A6 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, October 9, 2002 EDITORIALS MD LETTERS THE OAKVILLE BEAM 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 337-5610 Circulation: 845-9742 IAN O LIVER P u b lish e r N EIL O LIVER Associate P u b lish e r JILL DAVIS E d ito r in C h ie f KELLY M ON TA G UE A dvertisin g D ire cto r STEVE CRO ZIER Circula tio n D ire cto r TERI CASAS O ffice M an a g er M A R K DILLS Production M a nager RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography D ire cto r ROD JERRED Managing E d ito r THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Metrotand Printing. Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier. Arthur Enterprise News. Barrie Advance, Barry's Bay This Week, Bolton Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News. City Parent CollingwocxVWasaga Connection. East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Post. 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Scarborough Mirror, StouftvilleAJxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association i Halton Healthcare C · E · S i | oaKvllle galleries] JingeBellF u n d o . , . . , o W euCOME^P rA G O N « .n > '" w i M a Far U )e 3S & W B 3 SKY Suburban Newspapers of America TV AUCTION 'S S S S F O RB U SIN ES SE X C E L L E N C E (%kj>itJe @yf>nar»f u fT) T*o*«!fc.Mtt»iaidCfcirid III « i» l HTOTt IO »D ftiu / B \0 * k v M e . bMrUDt -tim e d re m a rk s W h ile O a k v ille p re p a re s to exten d a w arm an d enthusiastic w elcom e to Q u een E lizabeth and P rin c e P h ilip , w e w ish Jo h n M anley had d em o n strated the sam e lev el o f re s p e c t fo r C a n a d a 's Q ueen. U nfortunately, th e deputy prim e m inister d ecid ed now w as as good a tim e as any to resp o n d to q u es tions fro m rep o rters ab o ut the re le vancy o f the m onarchy. N o w d o n 't g et us w ro n g , M anley h as every rig h t to his an ti m on arch ist b eliefs b u t d id he have to share th em ju s t as the Q ueen begin s h er 2 2 n d royal to u r o f this coun try ? H e co u ld have told the m edia that it w as n o t ap propriate to discuss the m o n arch y w hile the Q ueen w as enjo y in g h er ju b ile e to u r here. M em b ers o f the R oyal Fam ily, w ho h ave v isite d C anada, have alw a y s sta te d h o w m u ch they adore this country. So w hy did M anley d ecid e to tell reporters that the head o f state sh ould be show n the d o o r? W h at h ap p en ed to good, old -fash io n ed m anners o r a little com m o n co u rtesy ? Yes, M anley has since ap o lo g ized fo r his ill-tim ed rem arks, but this is not the type o f greeting we w ant to bestow upon H er M ajesty. T he deputy prim e m inister, w ho probably regrets his royal blunder an d the en su in g d iscu ssio n s, is supposed to be the Q u e en 's official g o v e rn m e n t e sc o rt w h e n the ju b ile e to u r w raps up in O ttaw a. H e and his w ife are scheduled to w elcom e the Q ueen on P arliam ent Hill. H er M ajesty, w ho could teach M anley a thing o r tw o about eti quette, w ill obviously not discuss the recent h eadlines w ith h er c h o sen escort. Instead, w ith h er trad e m ark stoicism , she w ill continue to m eet and greet h er subjects. If the g o v e rn m e n t w ish es to publicly debate C a n a d a 's ties to the m onarchy, then feel free to do so once the Q ueen has co m p leted h er visit. W e k now w e can co u n t on the residents o f O akville and local d ig nitaries to give Q ueen E lizab eth a recep tio n fit fo r a queen. W e hope O ttaw a w ill follow suit. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Anti-Bush comments MP's remarks were atrocious unacceptable I am concerned about two comments that have appeared in your paper in recent days. On Sept 25 you printed a Letter to the Editor from L.J. Forsyth, a self described "frequent visitor" to Oakville. In the letter, Forsyth stated that my letter of the previous week (on Bonnie Brown's ill-considered anti-American remarks on Sept 11) demonstrated a "complete ignorance of internal affairs, as viewed by the majority of the world's population" and "a failure to understand, and even learn, the principles upon which the United Nations was founded to uphold." This is extreme language. Forsyth presented no argument to support these sweeping comments. The letter made no attempt to explain the United Nation's lack of action on international terrorism that con tributed to the attacks of Sept 11. Forsyth also failed to explain why the UN has done precious little to enforce 14 of its own resolutions against Iraq (until George Bush finally galvanized them out of action). On Oct 4, you published a lead article about Bonnie Brown, our Liberal Member of Parliament. In that article, Brown continued the mean-spirited American bashing that she started last winter and that continues to this day. Last week, Brown, in the House of Commons, drew a parallel between the potential US/UK bombing of Iraq and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour in the Second World War. Leaving that strange analogy aside, your article then went to include the following quote: "Canadian Alliance Party mem bers - whom Brown characterized as simpletons." I am a proud member of the Canadian Alliance and the Vice President of the Canadian Alliance Oakville Constituency Association. I am appalled by Brown's intol erant and insulting statement, as reported in your paper. Even though her party has a long history of such slanderous remarks about members of our party (Jean Chretien. Hedy Fry, Elinor Caplan, etc.), these remarks, if accurately report ed, represent a new low for Oakville political discussion. The letter from L.J. Forsyth and the comments of Bonnie Brown are examples of an ugly continuing trend in this country. Rather than debating the issues, many left wingers choose to impugn the intelligence or education of those who disagree with them. Often, they simply descend to mudslinging and name-calling. The result they seek is to shut down debate. I do not know who L.J. Forsyth is, but I do know who Bonnie Brown is, and this simply is unacceptable behaviour for Oakville's Member of Parliament. Thanks to Bonnie Brown, we have a new definition for "simpleton" -- someone who wins an argument with a Liberal. G LE