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A E-------- "A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 7, 1998 - 7 LETTERS Cadets impressive at legion's dinner To the Editor: I had the privilege of attending "Veterans Night Dinner" at Branch 419 Port Perry Legion Friday night, April 3. Part of the opening and closing ceremonies involved the Army Cadets from Port. My wife and I were very impressed with these Cadets: their attitude, dress, the way they handled themselves, their seriousness in showing the colors. To top it off they had a young lady spokesperson, who after showing a video of their endeavors delivered a speech thanking the Veterans for giv- ing the young people of today a safer, secure country in which to grow. She was so impressive that she received a standing ovation. To sum it up, my hat's off to these young people who are the citizens of tomorrow. They do us proud. Don McGinnis, Caesarea MPs refuse To the Editor: Our "out to lunch" Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said she was glad to vote against Reform during the flag debate, when she sided with the treasonous Bloc. How pathetic and deplorable to use the Reform Party as an alibi, when she sent millions of flags all over Canada last year. My local Oshawa MP Ivan Grose deserves credit, because he had Hong Kong vets left in cold To the Editor: Recent media reports have indicated renewed interest in compensation by the Canadian government for victims of viola- tions of human rights. The prime example was, of course, the com- pensation to Japanese- Canadians interned during the Second World War. During the recent controversy over the Canadian War Museum and the proposed Holocaust gallery, organizations represent- ing Chinese Canadians and Ukrainians, for example, were strongly represented. Premiers Mike Harris and Ralph Klein have both recently been forced to do an about-face following public outrage over what was seen as insensitive and bureaucratic approaches to handling the compensation for the surviving Dionne quintuplets and for Albertans sterilized under that province's now defunct eugenics law. Canada's Hong Kong Veterans have not, as yet, been compen- sated despite an "all party" reso- lution from the prestigious House of Commons Committee to stand up the intestinal fortitude to vote with his heart instead of being a spineless coward. A well known local Liberal MP e-mailed me a few weeks ago, and said "If Quebec were Texas I'm sure the USA would send in the troops the moment there were signs of any threat to the Union. I hate to say it, but maybe it's time to show them the stick. If Quebec considers itself above the law, then it is on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which sug- gested reparations be paid by the Canadian government and a claim be made against Japan. As Patron of the Hong Kong Veterans of Canada, I sincerely hope that the accumulated claims piling up will not be allowed to interfere with this position by the Canadian gov- ernment concerning the repara- tions for our soldiers victimized in Japanese work camps. We first placed the Hong Kong Veterans' Claim before the Human Rights Commission in Geneva in 1987. The justifica- tion, based on the Geneva Convention, has been verified by the United Nations. There is an international provision under which Canada, in protecting the rights of its own citizens, could pay the compensation of $24,000 a year to 350 survivors and reg- ister a legal claim against Japan under the Geneva Convention. Cliff Chadderton, OC, O0.0Ont., DCL,LLD Patron, Hong Kong Veterans for Canada time to restore order. There is a difference between democracy and anarchy." [ am very skeptical and dis- trustful, especially when this same Liberal MP "paired" his vote with a Bloc Quebecois mem- ber. It demonstrates repeatedly most MPs refuse to champion for Canada, especially when push comes to shove. Herman van der Veen, Oshawa To the Editor: were so helpful and caring. On Feb. 8, as a result of an unfortunate skating accident on Lake Scugog, I broke my leg. I'd like to thank those citizens who came to my aid. Their names are unknown to me, and yet they Kindness of Port residents helped ease the pain husband was able to get me to the hospital. A make-shift splint was made and with their help and the help of the Port Perry Marina, my Many thanks to Dr. Gilmour, who was skating on the lake at the time, and Dr. Puckrin of your hospital for their care. Mary Marshall, Oshawa Editor's Notepad GREEN ACRES IS THE PLACE FOR ME It was good to hearfrom provincial agricultural minister Noble Villeneuve last week that a bill to protect farmers' rights to make a living is in the works at Queen's Park. Speaking at the annual Farmers' Night do in Blackstock last week, Mr. Villeneuve promised that Bill 146 will protect farmers from nuisance suits over odors and noises associated