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

PAGE 6 â€" WAFERLOO CHRONIGLE, WEDNESOAY, DECEMBER 10. 1986 As we stated, we have nothing but contempt for the actions of twoâ€"bit smashâ€"andâ€"grab bullies who, without remorse, daily attack what used to be easyâ€"mark convenience stores. They get what they deserve when they display such a disregard for fellow human beings. But let us hope these recent incidents serve a better purpose than merely foster "an eye for an eye" mentality. It should dawn on thugs that no longer are such robberies a oneâ€"sided "transaction.‘" And store owners should realize that in taking the law into their hands, they risk becoming the target from more than one direction. The continuation of events such as these can do nothing but drive another nail in society‘s coffin. Placing ourselves in store owners‘ shoes, we stop short of condemning their actions, but at the same time plead with them to work with law enforcers to exact a solution more in keeping with 20thâ€"century civilization. And we do understand that is not always easy when staring down the barrel of a gun. Our message to the wouldâ€"be thieves? Nothing we could say says as much as these incidents do. Perhaps it is time to find another occupation, yes? However, Monday‘s case was colored by the fact that, at least indirectly, the element of premeditation on the part of the store owner appears to be a factor. The owner knew that sescurity alarm wires had been cut in his store, and after contacting police, he decided to stay in the store overnight. Hearing the thug smash the front door window at 2 a.m., the owner awakened, and perceiving his life to be in danger because the suspect held an object in his hand, he fired. The suspect was shot in the head and is clinically brainâ€"dead with a small chance to survive. The hunter becomes hunted, so to speak. Though the taking of a human life is always hard to swallow, even when justified by selfâ€"defence, our gut feeling is that most people silently cheered (some notâ€"soâ€"silently, too) when these thieves received what many perceive as ‘just rewards‘ for their loathsome acts. That‘s because instilling terror, threatening lives and violating property are tough acts to generate sympathy forâ€"â€"and more than a small minority of Canadians view the actions of the storekeepers as well within their right. Second Class Mail Registration Number 5540 established 1854 In Calgary in early November, druggist Steven Kesler shot dead one of two robbery suspects, giving chase after his store was robbed and family threatâ€" ened. He faces a secondâ€"degree murder charge stemming from the incident. Ten days later in Montreal, Guy Gilbeault shot and killed a burglar after being robbed and threatened. Police declined to lay charges in that â€" shooting. . The shooting was the third such incident in recent weeks in Canada where a convenience store owner has taken the law into his own hands to thwart those attempting to violate his store, his family and his propâ€" erty. â€" It appears the "small storekeeper as martyr saga‘" has taken a downturn after an incident Monday morning in Laval, Que. in which a robbery suspect was shot while attempting to burglarize a pharmacy. Address all correspondence to Waterloo office, 45 Erb St. E., Waterloo, Ont. N2J 1L7. Telephone 886â€"2830, News and Sports line 886â€"3021. Waterioo Chronicle office is located in the Haney, White law office building (rear entrance, upper floor). Parking at the rear of the building. Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Publisher: Paul Winkler Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of JEMCOM Inc., owner. Publishing address 225 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener, Ont. Jungle land Circulation: Jerry Fischer â€" Typesetting and Composing: Fairway Press Display Advertising: Helen Smiley, Paula Hummel, Gerry Mattice Classified Advertising: Marie Kapshey Senior reporter: Melodee Martinuk Reporters: Mark Bryson (news) Managing Editor: Rick Campbell Sales Manager: Bill Karges Circulation Manager: Greg Cassidy Richard O‘Brien (sports) Fortunately, some strong words and actions on the part of the Liberal government restored sanity for the moment and few stores in the area, none in Waterloo, were charged for opening Sunday. Any stores with any sense of common decency and respect for the law, regardless of the "megaâ€" bucks‘"‘ they may be passing up, will wait out the Supreme Court decision before establishing an hours policy. Yet that law has been broken