210 ‘Saturday, April 25, 1992 a ‘Majority rule’ flaws de “I have watched this famous island descending incontinent- ly, fecklessly, the stairway. which leads to a dark gulf. It is a find broad stairway at the be- ginning, but after a bit the car- pet ends. A little farther on still these break beneath your feet.” — ‘Winston Churchill: While England Slept. “Majority rules! Majority rules by democratic proce- dure!”, cried two of my science classes (of many years ago) af- . ter a show of hands had fa- vored a certain wrong choice in a multiple choice question. “Majority rules, therefore we are right,” they continued hap- pily. But were they? Doubtless, before we go a line further, my readers can see the two most glaring errors in this particu- lar argument and one of the reasons for the need to return to some basic courses in phi- losophy and logic in our badly skewed educational menu. First, place facts are facts and are entirely unaffected by opinions, whether held by a majority or a minority. This we learn very early in childhood. For.example, one does not grab a handful of cat under the im- pression that it is a plaything. — + aA Reflections and Recollections John CHARTERS Ta The scratches one receives are sharp, well expressed facts. So are the burns that one gets on touching a hot stove — a far more enduring lesson than a thousand parental admoni- tions. In the second place, and contrary to much common opinion, democratic procedure does not mean that the major- ity rules — period. It does mean that the wishes of the majority, carried out through their freely elected representatives, are carried out, but that the rights of the minorities are re- spected as well. This is a re- sponsibility of the process and the reverse side of the demo- cratic coin which is so fre- Alaska Fish Fertilizer $8.99 Reg. $12.99. SPECIAL Rapid Rot $6.99 5 kg. Bucket "Intermix' Lawn Food 12-4-8. Reg.$8.99.S Intermix. 6-8-6. Reg. $8. 4" Perennials Large i 29. jal 000.99 Vegetable & Flower Food | 0.99 quently disregarded. In the smoke and mirrors communist dogma of ‘the dic- tatorship of the proletariat’, only one version, one opinion and one belief is permitted. “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse mie with faets. Dictato- rial democracy is therefore an oxymoron, while the true spir- it of democracy as practiced by a free people is exemplified by the words of Voltaire, “I don’t agree with a word you say but J would: die protecting your right to say it.” Democracy is a political phi- losophy, badly flawed, often misunderstood, under con- stant attack, but, as Churchill saw it, our best hope out of many worse kinds of govern- ment for a just world, because it rises out of a respect for the dignity of may. By its very na- ture it must embrace the often contrary beliefs, wishes and opinions of many people. It must also include some consid- eration of the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, the beautiful and the ugly, oth- erwise it cannot be an expres- sion of a people. Humans, in short, are a complex lot. It cannot be operated as a scientific project or on pseudo- Bloomin’ Thing Landscaping Fabric 3'x 50’. Reg. $13.99: Gladiola Bulbs California Super. Fantastic Color Selection... Taurus Steer Manure Buy 10 or more $1.79. Seed Potatoes 2 Kg. scientific claims or racial dog- mas as some would like to do. People are not numbers to be scientifically processed, nor are they robots mindlessly car- rying out the instructions of some centralized button push- er. I believe, moreover, that ev- erything that we think and do carxies within itself the seeds of its own destruction. Unfor- tunately we have been led to- day, to believe that anything which has the world ‘scientif- ic’ attached to it or is labeled as being ‘democratic’ must, per- force be true, good and beauti- ful. , The late Dr. Freidrich Hayek, Nobel Laureate, world famous economist and social critic, noted in his internation- ally acclaimed book, ‘The Road to Serfdom’ that socialistic planning policy is pursued to its logical conclusion creates a state of affairs which leads to totalitarianism. He believed instead, the governments should maximize liberty and freedom, particularly in the ex- change of ideas which enables people and societies to find an- swérs to their own problems. There never has been a pure science, though it has become ia? > ino mocratic process — more refined over many years, and there never has been, not even in Greek times, an un- flawed democratic process since both are essentially man- made institutions, inefficient and incomplete. Yet