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Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager by two white teenagers last weekend has sent shockwaves through Oakville‘s ethnic community. The incident saw the two teens hurling racial remarks at the boy who turned away but was then held by the two youths while one of them tried to put a lit firecracker in the 13 yearâ€"old‘s mouth. The boy fought off his attackers but sustained burns to his face as a result of the act. Police are still looking for the assailants. The senseless act of violence against a 13 year old East Indian boy The Halton Multicultural Council has been making presentations to area schools concerning ethnic issues and racism and believed it was making some headway in these areas:. But according to Council presiâ€" dent Willie Campos, it‘s apparent that the group will now have to work harder. We all like to think of Oakville as being a more progressive area that other municipalities of similar size. Halton Regional Police Chief James Harding brought a strong mandate to the region to try and eradiâ€" cate raciallyâ€"based violence and to a great extent, he has achieved that goal. Halton schools too, have taken it upon themselves to bring a more wellâ€"rounded approach in exposing children to the societies of other cultures. But it takes only a few incidents like this on the Victoria Day weekend, to undo the best efforts of everyone involved in promoting racial tolerance. way of interest...until you find your water has stopped running, the power goes out and the roads start falling apart. Part of this infrastructure is roadside maintenance, that is, the mowing of grass along regional roads and the cleaning up of debris adjacent to Halton byways. Regular maintenance didn‘t used to be a problem when money was flowing freely but now, all that has changed and Halton Region officials are considering taking some pretty unusual steps to try and correct the situation. Infrastructure. It‘s certainly a word that doesn‘t conjure up anything in the They‘re suggesting that Halton residents ‘Adopt a Road‘. The program would see local taxpayers, in the form of community groups and corporations either provide extra cash to help complete the work or have the work done by their own people. This is just one of the ideas the region is looking at to try and stop funding road maintenance programs through the regional tax levy. We like another option being explored, that of using work crews from the Maplehurst Adult Training Centre in Milton. These inmates are being subsiâ€" dized by taxpayers anyway, so why not make use of this labor pool? But the most original comment on solving the grassâ€"cutting problem along the 250 km of regional roads came from Oakville regional councillor Fred Oliver who suggested we use goats, they‘d also eat just about anything else tossed alonge the roadside. Has the NDP government taken a step in the right direction by raising taxes to control the provincial deficit? No, I don‘t think the Bob Rae government has taken the right step by raisâ€" ing taxes. Maybe what they should do is reduce the program that is costing us billions of dollars and that is the nonâ€"profit housing. EDITORIAL _ Racial terrorism Road wars 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 5â€"3824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 The Oakville Bem ptbllahsd every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, at 467 m one of the Metroland Printing, Publishing Lid. group of ol muman newspapers which includes: *x?flg@ QUESTION OF THE WEEK Do you think it‘s a good idea to have Maplehurst Adult Training Centre inmates help clean regional roads? Give us your opinion on this topic by calling 845â€"5585, box 5012. All callers are allowed 45 seconds to respond and must provide their name, address and phone number for verification. A sampling of the best answers will be published in the next Weekend edition of the Oakville Beaver. Beverly Rockcliffe Oh, yes. And he did it with just one leg, too. The saga of Fonyo always reminded me of a short story by James Thurber called The Greatest Man in The World. Thurber wrote the story back in the thirties (not too long) after a certifiable Allâ€"American boy by the name of Charles Lindberg had made the first nonâ€"stop flight from North America to Europe. see Steve Fonyo‘s in the I soup again. You remember Steve, don‘t you? Not so many years ago, he was probably the most famous human being north of the 49th parallel. That‘s because Steve was hopping across this country on a line parâ€" allel to the 49th parallel. Thurber‘s short story created a world in which Lindberg didn‘t exist. The first transâ€"Atlantic flight was made instead by a weasely, foulâ€"mouthed, cigarâ€" chomping, whiskeyâ€"guzzling thug by the name of Jack Smirch. Thurber‘s...hero...was everything a hero cannot be â€" repulsive, shady, and ignoble to a fault. The reporters of the world were ready to create Gutsy Jackie Smirch, The Legend. To their dismay, they were confronted with Jack Smirch the scumbag â€" lower than a plantar‘s wart on a lawyer. He did it, too. Ran clear across the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. An impressive enough feat for the most superbly condiâ€" tioned athlete. In Thurber‘s fantasy, the authorities dealt with Smirch the only way they could â€" while the Fonyo did it on a diet of hot dogs and beer. For many wouldâ€"be celebrities, fame fortune is all too fleeting Naturally, the nation was stunned and saddened at the shocking news of their newest hero‘s "accident" â€" especially when it was so touchingly reportâ€" ed by an obviously grieving press corps. Fonyo wasn‘t as repulsive as Smirch, but he wasn‘t exactly Captain Canuck either. He talked like a smart aleck, leered at girls. He even called Gretzky a wimp â€" and this after Gretzky had sent him free tickets to an NHL game. Still, in the wake of Fonyo‘s undeniably awesome achieveâ€" ment, Canada might have been able to overlook his character foibles. Except for one thing. The country already had Terry Fox. The curlyâ€"headed spunkster had captured the hearts of the country in his attempt to hop, skip, and lurch across Canada before cancer did him in. Canada already had all the oneâ€"legged running heroes it could use. Fonyo made the run successâ€" fully and Canada applauded dutiâ€" fully, but you got the sense that U.S: president looked the other way and the reporters of the nation put their pads and pencils in their pockets, the Secret Service pitched the little troubleâ€" maker out the window of his highâ€"rise hotel suite. Rosie‘s lawyer tried to get her released on bail. Why, asked the judge, should the court trust Ruiz? Fonyo‘s life is in a definite tailspin, but he‘s young. He‘s still got time to straighten out and find himself. Fonyo never seemed to get used to life without the glare of TV lights and the rustle of reporters‘ noteâ€"pads. He began to unravel, slowly but surely. He had few social graces. He offendâ€" ed many people and lost a few jobs. Pretty soon, he was drinking too much and getting in scrapes â€" personal and automotive. He lost his driver‘s licence. He was banned from bars. Then he was caucht in a bar. In any case, he‘s light years ahead of another disgraced runâ€" ner. Remember Rosie Ruiz? She won the famous Boston Marathon back in 1980. Then it was revealed that she cheated â€" took the subway and only ran the final mile. they vaguely resented Fonyo for disturbing such a perfect folk legâ€" end. The least we can do is wish him that much. Rosie‘s life really went downâ€" hill after that. Two years later, she was charged with embezzlement of $60,000 by the firm she worked for. A year after that, she tried to sell two kilograms of cocaine to an undercover narâ€" cotics detective. "Your honor"‘, said the lawyer. "You don‘t have to worry. She‘s not a runner." That we knew, counsellor, that we knew.