OPINION mber 30, 1992 Sato The C Sun / PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG editorial comment Promises to keep... sis we face the New Year many of us will be mak- ing resolutions, that we all hope we can keep, but Sei do. We asked a number of Castlegar & area resi- dents for their New Year's Resolutions or wishes. Here are their responses. Ed Conroy, MLA “A healthy and prosperous New Year for all the con- Stituents of Rossland-Trail. Doreen Smecher, Councillor, City of Castlegar “My New Year's wish is that council work together and the city have a most successful year.” Leo Perra, President, Selkirk College “I haven't even thought about it.” Pharmacist, Pharmasave Tommy Bin, “It's not a New Year's resolution, but I'm going to quit smoking when I go on holidays.” = _— at Di OW,COME LET US ABHOR HIM!... OW, COME LET Us This is the season for reflection As we approach the end of 1992, we might reflect on the year's events with relief it is coming to an end. 1992 was not a vintage year. It was an annus horribilis, according to Queen Elizabeth. Many of us would not disagree with her recent Shelley Rodgers, M Cc: “Take a vacation for a year.” Dallas Tait, Scottie’s Marina “To become a better Kathy Soloveoff, Tulips Floral Co. “All the people have been really nice and we hope next year brings more.” Staff Sergeant Hall, Castlegar RCMP “I resolve to treat all female employees with the same respect I treat the young male employees and further more, when I retire I will purchase property and develop a trailer park for mother-in-laws. Phyllis Russell, Russell Auction “A wish for good health for all.” Kellie Tyrrell, Rose’s Boutique “To stop smoking.” Hoodicoff, owner, Hooters Fitness Pariour The Winter Olympics in Albertville, and the Summer Olympics in Barcelona gave us an all too brief respite from the worid- * wide turmoil and uncertainty. By year’s end we have almost forgot- ten all save, perhaps, Silken Lau- mann. We see the agonies in what was once Yugoslavia, no less trau- matic following the reduction in the Canadian Peacekeeping contingent We can reflect upon the contri- bution our relatively small country has made to peace. Over 80,000 Canadian Blue Berets have served in every United Nations’ mission since 1947, and 85 have died while on duty. Canada has had a Peace- keeping Force in Cypress since 1964. Some say meaningful dia- logue toward peace by warring fac- tions is postponed and even Gerry “I resolve to be more of a positive and per- son, and to be happier.” Sun Bee eee en remain sx Empertant part of the Castl in our high level of committment to you. BEN RORTERINIGS By Don Addis NUDISM FoR THE MODEST dy U za C. Sun Zi\\S §S POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Established November 28, 1990 Published by The Sun Weekly on 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. V1N 1G8 P by their . It has now been announced that Canadi- ans will withdraw from Cypress in June, 1993. Yet another contingent is en route to Somalia Canada as a country has less than one per cent of the world’s population, yet we contribute 10% of the peacekeeping forces. Our peacekeeping debts are paid, unlike other nations, such as the USA, who owe the United Nations for much of their over $734M USF cs g debt! Provincial government. Blame the Federal Government. By all means, blame the Prime Minister, the i Canadian Ss Many populations in strife do not appear to particularly appreciate our efforts. But, in the amidst of has to bear the responsi- bility for discord. If lessons are learned from watching the agony of others, can we not direct the criti- cism where it more properly belongs? Often we are the problem! The generation presently under the age of 25 aré the first group of Canadians in this century who will NOT achieve a standard of living BETTER than that of their parents. No one has yet found a solution to much selfishness and cruelty in the world, we can still find evidence that the angels are still at work! The United Nations’ Blue Berets are contributing to the “New World Order” in the manner and spirit in which so many wish George Bush had actually meant! Notwithstanding the efforts of individuals such as Maurice Strong, organizer of the June Earth Summit in Brazil, or those of Boutros Boutros Ghali and his vision for the future United Nations, too many nations operate only in their own self interest. The number of special interest groups is on the rise. When confronted, they blame someone else. Closer to home, it has become common to blame the mayor, the councillors , the municipality, the our woes, which are so inexorably intertwined with the global village. Of some comfort to local merchants is what appears may be a more buoyant i season. USA prices were not always a bargain. With the drop in the value of the Canadian dollar, Canadians have begun to see that more clearly, and most have decided to seek shopping bargains closer to home. It is particularly gratifying to see Washington and Oregon vehicle plates in Canadian malls. I am being very friendly and welcoming to shopping visitors! 