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Opinion and Comments Section Two The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, May 18,1994 * 3 Letters to the Editor Policy is a Human Rights Issue Dear Editor: I read with interest Laura Richard's Richard's 'Outlook' column of May 4 regarding regarding same-sex benefits. Obviously from the letters I read a week later many other people also found this column interesting. Same-sex rights have, become a very volatile issue in Ontario. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, many people are responding to this debate from an ill-informed and highly emotional state. I was raised to believe that ignorance bred nothing but fear and hate. From what I have read in the paper this week, that belief appears to hold true. I have always examined everything involved involved in any issue, as my parents taught me to, then when I had all the facts, made an informed decision. My parents taught me that decisions and actions bom out of emotion were wrong. All men and women, everywhere in this country have the right to enjoy equal benefits. So, what exactly is at stake in this debate about social legitimacy for same-sex couples? The NDP promised promised four years ago to introduce legislation legislation that would allow homosexual and heterosexual spouses to be treated treated equally, under the law. After much wrangling and delay, they are now prepared to bring forth the promised legislation but, only with a free vote. This means the MPPs of the NDP do not have to follow the party line. Interesting Interesting since the NDP had no compunction compunction to force the party line in other equally controversial issues like the Social Contract. This clearly illustrated illustrated a timid approach by the very people who promised this legislation legislation in the first place. Could this be because, as some have charged, they are afraid of losing an election? Another Another sign of being timid. Other parties are also wrapped up in this debate. Five Liberals supported supported a limited private members bill last summer that proposed to grant limited limited same-sex spousal access to certain employer related benefits stich as company dental plans. Lyn McLeod. Liberal Leader was one of the five who supported the bill. She has remained remained notably silent regarding Marion Marion Boyd, the Minister of Community and Social Services, announcement this week of the NDP's intentions. No doubt there will be a lot of editorials, editorials, letters and ranting published in many papers and other media before before this debate is settled. Not all of it will be correct or even accurate. Therefore, a careful examination of What the government proposes would be useful. The NDP propose to grant same- sex spouses all provincial rights currently currently enjoyed by heterosexual common common law spouses. It should be noted that under current law, a heterosexual has no automatic claim to property if his/her common law spouse dies or if the couple splits up. Heterosexual common law spouses do however, have the right under the Family Law Act to enter into private contractual agreements that accomplish the same ends. This is the right that the NDP would provide to homosexual spouses. spouses. Adoption has also been hotly debated debated as part of this issue. Again, under under current law, a homosexual who meets all other criteria may adopt a child, but only as an individual. The proposed legislation would allow a lesbian or gay couple to adopt legally in both names. It has nothing to do with whether or not it is legal for homosexuals homosexuals to adopt children. It already already is legal. The 'vocal minority' claim to actually actually be the 'majority' and they will impose their view of society and only their view. It has only been fifty years since another group, some referred referred to as a minority others saw them as a majority, exerted their view and only their view over millions of people who ended up dead because some people deemed them to be morally morally and socially inferior. I worry that this issue and the extreme opinions opinions I am reading only illustrate that ignorance and bigotry are as strong today as they have ever been. This proposed legislation is a human rights issue and has nothing to do with sex. All men and women, everywhere everywhere in this country have the right to enjoy equal benefits. Also all men and women, everywhere in this coun- try have the right to their own opinions, opinions, so Laura, please continue to voice yours. It is the only way for people to combat bigotry in our society. society. A society with only one point of view scares'me. Mark Jackman Bowmanville. Retired Persons Assoc. Protest Lower