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2 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Year Subscriptions $42.86 + $2.14 GST = $45.00 per year. No Refunds. Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund for our publishing activities." Wednesday, November 14, 2012 ORONO WEEKLY TIMES - 5310 Main St., P.O. Box 209, Orono, ON L0B 1M0 E-mail: oronotimes@rogers.com or Phone/Fax: 905-983-5301 www.oronoweeklytimes.com Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart Production and Display Advertising - Roxanne Johnston Classified/Sports - Christopher W. Brown The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly Times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. By: Tracy Tonkinson This Durham Region by-election got off to a slow start with only Erin O'Toole stepping up for the Tories with all his ducks in a row, But even the Liberals were not immune to such apathy, having to draft in Grant Humes for another go round in the political tumble dryer on their behalf, little wonder then things have started to go awry already between the campaigns. The only wonder is that the Liberals have decided to target NDP candidate Larry O'Connor with their ill advised robo-calling strategy, rather than the perceived front runner Erin O'Toole. For a by-election race that was sparked by the resignation of a member of parliament caught with her fingers in the till and then populated with potential candidates drawn into the fray through nepotism and arm twisting no one should be surprised that now the main parties seem to be relying on sleazy politics to herd voters into their camp. In the last few days calls have gone out from campaign offices that are not only ill advised for the bad feeling they have engendered against their candidate, but for the obvious stench of desperation they are giving off to the electorate. At a time when the federal Liberal Party caucus could be held in a telephone booth on Parliament Hill it might have been a smarter choice for Grant Humes' campaign managers to have actually bought their man a new set of walking boots so that he could actually do the leg work needed to knock on doors and present his case in person rather than letting his robo-fingers do the walking to pitch facts about the NDP's Larry O'Connor that even O'Connor himself acknowledges to be true. The reality of modern politics is that it is far less about what the candidates want you to know about their own beliefs, credentials and policies, than it is about the disinformation they want to smear their opponents with. Somewhere lost to the mists of political chicanery a myth arose that the electorate is a creature so stupid that it will sit still and be spoon fed palpable nonsense without a murmur or enquiring thought and then go straight out and vote for the biggest pedlar of disinformation in any election cycle. There is no doubt that the Canadian voter is jaded by years of giving their backing to successive governments and individual politicians who all in one way or another seem to have feet of clay. But in the past those flaws only became apparent after the fact. Today looking at the roster of political pygmies arrayed before Canadians as potential representatives some voters will be losing the will to live let alone to drag themselves to a polling station and cast a ballot for one of these reprehensible characters. As the American election proved not two weeks ago, when a candidate is caught out bad mouthing the electorate they rely on and focussing on an opponent's supposed weaknesses instead of trumpeting their own strengths, it is a recipe for disaster, not only because of the damage it does to the confidence of the voting base, but also because of the questions raised about the level of intelligence and moral character of the candidate that relies on such dubious tactics. Looking at the supposed high flyers of Canadian politics from our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper to the outgoing Provincial Premier Dalton McGinty, both of whom prorogued parliament to further their political aims, right down to the bottom of the political food chain to the likes of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, we have dropped a long way from the Lester Pearson, Bill Davis or Art Eggleton kind of politicians. Of course politics has always been an unsavoury business from the outside looking in. It is hard for non politicians to imagine how after rancorous debate these politicians can then be seen in the bar together exchanging gossip and jokes, but it is this duplicity itself that makes the kind of campaigning Durham is being treated to right now even more distasteful. No one is afraid of honest debate, least of all the people who want to see and hear it so that they can make an informed choice at the polling station, but what the voter is being presented with in this campaign of mud slinging, lazy political point scoring and out and out disinformation brings discredit on all candidates who allow it and all parties that encourage it. On November 26 the outcome will be decided on how well each candidate presented their own case, not on how vociferously they screamed obscenities about their opponents. If any of the potential federal representatives for Durham Riding does not understand that then they do not deserve to be elected and should withdraw their names from the ballot rather than suffer the humiliating defeat that will result. Dirty tricks `Something Missing' More Letters To The Editor on page 3 Liberals alienate voters To The Editor: I received an automated call Monday night telling me that the NDP candidate had voted for the incinerator, and that I should not vote NDP. I was taken aback, then felt uneasy, (dirty?), then I felt angry. I kept thinking about how unpleasant the call had made me feel. Just a nameless, faceless call badmouthing someone I didn't even know. Today I called the number logged in my 'incoming'. The person tried to justify the call when I complained, and I asked who I had reached.... I was horrified and shocked to be talking to Grant Humes' office. Well, the Liberals lost me and the NDP may have gained me with that negative call. You don't get MY vote by badmouthing someone else. Kellie McDonell Covanta Parade returns to Orono caught out To The Editor: Following Mr. Richard's letter with respect to the issue in Cache Creek, BC, could it be that the big problem for Covanta was that they got caught? One may well suspect that there would have been NO neglect in reporting if the contaminant levels had been within the legally permissible limits. Paul-André Larose, Ph.D./Physics, Oshawa To The Editor: I have been meaning to write this for the last few weeks, but finally I have some time. It is regarding the upcoming Santa Claus Parade. I am happy to see that people are taking the incentive to plan the parade, but it is not the "First Annual Orono Santa Claus Parade." If you check some December issues from the 60's, there will probably be pictures of the Santa Claus Parade. I know this for certain, because my sister and I were on one of the floats. The Orono Chamber of Commerce used to hold the parade every year, and the year that Dad (Herb) was on the executive, we were on one of the floats. Several area farmers used to pull their hay wagons with their tractors, and Tennant's used to pull a flat bed trailer. It was quite an event. And I can remember.....it was cold!!! So, a little bit of history on the Orono Santa Claus Parade. Perhaps some of the older citizens of Orono can provide more information, as I can only remember being really cold and waving to the crowd. Regards John Duvall