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"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" I _ETTERS Flag day's no time for politicking To the Editor: Thank you for the very timely editorial, "Time to wave the flag." As you so correctly stated, Flag Day should be a time for quiet reflection on Canada and being Canadian, and not for jin- goism or drum beating. I think, owever, that you should have added politicking to the list, and to have sent that list to Alex Shepherd and to our Deputy Prime Minister, Sheila Copps. To commemorate Flag Day Alex Shepherd sponsored an es- say contest for the region's school children. When it be- came obvious that the contest had belly-flopped due to lack of entries, Shepherd, in a state- ment to the Clarington Inde- pendent newspaper, asserted that the failure of the contest was all the fault of the regional teachers. That was his second mistake, and one which will come back to haunt him when the election comes around. His first mistake was to politicise the contest by making the first prize a letter of congratulation from Jean Chretien. Quite clearly, the intention of the prize was to convince children Many thanks To the Editor: In spite of the cutbacks to the health care system, when you need them they are there for you. My heartfelt thanks to Rob | and Ian, ambulance drivers, who came to my aid when I collapsed on Jan. 12. My eternal gratitude to Dr. Ko. vin Smith who took me to the Wellesley Hospital. My surgery was a success thanks to all those involved. With the support of my won- derful family I hope to be "back in circulation" in a few months. Many thanks to everyone. Mary Anne Pring, Seagrave that all good things come from politicians; Liberal politicians. at that. Call me old fashioned if you must, but wouldn't a letter of congratulation from the Gov- ernor General have been more fitting. Flag Day, the country was treated to an overhyped Sheila Copps production that would have made Andrew Lloyd Web- ber envious. For her own politi- cal purposes, Copps co-opted that great old Toronto gentle- man, Ed Mirvish, but it was not long before Mirvish looked thor- oughly embarrassed and con- fused. Who wouldn't be con- fused and embarrassed after being embraced and kissed by - Sheila Copps? (Surely, that could not have been part of the contract). During the ceremony, Copps administered the oath of alle- giance to a shell-shocked Ed Mirvish, but I would hope that his continued residence in this country does not depend on the legality of that ceremony. A recent immigrant who did not understand our system could be forgiven for believing that citizenship, with all its ac- companying rights, is a gift of the ruling party. I think it no co- incidence that Copps' perfor- | mance was staged in Toronto, the most popular destination for new immigrants to Canada. In the case of Shepherd' 8 poli- ticisation of the children's essay contest, I am willing to be chari- table and put it down to the ac- tions of an ill-advised rookie M.P. In the case of Copps, however, I find that her behavior to have been calculated, manipulative and downright sleasy, more be- fitting a banana republic than the Liberal democracy. Furthermore, given the repu- tation the Liberal Party has for thought control, there is no rea- son to believe that both these politicians were not reading line and verse from the official Lib- eral Party hymn sheet. Surely, Canadians have a right to expect more forthright and more honest behavior from their MPs who they call honora- ble. ) Bernie Gotham, Bowmanville Bill will cut essential staff at our schools To the Editor: The current provincial bill to "outsource" the para- professionals and others in our public schools suddenly reared its ugly head the other day when I happened to talk with someone who will be gravely af- fected should this bill pass. First of all, the above person will likely be taken away after four years of a very special rela- tionship with an eight-year-old blind child in her daily care, one-on-one - a critical time in this child's life. To have to ad- just to someone else who may or may not be as caring will be a major hardship, to say the least, if indeed there will be someone to take over at all. Not good. What else is lost? And at what future exaggerated cost? Importantly too, the para- professional in question will ave to survive on the new mini- mum wage, if work is still avail- able, to compete with outsourc- ers. This lady, now well- trained, is the sole support of her own two healthy children and will be forced onto welfare to survive. Is there something wrong here? What am I missing that the province knows? Hello out there! Owen Neill, Port Perry 2 by Jeff Mitchell A CLEAN-UP FOR SCUGOG THREE CHEERS: Here's applause for the Scugog chapter of the Kawartha Fisheries Association (KFA) who, along with the township, the local Bass Masters group and the Port Snowmobile Club are undertaking a clean- up of Lake Scugog this coming weekend. They'll be fanning out -- ice conditions permitting -- across the lake surface to pick-up the refuse that's been left behind after the busy winter season. Now, we know that most fishermen and snowmobilers appreciate and treasure the lake as a resource, and try to keep it clean. But there's a minority out there who make all their pals look bad indeed. Hope everything goes well Saturday. | A FEW LINGERING QUESTIONS: With winter dragging on, and the nights still somewhat longer than the days, there's plenty of time, it seems, to just sort of... sit... and... think about... things. | find my cogitation results in more questions than answers -- maybe an occupational hazard --- and that sometimes they are with me for a long time. One night last week | began thinking about Deng Xiaoping, China's Paramont Leader, who finally kicked the bucket Wednesday. How will the world remember him, | wondered: Great Economic Reformer, or Murderous Bastard? | prefer the latter. More questions: Has someone stolen Defense Minister Doug Young's brain, or is he really as obnoxious as he seems? How do squirrels cling to hydro wires as they scamper by over a busy intersection? Why do bunnies, cats and chipmunks wait until the last moment before darting across the road in front of your car? What do people see in New Country? Is television worth the electricity? There are many more, but time's a-wasting. PAT BOONE UPDATE: Middle America is reeling in shock after the nation's newest rocker made an appearance on television wearing leather, fake tattoos, and --ulp! -- a dog collar recently. (You'll remember, you read it here first: Pat's gone heavy metal with the release of his butt-kicking record, In a Metal Mood/No More Mr. Nice Guy.) Folks who watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which features Christian programming, have been -- uh -- feeling unsettled about his increasingly Metal attitude on his program, Gospel America. And the leather thing on the American Music Awards last week pushed them over the edge. Well, the plug has been pulled on Brother Pat and Gospel America. Maybe it's about time. eee ---- = the implications of th eden ud rmment cut: on , not pies accept ST vote yes to amalgamation and a full page advertise- ment from the Cottage Hospital explained in detail "the need to merge, the restructuring commission, how the merger will effect services, etc. Regardless of the turnout, there's little doubt that both communities value their hospitals and through the efforts of their individual boards have shown : they can Hopes: ind inan ofiont to save g 0 atop ie for both diy Ni to hosprel board chairmen Jerry or and bin, iw sling of the merger. edication and outstanding efforts on behalf iy nities should not be underestimated, id hopefully will result in the continued operation of both facilities for years to come. Rat 4 5 Seka aba EM aa CEE TRRST Rr popes