4 — Sunday, January 7, 1996 — North Shore News Cultural cringing Doug Collins THIS IS by way of a late Christmas column on how we are signing our own cultural death warrants. Not only in Canada but in the whole Western world. The reason it is late is that we don’t get much information on this sort thing in our media, whose faith is Multicult. So we have to wait for reports in the foreign press. Locally, of course, it is old news that some schools ignore the Christian message and that “winter festivals” are promoted instead of Christmas. So that is now hardly worth reporting. Even less is heard about what is going on in the rest of the world. Take the case of Birmingham, England. In a cringing attempt to custy favor with a large Asian popu- lation, the council has decreed that no Christrnas signs be carried on or in public buildings. In Washington, to mark the beginning of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, Bill Clinton presses the button to light a Menorah that deco- rates the front of the White House. No doubt he wore a yarmulke while doing so, since he seems to spend half of his time under that kind of head gear. Writing in dye Sunday Telegraph under the neat headline “Are we tak- ing leave of our Santas?” English columnist Minette Marrin points out that “Clinton and his alarming wife sent out ‘Holiday Season’ cards, carefully avoiding any mention of the C-word." (So do lots of Canadian companies, including this newspaper, except that it was “Season's Greetings.” change our ways.) In New York, Christnias trees were set up at Grand Central Station but when complaints came in about them from the U.S. National Counc?! on Muslim Affairs the station master ordered them to be taken down. “America is no longer a Judaco- Christian society and we are simply asking for equal rights.” suid the Islamic Council spokesman. He should have been told to go to hell. Or at least back to Islam. But as Miss Marrin stated, “The station master immediately caved in to this ridiculous complaint.” She went on to say a few things that should be heeded in what Winston Churchill used to call “Christendom.” “Insisting on taking down Christmas trees and other symbols of Western tradition in the name of equal rights is actually a sign of the most hypecritical hostility to that tra- dition, and complete indifference to equal rights, which are in fact alien to all cultures except the Judaco- Christian. How often does this need to be said?” Although the Americans may have sold the pass, wrote Miss Marrin, there is still time in her country for a rearguard action. “We ought to cherish and fight for our culture, warts and all — Baby Jesus, Christmas tree, Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and all. This strange and civi- lized mish-mash is the culture to which millions of immigrants have chosen to come; they have no right to undermine it in the name of equal rights or anything else." Perhaps not. But they are doing it. With help from our own Christian churches. And you should can include us when you mention “Americans,” Miss Marrin. [f any- thing, we are worse. T reported years ago that the Cross of Remembrance was taken down in government buildings in Ottawa when complaints were received, And it has stayed down. There is even a movement to “neutralize” all Christian holidays. That was called for as long ago as 1982 ata federal mulicult conference in Vancouver, the chief advocate being a Winnipeg lawyer called Israel Ludwig. Let's hope we Doctors asked to review sedative use From page 9 “When you are 50 or even when you are 60 it might be OK (to take the sedatives), but when you are 70, your metabolism just can’t handle it.” said Hall. The drug study report, co-authored by Hall and geriatrician Dr. Kathleen Bell, tracked 1993 and 1994 Pharmacare data on sleeping pills and tranquilizers for North and West Vancouver residents age 65 and older. There are approximately 22,000 seniors on the North Shore. About 7,000 of those residents were pre- scribed with sedatives, according to the study. Hall said a letter was sent to all North Shore doctors last week. “We basically suggested it was a time for reappraisal around prescrib- ing benzodiazepines to North Shore seniors,” said Hall. The names of the over-prescribed benzodiazepines paid through Pharmacare include: & Lorazepam (Ativan) which costs $0.05 a tablet: B Oxazepam (Seraa), $0.01 a tablet; @ Zopiclone (Imovane), $0.71 a tablet: M@ Temazepam (Restoril), $0.20 a tablet. There are many community resources available to seniors on the North Shore to help deal with grief and fife changes. For more informa- tion contact North Shore Health at DEREK A. CAVE Trial Lawyer Get the settlement #508, Kapilano 100 Building 100 Park Royal, West Van. you deserve. 925-7880). [tis of course our own spineless: ness that is the cause of all this. As in other niatters, it is not only the briber who is at fault. but also the bribe-taker, You don't have to be a church-goer — and I'm not one — to want our traditions maintained. If they're ours, let's keep them. As usual, all of the networks put on some sort of Christinis news show two wecks ago. But it simply didn’t occur to any of them to do a round-up on the kind of thing described here. The sun will pop before that happens. GALLERY JANUARY PATIO SALE ON NOW 50% off or more!! Free set up and delivery to NORTH SHORE Open 7 days a week 299-200 0Talking “Vellow Pages~ AEE AEA TONGA NEALE AT (ILE RATED PLCS COANE TCA RNR APE) MIRE CE AKT