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-- "A Family Tradition for 128 Years" LE ITE R S from our readers Gun control a necessary measure To the Editor: A few thoughts on the gun con- trol issue and our approval (or disapproval) of MP Alex Shep- herd for bucking Liberal policy: While I too am pleased to see that Mr. Shepherd has a mind of his own, I disagree with his stance or: the gun bill. Controlling gun use 18 Just one "piece of the pie" in an effort to bring violence under con- trol here and elsewhere. Utne Reader (a magazine of the alternative press available at Scugog Library) has devoted its latest issue to the subject of peace MP's move was wrong In regard to the issue of gun control, most people are in fa- vor of some form of registra- tion or limitations on these weapons. Any infringement on our rights, loss of freedom etc. pales when we consider the proliferation of this hardware, especially, the high calibre, rapid fire machine guns that get into the hands of the crimi- nal element. Our local MP's vote against gun control would seem to be a foolhardy move rather than a i courageous one. The parlia- mentary system requires the support of all members of the party, and of course, with a mi- nority government, it would be essential. If you disagree with your party's proposed legisla- tion, you may find it expedient to change parties or sit as an independent. A few miles to the south of us is a prime example of a govern- ment that allows party mem- bers to vote along lines dictat- ed by special interest groups with favors to offer. Here in Canada, if you disa- gree with Government policy, you vote them out of office. Name withheld by request. and contains some great reading. I particularly enjoyed the sub- mission entitled, "Peace in the Streets" by a martial arts instruc- tor from Harlem, who grew up in "a violent South Bronx neighbor- hood". His article offers five ma- jor recommendations, one of them being to "reduce and regu- late the possession of handguns", with specific tips on licensing, in- surance, ammunition identifica- tion, and gun buy backs. His other recommendations are also excellent. I share the au- thor's belief that we'll have to move on more than one front if we hope to stem the growing tide of violence in our societies. Choos- ing not to expose ourselves and our children to the violence on TV and in movies, newspapers and rock videos is certainly one place for each of us to start. - T hope some of your readers will consider borrowing Utne's July/ August issue for some thought- provoking ideas on how each of us can help "increase the peace". Janet Banting, Greenbank. The question remains From Page 6 Jacques Parizeau reifies the hopes and dreams of the Francophone majority. (That is not to say that all these people will feel economically secure enough to vote "Yes" in a referen- dum). As for the "rebuffing" of the "Rest of Canada," it should be noted that this action reflects the concerns of a culturally and his- torically distinct society. The image of Quebecers as ingrates bent on making our lives miser- able lacks insight and sensitivity. The second piece, framing a quotation from the Toronto Evening News (1885), portrays Quebec as a consistently spoiled and manipulative neighbor, without whom we could do better. While going our separate ways is a respectable option and official bilingualism should (at least) be up for debate, I can't help but think that such (economic) bick- ering is tied to our profound inability to discover nationalistic passions and cultural moorings of our own. Armchair psychology aside, we cannot reduce "the Canada question" to a series of economic gripes. Indeed, we've seen that two can play this game. Admittedly, I never felt entire- ly at home in Quebec. Of course, this was not unconnected to the fact that, unlike my wife, I left Montreal unable to carry on a proper conversation with our delightful Francophone neigh- bors. (After five years, I still understood less French than our neighbor's dog). I did learn, how- ever, to value the cultural uniqueness of Quebec, and respect the complexity of the political/historical issues that divide us. Although many Anglophone Canadians are hurt (and bewil- dered) that our Francophone neighbors do not often share our (lackluster) pride in Canada, we could certainly do better than spend Canada Day proffering 110-year-old rants about Quebec's "lack of appreciation." Todd Blayone More letters on page 11 by Jeff Mitchell HANGIN' WITH ARNIE BRUSH WITH GREATNESS: My boss, Peter Hvidsten, has been regaling you for the past couple of weeks with his tales of glory from the golf course, so it seems appropriate that | take my kick at the can. Here's the deal: | was golfing behind Arnie Palmer Saturday, and he swore at me. And his clubs. And his partner. And the trees and water hazards and geese and bees and everything else his jaundiced eye happened to fall upon. It wasn't the real Arnie Palmer, of course. That's just the derisive name my pal and | tagged him with after following him for several holes and watching his antics. - It was clear from the outset he was having a bad day. We came rattling up in our golf cart, our battered clubs and near-beer cans making an ungodly noise, as Arnie and