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6 - The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, November 3, 1998 SCOMMENT- TH AND. HAPON it E ,Mi uil f i N9 lB.io f48), is 1 leMîiiiioid Printng, Pohishing & isitiiinoing LiS group of suinonhan compa- nies wficii includes:iAjax / Pckering News Sdvertiser, inilston Heraid/Courier, Barrie idvance, Barys Bay This Week, Boton Enterprîse, Bramptnn uarîian, turlington Shopping News, Briigon Post. Cty Paent, Coiingwood / Wasaga Cnnection, East Yorki Mirror, irin AdvocatelCountnhi Routes, Etobiceke Suardian, Pamiontugh Post, Georgetown Independent/ Acton Fret Pess, Kingston Tis Week, Lindsay This Week, Manliam tconomist & Sun. Mdland / Penetanguishene Minno, Mississauga News. Newmaninef I Aunra tna Banne, Nothumberland News, Norinthutur Mîron, Sakoîlle Bever. Sakoîhle Shopping News, Sillia Today, Oshawa / Whininy I Clariognon This Weeii. Peteriorogh Thins Week, Rchmond Hll / Thornhili I Vaughan Liera, Scanioough Minne, SUxindge I Stouftile Tiune, Today's Seniors. City of Yrk Suannian. Advertising is accepte n thetconditinnhan, ie the enent ot a typegraptiical enter, fint portion of the aduerfisieg sparte ccu- pied iy the ennneous item, together wth a easenaile allewance tot signature, will net inn changen foer, but the blance efthfie adveetse- ment wiII e paid for at the applicable rate. The puilisher resenses the right te categorize aderfisements on dectîne. Vandals and attackers showed lack of courage Courage is a quality that people prize because it is elusive and dif- ficuit to muster. None of us has courage ail the time. We' ve ail lost our nerve in some circumstance or other. Sometimes that happens in mundane conditions and sometimes in more dire ones, where the consequences can be harsh. Courage is flot the absence of fear. We ail feel fear, unless we are deeply maladjusted. It is the ability to accept that fear and somehow move beyond it, to cope with being afraid whiie doing what needs to be done. Courage is flot picking fights or pushing people around in an emo- tional or physical manner. That's bullying, and it stems from fear. Perhaps a reason why courage is so respected is that fear is much more prevalent. And fear is probably responsible for most of the hurt- fui actions we take. People who feel the need to hurt others, or to neglect others, have themselves been badly injured, probably emotionally and probably for a sustained period. They lash out in a kind of pre-emotive strike, because they can't deal with their problems any other way. This is not to excuse their actions. We ail have to take responsibili- ty for what we do. But it might be illustrative to some people, who are busy trying to convince themselves that they are tough, or they are in control, at the expense of others. T'hey really aren't, and they are deeply afraid, mastered by their fear and insecurity. Police officers deals with these types of people on a regular basis, as do Children's Aid Society employees, and a host of others. This past week in Milton we saw a few examples of a lack of courage, a need to lash out at others. And of course, people were hurt. Children were hurt. Some high school-aged kids, it would appear, vandalized Hailoween decorations at a couple of places. In one case a young girl had spent a good deal of time decorating a pumpkin, and they smashed it, and hurt her feelings for no reai reason except that they wanted to break something, because they're scared of the world around them right now and can't cope very well. Hopefully, the perpetrators will grow out of it, become responsible citizens, and later on cringe at remembering how their vandaiism hurt a littie girl's feelings. Maybe ini one of the other instances, it's getting a littie late. There might not be a whole lot of time for the three people who attacked two 1 2-year-olds and stole their candy the other night. These people were old enough to drive a car, or at least one of them was, and they were skulking around roughing up i 2-year-olds for their Haloween candy. That is sad, and it is difficult to perceive of a normai 17-year-old who would do such a thing. These people need help because if they keep walking down the road their trodding now, police officers will soon have a keen interest in their activities. They are already taking a very dim view of this type of deeply troubling bullying, and justifi- ably so. For these three, the first step in developing courage may be accept- ing that they've got some problems serious enough so that they feel compelled to beat up kids for Halloween candy. It takes a person with some bravery to realize that they are in a sad and disturbed place, a dangerous place, and that only they can begin moving away from it. Rob Kelly Reader questions Catholic school board's sincerity Dear Editor: How serious is the Halton Cathoic District School Board about negotiating anid signing a fair anid just collective agreement with its secondary school teachers? At the end of September the chair of the board made his request to the teachers' president to negotiate before sched- uled meetings for mediation on October 8 anid 9. When board negotiators met with the teachers to fulfihI this request, the board had nothing to offer, yet attended the meeting to expedite the process. How does this bring ani end te, the impasse in negotiations? Following the student-based, fair-funding model, the board could timetable its secondary school teachers at six out of eight and still have a $1.4 million surplus. The board has the money yet refuses to spend it as allocated by the govemment. Why? What does it plin to do with ail of its excess money from the secondary education envelope? Why is the board still insisting on assigning its secondary teachers a seven of eight tîmetable? Why does it dlaim to need govemment legislation to end the job action when it has more thni enough money from Queen's Park to solve its own labour dispute? Why was there a need to deduct 25 per cent of my daily salary when I was teaching according to the terms of the previous collective agreement? Does that not add even more to the board's $1.4 million surplus if we used the six of eight timetable? Does this sounds like Catholic social justice teaching in action? The board has made ani oter that OUR READERS WRITE aTHgeEymetswih mchofwht heHweeMskngfoON with a few reservations -- and dlaims to be optimistic that it will be accepted by the teachers. However, the board has already made it obvious in these negotiations as well as previous negotiations, that it's less than sincere in its efforts at negotiations and has very littie credibility w'ith its teachers. Why would we believe that this offer is fair and just? Why would anyone? Michael Jenny Oakvile Don't forget human factor at new 'superjail',. says father Dear Editor: As the story goes, a Cyclops took 'junior' to the balcony of their farmhouse and said: "Someday ail this will be yours, my son, as far as the eye can sec." We mortals have two eyes, though. and it's important to use both.' Efficiency is one eye nd the human factor is the other. 'Me latter is sometimes forgotten by our Cyclopean govemment -- education and health care corne to mind. I have visited with prisoners in London, Hamilton nd for 10 years at Maplehurst Correctional Centre. One concem of theirs is that family and friends have access -- public trans- portation, telephone -- for contact with them. This is the humanfactor. Lt would be wonderful to hear that the budget allows for a lot of counisellors nd chaplains at Maplehurnt. That's right - it's the human factor. Father Eari Talbot HoIy Rosary Church Pud____ by Steve Nease Miton, Oct.L)T 4N9 (905) 878-2341 Fax: 878-4943 Classified: 875-3300 Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Asoeciate Publisher Bill Begin General Maniager Rob Kelly Edi;ear Karen Cross Circulatioan Manager Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager