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"Was it somethi Somehow we'd forgotten it took a little time for the good citizens of Amityville to become ac- customed {immune?} to the occasionally blunt manner of communication employed by this writer. Similar reactions to what was originally ex- perienced in Amityville are now appearing in some of the papers that have added this column, and the situation probably merits a brief expla- nation. A few folks may have trouble swallowing this, but the basic motivation for writing "Press- ing Matters" is twofold: a} to preserve and en- hance the Smalltown way of life, and b} to help readers acquire a better understanding of issues facing them in this horrendously complicated world. We don't have all the answers, or infalli- ble judgement, but our newspaper work does provide us with more awareness and exposure to the issues than the average reader, and we try to share that with you. The more an issue is discussed, the better people understand it. That gives them a chance to make up their minds with a lot more informa- tion than might otherwise be available. We weren't sure what reaction would occur, once the column appeared in other papers. But with nine weeks under the belt now, it looks as though similar patterns are emerging. e shoving match with teachers came as no surprise. Somewhat unexpected was the sprinkle of outrage provoked by biological revelations about our dog's encounter with potent Polish sausage leftovers. {An explosive issue if ever there was one.} And then last week a writer de- cided yours truly might be in line for "Bigot, Ra- cist and Atheist of the Year" honours, because of our remarks about "Sikh Jokes," "Bingo Indians" and so on. To paraphrase this shocked and incensed critic, (who welcomes a Canadian shift to "Glo- bal Village" status despite maternal and paternal roots pre-dating darned near everybody except Nanook of the North}, our "intolerance" is unac- ceptable, and "ethnocentric attitudes" like ours encourage the "travesties of war." There's no such thing as bad publicity, but that's not quite what we envisioned on top of our tombstone. God bless people who believe a perfect world is possible by pushing a few buttons. They possess amazing abilities to gloss over tiny de- tails in pursuit of awesome drawing board ideol- ogies. Example? by John James ng we said?" The "Bingo Indians" near Montreal aren't ex- actly our first choice as truly representative Na- tive Sons...after all, we're talking about guys car- rying Russian AK-47 automatic weapons, who murder policemen! Aww, we're being picky. Why let a tiny character flaw stand in the way of The Big Plan? Comparing that bunch of thugs on Mon- treal's south shore with the likes of Tecumseh, who fought and died alongside early Canadian settlers in the War of 1812, makes as much sense as pairing Iraq's Saddam Hussein with the Prime Minister of Israel in a charity tennis tournament. We have no quarrel with the substantial Sikh population in Canada. But we get agitated when they insist on messing with one of Cana- da's richest traditions {the RCMP uniform}, or demand the right to wear ceremonial daggers on ublic streets and in schools. This country anned lawn darts, right? It is reasonable to as- sume wicked looking daggers present just as big a threat. Our writer quite accurately claims Canada is becoming an international "melting pot," and we agree. However, this admirable goal should not dilute the heart and soul of the nation, nor elimi- nate the cultural attributes and values which are the main reasons people are drawn to our shores. Millions of people come to Canada seeking a fresh start, a better way of life, or to escape un- acceptable conditions in their native lands. The decision is a difficult choice for many, but most opt for our way of life as a better deal. Please understand, we aren't demanding they abandon attempts to preserve basic ele- ments of their own cultures and heritage for fu- ture generations...within their own ethnic com- munity groups. Those efforts can only add to the colourful character, and proud international im- age of this country. But when we invite people from other parts of the world to live in Canada, shouldn't it be on the understanding they are willing to accept, and become a part of, the "Canada" that made them want to come here in the first place? Call us what you want, but this is one Cana- dian who firmly believes Canada is taking