1992 was a good year for the Blue Jays and the Stampeders. We can celebrate the survival of the Canadian Confederation, even if in the same inadequate form. Perhaps 1993 will see the end of outra- geously oversized clothing, mutilat- ed jeans, and baseball/’Cat” hats, with or without the “X". I’ve never understood the need to stick soothers into babies’ mouths, so I will not be impressed to see them in the mouths of teenagers either Please, not in Canada! We Kootenay residents really only need sufficient snow to keep the skiers and snowmobilers happy a depth we must surely have reached now that winter is fully upon us. We can turn off the Snow machine any time! We leave 1992 behind us and look towards the 21st Century. We already have reactive television On the horizon lie new technolo- gies, such as “ virtual reality”, in which we can be both observer and player! We are awed, but it is obvi- Ous we, generally, have to be better educated. To reminisce about how things used to be comforting, but to live in the past is impossible Seniors have embraced and mas- tered the automobile, VCR, com- puter, mobile telephone, camcorder, and would be lost without microwave ovens. If our seniors can do it, so can we, and our chil dren must. Let's reflect on 1992, and cele brate 1993 as the year for change changes for the better! Most of 1992 could be summed up like this . DALTON ‘CAMP This year of 1992 will be a diffi- cult one to sum up at the end and Say — so there — that's the essence of it. If anything, 1992 was a year of continuing trends and develop- ments, some begimnings, fewer end- ings, and more than anything else a ter or worse, so. that if we had another year like it we might run out of conversation. To make the and the need- tabloid mentality it This was also the year of the four- let- ter word (the F-word may, indeed, even have peaked) and also a vintage year for garbled syntax, commu- niques bereft of meaning, and elec- torates who simply refused to hear politicians who only wanted to talk. Indeed, the emergence of the first politician in a generation, Bill Clin- ton, who spoke unscripted in com- plete sentences containing more information than opinion, created serious public misgiving that he might be “slick,” or otherwise unre- liable. Little wonder established politi- cians the free world over rallied to the side of George Bush during the some so con- Fennaissance in 1992 since nothing happened anywhere else in the world that could not be covered in a couple of paragraphs and. on the other hand. unbelievably turid and incredibly titillating things were happening almost daily within the small circle of Britain's royal family But the tabloid phenomenon over there didn’t travel, other than across the channel, so we North Americans had to make do with what we had, which wasn’t much. There is some thing else that should be said about 1992's tabloid journalism and the sumed with supportive zeal as to conduct searches in their own gov- ernment’s files for dirt on Bush's rival Nothing, surely, could be so dead- ly to future meetings of the G-7, where leaders of the world’s most advanced nations have been . gather- ing regularly to celebrate the contin- ued separation of language from not- -to-know too much about any- thing have been the operating principles of leadership and gover- nance since Ronald Reagan first took the oath to uphold a constitution he had never read. These impressions have been sharpened while observing Clinton's economic summit televised from Lit- tle Rock, Ark., earlier this week. Among the 300-plus business lead- ers, union heads, academics and Washington Post who _—- the Meetings were interesting and signif- icant and that Clinton's performance had been remarkable, but he and I seemed to be adrift in a rising sea of sour ‘ism.) The Little Rock discussions emphasize a stark reality, part of which is that Clinton and his new administration are replacing an out going crowd that is not only exhaust- ed but brain dead. The other part of the equation interest group sp persons there was another common thread which was that all of them spoke well with- Out being chained to a written text. Another way of putting it is they all had something to say that was original and seemed to be an opinion or advice genuinely held. Add to this the fact Clinton seemed perfectly at case during this energetic exchange, not only setting the tone for the spontaneity of the dialogue but making relevant inter- ventions reflecting a remarkable grasp of a wide range of public poli- cy issues. What interested me more than rything else about the conference than this tion of an articulate Clinton. The trouble with the next presi- dent of the United States is, as we shall see, he is a walking, talking Position paper and he willl be operat- was the feigned boredom of the media present who insisted, in their reports back to the anchor desk, nothing was happening and nothing was going to happea. (A singular ing in a p where was a for the the media who have