WHITBY FREE PRESS,WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1985, PAGE 5 "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." - Thomas Jefferson THE CROW'S NEST by Michael Knell Why does the national media think ambition is a sin? Ambition. It's the driving force behind almost everyone in public life. In fact, most of us have ambition. Whether it's to be an award winning journalist or to be president of the company one works for or to be Prime Minister o! Canada. But the word ambition has come to mean something negative if one reads the comments offered in the provincial and national press lately. His detractors are saying that David Peterson is so ambitious, he wants to be Premier of Ontario so badly that he's willing to enter into an "unholy alliance" with Bob Rae to attain his goal. Meanwhile, Frank Miller's lust for power, his ambition, is so great that he is willing to disregard his right wing principles to remain Premier of Ontario. Brian Mulroney's critics charge that he is so ambitious that he has become a "presidential" style Prime Minister of Canada. Reducing major cabinet ministers to the role of mouthpiece for the P.M.O. and carrying around a presidential style speaking lecture bearing the Canadian Coat of Arms. I have to question whether these charges are truly justified or whether they are attempts by their various critics to hide their own ambition and lust for power. Ambition isn't necessarily a bad thing. If a man or woman was not ambitious for himself, his community or his party - why would he or she enter public life? Even here in Whitby we have politicians with ambition. I know at least three members of our local council who would like to be mayor. They have ambition and I won't describe any of them as being particularly malignant in their motives. Theydon't strike me as being despots. Bob Attersley has ambition. His ambition is not just an act of self- gratification. His ambition bas given him the ability to make this town grow. His leadership has given some benefit to the town. So, his ambition, cannot be totally considered as evil. Great men have had ambition. Winston Churchill was so ambitious that he served in more cabinets than any other British parliamentarian. He served not just in Conservative governments, but in Liberal and Labor governments as well. Yet historians still credit him with being the driving force behind the Allied victory over the Nazi terror. One of his contemporaries described Abraham Lincoln's ambition as "being a little engine that knew no rest." And yet he is still considered to be one of the greatest mentohold the office of Presidentof the United States. Churchill's and Lincoln's ambition drove them to greatness. So, how can we say their ambition was wrong? Coming back to Ontario in 1985, I would have to say that accusing David Peterson of being ambitious is foolish. In fact, it can't really be considered a criticism at all. It's a statement of fact. He is ambitious. But then again so is Frank Miller and Bob Rae. The only way, I suppose, we can judge whether or not a politician's ambition was for good or ill is after they have left office. The final judgement will be made by the historians 25, 50 or even 100 years from now. Those of us who will not be around to read the history books a century from now have only our personal "gut" feelings to act on. Those who perceive that Peterson's, Miller's or Rae's ambition was simply personal, because they see themselves as something more grandiose than they are will vote against them. Those who see their ambition as being something more than that, will support them. A reactionary right wing Toronto newspaper columnist once said that Peter- son was devoid of principles because his lust for power was so great. She is a known Tory supporter, but I have to wonder whether she would say that Miller is guilty of the same practise especially when one considers his government's recently read Throne Speech. If Peterson, Miller or Rae didn't want to be premier, they wouldn't be the leaders of their respective parties. If they didn't want the top job, they wouldn't be where they are. So, if we say that ambition is a negative trait and that our leaders shouldn't have it, then none of these men should be premier. It's that simple. But that also gives us a different problem. If we reject men with ambition, who shall we find to lead us? Who shall govern? How a politician uses his ambition is all we have to go on. Idi Amin bad am- bition, a lust for power and look what he did to Uganda. Anwar Sadat had am- bition but that ambition lead to the Camp David Accords and peace with Isreal. Peterson's ambition may be beneficial to Ontario. In the event that he forms a government today or tomorrow, we will know (or, at least, suspect) where his ambition will take us. If his ambition leads to renewed economic prosperity and produces new jobs for our people and improves Ontario's stature within Con- federation, then he cannot be faulted for having it. I would also say the same for either Miller or Rae. It is not having ambition for which a politician must be criticised but for how he uses it. To be ambitious is to be human. Ambition is part of our emotional make-up. Most of us have only ourselves to answer to for our ambition. But Miller, Peter- son and Rae have to answer to all of us for their ambition. In the final analysis, we control their ambition. And that is as it should be. WITH OUR FEET UP By Bill Swan A fourminute mile - once thought to be im- possible for the human body -- may be challenged in Whitby nextSunday. That'sthe hope at least of Bill Peel and Ian Barron of the Whitby Tigers. The Tigers, a running club, have organized the Texaco One Mile Road Race which will see more than a couple of hundred runners screeching down Brock St. on Sunday. "This could well be the best one-mile run in Canada this year," Peel said in an interview. "We have 12 of the best milers in Canada coming to run in theelite class (by invitation only)." In addition they hope to see more than a hundred public school children race in a separate event. Open categories are also planned for men or women and masters categories exist for both men and women. The course, from Chestnut St. runs south on BrockSt., runs slightly downhill through the four corners to end exactly one mile away in Rotary Park. Barron and Peel would both like to see every man, woman and child in the area who can put one foot ahead of the other come out and try her/his best for a mile time. (Next year, they hope, you will have an opportunity to improve on it.) In most running even- ta o! past years (usually 10 kilometres or 6.2 miles), the average runner even on a good day will see the elite runners only when warming up, if then. By the time the bulk of the field crosses the finish line, the elite runners have jogged two miles for their warm down, sbowered and are awaiting the trophy presentations. But the Texaco Mile will be different. Each category will be run separately, beginning at 1 p.m. with publie school children, and ending about 2-15 p.m. with the elite field. Which means that everyone will get to run the event, warm down, and then pick a spot along the course to watch the elite runners cover the samne course. For mat people in Whitby, the event will be remembered for the family participation it engen- ders.For the sponsors, the Whitby Tigers and Texaco Canada Ltd., the event will be memorable for the quality of elite mile it produces. Texaco has sponsored for three or four years now the annual Texaco International One Mile Race at Queen's Park, usually in September. A fleet of the world's fastest milers have competed in that race each year. Sunday's race marks the first attempt to organize a similar event in a smaller town. Whether or not you see more of this will depend on several factors: the organization, which is why Peel and Barron are both nervous as mother cats these days; the participation, which is why runners are en- couraged to take part; the crowd reception, which is why they want area residents along the course cheering; and the quality of the elite mile, which is how sports editors of Metropolitan newspapers guage such events. To give you an idea of the calibre of runner you can expect to see in the elite field, here is a quick capsule of some of the more notable: John and Paul Craig, identical twins from Toron- to, both Olympic class runners at several distances. Paul holds the record for the fastest 1500-metre time by a Canadian and has run 3:56.8 for the mile. Brother John holds the record for the second fastest mile ever run by a Canadian and has run the mile in 3:58. Paul is just coming off a serious illness which kept him from competition for the past four years. Two weeks ago, John and Paul finished second and third respectively in a one-mile race in the United States. Running into 60 kilometre an hour (45 m.p.h.) winds, they ran the last half mile of that race in 1:58. Local favorite in the elite class must be Kevin Dillon of Oshawa. Kevin attended Villanova University on a track scholarship, returning to Canada after graduation with an injury. He has won a number of national awards, and two years ago won the Canadian mile at the Toronto Star indoor games. His best mile time is 4:03.2. Jim Hauthey, a resident of Northern Island, now attending Clemson University in U.S. on a track scholarship. He has a best time of 4:02 for the mile (13:50 for the 5000 metres). He's running the race because he is in town for his wedding - he's CONT' ON PG. 8