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"A Family Tradition for 128 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 12, 1995 - 7 ---- trom our rea coverage To the Editor: It's that time of the year to reflect on the past 12 months and thank those whose gene- rosity has contributed to the achievement of our goals as an educational vehicle for to- day's youth. Organizations such as 4-H rely on helpful input from the community, and our local newspapers de- serve high praise in that re- gard. We appreciate the gener- ous coverage you have pro- vided of timely 4-H events, such as our 80th anniversary celebration and recently- published history books. Leadership and communica- tion skills are critical compo- nents of 4-H members' train- ing, and your inclusion of their press reports of meet- ings is a real thrill for these budding journalists. With increasing govern- ment budget cutbacks, we need community support more than ever in 1996, and we look forward to your con- tinuing consideration in printing 4-H related news. Dorothy Shier, President Durham West 4-H Associa- tion Thanks for Special person To the Editor: There are a lot of wonderful volunteers with the cancer soci- ety but one person always goes just that little bit further; that is Doris Taylor. She opened her home for a pot luck dinner, where she provided a turkey with all the trimmings for many of us. I would like to take this op- portunity to thank her for a great evening. Eileen Hodgins, Port Perry Is Harris a dictator? To the Editor: (Copy of a letter to Premier Mike Harris) It is becoming more and more apparent just what kind of lead- eryou are. Virtually every day there is news from Queen's Park that you and your party have taken it upon yourselves to push something else through Onta- rio's Parliament with little or no parliamentary debate, let alone consideration and public con- sultation. Your ally is sheer speed, with which you intend to baffle a generally apathetic, but slowly awakening province. You intend to pass sweeping measures that not only affect everyone in Ontario, but erode the very basis of our democratic processes. Your Bill 26 is noth- ing short of a dictatorial seizure of power, the likes of which has never before disgraced this province. Your Bill Seven, in concur- rence with your Blitzkrieg style of politics where no one but you is allowed to have their say, se- riously threatens labor in Onta- rio, and will provoke significant repercussions. I am not exaggerating when I say that I feel that the govern- ment of Ontario is decaying into a dictatorship. Why is there no public debate or consultation in- volved in your legislative pro- cess? Why do I feel that your every whim is being forced upon Ontarians without due process? Why do I feel like I no longer have a voice in my government? The answer to all of these questions lies with you, Mr. Harris. Do you want to go down in history as just another failed dictator? Heil Harris! Michael Strahl, Courtice. Doctors showing bias To the Editor: Apparently the College of Physicians and Surgeons is con- ducting an investigation into the practice of Mississauga phy- sician, Dr. Jozef Krop, a highly respected doctor in the field of "environmental medicine." What is unusual about this in- vestigation is that it was appar- ently not the result of a pa- tient's complaint, but was apparently undertaken upon the initiative of the college it- self. This brings into question the motives of the college. If they are acting in the public interest, as is required of them by law, why would they act to possibly expel a member who is report- edly successfully treating many patients with environmentally induced problems? I sincerely hope that appar- ent pride and prejudice on the part of the bastion representing traditional practitioners of medicine does not prevent them from seeing the need for envi- ronmental medicine in the 1990s, and into the 21st centu- ry. To take away Dr. Krop's li- cence would be to reduce the al- ternatives available to the Ca- nadian public. This is not acceptable. If you agree that doctors should be allowed to practice "environmental" medicine (i.e.: address the cause of specific health problems rather than only treating the symptoms) without fear of reprisal, please write your M.P.P. It could affect your sons' or daughters' choices. Sincerely, Adrian deBoer, R.R.3, Uxbridge a by Jeff Mitchell ¥ IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM... Sunday afternoon, and the sun rides high in a pristine sky. Awelcome change, the sight of the sun, even though a conSequence of this high pressure system is arctic cold which presses against the windows, and keeps me hopping up every few minutes to stoke the blaze in the wood stove. It