with the everyday running of the family farm. Such suits -- usually brought forth by yuppies who've escaped the city for the country, only to find that pigs smell really, really bad on some August afternoons -- are troubling. They're another indication of urban and rural lifestyles colliding, and it's not a pleasant scenario. | grew up in the country, and have worked at several papers in rural settings, including on the ever-growing cusp of the GTA. It's always disturbed me when local councils or courts are approached by recent arrivals from the city who figure that, now that they've moved to the area, all development and/or objectionable farm practices should stop. I've heard people complain about freight trains blowing their horns at level crossings, and whine that wagons are taking up the roadway during haying time. | once saw the formation of a group of sub- urban home owners, bent on preventing Beavers, Cubs and Boy Scouts from using a conservation area across a river valley from their houses, because they were wor- ried about adverse effects on their lifestyles. It is irritating to me that some people assume that, once they've bought an acre of land and commenced to paying taxes on it, they are able to dictate to all within miles.as to what is acceptable, and what is not. Imagine the owner of the afore-mentioned pigs when he's served his papers: "What's this?" "A notice of motion with the intent of seeking an order that you cease and desist the dissemination of noxious fumes from your home and/or place of business, sir." "Come again?" "Your new neighbors say your animals smell bad, and they want you to make it stop." "But they're pigs!" "That's no way to talk about your neighbors." And so on. It's important for people to remember, when they move to the country, that their lifestyle must accommodate and embrace rural practices, and even idiosyncrasies. Green acres, indeed. ICN AR i vi ain HL an NG Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten WE SHARE THE AWARD WITH OUR READERS While the majority of com- munity newspapers are either privately or corporately owned, most often in smaller communities like Port Perry the readers often think of the local newspaper as theirs. The bond between a newspaper and its readers can be very strong, and it's for this reason public reaction can be quick and clear if they feel we are not performing our job satisfactorily. Readers have no hesitation to reprimand us if they feel we are out of line and often use the news- paper's forum, letters to the editor, to express their irritation in these cases. Generally speaking, newspapers and their staff receive far more criticism than accolades, so it's always a nice feeling.to be on the receiving end of some praise. That's what happened to the Port Perry Star last Saturday evening at the Ontario Community Newspaper Association's "Better Newspaper Competition" banquet held in Toronto. The Star received honors in three categories, * picking up awards for: Best All-Round Newspaper in the General Excellence Class for papers with circu- lations of 3,500 - 6,499; First Prize for the Best Front Page in the Premier Class; and Second Place for the Most Original Advertising Idea. This is the best showing for your local newspaper in a number of years, and | would like to congratu- late the entire staff on this terrific accomplishment. It takes a co-operative effort on the part of every member of the staff to get this paper out each week, and you all share in this latest accomplishment. Many thanks to our staffers in the front office, edi- torial department, advertising sales, production, and the mailing room. Your efforts on behalf of this newspaper and the community are appreciated. IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE Many area movie goers turn to the Weekend Star's movie critic, John Foote, each week to read his reviews and thoughts about the latest films, as well as the actors and directors. John has been pursuing his interest in movies and theatre for as long as I've known him, and he's finally reaping some of the awards of his lifelong pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry. In addition to local movie review column, John is co-host on a Roger's Cable TV program in which he reviews movies and interviews some of the 'stars' of the silver screen, and also finds time to coach chil- dren and adults in acting classes through his popu- lar workshops. Last week John had the opportunity to spend over two hours interviewing and chatting with Robert Duvall, one of Hollywood's premier actors. Duvall, you will remember, was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actor for his portrayal of a southern Pentecostal preacher in the movie The Apostle. John's come a long way from his days of acting and directing for local theatre groups, and we wish him continued success in his chosen field.