his reluctant pal stood on the tee at 13. Taking no notice of us and the speed with which we were drawing up behind him and his partner, Arnie strode to the tee, and teed up his ball. Then followed several tense minutes during which he chose a club, addressed the ball, glared on down the fairway, dug his spikes into the ground, waggled his club, stood back, looked on down the fairway, and then dug in his spikes and waggled his club some more. Then he reared back -- I'm a lousy golfer, okay? But | can tell when a man is working with a faulty backswing -- and whacked the ball with all his might, then stood there for what seemed an eternity, and watched as it arced down the course, and then sliced into a thick grove of trees that sprang from a particularly nasty bit of swamp. "#@%&*%!" said Arnie, smashing his 3 iron into the ground. "@#&%"!" And he stomped back to where his bag sat in its pull cart, and smashed the club into it. This continued on down the fairway -- he would step up to the ball, spend forever getting set, and then slice the ball out of sight, after which he would throw clubs and spew.obscenities. - He took forever to work his way to the green, where he would three- putt and throw his clubs some more. "God Almighty," said my partner after observing one particularly violent outburst. "He's gonna give himself a heart attack." We followed him for several more holes and then, at 17, decided to tee off as Arnie seethed away in a small gully, hopping up every now and again to gaze at the pin, still 200 yards away, and which he had no chance in hell of reaching. | teed off, and -- just my luck -- hit the best shot I've probably ever hit. lt dropped about 20 yards behind Arnie and skipped along the fairway, PGA style, and came to a rest at his heels. Then my pal stepped up and -- Land o' Goshen! -- did the same thing. Arnie was glaring at us as we approached -- having still not taken his shot -- and began to direct his vitriol at us: "What's yer @#%"*&@# hurry back there, eh?" he hollered. We sat calmly in the cart, smiled, and waved at him. He sputtered some more, then walked up to his ball, cut a furious swing at it, and sent it skittering sideways about 25 feet into the rough. And on it went, right through 18. The long and short of it that Arnie was a jerk. No etiquette, no class, no sense of the fun that you're supposed to experience when you play a game -- which is what golf is. Here's hoping he takes up bowling. Then the next time he slams something to the ground, it will be a bowling ball. And it will land squarely on his foot. ---------------------------------- Random Jottings by J. Peter Hvidsten NW SCUGOG ROADS CREW WERE GREAT Pp We've been in the midst of the + reconstruction of a portion of a 4 Mary St. for the past three weeks, but finally the dust has settled, the equipment has moved out and all is peaceful again. We can't thank the men who worked on the pro- quickly and efficiently. Ronn MacDonald and his men worked with the businesses effected by delay- ing pouring of curbs when access was needed and building ramps so vehicles, customers and staff could still get into the building. ~~ The entire project took only three weeks, and we at the Star, who were in the thick of the construc- tion, would like to voice our appreciation to the men of Scugog Township's roads department for a tremendous job, in the midst of this summer's first heat wave. | Thanks guys, Itlooks great! 'CLOSE WAS GOOD ENOUGH Togk part in the annual Crime Stoppers golf tour- nament held last Wednesday and came away a / just before game time for about $20. At any rate, I'm thankful for the win, and will use the opportunity to take the kids to Skydome to see the Jays take on the Indians. CANADA'S 128th BIRTHDAY Canada Day in Port Perry was one of the biggest 'one day' celebrations we've seen in this communi- ty in many years. Palmer Park was packed most of the afternoon July 1 with people relaxing, swimming and enjoying the entertainment provided for Canada's birthday. In the evening, literally thousands of families gathered in the park on lawn chairs and blankets to see war veterans parade in and be recognized for their part in keeping this country free. ject enough. They went out of their way to minimize the inconvenience to the staff and customers at the Port Perry Star and other business establishments along the street. Of course there are always some who find reason to grumble and complain because they can'tdrive right up to the front door. That's just a fact of life. From my perspective, the project moved along winner... Well sort of g winner! . On a 169 yd, par 3 hole | managed to get my ball closest to the hole (about 4') and for my efforts won four tickets to watch the Blue Jays at SkyDome. The reported value of the tickets is $92, but | ven- ture to say, the way the Jays have been playing of late, you could pick up four tickets from scalpers They were also treated to a variety of excellent entertainment throughout the evening, and the day culminated with eyes skyward to watch the beauti- ful fireworks display. | Congratulations to the directors of the Scugog Chamber of Commerce for a great show. All of the smiles and cheers Saturday night suggest the weeks of hard work and planning paid off.