hundreds of millions of people place im- plicit faith in the rightness in both and happily delegate their responsibilities to those who proclaim the jargon the best and the buzz-words the loudest and most often. Thus we mate a tragic mis- conception of democracy to a blind, amoral science. The pre- sent direction of government, our government, the govern- ment we so richly deserve, is moving remorselessly to en- sure that the trouble gets deeper and the path more nar- row, and I for one, like a lot of wiser men and women before me, am even more deeply con- cerned. And the alternatives? None other than Mr. Pickwick’s so- lution: “It’s always best on these occasions to'do what the mob do.” “But suppose there are two mobs?” suggested Mr. Snod- grass. - “Shout with the largest,” replied Mr. Pickwick. G Next to M on Columbia Ave. Castlegar $8.99 10 for *3.99 ona Lees $3.99 To Reg. $2.29. Fruit Trees Semi-Dwarf. 2-3 yr. stock Pp Valley Greenhouses | $17.99 e SEEDS ¢ 1: So il Conditioner ft. bag. Reg. $6.95 54 a 99 $ "Ans' 1 19 Roses ° 2 al. New and exciting eee and colors to choose from Evergreen and flowering Ornamental Trees and Shade Trees have arrived _and are ready for sale. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 9 A.M. - 5:30 P.M. Pe @ Saturday, April 25, 1992 YourHOROSCOPE ARIES (Mar, 21-Apr. 19) Take the time to help someone going through difficult times on the 26th and 27th, even if you just listen to their prob- lems. The 28th and 29th take action that will help change the opinions of those less open regarding your present situa- tion. The 30th and the 31st you will find it hard to control your true feelings. The 2nd will be most favorable for pro- fessional changes and ad- vancement. a; TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20) Don’t let someone stand in your way on the 26th and 27th, stand up for yourself and your interests. The 28th and 29th will be conducive to ro- mantic encounters. The 30th and the 31st you may be sub- ject to letting the cat out of the bag. Try hard not to divulge private information. The 2nd your creative talent will soar. GEMINI (May 21-June 21) The 26th and 27th will be fa- vorable for business or plea- sure trips. The 28th and 29th your emotional partner may not be too eager to accept changes at home. Try to reas- sure them. The 30th and the! 31st someone you meet will be able to help you with any ob- stacles that are holding you back. Don’t be afraid to ask for favors. The 2nd you can make major changes in your living arrangements. CANCER (June 21-July 22) The 26th and 27th you can make financial gains if you play your cards right. Your in- terest in foreign cultures on _ the 28th and 29th will lead you_in new philosophic direc- LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) You’ll want to get to the bot- tom of things on the 26th and 27th. The 28th and 29th you can make allies at work. Falk to others who have experi- enced the same problems. The 30th and the 31st will be diffi- cult if your partner and you have not been agreeing on im- portant issues. Expect things to come to a head. The 2nd look into investment opportu- nities. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Your home environment will be upsetting on the 26th and 27th if you get jealous over trivial matters. Take the time to do things that will help you feel better about yourself on the 28th and 29th. Prob- lems with colleagues will sur- face on the 30th and the 31st if you try to push your opinions on them. The 2nd will be fa- vorable for love not to mention making up for those squabbles that took place earlier in the week. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23- Dec. 21) Friends and relatives will play an important role on the 26th and 27th. Listen to their advice but make our own decisions. The 28th and 29th someone you live with may be looking for an argument. The 30th and the 31st do things that will allow you to expel that excess energy you have. Mix business with pleasure on the 2nd by mingling with col- leagues. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- Jan. 20) Don’t get talked into donating more than you can afford on the 26th and 27th. The 28th and 29th you will be CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Author of “The Divine Moreno 88 Gal Fri.? 89 Elmore Leonard novel 90 Glossy fabric 92 Young hare 94 Peace of mind 95 Plod 97 Splinter groups 98 Calli- grapher's supp! 99 Fri. follower 102 In good condition 104 Adage 105 Enameled metatware 106 Aries 109 Caesar's fatal date 111 Bar or house follower 113 Easy to manage 115 Soccer great 116 Belonging to the author of “Red Storm Rising” 119 Book by John Naisbitt 121 Hungarian national hero 122 Source of the Blue Nile 123 “East of — 124 Made of cereal grass 125 Donna and Robert 47 Organized 49 He wrote “Berlin Diary” Co 6 Indecent talk maize meal 19 Part of T.S.E. 20 “To — His Dulcinea”. 