August Wednesday, August 18, 1993 Letters to the Editor WZ The Castl dar Sun 7S PUBLISHER MARILYN STRONG SHARLENE IMHOFF CATHERINE ROSS EDITOR ADVERTISING REP. MARGE LALONDE NICOLE BEETSTRA CIRCULATION MANAGER. ADVERTISING REP. JOHN VAN PUTTEN CHRISTINE MOYER SPORTS REPORTERPHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION MANAGER KAREN KERKHOPF SHAUNA KATTLER REPORTER IF FICE MANAGER/CLASSIFIEDS. Direct Department Phon: General Office 365-5266 365-5266 365. yose Circulation Classified Ad: Display Advertising Newsroom 465 Columbia Ave., Castlegar, B.C. VIN 1G8 IS POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT AND A MEMBER OF THE STERLING NEWS SERVICE Establistied November 28, 1990 Puptistrect by Sterting Newspapers ttt Weekly on Wednesdays Member of Canadian B.C. Community and BC ommunity Newspapers Association Newspapers Association Press Council editorial comment Manipulation at its finest It was pure out-and-out manipulation of a public who has already been manipulated in the past when negotiating Downstream Benefits. The Liberal Party's all-candidates “debate held in Castlegar August 12, was to have. been based on a forum of the need for quali- ty education which is in keeping with the fast-paced economic times. Instead it was used to entice would-be voters with promis- es and recommendations for the return of Downstream Benefits; a little late in the offering—almost 30 years too late. Almost every candidate took to the podium, and eloquently and passionately spoke about how the people of the Kootenays had been wronged. The candidates who spoke about the lost Downstream Benefits had many rec- ommendations to make regarding the injus- tices which were done to the region during negotiations. Their unspoken promises paint- ed a world in which all would be right again—if they were elected, of course. What the candidates don’t understand is that there are some things which money just can’t buy, such as the loss of many vibrant communities when the dams on the Lower Columbia were built. Places like Renata and Brooklyn are now only names on peoples tongues, and warm memories of those who used to call these once vital communities, home. In a hundred years those towns will be remembered only through some obscure mention in local history books. What about the fish and wildlife habitat which has been irreparably altered? Can the candidates replace that? Can they undo the environmental impact which is still being felt, and will be felt for years to come? It’s time that politicians understand that it is not enough to simply pay us off. If they believe money is what thé people of the Kootenays want, then they have sadly and fatally underestimated us * It’s time for them to understand that we will no longer accept their promises—it is actions which speak the loudest to us. If the government really wants to offer us trust funds and money, might we suggest that the money go towards education and retrain- ing our people who have lost their now obso- lete jobs. They should have stuck to the topic of education—they can’t buy hack our past, but they can invest in our future ERRORS: The advertiser agrees that the publisher stall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in any advertisement beyond the amount paid for the space actually occt advertisem: to the negligen liability for non: paid for such advertisement All advertising subject to publisher's approval ( completed within one year from contract date N accepted upied by that portion of of its servants or o insertion of any advert ontracts must be ontingent orders John This may be a surprise to you, but Lam all for women and their drive for equality, fair wages and equal opportunities through employment, but sometimes they go a bit overboard. But one thing really bothers me, that is, some of the most members of the modern women's movement are so far active out in left field I don't even think they know for what or why they are fighting anymore Karen, the next time you are faced with the question, “What do women these days really want,” do you know what your answer will be? The original cause” has drifted so far to the backs of most of these feminists minds, they don’t even remem- ber the reason for which they are fighting The feminist fight of these modern day crusaders has drift- ed beyond the needs and desires of the average woman. Most women I know draw little secu- rity from these fighting for THE cause” behalf One thing annoying about the extreme feminists is they look down upon other women who do not share their excessive They believe that if another woman does not sit on the same side of the fence {sometimes called the anti-male side) they are inferior and are a thorn in the side of their cause, therefore hindering it Just what is the Does the know what they are fighting for “women who are on their views “Cause”? average temate reatty rdo they just complain for the sake of having something bicker over When tt comes to equality-an the workforce our society has zone beyond the true meaning ot the Things have progressed to the point that getting a job simply because they are female word “equality some women are Néw equality laws force compa- make their workforce reflective of society's population Karen, would feel if you were one of 200 nies to breakdown right people to apply for 20 openings Has feminism gone awry? ~. to at a company and you later found out you were given the job strictly because of your gen- der? Would you still feel you earned