6 ~ Wednesday, September 8. 1999 — North Shore News

Y any measure Cat Simril

Ishikawa has every right to

believe he has been short-
changed by the Canadian justice sys-
tem.

The father of the North Vancouver
teen killed in an horrendous crash at
the Peace Arch border crossing in May
1998 has just watched the driver of the
vehicle that caused the accident walk
away from a New Westminster court-
house without a scratch.

Neo sentence, no criminal record, no
jail time, no reprimand, nothing.

An absolute discharge.

This even theugh the car Julie
Campagna was driving rear-ended the
vehicle occupied by Monique Ishikawa

‘and Kimberly Brooks at a speed esti-
mated to have been at least 85 km/h.
The speed limit at the border crossing
is 30 km/h. The two teen occupants of

PECL ED A

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

the car that was hit died after the vehi-
cle buzst into flames. A more horrible
death is hard to imagine.

But the B.C. Supreme Court justice
hearing the case found the 28-year-old
Campagna not criminally responsible.
The reason: she was in a psychotic state
precipitated by the consumption of a
diet drug called Xenedrine.

Even though the Crown argued that
Campagna was still a threat to the pub-
lic and should, at the very least, be
required to see a psychiatrist regularly,
the judge found no evidence of any
serious risk potential.

Left with emptiness and grief, Mr.
Tshikawa is now considering pursuing a
civil class-action suit —_ against
Campagna. It will not bring back his
daughter, but perhaps it will result in
at least some responsibility for this
tragedy being assessed.

icra Tes (AMA: DAE 01 Om Mactan ceases SACcarteOn bom

THe CaNapian iMMiGRaTON DeraRTMeNT
GOTS TOUGH ON iJ@GaL MIGRANTS:

IMMIGRANTS

ADMITTED WITHOUT

JACKET &e TIE

“What folks know that ain’t

Politicians creating
““lose-lose’ situations

Dear Editor: ;

“oUt is interesting ‘reading all the editorials regarding the
recent arrival of the boat people. 1 am not angry at the
migrants; it is foolish to think half of the world in starving,

_ overpopulated situations would not try to escape. It would also
‘seem reasonable in the big picture to assume there may be a
place for them in a.country like this — there is so much land

space available. : ;
My anger is towards the politicians and burcaucrats that

* “run™ this country in a constant lose-lose situation. For exam:

° “pl: there is an argument that we necd more people to popu-
‘late. our country to support us baby-boomers, but why aren't
‘we making it possible for those from ages 20 to 30 to be able

: to’ financially do so? How many of those people can buy a

> home, Jet-alone stare a-family? | have three children in their,

“. ewenties all working. None are able to buy a home because of
the highly inflated cost of real estate in this city, and the high

5 fax rate. | : ;
‘One of my personal grudges is that I (and I’m sure thou:
sands of Canadians) am not on a denial plan,-and 1 canvot
afford dental-care,,I resent that illegal immigrants are entitled

» to things that I cannot have, but I also resent that drug- and

"_-alcohol-dependent individuals also have greater entitlement
. then’ me, Why am I working?

Another argument against the migrants is that laws are -

‘being broken and these people are not being deported. { agree
totally — however let’s remember that we have many perverts

sand other criminals, etc. living free as birds — the whole fegal ,

‘system is out of whack! .
How. long are'we going to tolerate this total imbalance
‘ “where the responsible hard-working people are being deprived
-and punished and the criminals (migrant:or not) and ‘others
‘that, are unwilling to work are being rewarded. Why do we
keep paying taxes to support this “lose-lose” situation? ~
‘Sue Cook ae ane
North Vancouver -

Worth Siw. Saws, founded ins 1969 as ann
tedependent suburban newspaper anci qualifier
under Schedute 111, Paragraph 111-34 the
Excise Tax Act, is published! each Weunesttay,
Friday and Sunday by HCN Publications
Company and distnbuted to every dade ort hz
North Shore. Canada Past Canadian Publications
_Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 9087238.