21 Inland sea of Asia 22 Jeopardy 23 Novel by Danielle Steel 25 Shirley MacLaine opus 27 Logan or Fitzgerald 28 Spanish seaport 30 High tableland 31 Gray wolf 32 Actor/dancer 62 Nipa palm 63 Chemical 69 She created Heidi Abramowitz 75 Rachel Carson's “Silent —" 78 Little boy 81 Actor Ray 82 “The — and Daniel Webster” 83 House or field follower 84 Diva's forte 85 Zeppelin's cousin 87 Actress Bolger 33 It might be red iS 7 ) 3 Willy follower 4 Weight of India 5 Catchall 7 Twin crystal 8 Cal. campus 9 Book by Studs Terkel 10 Chinese leader 11 Jack-in-the- pulpit, for one 12 Appraises 13 Sign in shop window 14 Psych. org. 15 Swiss archer 16 Celestia hunter 17 West Indies _ dance 18 It's before grease or room 24 Adult insect stage 26 One of t! nostrils 29 Church part 33.Mountai lake he n 35 “Silver —" Average time of solution: 72 minutes. (1976 movie) 37 District of London 39 Classic cars 40 Packing case 41 Eagle's home : 43 Competitors 44 Frank Herbert novel 45 Privy to 46 Nest of pheasants 47 Evangelist Robe! 51 French state 52 Engrossed 54 Distribute the mail 56 Radical or liberal 59 Fanatical in opinions 61 “Lorna —" 64 Hee craggy 66 Stage ofa journey 67 Folklore creatures 69 Pokes 70 Spicy stew 71 Access toa mine 72 Wicked 73 Religious ceremonies 74 Drudges 75 Judy Blume novel 76 Works as a model 77 Reddish- brown color 78 Peter, Paul and Mary, e.g. . 79 River islands Ide: form 94 Lease again 96 San Fran- cisco team 98 James Michener novel 99 Hindu guitar 100 Worship 101 Arizona city 103 Hebrew prophet 105 Detroit player 06 French security 107 Priscilla’s husband 108 Middle, in law 110 Atlantic fish 112 Unit of force 114 Yield 115 Pome fruit 117 Brit. noble- men 118 “The Ballad of the — 120 French king 10/11 12 13 14 415 16 |17 718 20 21 22 tions. The 30th and the 31st you can expect your partner to disagree with your ideas and attitudes. The 2nd will be ro- mantic and entertaining if you get involved in group activi- ties. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your partner may not be quite as enthusiastic about your di- rections as you are on the 26th and 27th. Be sure not to over- spend or get taken for grant- ed by others on the 28th and 29th. You may want to join sports groups that will provide you with physical fitness and competition on the 30th and the 31st. You can expect part- ners to object to your activities and friendships on the 2nd. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You will accomplish the most if you concentrate on work re- lated matters on the 26th and 27th. You will be in a favorable position on the 28th and 29th — 26th and 27th. You should be : ivi te—1X G.Q_- HXJSTJSS if you partake in gro ties that will allow you to meet influential people. The 30th and the 31st may be frustrat- ing if you have to travel or deal with institutions. The 2nd will be favorable if you want to make those subtle changes such as a new hair color or style. best to expand your knowl- edge by doing some research regarding your present posi- tion. The 30th and the 31st you can expect sudden changes in your home. The 2nd take a look at yourseand decide what you can do to im- prove in the wrong direction. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) You will be emotional on the 26th and 27th, don’t let your lover cause undue upset. The 28th and 29th you will be able to make major changes regarding your position or ca- reer direction. The 30th and the 31st listen to the advice given by friends but don’t con- fide in them. The 2nd you may wan to make the necessary changes athome. — PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) Take care of minor health problems that have been hanging over your head on the unnecessarily on the 28th and 29th. Take into consideration your career options and decide what you need to do in order to achieve your goals on the 30th and the 31st. You should get together with the one you love and discuss your future direc- tions on the 2nd. 119 123 127 4-5 FGXZD KDGZK DRW WD .YRZHM, ID Today’s Cryptoquip clue: K equals G CRYPTOQUIP FYSXIS MDYQ WMS IXYSIBXZ WD XG Qs Answers, page 19 MAR] SCHNEID copiers shag MEMBER OF TIM-BR-MARTS LTD. Weneta . 368-6466 TRAIL PAUL’S PLACE LTD. _ CHRYSLER — DODGE — PLYMOUTH §#Waneta Junction, Trail 368-8295 “G’B. TDJWs.”