The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" The Pot Povey Stay Question of the Week... The Durham public school % board is considering reinstating ) Pete Culp prayer in schools. Abe doyou isa good idea; it may Do you have a suggestion that you think would make a good question of the week? Call us at 905-985-7383. not help, but it can't hurt. Maureen Mathieu prayer can hurt anyone. We did it when we were a kids and it didn't hurt us. Joanne Ritche Yes, I don't think a little * Spiritual instuction is good, but what prayers are chosen concerns me. They should be non- denominational. Chris LaRocca It's a great idea. I think long overdue. It will kids need to get back to the roots of morality and change things. There RA weren't as many problems for me, th bogie with when it was in schools. IU's a positive step in the right direction. Susan Blair It's a wonderful idea and LETTERS Lack of respect, courtesy dismaying To the Editor: My husband and I were both raised in the Port Perry area, and decided that there was no better place to raise our children. However, over the past few weeks I have been disturbed and annoyed to find the ever increasing reports of vandalism, disrespect, ignorance and lack of common courtesy that is unbecoming of Scugog. I was especially angered to read of the gen- tleman who become so frustrated with the rude skate boarders on his street that he reacted with violence, (not necessarily the right thing to do), and was subsequently charged with assault by the boys' parents. What lesson are the parents teaching their children by allowing them to have no respect for their elders and property that is not their own? " Whatever happened to assuming responsibil- ity for your own actions, and once again, good old fashioned respect? I was taught that respect is something you have to earn. It is not a right or a privilege. Why should these people be treated with respect when they obviously have none for others? Respect, manners and discipline all begin at home. Perhaps it's time to start holding parents accountable for their children's actions. Tina Lee Seagrave To the Editor: Lakeridge Health Corporation Port Perry, Auxiliary enjoys, again, successful Tag Days (June 4 and 5). A total of $6,692 was turned in by the hard working members, assisted by a friends). So many are seniors and to stand (or sit) for at least two hours in the sun and heat is truly appreciated. Of course, it was necessary to call loyal group of non-members (husbands and' Auxiliary enfoyed another successful Tag Days event on some for more than one session. (Oh, those aching feet and backs). Thanks also go to the many businesses who, when visited, generously contributed. The funds pay for equipment for the hospital which requires thousands of dollars each year. The committee for this project was as follows: Marj Tripp (chair); Josephine Ardilo; Joan Bridge; Heidi Cushing; Mary Cannon (ex. offi- cial); and Muriel Leitch. than 5,000 spectators watching. Remember When? Speed boats line up in front of Fred Frayer's Marina, for the Caesarea Regatta in August 1951. During the races, Bill Hodgson set a new world record in the Miss Ruthie with more Photo courtesy Len Proutt. Editor's Notepad | by Jeff Mitchell WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE Let's get something straight: Although | may be an agent of the devil, | sure as shooting am not responsible for any of the following: the war in Kosovo; televised figure skating; tabloid newspapers; the Buffalo Sabres; New Country; chicken pizza; Fox Television; the United Alternative; McDonald's; televised curling; parallel parking; tiny airline seats; weak draft beer; truck stop restrooms, or Svend Robinson. It's good to get things out in the open, you know? On the level. Everything on the table. Because you never know, do you, what people are really up to? One minute, for instance, they're chaining themselves to trees in British Columbia and getting arrested with a bunch of hirsute, crazy hippies, and the next, Bam! ...they're trying to get rid of God. God is something of a hot topic these days, here and across the land. In Durham Region, of course, we have a thinly- disguised fundamentalist element on the public school board pushing for prayer in schools. They reason that if everyone, regardless of race, creed, etc., is forced to recite The Lord's Prayer, student violence and other manifestations of a wayward society will be cured. Same with the folks in the Township of Front of Leeds and Landsdowne near Kingston, who have distributed to municipali- ties across the province a resolution calling for the reinstatement of prayer and Bible studies in public schools. The same reasoning applies. "It is now time to make a change for the better and reinstate what our forefathers stood for," reads the decree from Front of Leeds, Etc. Just what the aforementioned fathers stood for isn't specifically explained; one reckons we're supposed to figure that out for ourselves. Then there's Svend Robinson, who submitted to parliament a petition calling for the removal of references to God from the country's constitution. A now contrite Robinson no doubt feels that, all things considered, he could have delivered the petition quietly, without launching a full frontal assault on God, and life would be easier today. So there you have it. Up with God. Down with God. Prayer in schools. No prayer in schools. Read my lips. Don't tread on me. What's a God to do? Sit back and let us sort it out, perhaps. Hope we come to the conclusion that religion and worship are for uniting, not dividing. And that religion is a private choice, to be pursued for one's own reasons, not foisted on others. After all these thousands of years, however, it's tough to be terribly optimistic; some people simply will not live and let live. They have to preach and convert as well, and they won't feel at ease until everyone else thinks the same way they do. Well -- that's never gonna happen, folks. Vive la difference.