” Malking rctes avaiable on request

", Barbare me.
Distribution Manager
980-1337 (124)

+ a _. ae
TSS VEE TT, PIT LIA Ve bra,

Mark
Creative Services Director
; 985-2133 (#27)

+ 61,582 (average exreveation, Wecnesdy, Friday & Sunday)

The Worth. Shore News Is published by HCN Fublications Comp

AS mentioned before more than
once, my favourite reference file
— a fat one growing ever fatter
— is entitled simply
“Debunking.” It
constantly restores
my faith in hurmani-
ty. .
Today, aided by the
mass media, an endless
stream of sclf-appointed
rophets brainwash us
into accepting their latest
theory as the equivalent
of the rablets Moses
brought down from the
mountain. Fhe fin part
comes whea, almost inevitably, other
equally dubious prophets emerge to toss
their predecessors’ articles of faith into
the garbage can.
ake leaky breast implants, whose vic-

. tims” lawsuits have bankrupted Fortune

500 company Dow-Corning by alleging
its femininity-enhancing products caused

heartrending diseases renging from debil- -

itaxing arthntis to lupus. No way, now.
says the prestigious Institute of Medicine
after 3,400 scientific studies. Leaking
implants, it agrees, can cause minor and
temporary local problems. But never the
major ongoing conditions suffered by —
and thus unjustiy enriching — the plain-
tiffs.

Wiping away a tear for Dow-Corning
but stil on breasts, we most recently have
those new British studies allegedly prov-
ing that mom's milk — long touted as
the only safe, natural way to feed babies
— ig often full nowadays of all kinds of

PETER SPECK

Publisher
805-2131 (107

yeas

Photography Manager
985-2134 (384) .

f

rerteererrei eet reererirerr ere errrrecrhy

n° we
“| Valee Ste-tonsee *
' Classified Manager
986-622 (202)
Entice contents © 1999 HCN Publications Company. All rights reserved.

horrible chenticals, dioxins and other pal-
lutants. So hang Mom out to dry and get
down to the store pronto fora year’s sup-
ply of formula,

Then there’s Dr. Barry Marshall, the
Australian stomach spe-
cialist who challenged
the conventional wis-
dom that peptic ulcers
were caused by stress
and spicy diets. The
medical establishment
— which prescribed a
wildly profitable drug,
Tagamet, to soothe rhe
burning symptonis —
poured scorn on his
claim that most ulcers
are caused by a com-

mon bacteria. So Dr. Marshall dosed him-
self with the bacteria, quickly got a bad
ulcer and cured it with antibiotics. The
establishment stopped laughing.

Examples of the healthiness of
debunking abound. A World Health
Organization report last year claiming
second-hand smoke did not cause cancer .
in non-smokers has now itself been de-
debunked. An authoritative new study

_released last month confirms second-hand
smoke is absolutely iethal.””

Meanwhile; the Mac’s, Mc’s, Owens
and O's have gone down the spout. A
study by.a respected group. of English
archeologists declared the “Celtic cul-
ture” claimed by Scots, Lrish and Welsh
was as phony as a three-dollar. bill.

All those so-called Celts were merely .
descendants of ancient Britons; with no
clear links at ali to the warrior Celts of
central Europe.

_ Then there’s salt, long condemned as

, OG
Wright

hither
and yon

‘

~ Van birthday gal Li

a contributor to heart attacks. Another —
allegedly authoritative study says
“bunkum,” salt is actually good for you.
And don’t ignore that impressive research’:
showing that decaf coffee can ruin your
health — for a ripe old age, stick to +, -
straight coffee, preferably black.

Mad at your kids-for snacking on junk
food? Wrong, says a leading UK nutri-.
tionist, who maintains that french fries
and pop are. just what your growing
junior needs to maintain a healthy. energy
level. LO :

And for dad and mom -—— scared of”
falling victims ro the demon alcoho] — ~.
the British Medical Association’s presti-. :
gious Lancet magazine has reassuring *:
news, Ir praises maderate daily wine ther-
apy as the best safeguard against strokes“

-and heart attacks. “Moderate” being in
_ the eye of the imbiber ----one wine thera- -

the stuff.

pist prescribing up to 30 glasses'a week of
As American humourist Josh: Billings

MINES |
said, “the problem ain’t what folks don’t:

know, it’s what they know that ain’t $0.” :
“Keep up.the good work, dcbunkers. °-:
We scribbles need yu!

MANY HAPPY. RETURNS of today,

Sept. ’8; to North Van's Bob Booth,

brating, his 80th :.. Ditto taday to North -;
‘Ardington . :

more. of the same Friday, Sept:10; to

West Van’s Willy. Disher.

= yo. GOO.
WRIGHT OR WRONG: Often the
most important trip. you take.is meeting .

people halfway.”

LETTERS 70 THE EDITOR
Letters must include your name,
~ full address & telephons number.

VIA e-mail: trenshaw @ direct.ca

Managing Eoitor.
985-2131 (176)

. Oavid Whitman’
Display Advertising Manages”
980-0511 (317)

General Otfice Manager
‘888-2131 (105)

internet- hitpy/jerens. ncnsurs.com

Lousdale Avenue Korth Vancouver, 8.C., V7

a