The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,M arch 8,2018 theifp.ca THE WAY WE WERE Looking today much as it did back when this photo was taken in 1930, this home at 484 Guelph St., sits next to the United Church in Norval. An excellent example of Gothic Revival architecture, featuring a centre gable and decorative bargeboard, it was owned by Robert Leslie, a prominent Norval resident. It is listed on the Halton Hills Heritage register. Text courtesy of Heritage Halton Hills. Esquesing Historical Society I've been following the events with our U.S. neigh- bours and President Trump. The most recent reason was the Florida high school shooting, where 17 students and staff were gunned down by a lone shooter with an as- sault rifle. I've been watching the coverage of the events and try to understand it all - it troubles me. I watch the U.S. lawmak- ers and the President to see how they respond, and won- der what actions will be tak- en to ensure safety for stu- dents across the nation. But the scenario repeats with every occurrence. The event happens, the Presi- dent and his politicians stand in front of the people of the United States with their long faces and hide be- hind that age old statement - "This is not a time for action, rather a time to grieve." It infuriates me to hear them hide behind that same old rhetoric to dodge the bullet (pun fully intended). As a result, the 'time for action' conveniently slips by, (especially when Trump's best idea is to arm school teachers?) The Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida seems to have hit a nerve. The gun laws in the U.S. make me shake my head. The National Rifle Associa- tion (NRA) has millions of members and pours mil- lions of dollars into the poli- ticians' election budgets, en- suring they have a good net- work with the politicians. It was reported on CNN that President Trump himself received $30 million from the NRA for his election campaign. The NRA is quite vocal about maintaining their right to bear arms, part of the U.S. Constitution - 'The Second Amendment pro- vides U.S. citizens the right to bear arms. Ratified in De- cember 1791, the amend- ment says: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.' Did you catch that? That amendment was written in 1791, when they were armed with muzzle-loading mus- kets, not assault rifles capa- ble of unleashing 45 rounds per minute. It's time for NRA members to get their heads out of the sand and face reality - guns kill. Though the politicians are still standing with their long faces and consoling words, there's another group who is not ready to accept those condolences. Young people and they are demanding action. I've been watching the di- alogue on CNN, and as those young people come forward with their observations and proposed actions. I was cat- apulted back to the 1960s and 1970s, a time when the young people rose up in de- fiance to their politicians - even to the President of the United States of America, and in doing so, created enough negative popularity and passion to force the President to pull U.S. troops out of Vietnam. Ellen DeGeneres hosted three students on her show who were at Marjory Stone- man Douglas High School, Feb. 14. They had met with President Trump the day before appearing on Ellen's show. Students Emma Gonza- lez, Cameron Kasky and Ja- clyn Corin said their meet- ing with President Trump wasn't going to change things, so they are organiz- ing a student march. Their rapidly expanding move- ment is March For Our Lives, a march on Washing- ton to demand legislative action on gun control. They hope to bring their concerns to the attention of the people of the U.S., the lawmakers, and most of all, President Trump himself. As these kids prepare for the March 24 event, the President might want to think back to the 1960s and 1970s and how much influ- ence that youth voice can carry, especially from those a year or two from being eli- gible to vote. And this group has a lot more going for it than those of 40-odd years ago - they have social media, they are communication savvy and most of all - they have pas- sion. And I truly wish them luck. - Ted Brown is a freelance writer for the IFP and can be reached at tedbit@hotmail.com. OPINION Today's students - social media savvy and passionate Young people are master communicators in gun debate, writes Ted Brown TED BROWN Column Re: 'Marijuana's negative impacts rarely mentioned says reader', letter, Feb. 22 Did John Kozak serious- ly write to you "one legal toke will lead to another, and then, when he/she feels the need for something more euphoric, they will need to get something stron- ger." So, is this person gener- alizing that every cannabis consumer is an addict? I can tell you from being an avid cannabis consumer for close to 20 years I've nev- er thought this isn't working for me let's get the needle out and do something "harder"! With regards to the gov- ernment using taxpayers' dollars to show the harmful effects of driving high - the government has been run- ning ads regarding the ef- fects of cannabis while driv- ing an automobile for quite some time. Not to mention MADD has been running ads against driving while high for more than a de- cade. And the statement of the Liberals winning an even larger majority because ev- eryone will be high is ludi- crous. Here's why ... We would all be too high to ever remember to vote! But seri- ously maybe voters may al- so want to vote the Liberals back in because of other is- sues such as a raise in child care benefits, the increase in funding for other social programs and/or name your cause. The point is this person is spreading anti-cannabis propaganda. And you as news publication have now taken part in it once again. Like it or not cannabis pro- hibition is coming to an end in Canada. There will be mistakes made but the gov- ernment, law enforcement and consumers are all try- ing to figure out the process as we move forward. Tim Hales OPINION Reader spreading anti-cannabis propaganda says reader • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 Wehandleall insurance work. We handle all insurance work. Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca To book this space call 905-873-0301 To book this space YOUR AD HERE!