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" = HNOW5Z423 LINE ~ChatterBox by J. Peter Hvidsten We at the STAR hope that area readers will enjoy what we think is a unique and promising new idea and a change from the usual once-a- week column concept. Starting this week, we will feature Chatter- Box, a series of personal views, opinions, and observations on alternate weeks by STAR publisher Peter Hvidsten, editor John Gast, and columnist John Mack. Occasionally, interesting topics submitted by others will also be featured in the Chatter- Box. We hope that ChatterBox becomes a regular part of your week. Tees ene While Dr. Tom Millar was playing to a capacity audience at Town Hall 1873 recently, | had the good fortune to be sitting in Maple Leaf Gardens with about 20,000 others to hear 'Neil Diamond. Dr. Millar was given a tremendous review in last week's paper and having read it | wish that his performance and that of Diamond's had not coincided, so that | could have heard his as well. But this was not the case. Anyway to each his own. Everyone has their favourite composer, group or performer that they enjoy to see and listen to, and for the chance to be at a concert for that person they would do almost anything. It was with this, when tickets went on sale for the Neil Diamond concert in Toronto, | headed off to Toronto, stood in line for two hours and purchased my tickets. Now under normal circumstances | would not stand in line for any reason, but for a one-time chance to see Diamond perform nothing was too much. Anyway, the night arrived, and | with three others headed off to the big city to join the thousands of other Diamond fans who had paid as much as $15 a ticket to see him. Neil Diamond's following is very diversi- fied, there were teeny-boppers, lovers, middle age and even a few grandmothers and grand- fathers out to the performance. And they came in wheel chairs, on crutches and by foot to hear him perform. It had been over six years since Diamond had appeared in concert in Toronto and it was more than obvious that he had waited too long, i but the audience showed their appreciation. From the moment he appeared on stage the crowd was awed by his magical voice and style and they sang, swayed and clapped to the vibrating beats of hit after hit. At one point the entire crowd of 20,000 were on their feet for close to 15 minutes as he rambled through the sounds of songs such as "Song Sung Blue, Cherry Cherry and Holly Holy". The crowd loved him and as the last few notes of his two hour concert faded into the distance and Diamond moved towards the exit they rose to their feet, whistling, clapping and shouting for him to return.... ....and he did. Not once, not twice but three times before the audience would let him go, and even then they wanted more. One woman was reported to have said after the concert, "Whew, | feel like I've just had an affair with that man." That's the magic of Neil Diamond. You're not just a face in the crowd, but a part of his performance. SEE Turning to a different subject, | find it quite alarming lately to see the number of advertise- ments for homes or apartments to rent locally "with the restriction "no children' written into them. This is happening right here in Scugog Township. Is this not a type of discrimination? Why should parents have to suffer because they have children? | am sure that each of the landlords in question have at one time or another had a bad experience with children who have caused , damage to their establishments. But, in all fairness , they should not take it out on responsible tenants. Quite likely, if the parents of the children who have been a problem had lived in the same apartment without children, the damage would have occurred anyway. These people obviously don't care what their children do, so undoubted- ly care little about the landlord's property. Give the families a chance, ask for good references, or have them write to a box number so that you can screen them carefully, but do not discriminate with the "no children' phrase. ~ Getting with it Scugog Township Council now has what few 'others are afforded: A second chance at an opportun- ity once blown. " : We are referring, of course, to the area's now famous (or infamous) proposed reception centre, a proposal that has been hanging in limbo for almost two years while politicians play politics and citizens play see and saw. Council has, or should have, learned an import- ant lesson out of these years of public furor over this highly emotional issue; The principle of Immediate and Decisive Action bases on the mandate of the vote. For all the public input, grass-roots participation, committees and subcommittees, and studies and public information forums, the project is still on square one with no decision made. Opinions are still polarized. Positions are still inflexible. If there was ever an example of why we need decision-makers for politicians, this is it. Instead, politicians have been little more than referees, counting score while the split-but-concerned public battles back and forth. The time may be at hand when opportunity comes knocking a second time. Uxbridge Township Council has conveniently abandoned the No-Rule-By- Plebiscite principle for another, more pressing code, the Getting Elected principle. So while Uxbridge Is busy voting away all those jobs, government grants and economic growth, we just might get another crack at it. This time around, let's do it right. Criminal treatment Public concern about the increase in crime has brought widespread demands for stricter penalties for offenders. Violent crime seems to call for a hard-line treatment. Yet experience has proved that punish- ment is not effective, either in reforming prisoners or reducing the crime rate. In fact, many aspects of our present criminal-justice system actually encourage lawless behavior. The whole truth about the plight of countless offenders has yet to be told. It includes cases of suspects held in custody for months without trial or bail, depressing restrictions in jails, some guards who take it out on the guys, beatings, gang rapes and even murders. Understandably, life in jail has led more than once to riots. And how little is usually known about the background of a convicted person! Mitigating circumstances related to his offence may never come to light. Yet his early environment may have been so sordid that it would have been a miracle if he had emerged from it even partly human. Similarly, who really cares about the tragic effect his imprisonment has on his family? Some, but sadly, only a few employers will give an ex-inmate an even break. What's needed, urgently, is a more practical and compassionate concept of criminal justice: and cor- rections...a system that works positively to discour- age crime, yet treats criminals in an enlightened way. As well, every law-abiding citizen should be reminded: "There but for the grace of God..." Fortunately, a nation-wide movement now seeks to accomplish these vital objectives. Led by the Church Council on Justice and Corrections, repre- senting 11 major religious denominations, the move- ment is rapidly gaining momentum. Active support to the council's efforts has been given by The Law Reform Commission of Canada, the Ministry of the Solicitor General of Canada, federal and provincial penitentiary and chaplaincy services, and the Donner Canadian Foundation. The council has also consulted with judges, inmates, ex-offenders, prison chaplains, social workers, law enforcement authorities and others in the correction- al field. The direction of all these efforts, however, is not only toward influencing officials in the justice-cor- rections chain. Equal efforts are aimed at influenc- ing the public to adopt a more realistic and understanding attitude toward lawbreakers. Hope- fully, this in turn will lead many citizens to become involved with organized reform efforts in their awn communities. Groups are now being formed for this purpose on a nation-wide basis. Identified with "'Alternatives", the council's study-action program, they offer con- cerned citizens an opportunity to join in a long-over- due crusade. >