cov ered the Republican regime for the past dozen years. It is not clear to anyone how serious the damage may be to an institution living so long in an atmosphere of utter intellectual sterility. The prospect of having to cover a president who, palpably, knows more than the media about Most aspects of public policy is a daunting one. The necessity to know a little something about pub- lic policy, at least enough to under stand an informed answer, plus the rising public demand for informa- tion rather than gossip, may very well reform American political journalism beyond recognition So, I guess the big news about 1992 was that while most of what hap- pened could be run on one inside page of any tabloid, next year will be different _ Wednesday, December 30, 1992 The Castlegar Sun Page 5A Letters to the Editor Memories of tra Dear Editor: I was intrigued by M Radulovic's explanation of the Serb interpretation of Yugoslav history and her implied justifica- tion for the current progress of events. (Dec. 23) I would be the first to agree with her that the mass extermina- tion of the Serbs by the Croat Ustashi during World War II is a blemish against the Croatian nation which cannot be easily forgotten. A human being with any sense of morality cannot comprehend such atrocities whether they occurred half a cen- tury ago or whether he is forced to witness them today. I cannot deny a bitterness a Serb may fee] for a Croat because of this sad why the Muslims of Bosnia seem to be targeted for some of this ties against Serbs during the last war. I also cannot understand why historically important cities like Dubrovnik and Split have been attacked by the Serb-led Federal Army, for there are no Serbs there to protect. I still maintain that Serbia is out to expand its borders at all costs, especially with the inten- tion of securing as much of the Adriatric coastline as they can get away with. What territories they cannot keep, they will handicap by wanton destruction. Unfortu- nately, the U.N. peacekeepers have been manipulated into history. Two wrongs, h never make a right. Purthermore, I have a problem understanding NDP government chan Dear Editor: The following is an open letter to Premier Mike Harcourt. Dear Premier: As you know, B.C. Rail has recently entered into a contract with North West Energy of Williams Lake to haul hog fuel by truck. The British Columbia Trucking Assaciation wrote to you on October 23, 1992 prior to the awarding of this contract to ex Press their concern about the implications of this contract for the trucking industry. Your referred these concerns to the Minister of Transportation and Highways, whose subsequent response was predictably unsatis- factory and deliberately off the mark. The trucking industry is fully aware of the historic activities of B.C. Rail with respect to its inter- modal operation. Indeed, what makes the contract in question so disconcerting is that it marks a Heritage Society closing museum Dear Editor: The Castlegar and District Heritage Society would like to thank The Castlegar Sun for giv- ing so much space to help pro- mote our activities and report our news this year. The many fundraisers and special events held to support our projects — Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park and Chapel House and the C.P. Rail Station Museum. Our efforts to encour- age community involvement were all successful and well attended. Our guest registers are signed by visitors worldwide with many compliments. However, without more secur- ing financing for operating fund, we now must close the C.P. Rail Station Museum and Society Office as of December 31, 1992. The reopening of the museum/office and Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park is uncertain at this time. Thank to all of our members who showed their support in so many ways, to our supervisor Debbie McIntosh whose energy and enthusiasm held everything together, to my fellow executive members Charles Horrey and Carolee Fitz-Gerald, and to the many people who donated time, money, expertise and artifacts for the museum. Happy Holidays! John Coyle President CHRISTMAS COUNTERATTACK SS ‘Es DECEMBER Be y JANUARY 3 ° os ig unwilling h ges in this war for territory. In my recent travels through major departure from past prac- tices which only saw B.C. Rail engage in trucking activities that were directly linked to their rail service. The North West Energy contract has nothing to do with B.C. Rail’s ability to move goods by rail, with intermodal support. Instead, this contract signifies a deliberate shift in policy that is directly aimed at full-blown com- petition with the private sector trucking industry. As the former Minister Responsible for B.C. Rail, I well appreciate the need to run that Particular crown corporation on a profitable basis. Indeed, I remem- ber the howls of protest from the NDP when a previous Social Credit government eliminated the Corporation’s $430 million his- gic past should be the various republics of the for mer Yugoslavia I must say that I have always