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AA AS Se Str 2 tb a 2 PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, August 19, 1986 -- 5 Vi ew P Oo i mM ~~ by John B. McClelland _Ican't help but chuckle a bit when I think of the self- righteous campaign being waged in Canada and the United States to force stores not to sell certain magazines like Playboy, Playgirl and Penthouse. One group has issued a public warning to a certain variety store chain that if managers continue to sell - these magazines, there will be placards waving pickets outside the stores and a general boycott. The parent company of the variety chain caved in to the th) eats and removed those mags from their shelves. 0.K., I don't think any reasonable person wants to see Playboy etc., openly displayed and in easy reach of young children. After all, Playboy has pictures of nak- ed women and Playgirl has photos of naked men. Those | kinds of things should be kept well concealed, out of sight, even in the closet. But I was in the local grocery store the other day, thanking my lucky stars that Playboy, etc., was not for sale there when a publication of a different stripe caught my eye. "Choir Leader Makes 11 Singers Pregnant," screamed a blaring headline in large bold type across the top of a "newspaper"' called the National Examiner. Gee, I thought to myself, that sounds pretty titillating. Looking over my shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, I picked up a copy and flipped through the pages. Outrageous. That's the only word I can find to describe the contents of that publication. I immediate- ly read the story about the choir leader and was I ever shocked. PRCTECTING MORALS grainy black and white pix about a man who lost his wife in a poker game. That's right folks, all the details were there in plain English. I could hardly finish reading the story, my sense of decency was so battered. ) Flipping the page, I came across two articles which I felt would heal the moral wound. Billy Graham (Bless his soul) was giving advice on how to find your guar- dian angel. The article quoted Billy at length at low God sends his secret angels to ear just when we need them most, to banish fears, doubts and worry from our lives. Could it be true, I asked myself? Of course it's true, if Billy Graham says so. I felt better already, especially when the story quoted Pope John Paul as saying that angels really do exist and they can change your life. I put National Examiner back on the rack and im- mediately was overwhelmed by the headlines on a publication called Weekly World News. "Brother and Sister are Wed 30 Years, Thank God We Didn't Have Kids," screamed the headline on the front. But there were more headlines to be devoured by the reader. 'Human Fireball. Snoozing Man Explodes." And how about this one for getting your attention. "Spellbound pupils see teen give birth in sex ed class." No, I thought to myself. Things like this don't hap- pen. And if they do, there is no way that Weekly World News should be writing about them. But I was really taken a-back by one final headline on the front page. "Doctors baffled by disease that makes babies heads explode." Jeez, what more could anyone want in one mag: sex, violence, incest, giving birth in sex ed class. mean, who needs those smutty pictures in Playboy and Playgirl when everything you need to see and read is right on your grocer's shelf for the price of 60 cents. That's where these two magazines were located, right on the shelf by the check-out counter, about eye level for a ten year old kid. 'Most ten year olds I know are pretty good readers. I wonder what they think when they're standing in line waiting for Mom to pay for the groceries and they see a headline about a human fireball, or a teen giving birth in sex ed class, or a beauty queen driven to suicide by gossip, or brother and sister wed 30 years (childless, thank God). I bought Weekly World News to take home and read more closely. It is chock full of morally up-lifting tales and stories, very wholesome, just the kind of thing every kid should be reading every week. Stories about a gay dad getting custody rights over his son; a wheelchair man taking a death dive off a rock; a voodoo mom killing her daughter and playmate; a babysitter who blinds an infant child; an actress who hangs herself; a wife who buries her husband's father alive; and so on etc., etc. This publication was total, utter and complete trash, not even fit for the bottom of the bird cage. Talk about exploitation of human misery. : Yet there it was (along with several sick clones) right in my grocery store in plain view. for all to see, including children of impressionable years. (Turn to page 6) But there was more. Like a story, complete with EA Can a i WLC AN) ETT Yesterday's Memories 60 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 19, 1926 : A very successful lawn social was held on the trim kept grounds of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Shunk, the proceeds of which will go to the Ladies Aid Fund. Mr. Thomas Sharp of Portview Cottage, Portview Beach, swam across the lake to the dock at Port Perry recently. He made the trip without difficulty and is talking of swimming to Seven Mile Island: Word had been received from the Toronto Conservatory of Music that Miss Helen Mellow, Port Perry, obtained the highest marks in Intermediate Pipe Organ work for the year in the Dominion of Canada, and will receive the Conservatory's silver medal. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 16, 1951 Congratulations to Georgia Brock of Port Perry High School, who has just completed two weeks leadership training at the Ontario Athletic Training Camp on the shores of Lake Couchiching. There was a gathering of 45 relatives at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dowson, Scugog, in honour of her Aunt and Uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Sanguine who are visiting from California. Rev. W.J.H. Smith of Kitchener, is in town this week renewing old acquaintances. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd McKee, Manchester had a pleasant two week vacation motoring through the States, then spending Sunday with their daughter at Mattabannock Inn, Haliburton. "25 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 17, 1961 Queen of the 1961 Regatta at Caesarea is Miss Janice Henley, of Toronto. , Mr. Lorne Clark, Uxbridge, and Mr. Murray Jones, Ashburn, have been selected as Ontario County Winners of the Provincial Junior Farmer bus tour to points of interest in Eastern Ontario and Quebec. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 18, 1966 Congratulations to Susanne MacMaster who placed highest in the Department of Education's Grade 13 June examinations. Susanne had an average of eighty-four percent and won the Central Ontario County Board of Education's scholarship. A Building Fund Campaign to raise $250,000 towards a new Com- munity Hospital in Port Perry is currently being carried out under the chairmanship of Mr. Joel Aldred. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Andrews (nee Lorraine Dayes) were honoured Friday evening at a presentation in the Blackstock Recrea- tion Centre. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, August 18, 1976 A part of local political life for over 14 years, Scugog Township Councillor Don Frew will not be seeking a return as Ward 4 represen- tative to Township Council this fall. Bob Stapley of Prince Albert considers Friday the 13th a lucky day after he was struck by lightning, and lived. He was climbing in- to the trunk of his car when it struck the house and he was thrown to the ga age floor, knocking him out for a few minutes. After Revenue Canada check of records No problemwith Durham Cops Although some police officers across the province have been in- vestigated for income tax evasion by Revenue Canada, Durham Regional Police have come away with a clean bill from federal tax investigators. According to Chief Jon Jenkins, the inspectors did not find any ir- regularities when the extra duty records were checked. He stated the investigators came in to check the departmental records last March, listing paid off-duty shifts for the previous year, made copies, and left. Jenkins stated there was nothing unusual about having Revenue Canada investigators check out the police records, adding that spot checks are common. "I don't think they are zeroing in over any complaint," said the Chief. He also suggested there could be a twofold reason for the audits. Apart from checking to see if the officers declare monies received for working off duty, Jenkins suggested the investigators could be checking on the organizations that pay for off- duty police assistance. He assimilated an organization that had paid $60,000 during the course of a year for off-duty police protection, but then claims on their tax forms that they have, in fact, paid a larger amount. Police officers on voluntary off- duty shifts are used at a number of events that fall outside normal polic- ing duties, ranging from hockey games to dances. In Durham, an of- ficer is paid $27.50 an hour for these services with a minimum of three . hours duty guaranteed. "Whenever an organization re- quires an officer at th. = function, they call us and we authorize it," said Jenkins, "that's our only in- volvement in the matter." He added that when the duty is finished, the organization pays the officer directiy. Although the department's only involvement is to authorize the pay duty, they do pro- vide an officer with a record of the number of extra shifts worked and the amount earned at the end of the year. It is then the responsibility of each individual officer to claim the extra income on his income tax statement for-that year. Jenkins said he had not heard of any officer being caught or charg- ed with tax evasion as a result of the March audit, but added if such was the case, the department would not. be notified unless by the officer Himself. Revenue Canada refused com- ment on whether any Durham Police Officers were caught or charged as a result of the March audit, stating confidentiality laws prevented them from divulging in- come tax information concerning in- dividuals unless it was before the courts. Hospital wants beds The administration at Communi- ty Memorial Hospital has asked for eight chronic care beds as part of a five year $20 million package that promises more than 300 beds for hospitals in Durham Region. The Provincial government an- nounced last week that Durham Region will get at least $20 million over the next five years to add 201 chronic care beds and 105 active treatment beds to Regional hospitals. The Regional District Health Council will begin holding a series of meetings with hospital ad- - ministrations in the Region to come up with recommendations on which facilities get the new beds. 'Those IF YOUR AD WAS HERE ... over 12,000 people could have read it this week! decisions are expected to be made by Christmas. David Brown, administrator at Community Memorial Hospital in Port Perry told the Star on Monday, "We feel there is a need for eight more chronic care beds." The hospital presently has eight chronic -beds in use. If the request is granted to the local hospital, more space would have to be constructed to hold the eight new beds. Last week, the provincial Health Minister Murray Elston announced that Ontario would spend $232 million over the next five years to add hospital beds in the province. That's alot of potential customers for your business. Advertising made easy -- find out more about it! CALL 985-7383 for INFORMATION to the editor. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters column helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous letter While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must continue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. opinions and view- EE - mae MEA SHA Agr ellie i oPosi a uy ce TN