your position? Karen, one thing I am certain of, at the Castlegar Sun we are not representative of the normal workplace, especially since the women outnumber the men by ten to one One of the areas where our society has made the most progress is breaking down the gender barriers which have been placed on some jobs There are some non-tradition- al jobs that most women are just not physically able to handle For example, some involve lift- ing excessive weight on a regu Let's face it, the female body is just not designed to lift 200 pounds It’s time women are women and men are lar basis to face reality men, there are differences that's reality. But I ing that our purpose in society or in the workforce should be am not say regulated specifically on the grounds of gender. I am a firm believer in the school of thought which incor porates the motto, ‘hire the best person for the job leaving no restrictions for race, color, gen der or beliefs’ theek I want to strongly stress that this is not a man versus woman issue, but rather a debate about the direction that feminism has taken. I know that the F word has two meanings, the first one we won't talk about, but the second is one that and unfairly F word—feminism, has unwillingly earned its title nism alone is enough to make The word femi some grown men quiver, and some women turn their backs and walk away (after all aren't we here to stand by our man?) While the fanciful concept of feminism is hard to attain, and can be threatening to many peo- ple, the reality of feminism is and has no hard and But several things ar complex fast rules for certain, femimism ts here to stay, and feminism cannot be pigeonholed or confined to a specific definition While I realize ahat there are hard-core feminist radicals out there who hold fe front of them like tible and magic talisman which minism in an indestruc challenged by is not tobe women or men, I also realize that without those very same type of women we would still be stuck invisibly behind our gen der instead of standing proudly in front of our femininity with all of our abilities in clear view Karen Yes, there are certain mem: bers of the the movement who are obnoxious and insist that we all adhere to their values and definition of feminism. But to silence them would, in effect, do to them what women have strug gled to overcome for years oppression. While most true feminists don’t subscribe to their philosophy, neither do we extin- guish their flames which bum so brightly. It.is not our place to do so, just as it is not right for someone to prevent our gender from shining brightly simply because of our gender. We also cannot simply and deftly discount their opinions because they do not conform to our ideals, but what we can do is take the good and leave the bad—=nr effect separate the wheat from the chaff. Feminism is a constant and vigilant search for the truth, and it is a search which on the long road to truth has taken many detours, and faced many dead-ends. While I freely admit that there are feminists who have their own personal agenda which is based solely on their needs and wants, I am not going to be the one to throw the first stone A true feminist is one who feels comfortable with her own ability to make educated deci- sions, and the views of another is simply that—their view. Just because there are self-serving individuals out there doesn't mean that they represent femi nism at all, the same way that it would be unfair to assume that Archie Bunker is a true repre semative of the male gender One last thought John. Not only has feminism liberated women, but it has also liberated men required to be the sole support They able to enjoy their families to men. No longer are of their family are now the maximum, and encouraged and applauded for doing so Isn't it nice that feminism has elevated men from being work- ing drudges to caring consider- ate people? if you have any ts or g ti about this week's Cheek to Cheek, feel free to send us your comments in a letter to the editor c/o The Castlegar Sun. if you have a subject that you would like to see debated In the Cheek to Cheek column, Karen and John would love to hear your suggestions. Call the newsroom at 365-5579 or fax us your t ts at 365-7762 and req The Castlegar Sun Dear Editor: west of Castlegar, May we bring your attention to the thoughtful, considerate aid that two of Castlegar’s citizens gave when they came unbidden to the rescue of my wife and I after our vehicle failed about nine kilometers I was given a ride to the Sandman Inn (our origi- nal destination} )hich was also adjacent to the Castlegar Town Pantry Chevron Station. There, Mr. Fred Kinicki, realizing our plight, gave me a ride back to our pick-up, and after checking it out, ended up giving our track's battery a boost. Thus, we were able to start.and head for Castlegar. Unfortunately, just before the turn-off leading to the Sandman Inn/Chelvron station, faltered and we just kept on going downhill, hoping that I could get the motor to keep running. Sadly, it totally expired shortly before the Columbia River bridge approach the motor again There again, after checking to see what was wrong, we were left almost in a panic when every: thing seemed to check out all right. It was also an early Friday evening; all garages were closed, and no mechanics were available Mr, Kinicki had tried previously to enlist aid, which led him to leave his business premises and come to our help. So there we. were, overdue for an important