found the ordinary people to be honest, open, and kind-hearted wether I was in Slovenia or in Montenegro. I saw no evidence of the ethnic hatred which has been erupting. I believe that what we are secing now is the inevitable response to calculated and heartless political maneuvers. As a Slovenian, I think that I need to clarify a couple of points Ms. Radulovic makes in her let ter. When the Federal Army with- drew from Slovenia, they took all the military hardware with them and what could not be dismantled was destroyed. Flights to the Ljubljana airport are at present under Austrian traffic control because the retreating Army destroyed all the traffic control ging the role toric debt. This decision, along with regular injections of public capital, allowed the company to grow and Prosper to the point where it is profitable today That aside, however, it was never the intention of B.C. Rail to expand its activities to directly compete with the trucking indus- try as such. Nor can there be any doubts as to the huge competitive advantage that a crown corpora- tion has if its sets out to directly compete with independent firms in the private sector. Crown cor- Porations lowball bids, as is evi- dently the case on this contract, but for a number of reasons they can be intimidating to compete against or refuse to do business with, Your government has apparent- installations. All of the assets of the entire former federation are now in the hands of the only two republics left in the federation Serbia and Montenegro. Such unwillingness to share in the communal resources goes beyond military hardware. Slove- nians that held foreign-currency accounts prior to have after the war the newly-empow- ered d this put to rest—but not forgotten tality against their own race, the of the i were slaughter by liquidating all those who they felt were a threat to the new order. These were: people that were labelled as German sympathizers, people who were of German descent, people who had defended their farms indis- not been able to withdraw their savings because Slovenian banks had been legally obligated to for- ward all foreign currency to the Central Bank in Belgrade which now refuses to relinquish these funds to Slovenia. As I hinted in my original let- ter, Slovenia indeed suffered a ‘holocaust’ of its own. During World War II, thousands of Slovenians were liquidated by the Nazis at concentration camps (notably Dachau). Immediately cr ly from ig par- tisans as well as the occupying Germans, and people that dared to question the new regime. By the tens of thousands they were tortured and exterminated in con- centration camps in Slovenia. Included in this sad statistics were thousands of refugees who had surrendered to the British occupation forces in southern Austria and were sent back with the full knowledge of their des- tiny. As very few Slovenians were willing to support such bru- of crown corporations ly decided that crown corpora- tions should be regarded as no different than private sector cor- porations, and that they should therefore be free to expand to cap- italize as they wish on any oppor- tunity for profit. If that is your philosophical position, why don’t you at least have the courage to say so? Why don’t you come right out and tell your supporters in the private trucking industry that B.C. Rail has been directed to go after their business? Why don’t you tell the private beer and wine retailers that the government liquor stores are going after their market share? Crown corporations are sup- posed to create opportunities and service that would not otherwise exist. Your policies are putting people out of work and foreclos- ing private sector opportunities. I urge you to consider the jobs and revenue that may be jeopardized if this NDP government persists with its expansion of state capital- ism. Lyall Hanson, MLA Okanagan-Vernon from the Serb and Montenegro divisions of Tito’s army. In closing, I would like to say that memories of such a tragic past have to be put to rest, although such events can never be entirely forgotten. I think both Ms. Radulovic and myself must consider ourselves fortunate to be at least physically removed from this troubled land and to be living in a much more tolerant society where ethnic diversity is part of the national fabric and a commit- ment to sharing our wealth with the less fortunate of this world is part of the national conscience. Walter O. Volovsek iL CANADIAN LEGION Castlegar - Robson Branch 170 Members are reminded to renew their membership before December 31, 1992 to remain in good standing JOIN US IN CELEBRATING OUR GOLDEN JUBILEE IN 1993 Castlegar Foods PRICES EFFECTIVE SAT JAN 2 TO WED. JAN 6, 1993 Castlegar Foods - 635 Columbia Ave., Castlegar * 365-5755 Universal 213g PINK SALMON 99° Steinberg SLICED BACON 88 6.35 kg Cut From Canada Grade "A" Beef RUMP ROAST or Inside Round Boneless 88 lb. 4.14 kg Cut From Canada Grade "A" Beef BEEF STEW boneless 3 - 5 lb pkgs 88 lb. Sea Fresh 750 gram lb. 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