Benefits Dear Mme. Marleau: On behalf of the Canadian Association Association of Retired Persons I feel I must protest the actions of four provinces - most recently Ontario - which have reduced the amount of out-of- province daily hospital benefits they will pay. The figures are far below the amounts allotted for in-province hospital use. It would seem to us, therefore, that these provinces are clearly in contravention of the Canada Canada Health Act The other provinces involved are British Columbia, Alberta Alberta and Saskatchewan. We were pleased to learn that you have declared that the attempt by British Columbia to extra bill cannot be allowed under the terms of the Canada Health Act. It seems clear to us that the four provinces we have cited are violating the intent of the law. One of the five principles of that act is portability. Our reading of that is that any Canadian who requires health care will have insured services provided no matter where that person travels, with payment made on the basis of the amount that would have been paid by the province for similar services rendered in that province. We feel this is a matter of utmost urgency and would welcome a response response from you at your earliest possible possible convenience. Yours sincerely, , Lillian Morgenthau President. Food Stuff For Thought e2l|ei«#d9 A couple of weeks ago, the mail brought a couple of interesting items I thought I should share with you. One is a cookbook called Lillian Kaplun's Kitchen. A press release from Key Porter Bodes states this book has "facts about lemon filling and working with yeast to get the very best out of baking." baking." Hipping through the book took me back to when I spent a summer with a Jewish family my parents knew. They had a cottage near my home and I was hired to look after 'the twins.' The cookbook covers everything from soups to sweets to veggies. There are even recipes for foods I had long forgotten. These are spelled out quite plainly, with instructions which any cook will be able to follow. Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Beef Brisket, Chicken Pie, Sweet Noodle Kugle and Golden Chicken Noodle Soup. I can remember when Joan, her two girls and I spent an afternoon making noodles for soup and sweet noodle puddings. We made several batches for the largest pot of soup I had ever witnessed. witnessed. I thought the soup was going to bubble out when it finally came to a boil. It was the best soup I have ever had, including soups I have made and loved since. It just slid down the throat like a golden elixir. Yummy! One recipe that I was surprised to see in the book is for hummus with plenty of garlic. Don't ask why, I just was. My favorite way to serve a batch of hummus is to spread it out on a serving plate with a spatula. Then, taking some olive oil, (cold pressed is best) I lightly swirl it on the hummus. Next, I mix one lemon's worth of juice with a few or more squirts (I happen to like lots) of hot sauce and •swirl this onto the oil. Serve with crunchy fresh veggies and lots df warm pita bread. This is definitely not low-cal. However, it can be supper for four or a snack for many. For those who need to know, hummus with pita bread is a complete protein. The other thing the mail brought was à box of vegetable bags with vents. I kid you not! You have probably watched the commercials on the TV a few dozen times by now. They have the cute veggie veggie faces in these bags. According to one of the three press releases with the box of bags, these revolutionary bags "contain hundreds of micro-holes called Freshness Vents which allow excess moisture out while holding the right amount of moisture in." Uh-huh! Another release tells a consumer which veggies have high, moderate and low moisture levels. Instead of telling you right off, let's make this fun! I'll list a bunch of veggies and you get to guess what their levels are. The answers will be at the end of this column: column: Here are the sample vegetables asparagus/ bmssels sprouts/ com/ green onions/ spinach/ beans/ celery/ okra/ rhubarb/ beets/ eggplant/ carrots. It seems that a group of five researchers researchers spent more than two years developing these bags. These are the first bags that I have come across that are "engineered specifically specifically to keep vegetables fresher longer." Two color photographs depict two different heads of lettuce. One photo has a dead head of lettuce lettuce in it. I have not seen anything that bad in months, since I took a councillor's advice and cleaned out my fridge. The other shows another head of lettuce looking scrumptious. Last weekend, after the groceries were brought in, I plopped die fruits and veggies into the bags. On Monday, when I made supper, the veggies