meet- Good Samaritans leave visitors with warm memories of Castlegar ing at the Sandman, stuck and despairing of what to do, with vehicles whipping by. Then a car going by slowed, stopped and backed up A young man stepped out and asked if he could help. I explained the situation, and then he checked the truck and found that the altemator was not functioning; therefore, no electricity was reaching the necessary elements to keep the motor running He then turned his vehicle to face ours, attached jumper cables, and ran a good charge into our truck's battery, enabling us to start and head back to the Chevron Station/Sandman Inn also This young man is Mike Lammerts, a mechanic at Castlegar Mazda. We arranged for Mike to look Sorry, there is NO My Turn column this week NED YOU ABOUT EATING WA KE SMALLER : TOOFACT!. Bre! Bur” |gAlO HH NO, YOU WOULDNT Lictey: ir Do you have something to say? If you would like to be published in My Tur, send your typed editorial to The Castlegar Sun publication, or call 365-5579 for more infor- mation. The edi- torial should be no longer than 500 words. Apology offered for embarrassment _ Dear Editor: On February 3, 1993, the Castlegar News published an article about an investigation being carried out by the Associa- tion of B.C. Profe onal Foresters into the conduct of registered professional foresters in the area, as a result of allega- tions of harvesting without ade- quate pre-harvest silviculture SCFIPHORS. This article contained the fol- lowing passage: “A source close to the industry, who asked to remain unidentified, said PHSP’s are a convenient rubber stamp for logging. “Most PHSP’s have enough ‘ifs’ ‘ands’ and ‘buts’ to drive a logging truck through,” the source said. “(The Ministry of Forests) have field technicians with very little field experience.” On February 6, 1993, a sec- ond article was published in the Castlegar News in which I was quoted as saying: “... the district's average tech- nicians have from 16 tol8 years experience They all get involved in train- ing...Most, if not all, are gradu- NAFTA flawed Dear Editor: Side-deals on NAFTA have been concluded regarding some environmental issues, and we are being barraged with propa- ganda saying that everything is now O.K.. It's not. Many basic flaws remain NAFTA will still move some Canadian industries south. Still more Canadian workers will lose their jobs. Still more Mexican workers will crowd, into hope- lessly teeming cities like Nogales where I saw families living in packing crate houses and in aban- doned autos. The side-deals on environmen- tal issues obscure the fact that NAFTA itself is environmentally unsound. It works by parts manu- facture in the north, trucking to the south, assembly in the south, trucking to the north, trucking to retail outlets. The scheme is built on increased use of non-renew- able petroleum, and increase emissions of carbon and nitrogen pollutants. At the very time that the Friday before See NAFTA 7A Catalogue available ates of a forestry technician school, such as Selkirk College which is excellent This ghost technician, and I won't mention names, but I'm ~Sure the person will know who I'm talking about, only works five months out of the year and then collects UI...(the identified source) can, at the drop of a hat, criticize people as long as he The reference to a “ghost technician” was directed at the unidentified source quoted in the article of February 3, 1993. It has come to my attention that this reference has been interpreted as being directed at Mr. Craig Pet titt, a part-time employee of the Ministry of Forests classified as a “Forest Technician 2", even though I did not mention his or any other name I did not have Mr. Pettitt in mind when I made the remarks about a “ghost technician’, and I am deeply distressed that anyone should have drawn such an inference Mr. Pettitt has been employed by the Ministry of Forests for many years, and has-every right to be proud of his years of ser vice tothe public. ; As foreman of an initial attack crew, he is part of a dedicated team which has contributed to the well-controlled forest fire sit uation that exists within the Arrow Fgrest District I sincerely and unreservedly apologize to Mr. Pettitt and his —family-for-any-embarrassment-or harm which may have been caused by my remarks: I very much regret that when Mr. Pettitt ary that advised me in Febru remarks were open to misinterpretation and asked for an apology, I failed to appreciate the significance of his concerns, and tor this I apologize Yours truly = Ken E. Arnett ifler our vehicle the following morning (he even put us ahead of his regular schedule so we could carry on with our travels). We realize this is a rather detailed letter that could have perhaps been shortened, but it would then have been difficult to convey fully our frustrating and desperate plight Neither Fred nor Mike would accept any offer of payment for their much-appreciated help but we feel they deserve recognition in some way for their fine representation as valued citizens of Castlegar. Stephen and Elizabeth Kabella Kelowna, B.C, MORTGAGE FOR SALE $82,000 First Mortgage 12 1/2%. Monthly pay- ments of $833 for 1 year term period, Secured by & 2/3 acre in Lardeau. Appraised value $160,000. 1-826-2288. house Distriet-M F4 Arrow Forest District $500 BONANZA ‘Door Prizes’ CASTLEGAR REBELS NE | Sunday, August 22 Castlegar Arena Complex i) New double ups and 12 up pkgs. 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