was apparent from the beginning that today was to be a distinctly chilly one. For one thing, the dog's breath was visible when | woke to find him sitting by my bed, clawing at the blankets and asking to be let out. | try to avoid cranking up the baseboard heater too much, because it's pretty much the same as just burning money in the stove, but it seems I'll have to give a little. It was one of those mornings when the sun beckons, but the chill in the air makes you want to linger for just a few minutes longer under the comforter, taking refuge in the warmth and the fact that it's Sunday morning, and nothing too pressing awaits. A wonderful feeling, that, but nowhere near as invigorating as dancing barefoot across a succession of floors, and feeling the blast of winter as the door's open to allow the mutt out for his morning poop. Ah, Winter... It's here, it's cold, and it ain't going away. Best buck up, folks, and look for what enjoyment there is to be found. Euchre, for instance. Have you noticed how often the neighbors are inviting you over for an evening of shelter in their kitchen, and a long round of Canada's National Game? It's a great way to while away the deep, dark nights, especially if you wait until after the hockey game, when the kids are in bed and no distractions will conflict with your being all you can be, in the card-playing sense. And there are other ways to live with the season. Get out after supper on these crisp, clear nights, and take a walk with your canine pal. Listen to the thrilling crunch of powdery snow under your boots, and the crackling of branches as they hang motionless in the deep freeze. The greatest part, of course, is getting back home, and taking a preferred seat by the fire, where your ears and toes sting, and you feel the shivers of warmth creeping back into you. It's the old if you can't beat 'em, join 'em scenario. ...Then Monday came, and dumped ten or twelve feet of snow. One finds enthusiasm for the season waning while sweeping snow off the car in the morning. Maybe the only viable means of dealing with winter is by going to Mexico. -------------------------------------------------------- wife and kids. address given each Christmas by the Queen. Random Jottings | # by J. Peter Hvidsten TWELVE DAYS 'TILL CHRISTMAS With only 12 days left until Christmas, | suppose it's time to start thinking seriously about d doing some shopping. That's not to say | haven't ventured into one of our many beautifully decorated stores yet. For the firsttime in many years, | actually laid my cash AH down the first day of December on a Christmas gift which now sits bagged in a closet waiting to be wrapped. oo But even though | did get an early start this year, you can be assured that 1, along with hundreds of my male counterparts, will still be scurrying about on Dec. 24 to find those last elusive gifts for my And when the shopping is done, all that remains is getting around to wrapping them before the pit- ter-patter of little feet head down the stairs Christ- mas morning to ravage the beautifully wrapped gifts waiting for them under the tree. Alltoo soon it willbe over for another year. TRADITIONS DIE HARD Speaking of Christmas, every year about this time | begin to get the feeling my family thinks I'm the mean old Grinch. The reason is | have insisted in the past that everyone has breakfast before we start opening presents. An old tradition from childhood days. That's the way itwas when Iwas a young boy. | remember vividly getting up and sitting in a chair beside the tree drooling over the pile of gifts. While mom and dad were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, my sister and | would check out the labels and shake the presents with our names. But we didn't start to open gifts untii everyone was up, had breakfast, and listened to the radio Then, with one person acting as Santa's helper, the gifts were handed out one ata time, allowing everyone to see each others gifts. lttook us close to two hours to open the gifts this way and Christ- mas seemed to go on forever. Sure, as a kid it was hard looking at the pile of presents and waiting to begin opening them on Christmas morning... but I believe in retrospect, it made us appreciate the gifts more. Not only did we know exactly what we were given and who it came from, we also had agood idea what everyone else received. Old habits and traditions die hard, but | don't want to be known as the Grinch who spoiled Christmas by my family, so I'm going to back off this year. Regardless of how the day unfolds, I'm going to take great pleasure in watching the happy faces of the kids as they open their gifts and cherish the time we are able to spend visiting with family and friends during this exciting day. 'e »