lengthy strides down a dangerous path. It 'makes little sense to permit the transfor- mation of this great land, and its good people, - into a modern Tower of Babel. We'll do what we can to prevent that from happening. john APPLES for SALE IF YOUR AD Mcintosh * Cortland * Empire * dared Northern Spy * Talman Sweet Over 20,000 people could have read it this week. WILLOWTREE ORCHARDS Durham Rd. 8, Port Perry 985-9205 call the PORT PERRY STAR 985-7383 PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, November 27, 1990 -- 17 Postal 'glitch' hampers Xmas Seal campaign The Lung Association's Christmas Seal Campaign is in serious trouble, due in part to the recession but also to unexpected distribution problems. lor over eighty years, the Association has relied on the Christmas Seal Campaign for primary funding of its many com- munity programs to prevent and alleviate asthma, emphysema and lung cancer. This year, however, a series of glitches at a mail distribution cen- tre in Scarborough has resulted in some Durham residents receiving' no seals and others receiving three or more packages. "We have been flooded with complaints' says Association Ex- ecutive Director, Angela Tibbles. 'People are understandably angry at what appears to be poor management and a tremendous waste of postage." The mail distribution centre made several attempts to rectify problems caused by their computer and packaging errors. Unfortunately, this resulted in duplicate mail- ings, which only made the situa- tion worse. "All the costs involved in these mailings have been covered by the distribution centre" says Mrs. Tibbles, *'so the Lung Association is not wasting or losing money. We are, however, losing support from the public at a time when it is most needed." The Lung Association needs to raise $165,000 from this Campaign to ensure the future of its services to Durham Region residents. "We would be happy to respond to any concerns our donors may have" says Mrs. Tibbles, "and we invite them to call us at 416-436-1046." man Mairs. years old. . can't work in his garden. Street. al Winter Fair. Remember When? (From page 7) non Asselstine; Councillors Don Frew, Harvey Graham and Nor- Morley Umphrey was returned to the Ontario County Board of Education in last Monday's elections. He defeated his only op- ponent, Harry Phoenix with 122 votes. Nursing Home News - Mr. Percy Edgar paid a visit to the dentist last week to have a wisdom tooth pulled. Mr. Edgar is 97 Seagrave News - Congratulations to Mr. H. Eagleson, now of Port Perry who will be celebrating his 95th birthday on Sun- day, December 13. He is sorry that winter has come because he Scugog News - Work is progressing favourably on the new Township Hall truck shed which is being built at the centre. Mr. and Mrs. George Baird will celebrate their 45th anni- versary on Wednesday of this week in Clearwater, Florida. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, November 26, 1980 Township residents will not be charged directly to dump a car trailer or half-ton truck filled with garbage at the landfill site on Regional Road 8, west of Port Perry. Scugog Township council has given tentative approval to a suggestion from two Port Perry teenagers to build an open air skating rink on the site of the old Port Perry arena on Water Friends and fellow firefighters held a party Saturday eve- ning in honour of Charlie Miller who is retiring after 30 years of service with the Caesarea Fire department. Reflections Spotlight, owned by Bruce Lawson of Nestleton, captured second place in the Yearling Hackney class at the Roy- Cheryl Jones and Donna Kerry of the Epsom 4-H Club re- : Royal Doulton For that special person this Christmas 30% OFF ROYAL DOULTON FIGURINES (over 160 from which to choose) "My Love" PENTLAND JEWELLERS 174 Queen Street, Port Perry 985-7641 ceived County and Provincial Honours at the awards ceremony Saturday morning in Uxbridge. Anne Marie Taylor received a scholarship from Mrs. Caw- ker on behalf of the Honeydale Women's Institute. Greénbank-Seagrave scouting association chairman Bob Sears invested Mr. Archie Walker into the local group last week. Morrow Farm Equipment of Sunderland celebrated 35 years in the business last month as dealers for Sperry New Hol- land and Massey Ferguson agricultural machinery. ANTENNA SERVICE * Complete Tower Installations * Heads & Rotors * Boosters * Pre-wiring *FM Heads * Repairs PICTURE PERFECT T.V. 985-950 72 Water St. PORT PERRY