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Lak SEE Seas iss | asi Ss SI SS 6 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tues. August 13, 1985 letters A plea for world peace (From page 5) or woven by individuals from children to seniors, by church groups and peace groups, farm groups and tenants groups, some banners came from school classes showing stick people, and houses, treees, pets and friends at play; from Japan Merritt's own banner was covered with em- broidered names of peo- ple she loved, people who would be lost in a nuclear war. She wrote a poem "Gift,""" in which. she reminded and was reminded that we would lose not only our friends and relatives, but the melodies of Mozart, came a panel witha huge Michael Jackson, and dove painted with careful ring-around-the-rosie. strokes, from Germany We would lose came one filled with em- Michelangelo and motor- broidered children. Ms. chatterbox by John B. McClellond He referred to a chart and answered: The du- ty, taxes and LCBO fees will come to $10.80. I was flabbergasted. "That's more than I paid for the damn bottle," I replied. "If you want to bring liquor into Canada, you have to pay," said the officer. - And then came the line that really got me hot around the collar. . "You can leave it here, and we pour it down the sink, or you can return it to the store where you bought it and get a refund," he stated flatly. "Oh, sure," I said. 'I'm going to drive 100 miles to return a lousy eight buck bottle of rum?" And by this time, I was more than determin- ed that this customs officer wasn't going to pour my bottle down the sink, either. "OK, I'll pay the duty and taxes. Is that in Canadian or US funds,' I asked with a hint of sar- casm in my voice. "Canadian, sir." "To pi all off, I didn't have $10 Canadian, Just trav cycle racing; seashells er's cheques and a $100 American bill. that on the counter. looked at it and said he couldn't change it, ex in one's and two's. ne, | replied. He spent five minutes with his calculator working out the exchange rate and all the duties and taxes, while I s there fuming. Then I had to fill out a form in triplicate with name, address, details of trip, driver's licence and so on. | was beginning to feel like the king-pin in a major drug smuggling ring, all over one bottle of rum. As the officer got on with the paper work, I had the urge to grab the bottle off the counter, break it open, take one huge guzzle of the straight rum, leave the rest on the counter and walk out with a big smile on my face. It was a tempting thought, but not very practical. The OPP would be waiting for me, I'm sure Anyway, that bottle of rum cost me about $24 Canadian, when all factors were taken into con- sideration, hardly the bargain I thought it was. A lesson well learned, to be sure. When we finally got through all the paper work, the officer decided he wanted to take a thorough look in the car. He poked around in the suitcases, checked under the seats and through the glove box. My kids, who had been waiting in the car, were wide-eyed in amazement or fear, but said nothing. I'm sure they wondered if their dad was some kind of criminal. His search over, the officer wished me a nice day and a safe trip. I felt like choking the guy, or pasiyng my $24 bottle of rum down his throat. Before this whole unhappy (for me) incident took place, I honestly didn't even think about the problems one bottle of American liquor might bring. It wasn't so much paying the extra $10 or $11, it was the feeling that I had been caught trying to commit some international crime of major proportions. When the guy asked me if I had bought anything | answered honestly. | should have kept my mouth shut. Driving off into good old Ontario, 1 was still mad as the devil, but consoled myself with the thought that at least | wasn't finger-printed, hand- cuffed, strip-searched and interrogated in a small room by three guys in jack-boots. It's a good thing they didn't find the three cans of Bud beside the spare tire, or | might be doing hard time. Ah, the joys of vacation and international travel. would vanish as would laughter from babies, and hide-and-seek. A child's fingers are curved around our own, trusting and never ques- tioning. Where do we lead them, she wonders"? I wonder too. It takes courage to decide that enough is enough, to decide that people like you and your neighbours, and like me too, that we are not stupid. That we can see that 50,000 nuclear weapons is indeed far more than enough. It takes courage to act, and not give up. Justine Mer- ritt has that courage, and so does Dr. Helen Caldicott, and Dr. Frank Sommers, and Jim Stark and Sister Rosalie Bertelli, and thousands more around the world, especially in the Soviet Union. Ah hah, what about the Soviet Union. Our hatred or fear, or ig- norance, or greed, or apathy has allowed this over abundance of nuclear weapons. It doesn't matter what flag or symbol is painted on the side. We have been aware of the consequences of nuclear weapons for for- ty years and lately we have discovered it would be even worse it they were used again. We have difficulty facing our own deaths let alone the death of our planet, as we know it, so we do nothing ---- pretending it cannot, it will not hap- pen. It is your planet, your children's park, and your grandchildren's future. It is my planet too. My planet's future (my future), depends on me ---- and you too. Write letters, speak out, donate memories, join a peace group, whatever your time and your talents will allow. Don't wait. But what if you cannot believe me ... Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Yours truly, Andrea Jones R.R. 2, Port Perry Porn harmful (From page 5) municipal police do their job and the O.P.P. or R.C.M.P. do theirs. Violent Porn such as "Snuff" and 'I Spit On Your Grave' should not have been distributed, let alone made. This material and other related materials de- mean both male and female. What people do in the privacy of their own home is not an issue. But, what about the males who view this trash and go out seeking to do as they have seen in a trash (porno) flick So, public beware We don't know what goes on in the human mind Yours truly, J.G. Rasmussen, General Manager, Timmins Sexual Assault Centre, Timmins, Ontario. Editor's Note: The two films cited in the above letter were among several seized nearly two years ago from Village Video by Durham Police. In a court decision earlier this year, a judge ruled them obscene and convicted Mr. Hoffman, the former owner of the video store on two counts of distributing obscene material. Mr. Hoffman has since asked for an inquiry by the Attorney General of Ontario. Watch for those contractors who will rip you off If you are planning to have repairs done around your home remember, it pays to be a cautious consumer. Most contractors are The first step towards avoiding problems is to decide exactly what work is to be done and how much you can afford to pay. Then get friends to recommend a com- pany. Don't just choose a firm at random or base your choice on an appeal- honest and competent, but there are always a few who try to take ad- vantage of the public. remember when? (From page 5) 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, August 12, 1965 Twenty-four Port Perry and Scugog Guides under the leadership of Mrs. Audrey Hall, Mrs. Eileen Hodgins, Mrs. Georgeen Carnegie and Miss Jane Carnegie, left for a week's camping at Camp Adelaide, a Girl Guide Camp at Haliburton. Mrs. Dorothy Nelson, was the Administrator at the camp this summer and reports a very busy sum- mer with 100 Guides camping at one time for most of the summer months. Miss Dominion of Canada, Miss Carol Ann Tidey, will visit Blackstock Fair this year. Hope's 1.G.A. Pee Wee's won the Consolation Trophy at the North York Pee Wee tournament for the second straight year. Pitchers were Ken Ir- vine and Laurie Williams. Utica people travelling this summer were Mrs. Mervin Storie on a trip to California, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Bailey, Mr. and Mrs. H. Kerry to Prince Edward Island and eastern parts. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, August 13, 1975 Dr. M.B. Dymond, Ward 2; Fred Christie, Ward 1; Anson Gerrow, Ward 3 and Jim Marlow, Ward 4, have all been named to a committee that will study both sides of the penitentiary issue. The four men represent those who are in favour of the reception centre. Damage is expected to climb over $150,000 in a fire that destroyed a barn, implement shed and equipment owned by Morley Raines north of Seagrave. The blaze apparently started when an extension cord used on a bale elevator shorted. Norman Cafik, M.P., directors of the Scugog Chamber of Commerce, local merchants and members of the Historical Society held a meeting to discuss the feasibility of restoring the street as a historical site to promote tourism for the area. comments (From page 4) agreed with him. In fact, in an 80 page judgement released last week, the Commission said "Zurich failed to prove there is a direct causal link bet- ween the discriminatory factors (age, sex and marital status) and high risk." The decision is already sending ripples of shock through the auto insurance industry, but the real crunch will come next month when the Commissions decides what penalty, if any, it will impose on Zurich. No doubt an appeal of the decision will be sought, but if the Commission's ruling leads to roll-backs in insurance premiums for those single, under 25 drivers, there could be far-reaching effects. Industry officials are already stating that rates for all other drivers will have to go up. because even with the current high rates for the under 25's, the payout in claims is more than taken in from premiums. Either that, or it's going to be more difficult for males under 25 and single to even get car insurance. There is a dilemma here. From a purely statistical point of view, young, male, single drivers have more accidents on a percentage basis than other groups, and the insurance com- panies have used this statistical data when set- ting their rates. But is it fair and nght to lump ALL drivers in that high risk zone, even the ones who have a perfect driving record and are careful and cons- cientious when they get behind the wheel of a car? No, it is not fair or right, and that's exactly the way the Mr. Bates felt when he signed the cheque for his car insurance each year. It was discrimination on the grounds of age, sex and marital status, even to the point of young drivers being "guilty" of bad driving before they ever get behind the wheel. We suspect, however, that this matter will not go away easily and likely will wind up in a court of law after the Rights Commission makes it final pronouncements. ing advertisement. As well, be wary of door-to- door sellers canvassing the neighbourhood. Check company reputa- tions through former customers, Better Business Bureaus and local chambers of commerce. Once a company has been selected, set up a contract, perhaps with a lawyer's help if it's a costly job. The contract should cover the type and amount of work re- quired, specifying material to be used. Dates for start-up and completion of the project should also be listed. The wording in a con- tract with a construction or renovation firm is as important as the design and planning of the pro- ject itself. Haste in set- ting up a contract can lead to disappointment with the quality of material, incomplete work and unexpected expense. Check warranties and guarantees carefully. Remember, they're useless if the company involved goes out of business. Keep deposits to about 10 per cent and be wary of firms asking for large amounts of money as downpayments to buy materials. Reputable firms usually have enough credit to buy the necessary supplies. For major projects, many builders require progress payments as certain stages of the job are completed. These payments should only be made as set out in the contract -- not before. The Construction Lien Act requires consumers to hold back 10 per cent of the total contract price or 10 per cent of each progress payment until 45 days after the job is completed. If the con- tractor fails to pay sub- contractors or suppliers, this will protect you from having liens placed on your property. You can cancel con- tracts for more than $50 that were signed away from the seller's perma- nent place of business by sending a registered let- ter to the company within two clear working days of the date the con- tract was signed. The Ministry of Con- sumer and Commercial Relations has published a booklet on handling home renovations that provides general infor- mation on contracts and specifics about insula- tion, siding and paving projects. For copies, con- tact the Consumer Infor- mation Centre, 555 Yonge St., Toronto, On- tario, M7A 2H6. (416) 963-1111 or, toll free 1-800-268-1142. ra Lr ----