Doug Collins

@ gel this straight

I GET letters. Especially to the editor. And most of them
are not love letters, if you know what | mean. So now and
again I‘m going to answer some of them.

Candidate Number One will be
Amnesty International, which
claims to have more than 500,000
members in 150 countries, in-
cluding 15,000 in Canada.
Amnesty concerns itself with
political prisoners, torture, and
government terrorism, and fre-
quently has some effect. 1 didn’t
know they read me, but they must
do because they would like to tear
my toenails off for something |
wrote May 16.

The column dealt with a
maudlin begging letter I had
received from ‘‘Dr.'* Oscar Peter-
son, and while I was away on holi-
day Amnesty’s Acting Press and
Information Officer, Miss Gladys
MacPherson, slipped a missive in-
to the News in which she hinted
there were better men in the world
than your agent. Which I don't
deny. But some of the other things
she had to say warrant comment.

She wrote that | was guilty of
“inaccuracies and untruths’’. Not
only that, but the editor should
ensure that ‘‘reasonable, balanced
and factual articles’’ appeared in
the paper in future. (Translation:
articles that laud worthy groups

j like hers.)

Miss MacPherson had me cold
on one point. (Well, almost cold.)
I had asked who “Dr.”’ Peterson
was. He couldn’t be the piano
player, © said, because he was
dead and wasn’t a doctor. And
the letter-beggar couldn’t be a real
doctor, I joked further, because
he didn’t write like a man who
could cure pain.

No sooner had the News come
off the presses than people were
telling me that Oscar still breath-
ed. So in my column of May 23 I
wrote a memo to me in which the
error was rectified. With
apologies. Which shows that
while Amnesty reads me, it

F doesn't read me all the time. Pity.

Determined to prove that
humor is a rapidly-disappearing
element in the makeup of
mankind, MacPherson went on
about how Peterson was so a real
“sector, Eight universities have
vestowed doctorates on him, she

yelped,

I stitl say he ain’t no mote of a
doctor than | am. And tre should
stick to his pianner playing and
not go around signing himself
“Dr.’ Peterson. Jack Webster is
one of those honorary ‘‘doctors’’,
but does he sign himself ‘‘Dr’'
Wehster? Come off it, Mac.

Miss Mac blew hard, too, about
my saying that her favorite doctor
and Amnesty were engaging in
“selective indignation’’ as far as
South Africa was concerned.
“False,’' she howled, pointing out
that her organization had listed
human rights violations in 123
countries, including the African
ones into which | had invited
Amnesty to poke its nose if it
wanted some real stuff.

But the Peterson letter proves
that the charge of selective in-
dignation is true. Yes, Amnesty
has criticized the countries she
mentioned. But it hasn't mounted
a campaign against them. Oscar's
letter would make you think that
South Africa was the world’s only
sinner. Viz:

“There’s an urgent need for
you and every other concerned
Canadiar, to support (our) major
campaign in South Africa,’’ it
read. But as I stated in the May 16
piece, there's been no ‘‘major
campaign'’ by Amnesty against
the USSR and certain other
malefactors.

Miss Mac should not imply,
either, that I said Amnesty was
pleading rer the release of Nelson
Mandela, the terrorist. I said
nothing of the sort. I reported a
long time ago that Amnesty had
refused to ask for Mandela’s
release on the grounds that he will
not renounce violence. | do know
some things.

The lady says I’m callous. If }
am, I'm in good company,
because the Peterson letter was a
calculating attempt to jump on
the anti-South African
bandwagc'n.

I can agree with Miss Mac on
one point: doctor or no doctor,
dead or alive, Oscar plays great
jazz.

That's real estate sales in a nutshell. But it's so much more —
it’s building a career on your own terms, with the backing of
Montreal Trust's team of professionals. For an appointment

to discuss our generous benefit and commission package.

Contact:

Ralph Kennedy, Branch Manager
657 M

arine Drive

West Vancouver, B.C.

926- 5424

___Wellworth talking to.

all 6 & Montreal: Trust :

Together, Were Winning!

* SERVICES FOR PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Masectomy * Emergency Aid * Volunteer Drivers

* PUBLIC EDUCATION

Cancer Information Line. Call 736-2323

Seminars for children and adults

« RESEARCH

wen
SOCETY

Developing better ways to combat cancer
FOR INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING

IN YOUR AREA, CALL:

294-1871

BC AND YUKON DIVISION

9 - Sunday, August 31, 1986 - North Shore News

SHOPPERS

Monday Night 6-9pm Only
g

SKIPPY PEANUT
BUTTER

(Limit 4 per customer)

Tuesda Night 69pm Ont
Ma K3 355 mH y

PEPSI, 7-UP, DIET “2
PEPSI, DIET 7-UP (2

(Limit 4 per customer)

(Limit 4 per customer)

Mon., Tues. be vee gam- ‘om

CHEWY CHIPS AHOY

(Limit 4 per customer)

4 T
ae gs Mee, gp

BEST FOODS MAYONNAISE

(Limit 4 per customer)

Mon., Tues. é Me Sam: on

PEZZULO SPaGHETT

(Limit 4 per customer

Mon., Tues. & Wed. 9am-9pm

POPSICLES

(Limit 6 per customer)

6S
a Ekaseee.
ere CG