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& RESUSCITA JION SQUAD Club doing fine job! Port Perry Snowmobile Club is a decided asset to this Village and the surrounding area. It has been proven on several occasions and as recently as Thursday night, last week. The club then invited interested snowmobile enthusiasts to attend a Safety Clinic at Utica Hall and about 60 responded to the invitation. According to Mr. Gordon Reesor, local licence issuer, 877 snowmobiles have been registered at his office this season. Granted not all licences issued to snowmobile owners reside in this area, however, considering the large amount of local snowmobile owners a considerable number of them neglected to take advantage of receiving essential, extra knowledge on how to operate and maintain their machines properly. Conducting the Safety Clinic were OPP constable Bill Hanna and two representatives from Molson Breweries Limited, Chuck Seager and Gord Rae. Arnold Kerry of Utica Farm Equipment also participated and spoke on general maintenance, etc. A program called S.0.S. listing the 'Seven Deadly Sins of Snowmobiling" was circulated to those present. These are as follows: Drinking, collisions, travelling on unsafe ice, riding on railroad tracks, over-driving headlights, travelling alone and wearing loose clothing." Since its inception only about a yeag ago, the members of the Port Perry Snowmobile Club have conscientiously strived at making the vehicle one to be respected. This is certainly no easy task, do to so much irresponsibility from some snowmobile operators. However, with continued persistent efforts on part of the club members, the result can only be an improvement as far as tragic accidents are concerned. NAN PORT PERRY STAR Company Limited Sa, (CG CNA 7" : (ong) = = S 2) S Serving Port Perry, Reach, Scugog and 1, oF "ers as Cartwright Tognships P. HVIDSTEN, Publisher WM. T. HARRISON, Plant Manager J. PETER HVIDSTEN, Advertising Manager Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association Member of the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association Published every Wednesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd., Port Perry, Ontario Authorized as second class mail by the Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 BILL MILEY > UGAR AND \ TOO TIMID? PERHAPS WE ARE Is there anything new under the sun, despite the old adage? Not much. I've just been reading a 124-year old essay by Henry David Thoreau, and it could have been written last week by anybody who dislikes, nay, despises government and what it stands for. The author says that government is best which governs least. Many Canadians, who are sick to death of government and its agents poking their inquisitive snouts into every aspect of the individual's life, would agree heartily. Most businessmen would not only concur, but would raise a cheer for the sentiments expressed. Ask any man who runs a small business, if you want to get a blist' 'ed ear, what he thinks of government. Thoreau suggests that the fir st purpose of any gover-.aent is not seek out and abolish injus*' _, but to perpetuate itself. Ask any + .stic politician, and he'll agree. We should not necessarily cultivate a respect for the law, but for what is right, says Thoreau. He uses the illustration of an undue respect for the law, of soldiers marching to war against their common s2nse and consciences. This has been happening for years in Viet Nam. There are three types of men, he says. First are those who unquestioningly s~rve the state with their bodies, such as soldiers. Next are those who serve the state with their minds -- politicians, lawyers, office-holders -- but not with their consciences. Finally there are the very few .-- martyrs, reformers, patriots*th the real sense-- who serve it with their consciences also, and are commonly treated as enemies by it. The Trigger for Thoreau's essay was his strong disapproval of the American government of his day on two issues, the Mexican War and slavery. The Mexican War was one of flagrant aggression in which 'the Americans moved in and conquered vast territories in the southwest. (It has always been a source of pleasure to me, when Ar-ericans decry British colon- ialism' to remind them of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the Phillippines, Panama and Texas. They have conveniently forgotten, in most cases, that many of these "acquisi- tions' were a result of direct and violent conquest.) Thoreau spoke openly of revolution. "When a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country (Texas) is unjustly over-run and conquered ENA by a foreign army (U.S.(, I think it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize." Isn't the situation almost exactly the same today? Blacks are not legal slaves, but they are economic ones. North Viet Nam was not exactly overrun, but not for want of trying. And what would happen to Thoreau if he expressed such sentiments today? Probably not much, because there is a growing, swelling anger against the stupid war among Americans of all walks of life. But if he'd said it ten years ago? Or in the era of Joe McCarthy? He'd likely have lost his job, been harassed by the CIA and-or FBI, attacked by some segments of the press, and generally driven like a fox before hounds. It speaks much for the growing lack of freedom in the U.S. (and elsewhere) that nothing serious happened to Thoreau at all, when he uttered these inflamatory remarks. He did spend one night in jail, when he refused to pay his poll tax, on the basis that his dollar might buy either a man or a musket to shoot one with. But somebody paid his fine, and he was released. Today we have the\prospect of men spending years in jail because they refuse to go against their consciences. We have thousands of U.S. draft-dodgers in Canada, forsaking their home and native land for reasons of common sense (who wants to be killed?) or conscience. Joan Baez, the folk-singer and anti-war individual, tried to ake a similar stand by refusing to pay her income tax. The government merely deducted it at source, from the record companies who paid her royalties. Thoreau advocated that, if there were an unjust law, we should break it. What do you think? What would happen to an ordinary Canadian who said, "I will pay to have my garbage collected and the streets repaired. But I will not pay one penny for "national defence". T don't want welfare, unemploy- ment insurance, medicare so I won't pay a nickel toward them."? The answer is obvious. That bold Canadian would spend the rest of his life in the law courts, being punished by "his" government, instead of being allowed the simple, sensible alternative of opting out. Life is too short. But are we being governed to death? Oh, for a few Thoreaus in these timid days! Serice EE * REMEMBER | 50 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 25, 1923 Reeve George Gerrow, who had attended County Council for four years as the Uxbridge representative, was elected Warden of Ontario County. The annual meeting of the Port Perry, Reach and Scugog Agricultural Society was held here. Officers elected were; President, George Smith, First Vice President, R.M. Holtby, Sec- ond Vice President, L. Honey, 'and Third Vice President, F.A. Kent. The Winter Carnival was held at the rink and was attended by large crowds. Costumes were a bit scarce. Some of the prize winners were; Historic Costume-Rex Thomas as the Wandering Minstrel; Character Costume, Boy - Lorne Beare, as Santa Claus; Arnold Roach, as The Turk; Best Couple Skating - Miss Grace Davis and Mr. Wm. McKay; Boys Race - Jos. Naples. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, January 22, 1948 The Agricultgural Society met in the Public Library. President Fred Christie brought forward the matter of building a new skating rink for Port Perry, sugges- ting it might be built at the Fair Grounds. Mr. Armour McMillan spoke in favor of this project. The afternoon Auxiliary of the WMS held its first meeting of the new year in i. =~ Sunday School room with the President, Mrs. Thomp- son, presiding over the opening worship period. Then Mrs. Koch made a presentation, assisted by Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Jef- frey. The following officers were elected at the Arnual meeting of the Port Perry Lawn Bowling Club; Presi- Heayn; dent A.C. Vice-®@