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[he Waterloo Uhronucle is published every Wednesday by the Fairwity Group. owned by Cits Meda Group Inc., a subsidaary of horstar Corp the ventent of this paper is protected by copyright and may be used onty lor personal non â€"commercial purposes All other rnghts are reserved and commercial use is prohuhited To make use of this material you rmust first obtain the pertussion ol the owner ef the copyright WATERLOO CHRONICLE editonitle waterloochronicle.ca spontséewaterbbochromcle ca salesewaterloochronicle.ca composingtewaterloochconicle.ca 279 Weber St., North, Suite 20 | Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 _ | Phone: HHbâ€"2H31 /b The views of our columnists ane their own and do not necessarily represent those of the newspaper tGroup Publisher . 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Stirierd Serial Numter Gerry Mathice L ynin Bartol Letters Policy ISSN ORX 44L WMSD47é Audited virculation 2 Manise: Mar Avella sns Ceeidendss aX hm Hatich Composing Nommra Cvelw HBG 43H.4 Need for lights isn‘t a child‘s fight ile it‘s been a month since the murder of W'I);n‘nl Johnston at Sandowne Park in Waterloo, and the police investigation conâ€" tinues, there are more victims of this senseless act than originally suspected Police assured the public there was nothing to worry about when the 34â€"yearâ€"old father of two was found slain in the public park, a stone‘s throw from Sandowne public school. Though you try to shelter them, sometimes our children know more about what‘s going on in the real world than we‘d like to acknowledge. And while you try to allay their fears, sometimes the reality is just too glaring to gloss over. Especially when it happens in a place that is supâ€" posed to be a safe haven for children, like a public park or play area. A place where most of them play tor fun, not for real. If someone plays dead, they get up again. They‘re never supposed to stay down for long. And while the police tape has come down, the concern remains with a lot of the students at the nearâ€" M by school. WISE I That unease manifested itself last week when the Grade 556 class at the school decided 10 put pen to paper to express their tears. They sent their simple pleas for the restoration of their childhood innocence to both the Waterloo Chronicle and Mayor Herb Epp‘s office. "The children that play there are seared because of BOB the recent events." wrote a VRBANAC student named Marina. during a holiday season that‘s usually the reserved for letters to Santa. The park has been the site of a number of unforâ€" tunate incidents in the last few years, including a suicide, and lateâ€"night partying by teens interested in using the park for more than its intended purâ€" pose. der. What was once a neighbourhood oasis is instead becoming a noâ€"go zone for the neighbourhood‘s children. But instead of being powerless about what‘s going on in their playground, these kids are fighting back. At a time when we‘re actively encouraging kids to go outside and play more, the opposite is happening in this neighbourhood, And while it might not solve all the problems of the park, their solution is rather simple. It‘s tougher for evil to hide in the light after all a lesson I‘m sure they‘ve learned in their fight with the bogeyman They have asked the mayor‘s office to add more lights. As Marina said in her letter, those events could have been prevented or slowed with lights "If you don‘t have any lights to add, you could always take some from RIM Park because even if you go there at night it looks like day," said Marina "So please add lights to Sandowne Park." Sounds like a future Waterloo taxpayer with that RIM Park crack. But I‘ll add a few more of my own suggestions to Marina‘s. like better policing. better monitoring of the park by the city‘s parks department. and maybe eliminating some of the shrubbery that has hidden this skullduggery It‘s not anybodv‘s problem until somebody gets involved Perhaps then we can show Marina and her class mates they‘re not alone in fighting the monsters that go bump in the night And maybe the adults around the park can take more responsibility in watching what‘s going on. and reporting it to the proper authorinies She was writing about more than Johnston‘s mur George Dubyah has his income probâ€" lems, but even in Canada a lot of people aren‘t working â€" the guy who is supposed to be fixing my car, the plumber who said he‘d be here by noon, and the scientist who is supposed to discover a cure for baldness. down Hurrah For Us: Well. you can count us as winners because outside of the odd winâ€" dow being broken, there wasn‘t much damâ€" age by the antiâ€"Bush demonstrators. That‘s because he didn‘t speak to Parliaâ€" ment and didn‘t run up and down Ottawa streets. And what‘s more, he donned a shirt and tie for the visit. He didn‘t come alone, you know. Besides his wife. he was accompanied by about 25 publicâ€"relations types, 75 media folk, 124 aides and helpers and half a dozen assorted flunkies. Young folk have the most to say Dubyah didn‘t do very much in Ottawa He huddled for a couple 0f _ mss hours with Paul Martin and hae assorted cabinet ministers. (ON~C Nothing was decided, but there were decisions to discuss the same topics in the next sesâ€" sion One thing was certain. They weren‘t going hungry after dinâ€" ing with George. They didn‘t get the stuff at se McDonald‘s, you can bet. They had mesquiteâ€"smoked medallion of Alberta beef and, as one accompaniment, there SA were Yukon Gold potatoes ‘BA mashed with Monterey Jack and jalapeno peeper But let‘s look at the dessert Saskatoon berry nestled on dark chocoâ€" late fondant; Florida Orange Sabayan and Mousseline; and Quebec Maple Bourhon Before Uconsumed that, I‘d like an expla nation of what it is. T‘d be lost if somebody didn‘t shout, "Fries with that?" Besides, there doesn‘t seem to be a con test going. They could have done better a McDonald‘s Speaker‘s Note: You may have noted that the esteemed president had his smurk back in fine style while speaking to the fine people of Halifax He sounded like the football captain cheering the boys after a big win ell, we plaved host to Dubyah and frau, and the world didn‘t come crashing WHAT ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT ?.. TVE BEEN SHOPPING ALL DAY AND MY FINGERS ARE KILLING ME !_. SANDY BAIRD at He also seemed to put the Excited States alongside Canada in fighting during the lonely years from 1939 to 1945. On his track record, if he‘s been of age then, the only fighting he would have done would have been to stay out of uniform. The big moment for Dubyah came when he delivered his speech in Halifax. The speech writer did a beautiful job. â€" He linked Canada and the Uâ€"S. in a beauâ€" tiful relationship,. culminating as always in going to war. He also rattled the sword times without number. Being a president commanding takes energy and evokes perspiration, as Abraham Lincoln. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt might agree. You have to expect the worst of politiâ€" cians from time to time. After all, they‘re only human, despite what they say in their speeches. _ He hasn‘t suggested striking a medal for himself, but he may, in the course of time. agree to it. DY 1 may be wrong. 1 hope 1 am But drivers should take it easy D navigating Erb Street Say. speaking of cars. I understand Detroit is bringing out a new car built for Toronto traffic. It‘s called a station ary wagon I know this sounds paranoid, but every time I buy a new car. I get the feeling it‘s the one that was on the assembly line when everyone went on strike â€" and when they got back, nobody could remember where they left off Let‘s Call Soon: The other day a radio spieler was giving the totals that teens speak on the telephone. American kids are listed as prime gabbers. but the young folk who had the moast to say were the Canadians Say, phone service is getting terrible 1 used to be able to get a wrong number in no time at all Around We Go: They‘ve unveiled the goâ€"around on Erbh Street, and it seems OK at first blush, but on examination it seems too small. You‘re making ordinary speed on the street and you come to the circles. It strikes me that you were travelling too fast The idea for the goâ€"around is excellent. It‘s just its capacity that seems suspect. No, not in daylight; but after dark.