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

6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 3, 2006 OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: IAN OLIVER Publisher NEIL OLIVER Associate Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Manager TERI CASAS Business Manager MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, Caledon Enterprise, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Let the race begin With Mayor Ann Mulvale's announcement last week that she will seek re-election this November, the picture for the upcoming municipal elections becomes a little clearer. No doubt there were a lot of people anxiously waiting for this announcement, including several politicians. There were likely one or two current council members willing to enter the mayor's race, if she chose not to run, or if she chose to seek the vacancy created by Joyce Savoline's decision not to run again for the Halton Regional Chair's post. Now, however, they will likely bide their time for another term and see if the mayor seeks re-election next time around. That sets the table for a rematch between Mulvale and Rob Burton, who came narrowly close to defeating her last municipal election. While we look forward to a spirited campaign between the two political opponents, we hope the debate will stick to issues and not personalities. Certainly, there are enough issues -- northern development, urban intensification, municipal taxes, local bylaw enforcement, OMB reform and others without resorting to name calling. Since Mulvale has decided not to run for regional chair, it will be interesting to see who will try to fill Savoline's shoes. The mayor's announcement could prompt a sitting Oakville regional councillor to run for the vacant position. To date, only former Oakville MPP and Halton MP Gary Carr has publicly expressed an interest in the position, but he has not yet made a formal announcement. Another potential candidate, Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac who isn't running for mayor again, seems more interested in receiving a potential provincial appointment, rather than running for the regional chair's post. We hope qualified candidates do step forward, however, since we believe the successor to Regional Chair Joyce Savoline should not be selected by acclamation. In the end, we hope her early announcement continues to generate interest that translates into more voters on election day. Everybody is a winner then. The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Canadian soldiers deserve a show of respect from government As a very proud father of a Canadian soldier who is currently deployed in Afghanistan, I wanted to voice my thoughts on our government's position on lowering our flags when a brave and courageous soldier gives his/her life while defending the freedoms that we arguably, take for granted. Not just Canadian military personnel, but military people from many countries around the world are involved in a war that involves sacrifices that we don't understand, and for many, don't really want to understand because that might require us to think of the military as real people. These soldiers, sailors, pilots, and too many others to mention, are away from their families for months at a time, living on "mystery meals," doing without running water for days or weeks, sleeping on a rock or in the back of a crowded military vehicle, trying to figure out who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys," getting shot at on an almost daily basis, and for some, paying the ultimate price; sacrificing their lives. All of this on a rate of pay that most of us would consider a joke. They do this, and ask for very little in return. All they ask us for is just a little respect, and that is something that our Federal Leader has failed to recognize. Do we refuse to lower our flags because it is just too much aggravation, or we fear that we might wear out the flag, or is it because every time we lower those flags, it is a reminder that we are doing an unpopular job and the Prime Minister doesn't want the public pressure when the "body count" starts to add up? Well, this is a war, and there are going to be casualties. If we can't take it, then bring them home before we lose any more. Most people don't think about this situation every day, but as family of military people, we live it every second of every day and it is hard. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper was to have a son/daughter in the military, and that soldier was to lose his/her life defending not only mine, but every other citizen's freedom, I wonder what the policy might be then. Don't we at least owe them that simple little show of respect for what they give us in return? In a very short period of time on the "Hill", Harper has managed to insult the entire military and all of their families. If flag- lowering policies were a pre-election question, he would have been in big trouble. We are Canadians, not Americans, and it's time that we told President "Homer Simpson" of the United States, that we are going to recognize our "fallen," our way. DOUG THOMPSON Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com