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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" _ EDITORIAL SR ------ Editorial Comment ! .- - Let the good times roll Election day is looming, and the provin- cial government is letting the good times roll. In the past week the dailies have given coverage to an extensive list of govern- ment grants, goodies and hand-outs that are adding up in the millions. The NDP are spending freely, and your tax dollars are being dispersed recklessly. This is not uncommon. It is not an in- vention by the New Democrats. It is something of a tradition, established God knows when, by governments about to face the end of their mandates and wish- ing to do so by spreading sbme good feelings around. While this phenomenon was not creat- ed by the NDP, it is regrettable they have fallen into the trap. You can't buy the voters with gifts, es- pecially after they have said repeatedly in the weeks leading up to the federal bud- get that what they want above all is re- straint and responsibility. The party that gets the backing of the people will be the one that demonstrates it is ready to rise above posturing and the dispensing of grants in the name of image-building. It is time to press the party to talk frank- ly about the issues facing the province. Only by demanding substantive discus- sion will we receive it. Let's stop tossing money around and get down to business in Ontario. Showing courage In the pages of today's Star you will find an exensive article on lan Mahaffy, a Port Perry native who has been diag- nosed as having HIV, the virus that caus- es AIDS. | In coming forward with his story now, Mr. Mahaffy has waded into the midst of an ongoing debate to which much space in the paper has been devoted of late. His is a courageous move. He asks that we avoid making judge- ments about lifestyles, and that we forget about the finger-pointing and acrimony. He asks that we look with compassion and understanding on the millions who have contracted the dreaded disease through unsafe sex, blood transfusions, drug use, and even birth. It is time to shed the Not Me attitude that is so easy to adopt and address the issue as a societal one, not a moral one. It is time we look with open minds on the human face of AIDS, and see that it could well be us. And to salute courage and grace. DWE we WE ARE ABOYT 70 WIT THE Campaign RAIL. _ by J. Peter Hvidsten | SOME THINGS | NEVER CHANGE It's been a couple of years since Nancy and! hitthe "theatre scene" in Toronto, but last week we headed off the the big city to take in "Crazy For You." . The Gershwin musical has been playing at the Royal Alexandra for the past year and we thought it would be nice te catch the show before it finishes its Toronto run. Since we don'tgetto Toronto much any- more, we decided to make abig night of it and dine at a nearby restaurant. Therestaurant we pickedwas Ed's Warehouse, mainly becauseit's next door to the theatre, but also because the food is good and always consistent. As lrememberit, Ed's started up inthe mid-sixties and although it was a lavish spotitserved it's fare to the publicata very reasonable price. Customers were greeted by bright red carpet, red flocked wallpaper, red table- cloths, thousands of antiques, hundreds of black and white framed photographs of entertainment personalities, and more Tiffany lamps than you'll see anywhere (other than a lighting fixture store), all help to make this place one not easy to forget. In those days, to gain entry into Ed's Warehouse, patrons had tobe dressed LETTER OF THE WEEK appropriately. That meant absolutely NO JEANS and men were refused entry if they weren't wearing a jacket and tie. There were no exceptions and some rath- er high profile visitors are reported to have Personal reflection becomes harsh diatribe To the Editor: This letter is to Carol Switzer, but if there is only one other person out there who gives her statements merit, then this letter is also for them. It is also for all the gay and gay-positive people who cannot or will not speak up. Ms. Switzer has taken what was a very personal reflection in my life, a re- flection and analysis of myself and my sexuality (my gift), and turned it into a diatribe against people with AIDS. The gay community is not at fault for this dis- ease. It is a disease like any plaque and it has hit my people harder than anyone, but only in North America. In other countries, such as Haiti and parts of cen- tral Africa, it is heterosexual people who are dying, by the thousands. Also, the gay community has been most active in setting up hospices, infor- mation organizations, and hotlines etc. to help deal with the devastating effects of this disease, and I think if you were to ask the straight people with AIDS, in- cluding children and parents of these children, you would find them grateful and supportive of the gay community. That has been our experience. What Ms. Switzer says about AIDS and its mutations is true. This is a tough one. What she didn't say was that there are many new viruses appearing on this planet every day. In any case, it is a dis- ease. No one asked for it. No deserves it. And yes, itis preventable. And I think you will find that as the Turnto Page 8 I A-------- C--O been escorted to the door for not comply- ing with the dress code. Restrictions on the dress code have been lifted, butthere is one thing thathas notchanged (aside from the decor) over the past30 years. The foodl Although the menu has grown consider- ably over the past three decades, the original six steak and roastbeefitems are stilserved. And that juicy fillet mignon or Ed's prime rib cut are stillaccompanied by alarge scoop of green peas and amound of crea- my mashed potatoes. No need to toil over choices of broccoli, asparagus or baked potatoes.... 'cause at Ed'sthey still serve down home basic fare. NE Re NR TE Teh a Ee i EET EE i I,