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WATERWO CHRONICLE 75 King St. South, Suite an "waterGo,Ontario NU IP2 The Watedoo Chronicle IS published every Wednesday try The Fairway Group a division of Southern Ontario Corrunun'rty Newspapers lnc., a division of Soumarn Publications. a (huWest Company. The views of our columists are their mm and do no! necessarily represent those of the newspaper. Ciartadiap Ptatgicatiorts Hall Sales Product Aemeot Number 13637? E-mail: wchrtmicletPsertteinet Ken Bower With Crumb" undue Paul” “or. En. 215 _ Andra Bailey Bob Wham: 'hremer. an MT Spam m. an. 229 mtrrsewtiedor' Gerry Manic: Imemanun-l Sand-n1 Serial Number r - " W _'ill, a“ "in iS, WJAILM Audited " circulation: 26.056 - Lynn Hallo! hum RIdgw-v Woo-1| oassMted Chained Mun-m Saks. 523-6“ 7 The Walerloo Chmntcle welcomes Imus In the Editor They should be signed with name address and phone number and NI" be verdied [or accuracy No unsigned Idlers will be published Suhmnsinns may be edited [or lenglh. so please be hue! (hpynghl in letters and other man nah suhmmed to the Publisher and accepted [or publlcannn remains with the aulhm. but the publisher and us licensees mar freely "'P"r duce them In prot. elecrmnk m other forms Our matltng address LS " lung St s Sum 201. Waterloo NZ) IP2Htutr mall address " wchmmrlr‘isenm "trt, and our fax numher Is net; 9383 Calvin: We! Eereo Per' Publisher: Cal Donald Sula. £21.22! Sula. Bu. arts Nngyu foy?"e gig-re Letters Policy ISSN 0832-Mi0 “Weld nDec.8.lattendedamarvelousooncenbythe Kitchener Waterloo Symphony. But the pre- conoen business disturbed me greatly. After the obligatory genuBection to the corporate donor-gods for the performance, a musician urged the audience to purchase mtBe tickets to support the symphony. The rame winner; would receive a 360,000+ automobile and a $7,000 pair of diamond earrings. Then in the next breath the musician encouraged mifie purdtasers to donate a $5 jar of peanut butter for hungry families in the region. Obscenity at the symphony The obscene contradiction between luxury items that nobody needs and basic foods essential for sur- vival that thousands of citizens in this area desperate- ly need could not have been more blatant. The eco- nomic and psychological gap is growing in the region between the well-off and low-income families The privileged class. living in a bubble of comforts, is heavily supported by federal and provincial income tax cuts. while the working poor and the destitute struggle for the basics of food, clothing and shelter. low-income families need a lot more than the bread crumbs of charity They need economic justice And the symphony. as do all the arts, deserves the kind of governmental support that German and French societies provide their communities Don't list convicted soldiers Te Government of Canada is planning to make room in the sacred Books of Remembrance in the Peace Tower in Ottawa for the names of 23 First World War soldiers who were convicted of cow ardice or daemon. The National Council of Wtemn Associations has written to Veterans Affairs Minister Duhamel object- ing to this inclusion. The impropriety is based on the fact that the Canadian Cavemen! did not have the intestinal fortitude to grant pardons as was done in New Zealand. Minister Duhamel has stated that it is not possible under Canadian law to grant such pardons On the other hand, the New Zealand Government several yearsagupardonedfive Newaalanderswhowere shot under the very same authority - The British Army Act of 1914. Here are recorded the names of the Canadians who, loyal to the Crown and faithful to the traditions of their fathers.” served in the Canadian and other forces of the British Empire, and. . . gave up their lives in the GleatWaI. .. 1914-1918. Tim First World War Book of Remembrance corr tains the following preamble: - _ -- --- 'ri,tiis%arriine the charge against one member who deserted his post and caused the death of some of his comrades: if Ftate" - was detailed as a lookout, He had been a troublesome soldier. It was nighttime and the German gas attack commenced jus_t after midnight His comrades, who were attempting to get some sleep in trenches 25 yards behind the lookout post, were caught unawares by the gas attack, and later by a bayonet attack by Germans. The action of Private I in deserting" his post left his comrades without any warning of the devastating German trench raid. Several were killed. One has to wonder when a member of a future generation goes to look up a name in the Books of Remembrance. can he be sure that he is looking at the name of a war hero or a man convicted of cow- ardice? When prime minister Robert Borden was dedicat- ing the site for the Books of Remembrance, he stated that the names were "staments to the valour. sacrifice and unseliishness of those who died." We see no objection if, like New Lsaiand, the Canadian govem- ment grants a pardon to these soldiers. If, on the other hand, the Canadian government only express- es regret that they were shot for cowardice and deser tion, surely, we have a new definition of courage. H. Clifford Gladdenon. chairman, National Coundl oflktaun Win In Canada. Ottawa VIEWPOINT he allure of giving a pet for Christmas is Tnot hard to understand. A precious fuzzy kitten with big eyes and a button nose, or a silly playful puppy full of kisses can cause quite a sensation on Christmas morning. What better way to warm the heart of a loved one? We told you, faithful readers, a couple of weeks ago that Sandy Baird's column would soon be back. While we were a little off in pre- dicting the timing of his return. rest assured - Here's the problem: kittens and puppies are only babies for a short time; then they become cats and dogs. _ _ Pets require training, time and care, including veterinary attention, grooming and social interaction, Obtaining the animal is only the begin- ning of the financial commitment required. Companion animals need to be health checked, vaccinated, dewormed and spayed or , l neutered, Let's not forget the (~01 I costly start-up supplies that also r, _ need to be purchased. Training merits its own unique mention. This is a non- negotiable requirement for every dog owner. To have a dog that will be a canine ambas- sador. ongoing training is an absolute must. Many people do not realize the work involved in creating a well-mannered dog. If they did, they might rethink their deci- sion. Most shelters are overcrowded year- round with abandoned and surrendered pets, the majority being under two-years- old. Almost invariably, shelter dogs are in dire need of training - the puppy who was so cute at eight weeks suddenly became an untrained and unruly adolescent dog. Baird will return Rethink the idea of giving a pet as a Christmas gift Rather than undertaking training, often owners opt to turn the dog into a shelter, expecting someone else to take over their responsibility. The result is shelters filled to overflow with dogs, many of whom ‘ need intense training. Sadly, there are not enough homes for the well-behaved canines. much less the ones who need extra time. Many are eutha- nized simply because there is nowhere for them to gm As the director of a non-profit animal res- cue, I see beautiful yet discarded dogs and cats everyday. A piece of my heart goes with every one I cannot help. Statistics show that almost half of the kittens and puppies born today will not sur- I 1 vive to see their second birth- ri n _ day. There is a terminal illness IN . I that has been plaguing com- panion animals for decades, more deadly than any cancer or virus - that disease is excess. Adopting a pet can be a 20- year commitment and only the person taking this on can make such an important decision. Rethink that idea of giving a pet for Christmas. "gift of love". That animal deserves the same in return - for life. lenm'fer Windh is a new resident to Cambridge and is director of Barlee‘s Angles Rescue Network, a non-profit, all-breed ani- mat rescue organization. he is on the mend and will be back on this page in_a few weeks . "Sandy would like to thank readers who have called to express their concern Perhaps part of the attraction we feel towards giving a living being so capable of uncondi- tional loyalty and love is that we are somehow personifying the honest