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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" se PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, May 2, 1995 - 7 LE ITE RS from our readers Gun law based on faulty logic To the Editor: "l am going to register every firearm in Canada because all motor vehicles are registered." This wonderful piece of logic was spoken by Mr. Chretien on televi- sion. It would appear that our gov- ernment feels that the elimina- tion of injury by any object can be achieved by registering it. The analogy between registering all firearms with vehicle registra- tionis an interesting one. First, to obtain a driver's li- cence, we don't have to prove "need" - that we need one. Second, no personal and embarrassing questions are asked of spouses, neighbors or references. Third, we only need the driver's licence if we are going to drive the vehicle on public roads, and that vehicle need only be registered if it is go- ing to be driven on public roads. Fourth, no "Order-in-Council" can let the government take le- gally-owned autos without com- pensation. William C. Bartlett, Law and Government Division, Library of Veal industry a lesson To the Editor: There is a new sight for all to see in the area: a well kept farm with numerous igloo-like struc- tures in front. For the past several months these structures have been emp- Parliamert Research Branch, wrote a report entitled, "Argu- ments Against Further Gun Con- trol Measures At This Time." He states that public safety will be further endangered if police are forced to spread existing resourc- es enforcing new regulatory pro- grams involving legally owned firearms. The report also states how in- credibly expensive registration would be. Apparently, this report was ignored by the powers that be. We all know that the proposed legislation will have little or no ef- fect on crime. In a few years, some other want-to-be prime minister will use the fact of continuing crime to try and persuade the public that further restrictions against legal owners are neces- sary to fight crime and we will see this current registration aid in the collection (confiscation) of our legal property. Rock has a personal agenda, which is, that only police and mil- itary should have firearms and no one else; however, what about the ty. As of last Monday when you drive by, you can see young calves moving about inside or poking their heads out. These calves will remain in these structures for several months, throughout the sweltering heat of the summer. MPP insulted doctors To the Editor: (Copy of a letter to Gord Mills, MPP) In reference to your letter con- demning Port Perry doctors for closing their offices in a manner which you did not see fit, you obvi- ously had to consult the diction- ary before using the word "clap- trap." Just what business do you have to demean and disgrace anyone who has spent a lot of time, mon- ey and many years to become a doctor? They are dedicated and hard working. They do a lot more than just save lives, and their services go far beyond the call of duty. What services have you per- formed as MPP that are worthy of mention? You represent a group of people who call themselves the party for the working man, but you are no more for the working man than the man in the moon. Doctors do not cause hardship, Turnto Page9 criminal? Naturally, the criminal element will have them too. So, what will all this registra- tion, expense, confusion, and threats to ownership to private property do to fight crime? Noth- ing. If you are concerned about "Crime Control," read fact: not fiction. Understand the real situation: we have enough gun control; what we really need is better edu- cation regarding existing laws for safety and use, and a law enforce- ment that knows the law and has the resources and time to admin- isterit. Talk to people who know what gun control legislation is already written in law. Take the time to learn the truth before you decide what is good legislation and what is a very expensive smokescreen to hide the real problems - a gov- ernment unwilling or unable to address crime and its causes. Peter Barron, Port Perry in cruelty When the constant physical re- straint and eating makes them fat enough they will be slaugh- tered for veal. According to some, the veal is much more tender if the calves have been raised in this way. I understand that beef farming is a business and I am not a vege- tarian, but I find it impossible to understand how someone can raise cattle in this manner; there are many farmers that will have no part of this sickening practice. The farm that I mention is not the only one that does this. .It is cruel and inhumane and should not be legal. It is one thing to kill cattle for food, itis quite an- other to torture them for months prior to killing them. If this is what it takes to produce good veal, I will stop buyingit. Brigitte Holmes HANGING'S TOO GOOD FOR 'EM DEGREES OF SEPARATION: Poor old Jacques Parizeau. He doesn't seem to know if he's going, or coming. The pompous premier of Quebec is seeing the wheels fall off his Nationaliste wagon, and is hinting that sovereignty for his province now will mean an association with the Rest of Canada... that is eerily similar to the one that currently