by an increasing number of businesses leading up to the Christmas selling seasonâ€"â€"for no other reason than a greedy grab at the almighty buckâ€"and the situation reached absurd dimension the middle of last week with the announcement that several retail majors would open their doors. The domino effect kicked in, spiralling out of the madness of big city Toronto, to the point where even local malls such as Waterloo Square and Conestoga Mall anâ€" nounced intentions to open their doors Sunday. This Supreme Court decision is not religiouslyâ€" motivated; it will deal only with the legality of maintaining a common day of rest. In that respect My questionâ€"why is there a bandwagon at all? Sunday openings, except for those stores under 2,400 square feet and with no more than three employees, are illegal, and will remain that way at least until Dec. 18. That is the date a Supreme Court decision is expected to be passed down dealing with Ontario‘s Business Retail Holiday Act. Never were so many signs bearing that message put up and taken down last week as retailers big and small jumped on and off the Sunday opening bandwagon. I am in full support of letting the wishes of the people shape the eventual fate of Sunday shopâ€" pingâ€"â€"but only when pursued through proper legal channels. This hideous disrespect for an existing law, however archaic it may or not be, must stop immediately. Can‘t you just imagine the state we would be in if tavern owners decided to sell booze at all hours of the night, or if those favoring capital punishment decided "to test the validity‘" of current law because they feel a majority favor it? What can we look forward to nextâ€"red lights meaning go and green lights stop? Is there any truth to the rumor that the best stock market tip of the the week was to invest in Acme Sign Companyâ€"you know, the ones who make the signs ‘"Open Sunday." We can‘t let things like this continue and have moms saying it‘s perfectly OK for Johnnie and Mary to have hot dogs, thocolate bars, sugar and jello with dye. In school Johnnie will be bouncing off the walls or falling asleep." »At~s8 YWPs Boy apagkmen‘y Limiw‘ sure Beays #oitow 1065 / " It is written Rick Campbell Law‘s law Chronicle Editor I offer: e the striking down of the act will lead to a further breakdown of the family unit. e that if the Act is not upheld, that at least the right be given municipalities to alter Sunday laws to suit their area. To quote Attorneyâ€"General Ian Scott, ‘‘Toronto doesn‘t have to have the same kind of Sunday as Tillsonburg.‘" Or Waterloo. Those who claim they will open if others do to protect their market share are full of bullshare. Most major operators rub their hands with glee when the competition announces a Sunday openingâ€"that way the heat is off them and they still get to reap the profits. e Sunday shopping will increase costs in all retail areasâ€"â€"and those costs will definitely be passed on to consumers. _ e many of those who say they support Sunday shopping wouldn‘t be caught dead working Sunday retail themselves. e opening Sundays will cause strained relations between employers and employees. Even if employees are protected by law from intimidating tactics, how long will they last if friction through differing philosophies escalates? e those retailers locally who have obeyed the law will be the winners in the long run, regardless of the upcoming Supreme Court decision. Those who tipped their hand by jumping on last week‘s bandwagon will earn little more than a reputation for lack of conviction. e since Chamber of Commerce surveys have repeatedly shown a local dislike for Sunday openings, the 52â€"week popularity of such a practice, even if legal, is debatable. e that if the Act is upheld, every charge laid to this point against those repugnantly and openly violating the law should be pursued and maximum fines imposedâ€"â€"and monies from such fines then be directed to hospital and other charitable organizaâ€" tions within the violator‘s community. e Sunday shopping will do nothing to help unemployment, the retail sector is in need of more employees now for sixâ€"day operations. _ _ _ If I‘ve offended anyone with these comments, well then, so be it. Having by necessity worked more than my share of Sundays over the years, I know how great it feels to wake up one day a week and say "this day is for family, this day is for Life‘s too short to rob anyone of that pleasure. And historically, it says here, that pleasure falls on Sunday. Nutritionist Trudy Bricker â€" SEE PAGE 9