is still not a a full fledged member of this f Confederation under the new Constitution. Is it any wonder that the people are "burned out?" Is it little wonder they are sick to death of one set of lan- guage rules for nine provinces and a completely different set for the one province all this was to help keep in the fold of Confederation. The Toronto Star found that a surprsingly high num- ber of Canadians outside Quebec really don't care if that province decides to separate. And in some parts of Cana- da like New Brunswick and rural eastern Ontario, anti=French sentiments are preached quite openly. Couple this fatigue over language and constitution with the seemingly never ending series of scandals involv- ing federal and provincial politicians lining their pockets or helping their well-heeled friends, and it is no wonder why j Canadians generally feel bitchy about each other these | days. The article laments the lack of vision and political lead- ! ership, but really, is this surprising when the country itself : has grown arm weary with the never ending struggle. | it is no secret that a lot of Canadians feel they have i) bent over backwards to placate and soothe Quebec, and 1 got only the shaft in return. And some are feeling that may- gg gn, pendent of the rest of the country. How ironic it was to read in the same issue of that b r about the efforts underway to bring back to Canada ) what should be a national treasure. (Turn to page 8) (OOK WHO'S GETTING THE GATE Now ! "AG Zz z. A 2 Z % 7 % 3 7 2 / 4 7 \ be Quebec should be distinct, different and politically inde-- Well how about Barbara Dodd? If you don't know who I'm referring to, obvi- ously you haven't flipped open the pages of any of Toronto's daily newspapers, turned on a radio or watched the "boob- tube" lately. She's the attractive young lady who recently hired high-priced lawyer Clayton Ruby and ini- tiated a court action to give her the right to abort her 15 week-old fetus. She won the battle, and within hours was in the offices of Dr. Morgentaler's clinic undergoing an abortion. Not her first, nor her second, but her third. And then, just one week after the abortion she calls a press conference to announce that she regrets the controversial abortion and that she has joined forces with the "pro-life" move- ment. When | first read about this story a couple of weeks ago, | felt sorry for Barbara Dodd. Here was a young lady who having become pregnant decided she did not want to go through with the birth. Then her boyfriend Greg Murphy steps up and tries to stop her from getting an abortion, by taking her to court. All of a sudden this un- known 22 year old became a media celebrity. Newspapers, radios and television stations were clambering for interviews and comments from Ms. Dodd. It makes one wonder, if after all of the atten- tion and publicity she had been getting, she missed being a "celebrity." Could this be why she would make such a complete turnaround in such a short time? Did she miss the hype and excitement of the trials, and the publicity | just can't believe that any woman wanting an abortion so badly that she would challenge her rights in front of the courts and the media, would then change her mind a week later and say she made a mistake. Especially after having two abortions before the one in question. She alleges that the pro-abortion grou used her to advance their cause, but all facts indicate that it was Dodd who initiated the entire incident. It was Dodd who decided she wanted an abortion in the first place. She also decided to appeal the case after losing a court action Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten against her by boyfriend Greg Murphy. And she immediately made an appointment for her abor- tion after winning her appeal. Reports indicate Dodd knew what she was doing when she arrived at the clinic of Dr. Mor- gentaler and in fact she hugged him gratefully for her free abortion following the procedure. Does this sound like a woman who would turn face a few days later and blame pro- choicers for pressuring her into having an r- tion? | wonder what her excuse is for the two ear- lier abortions? At any rate, Barbara Dodd is now a member of the "pro-life" group and we will undoubtedly be hearing a lot more of her. She now has a high profile with the press, and as a "media-celebrity" she will no doubt got more than her share of front page stories and TV coverage. It kind of makes you wonder if this whole thing was a set-up, by pro-lifers to increase awareness of their cause. Whatever the reason, any credibility or sym- pathy | had for Barbara d when this whole episode started has vanished. THRILL OF A LIFETIME Last Friday a team of local golfers, including myself, played in the third annual Williamson/ Acton Celebrity Golf Tournament near Uxbridge. Its the one tournament | look forward to each year and this year our four-some was teamed up with Chris Kotsopolous, a former Leaf now playing with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a great guy, and a not so bad golfer, helping our team to end up with a respectable six under par in a game known as a "scramble". But the real thrill for me during this tourna- ment came back in the clubhouse after finishing a fantastic meal of prime rib. Up on the auctioneers block came Wayne Gretsky's Canada Cup '87 sweater. The brilliant white sweater with "Canada" and a half Maple Leaf emblazoned across the front in bright red, and the large "Gretsky 99" on the back raised $1000 for the Children's Wish Foundation. Bidding was. furious for this item with blocks of numbers being auctioned for $5.00 each. | umped in early taking numbers 20 to 25, and as' uck should have it the number drawn was 24, Gretsky's sweater is now hanging on my of- 1100 won Ea won v0 goa anging y