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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday August 18, 1999 The Oakville Beaver OPINION Editorials Help needed Suddenly it's open season on Canada. Anyone wanting an entree into North America need only find passage on some scow and bobble over to our great Dominion, where they'll be treated like long-lost relatives. Three such ships have dumped their human cargo on our shores in the past two weeks and it's likely that more will be coming to take a shot at vanishing into our cities, or more likely, those of our neigh­ bour. Little wonder then, that the Americans are getting peeved with our sieve-like shores that are patrolled by too-few gov­ ernment craft. The U.S. spends hundreds of millions of dollars on their border patrols, particu­ larly in the southern states abutting Mexico, where attempts to cross the border into the promised land area a daily occurrence. When a ship filled with illegal immigrants landed on Uncle Sam's shores, what was the response of the Americans? It was typically American, typically efficient and typically adamant. They were shunted into an airport for a quick trip back to their own country. Note the lack of an immigration hearing. Note the absence of freedom for these people. Note that they were treated the proper way for people in their cir­ cumstance. It was. pathetic to see our premiers begging the federal government for tax cuts so their constituents would be pleased, while huge segments of our federal­ ly-controlled infrastructure rot. Our coast guard is a joke as are the ships on the east and west coasts that must look out for drug-runners, illegal fishing boats and now, ships full of a dif­ ferent kind of illegal cargo. Billions of 'extra' bucks in Ottawa coffers? Give some of it to our coast guard personnel who could do an even-better job had they the appropriate resources...like their American comrades. Note the lack o f an immigration hearing. Note the absence o f freedom for these people. Note that they were treated the proper way for people in their circumstance. CAPTAIN GAPLAN/ 'NEVE.SPRUNS a n o t h e r LEAK/:, L e t t e r s t o t h e E d it o r The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer's address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 Death o f young man made deep impression Last Saturday night a young man died behind the townhouse in which my family and I live. He hung himself with a length of nylon rope. My wife saw his dangling legs. I was unfortunate enough to witness the fire d epartm en t and police cu tting dow n his body. It is now five days later - a single red rose marks the spot where he died. There is a small sidebar in the local paper- respecting the wishes of the family. I feel like I should know more about the man who so desperate­ ly took such extreme measures. I'm sure his paren ts feel the sam e. He looked like a decent guy- no tattoos, nondescript clothing, well groomed, the only thing signifying any trouble in his life, the rope around his neck. I still haven't figured out why I'm writing this letter, maybe it's a form of therapy. I hope in some way it might do some good. Of all the emotions I feel the strongest is the sorrow for the family and friends o f that young man. I look at my two young boys and cannot imagine a greater loss. To the family, you will find a means to work through this tragedy. Positives? They are, I imagine, very hard to find. Dig deep - hopefully there is one there - and begin the healing. Tim Crane Regardless of truth, Fidel doesn't like Canadians Since early in 1997, I have been predicting that before long, Cubans would be tearing down Canadian flags on their island, and that C anadians w ould becom e persona-non-grata. According to news reports over the last few days, it looks like my predictions are about to materialize. Cuban president Fidel Castro is not happy. During a four-and-a- half hour tirade, he showed utter contempt for the Pan-Am Games that are being held in Winnipeg. He to ld C ubans that "N ever before have we seen such abuse and trickery in a sports competi­ tion. The whole purpose (of the Games) was to harass Cuba, to displace Cuba from the second position to benefit the host coun­ try (Canada)." He continued with "Dishonesty has prevailed," and "Our athletes have been compet­ ing in the face of hostility." He told his countrym en that there are now two enem ies in North A m erica -- the one th a t was already there (USA) and another further north (Canada)." Now that Cuban high jumper Ja v ie r S o to M ayor has been stripped o f his gold m edal for co ca in e use, C a s tro 's venom w ill, once again , be aim ed at C an ad a and C an ad ian s . According to news reports, star athlete Javier Soto M ayor "Is a gentleman and a rich man who is revered in Cuba." One newscast­ er re fe rred to him as "Comparable to Gretzky in his Cuban hom eland." The Cuban delegation to the Pan-Am Games are adam ant. They insist that tampering has taken place with their high jum per's clinical sam­ ple. They insist that the testing results have been manipulated. Fidel Castro is not happy. All bets are that Canadian tourists will be spat on in the streets of Havana. Peter E. Stickles Firefighters came to rescue very efficiently I wish to thank the Oakville firefighters who pre­ vented a greater disaster from occurring on April 25th, 1999, when my new Yamaha 1999 Virago 1100 Special motorcycle burst unexpectedly into flames in my garage. (A fire investigator sent from the insurance company determined the cause to be defective wiring in the engine.) The speed and efficiency with which the Oakville