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The Acton Free Wednesday Dec j Editorial Page Christmas creed A Creed I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the Gospel that began Bethlehem I believe in Hun whose spirit glorified a little town of whose coming only shepherds saw a sign but for whom the crowded inn could find no room I believe in Him whom the kings of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand Whose paths were among the common people Whose welcome came from men of hungry hearts I believe in Him who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible whose cradle was a mother s arms Whose home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth Who looked at men and made them see what His love saw in them Who by His love brought sinners back to purity and who lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God I confess our everlasting need of God The need of forgiveness for our greed and selfishness The need of life for empty souls The need of love for hearts grown cold I acknowledge the glory of all that is like Christ The stead fastness of friends The blessedness of homes The power of compassion The courage of those who dare to resist all passion hate and war I believe that only by love ex pressed shall the earth at length be purified And I acknowledge in Christ a faith that sees beyond the partial fact A trust in life redeemed that looks beyond our present evil And I pray that this redemption may begin in us Comment ca Ridgetown Prom the Ridgetown Dominion Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery is an old saying and while we had nothing for them to imitate yet we are happy that our Acton fnends have seen more me rit in an idea of ours than our local people have Which of course gets us to a old saying about a prophet not being without honour save in his own country The idea we suggested some time ago was that those local people who could speak French would form a Let judge rule Police Commissioners are faced with the problem of what to do with the ruling of Halton Police Chief Ken Skerrett over charges that Sergeant Jason Field slapped a Georgetown youth Skerrett ruled that Field used unnecessary violence in slapping Gary Sparling twice in the face after the policecar chase last May The Halton chief acted as judge and jury in the open hearing conducted under the Police Act at OakviHe Friday December 10 The penalty Skerrett called for would reduce the Georgetown police officer from a sergeant to a first class constable a severe one in view of the years service of Sgt Field If the police commissioners over turn the chief verdict they are in volunteer group who could be phoned if someone speaking French stopped at any of the local shops or businesses Nothing came of the idea town But the town of Acton is acting on the idea They have prepared a list of French speaking citizens who are willing and available to translate if the need We congratulate the Acton zens for this practical step towards Canadian unity We think we can do much but we can each do what effect rejecting the fairness of the chief of police and his findings If they accept them they do it on questionable evidence that un folded in a case following close on the tails of charges of police brutality Two slaps left no marks apparently not so much as a red face The only fair way out is to put the case into the hands of a county court judge and let it be tried by normal processes of law After all the police commissioners were not at the hearing where evidence was heard Every effort should be made to see the accused as well as the accuser is given every opportunity to be tried under our judicial system which the police enforce Of this and that The Chnstmas montage on the front page was photographed and designed by John The chonsters and scene on the left are taken in Acton other component parts are taken in Kingston and Mississauga The candles on the editorial page are also photographed by John He specializes in photography and sports The illegal post office strike precipitated by nine people in Toronto is over Mail is moving again Thanks a lot for that Christmas consideration Participate in your local newspaper Wnte a letter to the editorj How about a resolution now the Christmas and New Year s holidays ltismyinten tion that if I have been drinking I will NOT drive a car Instead I will drive with others or go by taxi or stay home So long as one Christmas light is kindled somewhere in the world Christ walks again on earth Sugar and spice Recent snow fall blankets branches Do you it harder and harder each year to get revved up for Christmas You have company When ihe advert is ng begins right after Thanksg and the Santa Clauses become quitous by mid November and ihe carols arc mere cliches by mid December 1 hard to reach that peak of emotion lhat combines Christian Joy for the b rth of Christ and pagan revelry to celebrate the equinox by the time Christ mas itself rolls around One of Ihe tr te remarks of modem life is lhat Christmas has become com mere zed But don t blame the chants Blame ourselves We can call this a age but it Is we who use the plastic whether it be Ihe form of goods or entertainment It we who scurry madly through those overheated stores going slightly paranoid over Ihe business of buying gifts for people who don need them It we who eat and drink too much at Christmas which if the truth were told should be a time of fasting and pur Id cat on until our heads were as light as our hearts t It be much more appropriate If an Christmas Eve instead of having people in for and goodies we threw out that pagan image the Christmas tree turned off the lights except for a candle or Iwo turned the furnace right off and sat around in the cold and dark transferring ourselves to a stable In Bethlehem on a No You don think much of that Idea do I It like saying that In the face of the coming energy shortage we should all blow up our cars stop using hot water and deodorants grow our own food In the back yard and chop down all the trees In the park for firewood Whether we like It or not we are caught up In the headlong rac of the human species toward Its goal whether It be suicide or glory and there a no turning back So get that tree up buy a fat turkey spoil your children rotten with an over whelm of gifts and stuff yourself silly as a Roman senator at an orgy This year It the Mount lea Next year the government may do away with Christmas because It cuts too deeply Into Increasing our Gross National Product My old lady and I almost gave up on Christmas this year We thought or all the work to got ready and flinched suggested going south for a week to play some golf letting our daughter and her brood take over our house and have their Christmas here She was all for Then we had The Boys for a week end hastily revised our plans We realized that if those two were allowed to run unchecked for a week we might as well put the house upforalewhcnwegothome It if there was enough left standing to make a blaic If