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oy 8 -- Scugog Citizen -- Tuesday, November 9, 1993 . i Li |] 36 WATER ST, PORT PERRY, ONT. LIL1J2 ) Phone : (416) 985-6397 Fax : (416) 985-1410« * CNA [=) CCNA Verified Circulation Controlled 'published by Séugog Citizen Publishing Ltd. co-publishers : John B. MEDeland, Valerie Ellis editor : John B. McClellan advertising manager : Valerie Ellis advertising sales : Chris Hudson accounting + Sibylle Warren eternal optimist : Liz Drebit feature writer : Heather McCrae "Proud Canadians, proud to call Scugog Toumship home." OCNA Member THE SCUGOG CITIZEN TEA Member & an independently owned and operated CCNA conTRouLt0 - weekly community newspaper, is distributed, free of charge, to over 12,000 homes and in and around Scugog Township. Subscriptions sold outside Scugog Township. businesses EDITORIAL Five minutes of silence Editor's Note: The following composition won first prize in the Royal Canadian Legion Essay Competition. It was written by Mark Bragg of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. : One minute of silence is what my elementary school principal said. I looked down at my size 12 Racerbok sneakers. Tap left. Tap right. I tied my laces in double knot this day. My teacher told me that teday was special day, so I prepared for a field trip. Now they ask me for silence and thought, so I think. They say there was a war.I think of men walking with big flags. I picture them with big guns instead of flags. I think of my hockey game after school. I look down at my sneakers. Tap left. Tép right. Two minutes of silence my junior high vice principal asked for. I comply co-operatively. I look down at my Air Jordans. Tap left. Tap right. I didn't tie my sneakers today. Ce-operative but impatient, my mind wanders to the horror of Vimy Ridge, to veterans on stage. To their strength. To my date Friday night. To my new sneakers. Tap left. Tap right. Two minutes of silence the senior high teacher said. I look dewn at my deck shoes. Tap left. Tap right. The bobbles are coming loose. Patiently, I consider how much these men have done for us; how much they endured. How thankful I am. These are proud men, even in their age, they hold their flags so straight and high,'and never miss a drum beat in their march. My feet keep the beat of the march as well. Tap left. Tap right. '| Three minutes of silence is what my Sgt. Major said. I look down at my buffel and shiny combat boots. My feet are planted firmly on the pavement of the square. My o laces are tied tight and even. Respectfully, I am thankful for the men by the monument. They brought is peace and there is pede now. Now, with my military education, I spend my time in a school, rather than in.a trench, with rotten tattered boots mired in clay, uriable to-tap for th& sake of stealth, patience and our future. The only beat they kept was that of gunfire and artillery. The only tapping of feet was accomplished $y running towards death. Nothing was as it is now. The beat of the big brass drum, the ring of the glockenspiel and the tapping of our feet in rhythmic succession until the inevitable "Ready, halt!" We are at peace today. Nobody asked for silence in my group home, but I gave it anyway. Five minutes. The. veterans are gone, but we are still reembering. I'look down at my plaid, worn slippers. Tap left. Tap right. I was in the army but I am not a veteran. I turn o on the TV and watch them march, I remember my youthful pride and the pride of the veterans as their small arms held their flags up high, and they never missed a beat. The brass drum resounded. The veterans in my memory march. The young soldiers on the TV march, And I march, too, in my worn slippers. Tap left. Tap right. | DON'T REMEMBER i# '™ JusT A Ki D.. LIKE- FURSUR.. THEY DONT 3% HAVE ANY SALES FoR IT AT | THE MALL! [S, I'M SORRY I'M TOO BUSY -- AH, WE'LL DO LUNCH. GOSH. NOVEMBER Il, LEST WE FORGET! WHEN I'M GONE WILL { ANYBODY (¥ BOTHER TO _ REMEMBER LETTERS T® THE EDITOR Time te remember the sacrifice of men and women To the Editor; Remembrance Day is a time for Canadians to recall the terrible toll of World War Oné, World War Two and Korea. . Although many Canadians are too young to have experienced on witnessed the Horror of war and the terrible devastation Tt can* bring about, all Canadians owe a debt to those that served and to those comrades that gave the supreme sacrifice. Even today we have thousands of our fellow country men and women serving on peace keeping duty around the world. K Remembrance is forever embedded in our consciousness and serves as a focus for Canadians as we strive to preserve, protect and promote the right and freedoms we take for granted today. As a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, R b Day gives mygelf and my fellow Legionnaires a quiet moment of recollection of our fallen comrades and of our fellow veterans whom have since passed on. \ Please be generous to your local Poppy campaign. It is the only time the Royal Canadian Legion requests support from the general public. Every cent of ance . these funds are used to help veterans, their families, bursaries for.needy students, hospitals and many- more worthwhile causes. From our own general fund and the poppy trust fund, Branch 419 Port Perry has given well over $35,000 locally since January of 1992, with another $15,000 to be given t9 our local * hospital within thé next few weeks. We need your support to our Poppy campaign to help us continue to help others. Geoff Taylor P.P.O. Nw 419, Royal' Canadian on Some thoughts on Halloween To the Editor; The behaviour of .a large number of this. community's youth on Halloween (and apparently the previous evening as well) was inappropriate, illegal in some cases where property damage occurred. Although it should be expected that teens get together On 'special occasions', no organized activity was planned. The fact that they congregated outside their normal hang-outs, purveyors of fries and video games should not have been a surprise to parents, merchants or the police. What I fel must be addressed in addition to avoiding future unruly behaviour on the part of our youhg people, is the irresponsible actions taken by the police, Teens, as young as 14, were taken miles out of town and left isolated on side roads, miles from Hwy 7A and access to a telephone. This placed these 'children' in jeopardy, potential victims of a roadside traffic accident or of persons who might take advantage of them. No record was kept of who was picked up/detained and parents searching for their children during the night were not told of this by the police when they, the concerned parents, were calling for help. This practice seems more conventional in the southern USA or-Septh America and should not be acceptable in communities. I believe the police acted+in a mean-spirited, 'red- neck' manner that puts concern for property over concern for people! We can all do better next time there's a festive event. Expect young people to be young (in, today's style); give youth an organized event (if we don't want them to create their own 'fun'); teach them respect for property "(in school if some don't grasp the lesson at home); and think of the consequences if one person had of met harm trying to home fromthe middle of no! late at night. It's hard emough to raise children at anytime, let's not complicate the lines between right and wrong when parents cannot condone the actions of police. What do our elected representatives think? I hope the community is able to come to terms with the reality of life in the world (not just our small corner) in the 90's. Name withheld at request of writer. o «