6 - Friday, December 22, 1989 - North Shore News Montreal tragedy being abused by radical fems I HAD only tears to add to the Montreal horror story of those 14 massacred women students. Society has no sure defence against deranged monsters like Mare Lepine. There wasn’t much else to say. That is, until the wild rantings of feminism’s lunatic fringe sought to turn the nation's grief into a vicious campaign against the entire male sex. Hysterical denunciations of ‘‘A male-dominated society that in- Stitutionalizes our murder and rape’’... ‘‘Men’s learned objec- tification and hatred of women”’ ... and similar generalized garbage have filled the letters pages of newspapers. Sorrowing males were not even allowed any active part in the Robson Square vigil for the victims of the slaughter. ee ‘AZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE Dae JUST CHECKING UP...Bruce Strachan (left), Minister of Advanced Education and Job Training, dropped by Despite my gender, I, too, hap- pen to be a feminist. So far from ever having regarded women as in- ferior, it’s always been perfectly clear to me that in numerous im- portant areas — including com- passion, tenacity and intuitive wisdom — they're far superior to men. Mentally and in every other way except physical strength most of them are at least fully our equals. As working colleagues I've very good reason to salute them. If (with great respect to publisher Peter Speck!) you want to knuw what ‘‘female-domination’’ can achieve, just visit the North Shore News ~—- where six of the nine top managers and 75 per cent of the staff today are women. No question about there still be- ing a dark side to the gender pic- ture. We are still emerging from long centuries of a male-dominated society. There’s still subconscious resistance to the process from otherwise reasonable males. Women still face workplace prob- lems — some, at least, arising di- rectly from the failure of men, so far, to produce babies. On the personal level — as faithfully recorded by the mass media, which are increasingly into the knock-’em-cold entertainment business — pitysically and mentally abused women, and victims of NEWS photo Mike Waketield recently for a tour of North Van’s Pacific Marine Training Institute with PMTI's Capt. John Horne. sible and illegal. is non-existent. distant Surrey. to make an appointment. toxic chemicals. is little There point Toxic tangle HE PROVINCIAL government and the North Shore municipalities need a plan now to remove and dispose of toxic household waste. In a recent presentation to North Vancouver District Council, a North Vancouver City storm and sanitary sewer worker said that he was aware of toxic wastes being dumped into municipal sewer systems. Such dumping is, of course, reprehensible, irrespon- But a convenient facility for the removal of such household toxic wastes as pesticides and paint thinner The Lower Mainitand currently has a single location availabie for residents who want to dispose of their toxic wastes responsibly. That facility, which was not even originally designed to handle toxic waste, is in It is not open on weekends. Its hours of operation run from § a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. And residents intending to use the facility must call ahead Surely only the most dedicated North Shore citizen can be expected to leap such ridiculous hurdles to make safe and responsible disposal of his supply of At the very least there should be a depot on the North Shore set up to accept such waste for pick-up and delivery to the Surrey facility. in raising the public’s en- vironmental awareness Without providing the infra- structure (o put that awareness to positive use. ie Vics Ys | Pas | G pee LeU Ue Publisher Managing Editor. Associate Editor 30 WHEW! IT LOOKS LIKE (VE ites BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE ROMP, Peter Sreck Barrett F.sher Noel Wright Advertising Director Linda Stewart North Shore News, founded in 1964 45 an independert suburban newspaper and qualited under Schedule 111. case Tas Act. 1s pubt and Sungay ty Nortn ed eaen hould De accompanied by gd SMP DE addressed demeaning male sexism are clearly still too numerous. Exactly what percentage of the total female population they form is vaguer, but let’s agree that even one is one too many. But that having been said, it’s ludicrous to deny the existence to- day of countless civilized men who would never lay a finger on a woman in anger and who also share my own view of the sexes. Abusing Montreal’s tragedy by making it the basis for a virulent hate crusade against every male is an insult alike to its victims and to the intelligence of the millions of Canadian women AND men who mourn them. Bui then, blind extremists always wind up as part of their own problem! weak TAILPIECES: Back home for Christmas after a highly successful 18-day Asian tour to Singapore and Hong Kong is the North Shore’s Judith Marcuse Dance Company. In Singapore, where its two performances drew audiences totalling almost 3,000 the Srraits Times critic compared it to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Les Ballets Jazz ... Welcomed last month to Cap College was new counsellor Rob Henderson, who'll be lending a helpful ear to students on personal problems, career and course planning. His background includes work with the Vancouver Crisis Centre, the Vancouver Neurological Centre and AIDS Vancouver ... On the local art scene Phytlis Monk Fletcher exhib- a SDA DIVISION fot vow L OF OMT AnD ws 9T vARCOULE N Display Advertising 980-0511 : Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Distribution 986-1337 arate : . Subscriptions 986-1337 SUNDAY WEDNESDAY PHILAY Fax 985-3227 1139 Lonsd-‘e Avenue, North Vancouver, B.C MEMBER ——-_—- V7M 2H4 aT 59,170 (average, Wednesday po Sons Friday & Sunday} 1985 ame i’ ROB Henderson ...2 helpful ear. its her watercolors, pastels and monoprints at North Van Court House, 200 East 23rd, through Jan. 10... Meanwhile, Gerhifde Stulken is showing her oil paini- ings through Jan. 11 at North Van District Hall, 355 West Queens — 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Fridays ... Enjoy the sounds of Christmas Saturday, Dec. 23, at Lonsdale Quay market where the B.C. Boys Choir performs at 1 p.m., followed by the Capilano Chorus at 3 p.m. ... And happy 38th anniversary today, Dec. 22, tc Aland Helen Johnson of North Van. gee WRIGHT OR WRONG: Goals should never be out of sight, just a bit out of reach. North Shore owned and managed Entire contents “ 1989 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.