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Page 6- Halton Hills This Week, ‘Wednesday, January 20, 4993... EDITORIAL Editorial -- n. 1. an article in a newspaper pre- senting the opinion of the editor or editorial staff. An issue of color We salute Sherilyn Kirkpatrick for her seemingly single-handed effort at running a group of Ku Saturday. Klux Klan members out of town y: Her efforts -- pacing the sidewalk, taunting the Klan members and cursing them -- hopefully sent a clear message to the "Invisible Empire" that they are not welcome here. But we find ourselves wondering just why the hooded, robed white supremists dropped into town. We find ourselves agreeing with her comments that "there are a lot of good people here, but there is obviously a reason why they came to Georgetown,” While it is almost painful to have to give this group anymore press than we already have, as one member of the staff said: "They won't go away if you ignore them." Just when you start to think that perhaps we are starting to work together to eliminate racial tensions between people -- racism Tears its ugly head. The KKK claims that it is no longer the cross-burning, lynch mobbing group it once was. According to the literature Klan members were handing out Saturday the group is "unapologetically committed to the interests, ideas and cultural values of the White majority.” Some people may agree with the Klan's opinion that "not many" organizations "stand up for the White majority.” cultural values and ideas of the Something that people have to learn is that with Canada's diverse cultural make up, the days of a white majority -- if in fact it still exists -- are limited. We not only wonder why the Klan came to town, we also won- der why is it always so important to stand up and fight for the rights of a particular color -- white, black, red, yellow or purple. ‘What we need to do is stop looking at individual groups and start working for people, all people regardless of where they come from, what they believe or what color they are. Pride displaced with humiliation Dear Editor: Re: Editorial Jan. 13, 1993 I was bitterly disappointed in the recent editorial in your paper in ~ regards to the Awards Ceremonies held on Sunday, January 10, 1993. As a recipient of one of the medals I was very proud to have been nom- inated for this award, however this pride was displaced with humilia- tion upon reading the paper. The general impression that the reader would get from reading this article was that in your opinion, only two people were worthy of receiving this honor while the rest were suspect. To then go on and name some persons who you thought were given this award strictly for their political activities does not take into consideration other things they might have done. When any organization, be it the Lions Club and the Citizen of the Year, the Chamber of Commerce and the Annual Business Award or the Hockey Heritage Award bestows their honor, there are always many others who would also qualify, this does not imply that the winner is not worthy. I can- not help but think that your paper would not criticize the choice of any of the above organizations but as Mr. Turner is a politician, it is fair game. Certainly some of the recipients do have connections with the Conservative Party but for the most part, they do not. I think that your paper should apologize to all those who received this honor as this arti- cle implies they are not worthy and that is not the case. In closing, I am very proud that Garth Turner placed my name for- ward and I shall cherish this award for many years to come. Yours truly, Doug Penrice Letters Welcomed Halton Hills This Week wel- comes your letters. Letters must be signed and include your full name and address. Names will be with- held on request. Halton Hills This Week reserves the right to edit, revise, or reject any letters on the basis of factual errors, punctuation, spelling errors or as a result of space limitations. Send your letter to: The Editor Halton Hills This Week 232 Guelph St., Unit 9 Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1 —<——— Halton Hills This Week became something of a media center following the appearance of a group of Ku Klux Klan members in downtown Georgetown Saturday. CFTO reporter Pat Foran and cameraman Peter Rd. afte ‘i ductii LeClair left the paper's office on bers. interviews with a couple of staff mem- Photo by Laura Salverda Halton HIS WEEK iph St, Georgetown, Ont. L7G 4B1, Hills Thi li and is printed in Oakville by Q.E. Web Printing. not be sold. or servic y PUBLISHER: Ken Bellamy ‘CIRCULATION MANAGER: Marie Shadbolt PR (TOR:Scott Kline \ODUCTION MANAGER: Kathleen Topol HALTON HILLS THIS WEEK IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED. FAX: PHONE: 873-2254 873-3918 Family Violence Responding to children from violent homes By Jacie B. Palmer Children in most of our homes will have seen bout 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence prior to reaching grade 9. There is little doubt that vio- lence is accepted, tolerated and condoned by our society. Even in my own home I have trouble with determining which videos are acceptable and which television viewing is OK. In the end I often just trust that T’ve instilled the right values in my children. We have become desensitized to the needs of victims and the needs of our community at large. I remember once speaking with a pastor’s wife. She’d lost a child very suddenly and had been confronted with the same feelings in herself that she’d sensed in others as she’d comfort- ed them during her years in the ministry. She stated that she never really totally understood until it had hap- pened to her. That experience will forever change her level of com- passion toward others sharing a similar situation. Today, we need to be concerned about the passive parenting that goes on everywhere. How many times have you taken your family to McDonalds and found numer- ous children there for dinner on their own? I seldom frequent the establish- ment but I can remember my shock the first time I saw a dozen or so children having dinner alone - mid-week. How many times have you dropped off your children at the movies or mall? Sure, they need their space just as we do but where is the cut-off point where you are becoming a passive and uncon- cerned parent? What about teachers? Are they concerned with the well-being of their students or are they just get- ting by, one day at a time, hoping for as few hassles as possible? We all trust they are concerned and dedicated individuals who care for their charges but do we take the time to really find out? According to U.S. statistics, in 1991, 2.1 million women wer injured seriously enough by a part- ner to require medical care. In a study completed by Jaffe, 80 - 85% of 250 kids interviewed in the London, Chatham, Woodstock, Cambridge area knew the exact details of the violent occurrences in their homes. Yet their parents often believed their children had no knowledge of the events. These children are victims, too, yet if the parents don’t recognize the problem, how will the kids ever get proper treatment? Most of these kids will believe they are to blame for a portion of the vio- o 3 e. Jaffe also states that 3-5 kids per class are dealing with the after- math of violence in their homes. This has to have a tremendous impact on other children in school. Do your children’s schools and teachers recognize the violence which surrounds them? Of children who witness vio- lence, Jaffe states that the impact is more severe on boys than girls. He believes that is because girls talk about their feelings while boys tend to hide their feelings. As well, girls tend to have a better support network than boys. Sounds like our adult social sys- tem, doesn’t’ it? Four out of five kids in therapy for domestic violence are boys while the adult spectrum shows four out of five women in therapy. And the one male that is in therapy is often dragged - kicking and screaming - denying his need of help. Because mothers tend to spend more time with their children than do dads, it only makes sense that the better the mental health of the mother the better adjusted the chil- dren will become. If you know a family who is in need of help, reach out, befriend them and support them. Take an interest in your chil- dren, their friends, the school and your neighborhood and you will be helping to end the violence in our community. Feel free to contact Jacie in confidence by directing letters to her attention at Halton Hills This Week. All correspondence will remain confidential. Jacie can be reached in person through the Distress Centre at 877-1211. Leave a message and Jacie will get back to you. If you are in crisis, call the Distress Centre or 911.