N H E R R IN G Pud We have a campaign. The United Way of Oakville Campaign was launched just over two weeks ago when close to 200 students from schools across town competed in one of our community's longest running events -- the Bathtub Race. R IC K B YE R S Why were they doing it? Because virtually all of these F E D E R A L P C C A N D ID A T E wonderful young students know that this great celebration O F R E C O R D , O A K V IL L E kicks off our annual official request to thousands of generous people in our community to support the thousands of others in our community who are less fortunate -- people helping people -- people strengthening the community -- people understanding that giving back has a wonderful feeling I am outraged by Bonnie Brown, in the ranks of the Liberal Party, and attached to it -- that's what this nice place called Oakville is MP's approach in the House of Ms. Brown was merely parroting it. all about. Helping hundreds at the end of some of our affluent In any event, are we to conclude that streets who may have been dealt a bad hand. It's not their Commons, in which she suggested that a pre-emptive strike against Iraq would Ms. Brown is out of touch with the fault. It's a family circumstance. It's a sudden devastating mean that "...the other pre-emptive general feeling of the Oakville elec change of health in a once happy family It's a loss of job, and strike, Pearl Harbour, is no longer torate, and will not be running in the the incredible downward spiral when self esteem seems like next election? described as an atrocity." it's no longer an option. Perhaps a long overdue move from Ms. Brown's understanding of what It's not so nice when we try to make the visible invisible the Empire of Japan was engaged in at the back bench to a park bench is a dis -- people who suddenly cannot support themselves, who that time appears feeble in the extreme. tinct possibility. often come out of good homes, who may have been emotion M IC H A E L A B R A H A M S , C A N A D IA N Perhaps, of course, such antially, physically, or perhaps sexually abused. We have agen A L L IA N C E P A R T Y cies in our community who intercept a good teenager on his Americanism is currently fashionable way to the streets of a big city -- leaving because life has been just too traumatic in a not so nice dysfunctional home environment. We have to be incredibly thankful that there are so many unselfish human beings who recognize that most of these often shocking changes are not the result of one's own The transparency of Bush's argu life's decision, but a series of events that often put many on Ed. note: This is a copy of a letter sent to Oakville MP Bonnie Brown ments and those of his allies will the brink of despair. and forwarded to the O akville B ea ver polarize the Middle-East against the Many of us who are lucky enough to have had it all going West. for us have sat back and said, "It has been a good run. How for publication. Thank-you so much for your well While we are shy about predicting can I help? Because just maybe, at any moment or at some reasoned speech in the House of what the outcome will be, we know in point in the future, my circumstances might change." General decay will only occur when our public walks from our hearts what will happen. Commons. their moral responsibility to support those that seek our help. You have spoken up. Clearly the lack of evidence that Our great cities are responsive to needs, and the thousands of would support a war should be cause You have spoken well. care-givers, volunteers, and donors in all of our communities B IL L F O R D for caution. must be applauded for giving back. Whether it's the United Way Campaign, or the hundreds of other causes that so desperately require funding, we need you more than ever because the not so nice will always be with us. The O akville B ea ver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited It's nice people that recognize this and help. for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. D O N ^ P A N G M A N , C H A IR O F TH E B O A R D In order to be published, letters must contain the name, address and phone U N IT E D W A Y O F O A K V ILLE number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Road, Oakville, On., L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish any letter. I don't think I have read such a narrow-minded letter as that writer by Steve Pelly in the Oct 2 edition of the Oakville Re: Oakville M.P. Bonnie Brown's remarks Bonnie Brown has embarrassed Oakville and Canada in comparing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in the Second World War with a potential attack by the U.S. on Iraq. She suggested will have to "rewrite history ... so that Pearl Harbour is no longer described as an atrocity." I would suggest that the real atroci ty is the fact that someone with such a lack of perspective on past and current world events represents us in Parliament. I look forward to changing that sit uation at the first opportunity. Helping other's makes the community special MP's comments were outrageous MP's comments were on target We want your opinions and comments Proposed shelter is an answer By STEVE NEASE Beaver. W HEN I WAS ^ Y&UR A<S£/ W E A R IN G * B R A C E S W AS C O N SID ER ED I am proud to have lived in Oakville almost all my life. True, Oakville is not perfect, no place is, but it is a great town filled with many kind, good-hearted residents who care for those around them and throughout the world. Volunteerism is strong, as is caring, respect and sharing. The people of Oakville work hard to help those in need and give support wherever necessary. There appears to be a real need for short-term, homeless shel ters in Oakville so let us get behind it and give it our support. Mr. Pelly states the shelter would be full of drug addicts, street drunks and those too lazy to work. I have never been to the tem porary facility currently in use, but I am sure that those people are not there. People fall on tough times, often through no fault of their own. Disasters such as fire, loss of income, disputes, etc. can cause people to be temporarily homeless. If they don't have a network of family or friends to back them up where do they go? The proposed shelter is an answer. GARY DAVIS v