firefighters and police responded was impressive. They were well prepared with equipment that not only enabled them to put out the flames but to detect lingering fire inside the walls, as well as machines to clear the smoke from the house. One cannot prevent such an unpredictable fire, but it is re-assuring to know that Oakville has trained professionals on the job 24 hours a day. Robert Livesey FLEA group thankful for support FLEA -Four Legged Exercise Area, held a silent auction on Saturday, August 7. FLEA is Glen Abbey's and Westoak Trails leash-free area located behind the Glen Abbey Recreation Centre. FLEA would like to thank the following for their dona­ tions. An English Garden Flow er Shoppe, Battery Zone, Ms. Suzi Beber, B lockbuster Video, The Canadian Pet Connection, Card n' Party, Chaps R estaurant - Town C entre II, Chapters - Town Centre, Crack Pot Studios, Dealing With Dogs, Distinction Floral M arket, Julia Evans, Fairway Drug Store, Mrs. L. Gaudio, Glen Abbey Framing, Ms. D. Gra, HMV, Happy Maids Custom Cleaning Services, Healthy Life-Styles, Mrs. A. Herring, Mr. B.H. Hillier, Mr. Jon Hough.IGA - Glen Abbey,Ms. J. Keast, Knotty Do, Mrs. K. Ledbroo, Ms. A. Lee, Mr. P. Lenoir, Monastery Bakery & Deli, National Sports, O akville Public L ibrary - Glen Abbey B ranch, Pet Valu - Town C entre I, Ph ilthy McNastys, Pick of the Crop Toys & Books, Rogers Video, Mr. B. Smith, Dr. Danny Soares, Councillor Stephen Sparling, Mr. & Mrs. Vecera, VideoPlex, Vineyard Designs, Wine Kitz, The Wool Bin FLEA would also like to thank everyone who participated and volunteered for this event. Even with a two hour power failure, your gen­ erosity helped us raise just over $1,350.00. This means that we may now reimburse The Town of Oakville for the temporary fence. We will be hold­ ing other fund raising events to raise money for the permanent fence and for FLEA upkeep Look for FLEA at Glen Abbey's Summer Fest on Sunday, August 22nd. We will be in The Canadian Pet Connection's tent. Julia Evans Pud by Steve Nease THAfs THE GEAR SHIFT, RIGHT, PAP? -AMD THATS THEEAtRSENCY BRAKE, AND THAT'S THE TACH ? J H i s c a r !s A u t o m a t ic , BUT CARS WITH STICK SHIFTS HAVECUIrtHES, Letter of th e W eek Need for stricter gun control That horrible tragedy at a community centre in Los Angeles on Aug. 10th will renew calls for greater gun control in the United States. There will be much talk but, unfortunately and most tragically, nothing will be done. There are now more than 250-million firearms in that country which account for tens o f thousands of fatalities and over 150,000 persons injured each year. When one considers the number of guns in that country, their easy accessibility, and the glorification of violence, it is amazing similar incidents to the Los Angeles shoot­ ing do not occur on a daily basis. In 1995, the FBI reported that for the year 1994 in the U.S., random killings (linked to the proliferation of weapons, gangs, and the drug trade) exceeded murders by relatives and acquaintances for the first time ever. That agency stated that every American now has a real­ istic chance of murder victimization in view of the ran­ dom nature the crime has assumed. The advent of this trend in the U.S. has generated a profound fear o f mur­ der victim ization in that the circum stances are per­ ceived to be more irrational. Stricter gun control legislation is a public health con­ cern that affects safety and mental health, as well as crime. Unquestionably, tougher laws will not end all violent encounters. But reducing access to firearm s reduces the likelihood that an assault will become a hom icide or that an attem pted suicide will succeed. Problems associated with easy access to firearms have been well documented and argued by experts. Despite the gun lobby claims that "guns don't kill, people do," there is general consensus among police, public health, and safety experts that access to guns is a major factor in gun-related crime, accidents and suicides, and that gun control will save lives and prevent injuries. While a motivated murderer will find a way to kill, guns are a particularly efficient method of killing: 46% o f victims shot with guns will die. Guns are also easy to use and rather impersonal. Medical experts have argued that a less well-informed motive is required to shoot someone than to beat someone to death. In effect, ready access to guns makes it easier to become a killer. If any government can make it harder for people to kill not only each other but themselves, it is certainly acting in the public interest. Public health and public safety m ust p revail. F urtherm ore, the social order demands it! Failure by our southern neighbour to come to grips with effective gun control legislation will con­ tinue to thwart and undermine the efforts o f those work­ ing in the criminal justice, safety, and mental health fields! Emile Therien President Canada Safety Council Thanks for backing players As the representative for the Oakville Rangers Novice AA hockey team, I would like to thank all those people who sup­ ported our efforts at Midnight Madness on Friday, July 16th, 1999. The boys and their parents had a great time working at the hockey and football games and selling grab bags and freezies. The winner of our Blue Jays tickets raffle was Marc Bazerghi. Thanks to all who participated. Liz Opratko Fundraising Committee OPINION Editorials CAPTAIN GAPLAN/ 'NEVE.SPRUNS LEAK/:, Letters to the Editor Tim Crane Peter E. Stickles Firefighters came to rescue very efficiently Robert Livesey Julia Evans Pud by Steve Nease Letter of the Week Need for stricter gun control Emile Therien Liz Opratko