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theHFRALD Friday July 5 1991 Opinion Why not a diversified yet united society Poor Brian The Spicer report was not very strong on specifics but on one subject it left no doubts Brian is not the most loved of Canadian politicos I wonder how he copes It is not very nice to ones ego to be told people despise us There is not much to say about the Spicer report The commis sioners did a reasonable job and the report reflects the anxieties and confusion of the country It does not offer solutions perhaps bromides But the report is a reasonably fair mirror of our woes and the lack of solutions is only to be ex pected Why For the first time in at least a century our society and this in cludes most of the developed world lacks an intellectual or- philosophical underpinning In the past societies took major evolutionaryrevolutionary steps as the result of some reasonably welldeveloped theories The American revolution was intellectually supported by the work of the British economistsphilosophers and the French Enlightenment The unification drives of the century which shaped Ger many and Italy had strong roots in the concept of nationalism The great Russian revolution had firm roots in the works of Marx and Engel Even Fascism and Nazism had some form of shaky intellectual foundations I do not intend to claim that the philosophical underpinning of any of the above major social upheavals were good or wise but they DID exist If we look at our Canada of to day and of our attempts to reform the nation we have to recognize we hardly have a- base for strong emotions Why do we want to preserve Canada Because it is nice to be together because it gives us an extra dollar because we have medicare Hardly the stuff dreams are made of Only a few decades ago we had a solid base in the shared ex perience of the military prowess of our troops and the na tional pride which it did generate But the world wars are far away Another View Carlo Testa in time and the warriors and their families are fading away Politicians and bureaucrats commissions and committees are seldom capable or inclined to dwell in philosophy but without a philosophical base we are bound to reach for bromides or pedestrian concepts Humbug as Parizeau rather aptly put it As one of the media commentators rather nicely said give me three ideas I can sell Well I do not have three ideas in many hours of discussion I only run across We have something unique in Canada something which HAS a philosophical base something we could be proud of if we would take the chance to follow- it No it medicare or the size of the nation or the climate In Canada we have evolved the concept of accepting differences Differences in race differences in religions in cultures in customs We have not succeeded yet in fully accepting each other but we have made progress We are on our way Tolerance and diversity are profoundly different concepts than those at the root of most nations Tolerance and diversity are a thing of the future not of the past Germany united Germans Japan is a one-race- nation Britain is proudly one culture We are and can dare to be dif ferent We are in the process of overcoming bigotry I know but we are trying of look ing for ways of allowing for diver sity within unity I respectfully submit that our present crisis is caused by the on ly toonatural fear that our new reality creates Let us recognize that by allowing diversity not just in Quebec but across Canada by allowing citizens to form new units we are entering a new model of State a model suited to our technology and way- Let us allow the Indians to try some form of selfgovernment let us allow the people of Nor thern Ontario to form their own province let us allow minorities to lead their own life The only limitations The respect of basic human rights and of the rights of others We can in fact we have found in ourselves the courage to in formally accept diversity let us make diversity our banner We are strong and notwithstanding our present plight wealthy The concept of a diversified but united society has been with us for years By recognizing it as Canadas philosophical underpin ning by acting to give it ad ministrative and political reality we would have something to cheer about and to unite us Features Big Brothers of Halton fundraiser By LISA BOONSTOPPELPOT The Herald In September some of North Americas top jugglers magi cians and comedians will be ar riving in Georgetown under the direction of Marty a Hollywood producer to support Big Brothers of The performers will gather at Georgetown District High School September 7 to put on a variety show and the fall of the curtain will consummate Big Brothers campaign which an nually raises close to per cent of the organizations budget Its our largest fundraiser said Maria Scanga campaign coordinator Its a real successful fundraiser for us because the show is arranged by volunteers so we dont lose pro ceeds to a promotion company We also try to keep it personal Ms Scanga and Big Brothers committee chair man Jim Hynes started this years Fundtastic campaign last week by calling residents and selling tickets to the variety show People can buy theyre for five or money to the organization tickets pledge Family walk Mothers whether human or in this case Canada Geese share the common problem of having to deal with children who refuse to acknowledge the importance of good posture This Canada Goose mother tried valiantly but unsuccessfully through example to teach her children about good posture while out for a family walk Saturday In Actons Prospect Park Herald photo Last year Big Brothers raised in Georgetown alone which contributed to the total they collected from region excluding Burlington When people donate theyre not just donating to the agency theyre investing in a childs future said Ms Scanga Theyre also investing in their community When a young boy has a good role model hes less likely to use his peers as role models and more likely to be a productive member of society Although Georgetown residents have been generous with their money they havent been so generous with their time In Georgetown alone there are little brothers Only two have been matched up with a big brother In comparison Milton has little brothers and 33 of them are matched Some of the Georgetown boys have been on the waiting list for two years admitted Mr Hynes who as a Big Brother cannot im agine why more men arent in volved with the organization At first I was worried being a Big Brother would take up a lot of my time but then I found I wasnt even worried about the time because I was having so much fun he said You get to do things you used to do when you were a kid and you have a compa nion to do things with things like going to a baseball game that maybe your wife or friends dont want to do Mr Hynes has been a Big Brother to Bertram for two years and hes found it to be a learning experience in how to deal with kids Aside from matching young boys to Big Brothers the organization also works closely with little brothers waiting to be matched Unmatched little brothers are offered specialized counselling which allows for a thorough assessment of the boys needs Moreover Big Brothers has a camping service which provides sponsorship far little brothers from lowincome families so no young boy will be denied the chance to go to summer camp Big Brothers executive hopes to promote the organization and get new Big Brothers as they campaign for funds They want to clear up misconceptions some people have that Big Brothers have to travel to to be matched with a young boy and that the program costs the in dividual They explain that the service is for boys between the ages of 6 and 16 who do not have regular male support They are matched with Big Brothers men over the age of in their own community who are required to spend four hours a week with little brothers for at least one year For more information on Big Brothers contact Evelyn at or To make a donation to the organiza tion or purchase tickets for the upcoming variety show call ECOLINE THE COST OF GARBAGE costs taxpayers over per tonne to collect and dispose of household garbage Food 30 WHATS IN THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE Otter paper m Compost and yard waste or put through the and use as nutrient rood lor house plants Reuse or recycle metal cans and plastic and glass bottles buy products that are Put a NO JUNK MAIL sign on your mail box or return unwanted mail sender