were glowing with small beads of perspiration that had collected collected inside the bags. On Wednesday, when I decided to cook up a storm, meaning I made a lentil loaf for dinner and kasha burgers burgers to freeze, some of the veggies were doing better than they had been on Monday. Except for the mushrooms. I think that I'll go back to my mother's technique -- using a brown paper bag to store them in. Some tech- Continued on Page 23 \\ by Rick James Go Leafs, Go! . There's no question the Toronto Maple Leafs have no right to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but since they got lucky, let's make the best of it. They were out-skated, out-hit, and outplayed outplayed by the San Jose Sharks' Russian squad, but the crossbar behind Felix Potvin was just thick enough to prevent elimination. It's all part of the goalie's equipment. In all the years of playoff hockey at the Gardens, have you ever heard such a loud P-I-I-I-N-N-N-G-G-G when that slapshot ricocheted off the Leafs' crossbar? A 16th of an inch lower and the Leafs would have been history. That echoing ping may have been the wake-up alarm they needed to score the winner. Then again, I'm not sure even that would be enough to wake up Mark Osborne. Am I missing something, or should this guy be playing for a junior girls broomball team? Coach Pat Burns obviously sees something I don't to play him as much as he does. If he were to have a brain and hand transplant, he could be the league's top scorer considering the number of times his linemates set him up with perfect scoring scoring chances. Oh well, at least Rob Pearson is sitting in the stands. If the former Oshawa Generals star steps on the ice now, my TV and remote control could suffer some real abuse. I'm so ashamed... During the intermission prior to the Leafs-Sharks overtime period, Ron McLean interviewed 1972 Canada-Soviet series star Paul Henderson. Next to knowing where you were when President Kennedy was shot, Henderson's series-winning goal stands as one of the most memorable moments in history. So, when Henderson was being interviewed, interviewed, my jaw dropped to my remote control when wife Kim asked,'"Who's Paul Henderson?" "Who's Paul Henderson?!?!" I said in amazement. "Don't you remember when he scored the winning goal with only a few seconds left to beat the Soviets?" "When was it?" she queried. "1972, the first Canada-Soviet series," I said in disbelief." "1972...that's 22 years ago. Unless the winning goal was scored by Ernie, Bert, or Big Bird, I wouldn't know anything about it," she responded smartly." After hearing that, I didn't think there would be much point in talking about the Leafs' last Stanley Cup, Red Kelly, Punch Imlach, Johnny Bower, George Armstrong, Dave Keon, The Big M... Was that "Frenchy" on TV? Wearing only a pair of blue shorts, running running shoes and a couple , of Hawaiian leis, the TV cameras captured a Leafs' fan leading the crowd around him in a cheer near the end of game seven. Although I haven't seen him to confirm it, I'm positive it was none other than Bowmanville resident, and former classmate, classmate, Robert "Frenchy" Taylor. The last time I saw him was earlier this year when I took my father to the emergency emergency department at the hospital. Needless to say, he wasn't wearing his unique Leafs' cheering uniform then. My suspicions were confirmed on Sunday when "Frenchy's" photo appeared on page 3 of The Toronto Sun, during the victory celebration outside the Gardens. If he has tickets, I'll be interested to see what he can come up with for the next series. series. If I had tickets, it might be worth giving giving them to him, just to see how wild his imagination could run. What's blue and white... From eldest brother, who supports the Detroit Red Wings, comes the riddle, "What's blue and white and drives a golf cart?" My response to that would be, "Have they found Scotty Bowman's body in the Detroit River yet?" The Leafs win it in ... Now the Sharks are out of the way, let's focus on Vancouver. I'll pick the Leafs to win the series in seven games, possibly in overtime. I would have said Leafs in six, but Osborne is likely to still be in the line-up which will cost the Buds at least one game, somewhere, somehow. Regardless of the outcome of the Leafs and Canucks, I don't think either will be strong enough to dump the Devils or Rangers. After watching the action in Sunday night's game, those guys are playing playing at a different level. Unless Doug Gilmour can get healthy quickly, even the new and improved Wendel Clark won't be enough to win another Stanley Cup for the Leafs. And for those too young to remember, Kermit the Frog scored the Leafs' last cup winning goal in 1967. Ooohhh, I'm gonna pay for that one.