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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 29, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com 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: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director TERI CASAS Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ALEXANDRIA CALHOUN Circ. Manager Vandalism costs everyone Do you know where your children are at night? Do you know who they're `hanging' with? Are you sure? The recent desecration of a church's cemetery in neighbouring Burlington is the latest indicator there are parents out there who either don't know what their children are up to, or simply don't care. Vandals toppled 20 headstones and bases -- some weighing hundreds of pounds -- inside St. Luke's Anglican Church cemetery Friday, Aug. 17. The magnitude of the act suggests it was not an isolated incident involving one young person's momentary lapse of reason, perhaps on a dare; not when 20 headstones were involved. No, this was more likely the deliberate act of a group of people who lack basic respect for the sanctity of a cemetery. Such behaviour has no place in civilized society -- and it doesn't just happen somewhere else, similar such acts have been known to happen right here at home. To anyone who would characterize the incident as a harmless, juvenile prank, we counter that church congregations shouldn't have to worry whether insurance will cover thousands of dollars in property damage at the hands of complete strangers or about security gates, motion-sensing lighting or video cameras to protect a final resting place from intruders. Here at home there has been thought given to such security measures around the harbours where it has been known for thieves to trash boats in the marinas. Not too many summers ago, portable toilets were removed from some parks like Lions Valley Park, as it was popular for vandals to set them ablaze. Graffiti removal has become a booming business as vandals display their artistic talents -- and often unwelcome messages -- on private and public property. Other acts of vandalism have been known to provide potential danger to children such as playgrounds having been set ablaze or littered with razor blades. Others think it is fine to party loudly around local neighbourhoods, to damage catwalks, trash cherished lawn ornaments or decorations or steal a bicycle then ditch it. Vandalism is never victimless. Thoughtless acts leave emotional scars -- including a basic feeling of insecurity -- while property damage costs everyone. Again, we ask: Do you know where your children are at night? 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 Good Samaritan saves the day Our family recently enjoyed an Ontario vacation, which included a three-night stay in Oakville. We thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of your town and of Coronation Park, where our two young daughters particularly enjoyed the playspace. I shot some video of their play, and then absentmindedly placed our video camera on the roof of our car while buckling the girls into their car seats. You might guess the rest of the story. The video camera remained perilously perched on top of our car as we drove away from the park. As we stopped at a traffic light on Bronte Road, I noticed in my rear view window that the driver behind us was getting out of her car, and walking toward us. She quickly rescued our video camera from the roof of our car and returned it to my wife, seated in the front passenger seat. Naturally, there was no time to seek the name of this Oakville Good Samaritan. But we send her our deepest thanks for her kindness and quick action to save our precious vacation memories. Oakville has many treasures, and we count this generous woman among them. BRUCE STEPHENSON AND MARIA SCHMIDT BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA, USA Yes to MMP Hard to believe that Ontario has clung to such an outdated and dictatorial first-past-the-post electoral charade for so long. I'm pleased that its replacement by a more democratic Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system is finally being considered. This will shake out cobwebs and allow in some badly-needed fresh air. Doubtless there'll be a few holdouts who will despair, but the old system's been dying for years and needs renewal. It's about time Ontario moved forward. BRIAN QUINN Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com No to MMP Voters have been given the worst possible alternative when they come to decide in October whether to change Ontario's electoral system. There is much objection in Canada to senators being appointed, not elected. What would we get with with the proposed change to Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) -- appointed members of the legislature? See MMP page 10 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.