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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 31, 1998 - 7 LETTERS Parent urges withdrawal of material To the Editor: Copy of a letter to the Durham District Board of Education. [ am writing this letter to you as a parent of a special needs child attending school with the Durham Board. I recently had the opportunity to view the material that the board would like my daughter to study in the next few years. I have also had the opportunity to listen and read the arguments both for and against this material. I must say I am disappointed in the board for allow- ing this material into the classroom. Let me clarify that I am not a prude, having served 18 years in the Canadian Forces, I have seen my fair share of porn, sol am not embarrassed or uncomfortable with the subject matter. I also want you to know that I am not some born again "Holy Roller" who believes only in abstinence. What I find objectionable to the material is that it is a sex manual. It is also a manual that talks about the morals of homosexual and hetero- sexual relationships. I believe that the state has no right to preach it's version of politically correct morals over what is being taught in the home. Furthermore, I have read statements in the papers that this material was to help street proof the special needs children. Nowhere in the material did I see a "Don't Do, Don't Allow" symbol over any of the material. I did not see any clearly defined instruction on how to detect abuse and how to stop abuse. I saw no material on how to say no aggressively to stop unwanted advances. It 1s my opinion that this material is excessively erotic, has an excessively politically correct moral lesson, and will foster abuse on special needs chil- dren. This material is like a gun, one you have given to the student, without teaching them the rules of the range, safe handling and storage. I urge you to withdraw this material, and find another way to teach this information that will educate our children about their bodies, teach them that it is their body, and instruct them on how they can get help if they think they have been abused. Andrew Davies, Oshawa Numbers wrong To the Editor: Your report on the Caesarea Ratepayers Assessment meeting was fac- tually inaccurate. Although there is a cer- tain amount of license for a reporter, they have a duty to report facts accurately. Mr. Davie seems to combine incorrect facts and his opin- ion. The following are correc- tions to Mr. Davie's report- ing. Mr. O'Toole said the total assessment appeals expected for the whole province was 62,000, not 65,000, my rebut- tal was there are still 185,581 appeals outstanding from the Central and Western Assessment Region alone. I said the same home, not similar homes in different areas of the township, due to interpretation of condition classes by individual asses- sors, could vary in value from $72,892 to $297,629, which at a 1.7 per cent tax rate would pay between $1,239 to $5,060 in taxes, a variance of $3,821 in tax on the whim of an assessor. Colin Kemp, Nestleton Tragedies can be avoided To the Editor: As Fire Marshal of Ontario, I am deeply saddened by the tragic fires that continue to claim the lives of the people of this province - particularly young children and older adults. In 1997, 154 people lost their lives to fire. In Ontario in 1998, 51 people have already died. Why do these fire tragedies happen? Most people don't realize that 90 per cent of fire deaths occur in our homes, where we feel most safe and secure. Approximately 70 per cent of those deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms. Never underestimate the seriousness of fire. Fire grows very rapidly and can involve the entire home in a matter of minutes, trapping the occu- pants before the fire depart- ment arrives. Needless fire tragedies will continue to occur unless every- one takes responsibility for their own safety. The fact is that the majority of fire deaths are preventable. The major causes of fatal fires are careless smoking and careless cooking. Falling asleep while smoking, or leaving pots - on the stove unattended are all too common occurrences. Unfortunately, the victims of these fires are frequently innocent family members. The fire service is working hard to educate the public about fire safety, but we need every- one's help. You must take responsibility for safety in your own home. First priority must be given to preventing fires from occur- ring. In the event that a fire does start, a working smoke alarm on every level of your home will alert you and your family and will provide you with a chance to escape. Developing and practicing a home escape plan will help to ensure everyone knows what to do when the alarm sounds. Remember: fire can strike quickly and when you least expect it. You may only have a few minutes to escape. Fire safety in the home 1s your responsibility. Bernard A. Moyle, Fire Marshal of Ontario You can fax letters: 985-3708 Editor's Notepad BRAVE