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2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, June 8,1994 Section Two f It Canadian statesman Former Publishers • Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854 -1878 • M. A. James, 1878 -1935 • George W. James, 1935 -1957 Produced weekly by James Publishing Company Limited P.O. Box 190,62 King St. W., Bowmanville, Ontario L1C 3K9 905-623-3303 Fax 905-623-6161 For 140 Years, Our First Concern Has Been Our Community Publisher - John M. James Assoc. Publisher - Richard A. James Plant Manager - Donald J. Bishop Ad. Manager - Brian G. Purdy Editor - Petér Parrott Production Rick Patterson, Laurens Kaldeway, Doug Lugtenburg, Sharon McMullen, Barb Patterson, Ralph Rozema, Jim Snoek, Vance Sutherland, Jim Tuuramo Advertising Editorial Laverne Morrison, Eva Westermann Brad Kelly, Lorraine Manfredo, Laura J. Richards Office Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, Grace McGregor, Nancy Pleasance-Sturman, Marilyn Rutherford Sacrifice and Altruism Let us think, for a moment, about the virtue of sacrifice or altruism or the simple concept of doing something which may not benefit oneself but will benefit a larger cause. This virtue was present in those who participated in the Allied landings in Normandy 50 years ago. They were fighting to protect the very essence of freedom itself. The same observation can be made about all those who took part in the Second World War, whether or not they were among the D-Day warriors or not The example set by persons who were willing to fight and, if necessary, die for a cause in which they believed is one of the most important memories we can retain as we look back 50 years to the D-Day operations. Much has changed since then, and we're not so sure the change has been for the better. The virtue of sacrifice and altruism has not entirely disappeared, but it does not exist to the same extent that it existed among the persons who lived 1 and fought in the dark days of the Second World War. Today, we live in a time where just getting out to vote in our democratic elections is too much effort for a sizable percentage of the population. Similarly, getting people to volunteer for various types of community service activity can be difficult And, an increasingly demanding public expects that it's the job of government to maintain our quality of life. In our cynical moments, we believe that today's typical citizen expects more, complains more, and does less. There is something we can learn when we remember the historic D-Dày battle. And the lessons surely have to do with the fact that relatively ordinary people can accomplish much if they show extraordinary amounts of courage, commitment, determination, and the willingness to sacrifice themselves. Look at those words carefully, because they describe virtues which we seldom see in practice today. Nowadays, the emphasis seems to be exclusively on individual rights and individual freedoms. And, while it's true that individual rights are important, they must be balanced by concern for the wider communities in which we live. For, if we have no such cohesive community, our entire civilization will break down in an anarchy of competing individual rights. Any way you look at it, the D-Day project was a massive operation which succeeded because of the strength of character of all those who, participated. /V ; And, while we may not face the challenge of another D-day at this time [ in human history, we certainly face challenges of a different nature. Think for a moment about a few of the present-day issues. Think of the need to establish world peace, eradicate hunger and want or protect the world's environment from man-made and natural disasters. Think of the need to continue human advancement by exploring the frontiers of oceans and outer space. If, today, we mobilized our courage, commitment and altruism the way these virtues were mobilized for the D-Day invasion, we could meet each of the challenges listed above and many others. As we remember D-Day, we should thank the veterans who made the success of that event possible and did not shirk at the prospect of giving their lives for a cause greater than any individual life. But, more than that, we should try to emulate the values they embodied in order to build better communities, better countries, and a better world. Drive to Stay Alive No matter how you look at it, safety on Ontario's roads makes sense. Every year, collisions kill 1,100 people and injure another 90,000. The monetary cost amounts to $9 billion every year and includes such factors as 800,000 hours of police time or 150,000 days of hospital care. And, while we may tend to think road accidents occur out-of-the blue, without any warning, this is not always the case. Most collisions can be prevented. In fact, it's estimated that 85 per cent of them are the result of driver error. The government of Ontario has released a list of 10 ways to avoid common driving mistakes and keep yourself and your passengers safe. They should be compulsory reading for anyone about to embark on that trip to the cottage or even a short jaunt to the local ice cream parlour. Following these suggestions will help eliminate the pain, suffering, losses and enormous material costs which are associated with accidents on Ontario's roads: •Don't drink and drive and don't take medication that will affect your driving. •Wear your seat belt It can help you keep control in a crisis. •Obey the speed limits. Lower your speed when conditions are poor - if the road is slippery, for example. •Don't drive when you are tired ex 1 upset. •If you are in any doubt, let the other vehicle go first. Yield the right of way. •Keep a two-sècond space between yourself and the vehicle ahead. •Cut the distractions. Don't overcrowd the car or play very loud music, for example. •Don't take risks. Don't cut people off in traffic, make sudden moves or run yellow lights. •Always check your blind spot. Look over your shoulder before changing lanes. •Check traffic in all directions before going into an intersection. In conjunction with the general aim of road safety, police are also To Page 4 @ Clarington seniors and teens set to share old fireball facililities ... as well as recreation ideas ... rez^y ôa-mes ■ "for ddtvs statesmM toV.b?' 0 s We Asked ... What do you think about the idea of Quebec separating? .. .And You Said jj^ ■*•*»**"■ ^ Jeri Frisina Bowmanville "I suppose at some point in the future it will happen. I think they should quit this dilly-dallying dilly-dallying around and decide." Elspeth Conley Cavan "I don't like the idea and I don't think they will separate. I think Canada should stay together." David Quigley Peterborough "It wouldn't be good for the country economically. economically. Quebec will be free to sell its hydro power to whomever whomever and for however however much it pleases. It will be hard on the Maritimes." Sidney Tucker Bristol, England "I'm of the opinion it would be no great benefit to Quebec. They would lose out on the deal. They'll have to trade with the Americans who won't speak French." Next week's question: What do von think of the Royal Canadian Legion's stand on the wearing of headgear in its club room?