It for that mob going away would have been easy both physically and emotionally I could enjoy Christmas dinner hotel In Texas Just as much as I do at home where I have to stuff the b the turnips and wash dishes far into the night I th I might Just poss bo able to forego having to find a Christmas Iree dragging it in covered in snow and spending four hours trying to get the dam in to stand upright It would be a wrench but I might even be able to stand not watching my grand boys rip the paper off gifts and go right back to beating each other on the head Real ones not the turkey kind It one of their favorite games However as the hired man said in Robert Frost poem of lhat name Home is where when you go there they have to let you stay And It looks as though that the way my daughter feels We tried to fill up the house with other people But my son Is in Paraguay one brother and his wife In Costa Rica the other brother way up at James Bay So we re stuck with the kids and I II be happy if I see the New Year without being on my hands and knees With that wrapped up there nothing left to do but send my best wishes for the by Bill Smiley holiday season to all sorts of people through column To my old fr ends in the newspaper bus hope you all got that big Chrstmas out without being hospital zed total exhaustion To my teaching colleagues everywhere hang there It only six months until June To the me sler dear Pierre hope that other turkey docsn t turn up and spoil your Christmas To all the people to whom we used to send Chrstmas cards it s the thought that counts and we think of you every six or months To all those people who want a baby so badly hope you get twins twice in the next two ytars To all those people who don want a baby at all hope you don get pregnant not even a little t And to all the people who bother to read s column at all whether you agree or not a merry merry Christmas with a special thanks to those who write God bless us one and all READERS WRITE More than reasonable doubt As reported In The Acton Free Press 14lh Dec issue concerning the case of a Police Sergeant being found guilty of striking a person and being subsequently demoted to Constable the following sum mary and comments appear to be In order 1 Evidence presented of on alleged con vernation disputed by the defendant The two policemen present during the alleged incident denied seeing It 3 The Sergeant denied the incident 4 The complainant says the incident occurred The complainants companion a wit ness says he saw the Incident The proceedings makes clear that the complainants companion the only witness was not in a position to see the incident and when asked to explain how he could sec the Incident was unable to ex plain The defence lawyer brought to the judge attention Ihe of the charge due to the statute of limitations that apply The Judge did not rule on this vital point but proceeded with the hearing When the legality of the hearing Is questioned as In Item above it must be Incumbent upon the judge to define the law and explain his action In the form of a rut ing to establish the legality of the hearing before proceeding any further The purpose of law Is to provide order protection for all and In the event of disagreement a judicial ruling promoting and securing Justice for the parties con To this end judgement is reached after examining evidence and reasonable doubt As reported more than a reasonable doubt appears to exist as to the alleged incident occurring Couple this with the very real possibility that the charge was dm is and therefore the whole Judgement and hearing being unnecessary and wrong and a person may wonder about law and justice In our society it Is not only necessary that he law be administered and justice done but equally important that justice be seen by all to be done to maintain the credibility of and respect for the law Speculation presumes an appeal at which time I feel the verdict will firmly establish the scales of Justice in balance Anonymous The Free Press Back Issues 10 years ago 19 years ago today Taken from Hie Issue of the Free December Park Is now 75 per Gent of the way to completion Brendan told the Parks and Recreation commission members at their short meeting last Thursday night He recommended spotlights for existing poles for night tobogganing and he was duly Instructed to inquire about the method and cost and proceed Escalating wages salaries Interest rates which boosted Ontario Hydros interim rates for power will not affect Acton consumers for the next year at least Acton Hydro Electric commission passed a motion at their last regular meeting Thursday to leave the present rates as they are In spite of the Increase in cost to them 50 years ago Taken from the Issue of the Free Press of Thursday December On Christmas Eve Acton will hold its Community Christmas Tree Mr J Mackenzie had the tree erected with the help of the Hydro officers The Junior 1 0 D are filling treat bags The Wo men Institute will decorate the tree Superintendent Wilson Is arranging for the lighting of the grounds The Glee Club the moving spirit in the affair will lead In singing Acton Band will enliven the evening An enjoyable time was spent at Dublin School Friday evening There a pleasing program and fine numbers by the Junior and Senior Dublin orchestras Santa appeared but the most appreciated gift was a fine neat platform presented to the school by the secretary Mr Lome Don be impatient if your mall is late these days years ago Taken from of the Free Press of Thursday December The Georgetown hotels are doing a lively business From Milton Champion No doubt they do when the editor of the Cham is In Georgetown The teachers of the Church of England Sabbath School Intended having an enter tainment on evening There will be a Panorama tree and Social Tea The proceeds are to be appropriated toward replenish the school library worth buying for Christmas presents at G jewellery store Ladies shell and Ivory purses pearl card cases shell hearts glove boxes real Bohemian gloss vases handkerchief boxes the best stock of albums in town lots of plated goods warranted gold finger rings gent gold studs gold cuff buttons silver thimbles ladles gold setts gold and silver chains Many Is getting a new porch in front of his hotel Public school examination tomorrow Christmas presents are in order Christmas Gods great gift of love to us is born again at Christmas in the lives of people who care To the Editor Dear Sir Re the naming of rural roads and lines on Jorth I am particularly interested as It looks as though I will be living on Sodom To rehash an old story I can visualize In about the year a tourist will stop somewhere along the Sodom and ask a man mowing his lawn Why do they call this road Sodom The man will answer I really don know but wait a minute and I will ask my wife He will then open the door of the house and shout Hey Charlie why do they call this the Sodom Rd William A Johnson THE ACTON FREE PRESS PHONE 2010 Bus ness and Ed tor al Office AdnnMngMviaeH Copyright