exists. Which leads one to ask: What's the point of holding a referendum on separation, then? Also: Don't the poll results indicate that Quebecers know a good thing -- Canada -- when they see it, -and are understandably reluctant to leap from a cliff hand-in-hand with M. Parizeau? As well as: Does this guy think we all have rocks in our heads? He'd better wake up soon, and heed the sentiments that are most prevalent in this country, even among the sympathizers -- like, | admit, me -- who backed Meech as a means of appeasing Quebec and welcoming the province into the constitutional fold: Quebec is no longer calling the shots, and the Rest of Canada is sure as heck not going to go through another round of hand- wringing and self-loathing, only to be rebuffed by a bunch of wrong-headed idealists who call themselves the Parti Quebecois. Vitriolic, sure. But at least | stopped short of calling for the hanging of Lucien Bouchard on charges of treason. LET'S GO CRAZY: Still on the topic of politics -- Man, we will all be glad when summer arrives and we get a break from this -- it's election time again in Ontario, and Premier Bob Rae and his NDP government are coming to the people, looking for an | extension of their mandate. After four and a half years of Dipper rule, Ontario is a different place. Not all the change has been good; but, let's be fair: Not everything the government has done has been bad, either. Ontarians will be asked to make a choice that, on the surface, is simple: Do we want to continue on the course of expensive social restructuring that has been so much a theme during the current government's mandate, or swing to the hard-line cost- cutting promises of the Tories and Grits? The choice, of course, is yours, and I'm not about to try and sway you one way or another. The thing to keep in mind is that the coming four or five years will be pivotal for Ontario, and tough indeed. Transfer payments from the feds are being slashed vengefully, and investors, it seems, are still leery about our teetering economy. It's a tough call. and if you're among the undecided, don't despair; there are a lot of folks -- your humble editor among them -- who find themselves in the same rickety craft. Pay attention closely as the race unfolds, and don't be 100led by rhetoric. Read between the lines of all the statements by the leaders. Now, more than ever, your vote is crucial. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten parking lot lastyear. NOTHING WRONG WITH SPANKING Thank God an Ontario judge had the good sense to clear an '#| American father of charges of - a | assaultin courtlastweek. The charges arose from a spanking he gave his 5-year- old daughter on the bare bottom, in a London, Ont. While the public has every right to report suspect ed abuse or excessive force, after listening to evidence the court decided in this case the accused were "responsible, reasonable and caring parents," who only took this step as a lastresort. There are many who feel strongly that spanking should be against the law in this country, and are suggesting the Criminal Code of Canada be changed to outlaw spanking, but | suspect they are in the minority. We have far too few ways to discipline children today and while fear of abuse is always present, it doesn't mean discipline should be abolished. All problems can not be solved by talking. | know growing up as a child | had my share of spankings... and the mere fact the threat of a spank- ing hung over my head most often kept me on the straight and narrow. While attending public school, only once did | get that strap because that once was enough. That experience straightened me right out and making a trip back to the principal's office was something | did not want to repeat. Butdo | think the spankings and the strap were wrong? Absolutely not. Discipline and respect for authority was far higher a few decades ago. Today many of our young people show little respect for people and property, and with- out some threat of punishment for wrong doings, it will only get worse. | know there are many who will disagree with these thoughts completely, and that's their right. But those who advocate the abolishment of spanking, straps etc., and want the law to punish parents for taking these steps are wrong. We must always be aware and on the alert for those who would abuse the spanking of a child, because there are some who unfortunately will use excessive force. And occasionally a child will be injured both physically and psychologically from this type of excessive discipline. That's very sad, but it's not agood enough reason to change the law and make spanking illegal. There will always be abuse, law or no law, and those who are found to be abusers should be dealt with quickly and to the full extent of the law. We already have laws in place that compel doctors and teachers, or anyone else for that matter who suspect abuse, to report it to the authorities. It's not perfect, but it addresses the situation. Spanking a child is not abusive and guardians of children should not feel they are breaking a law by applying this type of discipline when necessary. Parents should have the right to decide the disci- pline which fits the offense of the child, not the gov- ernment or special interest groups. oo