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6 Independent & Free Press, Tuesday,October 26, 2010 OPINION Happy haunting This Sunday plenty of scary folks will come knocking on your door. Relax, the municipal election is over. We're talking ghosts and goblins, not politicians. With Halloween on Sunday Halton Regional Police Service is offering tips to ensure area children have a safe and happy night of trick-or-treating. Tips For Parents: · Children's Halloween costumes should be bright and made of non-flammable material. Attach reflective tape or other material to costumes to make trick-or-treaters more visible. · Costumes should be short enough in length to prevent tripping · For added safety, have children carry flashlights · Facial make-up is the recommended means of disguise. If masks are worn, eyeholes should be large enough so as not to restrict vision · Young children should be accompanied by adults or travel together in groups while trick-or-treating · Ensure children trick-or-treat on one side of the street and avoid zigzagging across the road. Cross only at corners. Children should also be advised to walk on the sidewalks and stay off roads and lawns. Tips For Children: · Trick-or-treating should occur in the early evening hours · Always let your parents know where you will be going · Never travel in areas that are dark and vacant · Never talk to strangers · Never go anywhere with strangers or someone you don't know very well. Always check with your parents first. · Never enter a home of a stranger. Always stand at the door. Stay away from homes that are in total darkness. · Take Halloween treats home for inspection by your parents before eating them 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS Was the media right to publish the lurid details from the Colonel Russell Williams trial? · Yes (56%) · No (36%) · Not sure (8%) Steve Nease Go to www.independentfreepress.com Letters to the editor Parents should `be ashamed' Dear editor, Re: Students should take responsibility (Oct. 14 letter). I must say that this letter has bothered me more than I can communicate. First I blamed Christ the King Secondary School, thinking they are not teaching their students right from wrong. Then I realized that it has nothing to do with the school; it is the parent. That is the only way that a child will take responsibility for their actions and then renege on it. These teenagers, or at least one of them, knew what they did was wrong, so it must have been their parent who told them they did not have to pay for the damages they caused. These parents should be ashamed of themselves for what they have allowed to happen. What could they possibly be teaching their children? If, as a parent, you think this is acceptable behaviour, perhaps it's time for you to grow up. How can you possibly teach your children morals if you allow your children to dodge responsibility? I think (Cartwheels Gym coowners) Patricia and Jenn should allow the police to do what is right since the parents of these teenagers obviously do not know right from wrong. My 10-year-old read this letter and asked why teenagers would do such a thing. I told her that these are teenagers who have parents that are too busy with their own lives to care about what is going on in their children's lives. If I was wrong, perhaps the eight teenagers and their parents would like to write in and explain to my 10-year-old why it is okay would ruin someone else's property, take responsibility and then go back on their word. Kelly Warnock, Georgetown in your letter. My question is; why? As far as I know, students attending the fall fair on a Saturday night are not on a school-sanctioned field trip, hence were not official representatives of the school. Teenagers are just that-- teenagers. What difference does it make what school they attend? There are more than 1,600 students at CtK who should not be singled out by your negative association between the school and the damage caused. Most students I have encountered from CtK have, for the most part, been very cordial and respectful younger members of our community. It appears as though you already know who the responsible young people are but are not satisfied with their reparations to you. Why not try civil court? I agree, those young people should pay you back every penny for your loss, but by smearing and entire school you are doing yourself as disservice; especially from a local business which I imagine has clientele whose children will be attending CtK in future years to come. I believe you owe the students and staff of CtK an apology. For the record, I am a CtK parent, and proud of it! Paul Davies, Georgetown Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. CtK owed apology Dear editor, An open letter to Jenn Unsworth and Patricia Murphy, co-owners, Cartwheels Gym Centre Inc. While I agree with and support your point about seeking compensation for your damaged property, and your expression to us readers (in a public forum such as our local paper) stating your dismay, I feel you were unfair in making reference to CtK. You referred to Christ the King or CtK students no less than three times The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.