NEW FUTURE FOR CANADA My, oh, my... winter's over, and things are hoppin' in a big way on the political scene here in Canada, eh what? Big Things will soon be going down, and you and |, along with all the other political junkies who've been starving for something good to fix on, have a front row seat. It's going to look a little like the NHL at trading deadline time, what with players switching teams and making moves to prepare for the Big Game. And when the dust settles, there will be some good punch-ups. Here are a few things to watch out for: a Jean Charest and Lucien Bouchard will engage in probably the most memorable election slug fest ever witnessed in the land. Bouchard, faced finally with a worthy opponent, will be drawn out for the duplicitous wretch he is, and will have his backside exposed. Will his countrymen abandon him? Probably not, his support will be shaken, and the PQ will be thinking twice and thrice about a future referendum, and the potential for humiliation it entails. a Conservatives across the country will become engaged in a seemingly eternal debate about who should take over leadership of the party. Ralph Klein will refuse, and names like Hugh Segal and even Joe Clark will surface. The Tories, being conservative after all, will opt for John Diefenbaker who, although dead, is a party stalwart and, in his current state, incapable of any sort of embarrassing sexual indiscretion. a Some Canadians will be shocked, others amused, when Preston Manning's head blows up as he speaks on Newsworld of his frustration over being unable to bring Canada's right together in a single party aimed at unseating the Liberals. a Ti Jean Chretien will be sitting pretty and well aware of it, his most dangerous foe -- that'd be Paul Martin -- in his employ. He'll decide to remain Prime Minister until he's 100. He'll vow to get rid of the GST, WalMart and mosquitoes, knowing full well it doesn't matter what promises he makes. a Brian Tobin will tire of politics and the weather in Newfoundland and run for the leadership of the NDP in Ontario, claiming that if Jean Charest can do it, this by sure as hell can, too. a Kim Campbell will stay in California, where she ought to. a A massive write-in campaign will result in Mark Messier becoming the country's next PM, a sort of apol- ogy for that Olympic thing. Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten APRIL FOOLS AND OTHER SILLY APRIL STUFF It always amazes me how quickly the weather can change in the spring, and this past week has been a great example. It was just a little over a week ago we struggled through an ice storm and a snow storm which kept up over the entire weekend, dropping about six inch- es of snow on the area. Then, only a few days later, we found ourselves basking under sunny skies with temperatures reach- ing into the mid 70s (sorry, I still have trouble with Celsius). Last Friday and Saturday weé saw temperatures reach record Aan for this time of the year, and with- in two days all traces of our recent winter storms had vanished, and the. ice on Lake Scugog began to darken under the extreme temperatures. Around town, the streets were buzzing with peo- ple lapping up the sun, dressed in shorts and t- shirts; kids on skateboards took to the roads; area residents put away the shovels and brought out their rakes; convertible owners dropped their tops, and the park was dotted with anxious sun worshippers. Ah yes... it's Spring at last! ICE OUT We'll be keeping a close eye on Lake Scugog over the next few days, to record this year's date for the ice to leave. or The Star has been tracking the date out records for 126 years, and we'll let you know the official date as soon as it happens. APRIL FOOLS Tomorrow, Wednesday, is April 1, and everyone should Know the significance of that date... I's April Fool's Day! If you haven't got any pranks planned for the day, here's a couple of 'foolish' ideas | picked up of the internet over the weekend. @ * Students tell of a prank they played on their teacher. The kids slipped into his room and turned his desk around so when he went to sit down, his knees hit the side of the desk. » Wake up early in the morning and unscrew all of the light bulbs... but leave them in. * If your job is secure... give your boss a letter of resignation, and watch the reaction. * For teachers; arrive at your first class late and say, "Oh, I'm sorry kids, didn't | tell you this class is canceled for today?" When the kids get all excited and start getting out of their seats, just say April Fool. There's lots of others... some in good taste, oth- ers is poor taste, so just use your own imagination and common sense. CLOCKS AHEAD With the arrival of spring and April, it's once again time to turn our clocks ahead to take advantage of Daylight Savings Time. So before you go to bed this Saturday night, adjust all your clocks and watches. The annual procedure makes for a shorter night's sleep, but at least now we can begin to enjoy the nice weather until later in the evening.