6 — Friday, May 15, 1998 — North Shore News

north shore news

VIEWPOINT

decision to rename © Emily
- Murphy House ‘is an unfortu-
nate example of politically cor-
rect revisionism.

Emily Murphy was, as are all of us, a
product of her time. As the first female
magistrate ‘in the Commonwealth,
Murphy is considered a hero by many
Canadians. That she achieved this in
1916 says something | about. her
Strength of character. She is also said to
have held certain unsavory. views on
_race. Perhaps ‘she. wasn’t a saint. Vi
few of us are perfect in. all thought and:

deed... ”

Names tell us something about
“where we have come from. There’s
value in that. - ;

: ~The trath i is that sonietimes s it’s not. |
: _ all about goodness and light. co
“The push. to: rename « the Queen.

“larger example. The British and
Spanish explorers who visited B.C. left
behind names. Settlers who swept the
country put names to place. Are these
names to vanish now to pay collective
penance for the sins of our forefathers
who displaced the culture that came

- before?

By all means let us know the com-
plexity of history and learn about many
world views, including other naming
conventions.

And we should support those
among us working to build a better

- society that allows.differences and mit-
~ igates injustices. But we walk on slip-

pery slopes if we choose to systemati-
cally. wipe out in the name of sensitivi-
ty historical reference points, for that is
whiat names are.

“We can be strong enough to learn
from the past.

Charlotte Islands as Haida Gwaii

nee leter is addressed to 9 the thief who broke i into my
mother’s car twice in ‘one week. Did you'realize that it was
plex that this car was parked outside of

living in a low-income complex do not .

of money..to. pay two deductibles to
other does riot need to deal with this‘compli-.
ife: at. this time, She: is\ undergoing radiation

she has cancer and is fighting for her life: °.

Do you realize what your thoughtless actions are doing

‘0, other: people? Do you eae?
The next time you deci mash someone’s car win-

y. don’t. you, think! a‘minute ‘before you ‘disrupt.
-somcone’s life, think about the senior citizen that is having

nou! h time.as it is getting by. Think of how you ..

as your mother: ‘or r grandmother being

ur (Other "Yoices, piece in the May 10 News

nthe’ multicultural “debate. I hope to’sce: more such
enlightened rational presentations from you in the future. °
‘* "Thanks for ‘speaking in defence of civility, rationality of
- discourse and : respect | for diversity. but opposition to divi-

: ; E Rieckhoff, Professor
‘Department of Physics, Simon Fraser Univ ersity
orth Varicouver

. Marth Shore News, founded wi 1969 as an
independent suburban newspaper and qualified
under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the
Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday ty Korth Shore Free Press.

“Unt. and eisrtated to every door on the Honan

"+ Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mai
Sales Product Agreernent No. 0007238.
. Maiing rales available on request. , :

donathan Bell we
Creative Services
985-2131 (127)

Distribution Manager
936-1337 (124)

Emeritus, :

“DEMOCRACY,” ” West
Vancouver School Board- -style:

On April 15, ignoring what was

unquestionably ¢ one of the biggest petitions .

assembled in the shortest
time frames that the com-
munity has ever mounted,
and rejecting a perfectly
sensible compromise
offered by trustee David
Stevenson supported by
chairman Clive Bird, the
board reaffirmed on a 2-2
tie its original decision to

“go ahead with the.
» McCreary Centre survey. :

This is the invasive,
“street-smart, » American-created survey *.
that “educates” children aged 12 (or

younger) to 17 on the various slang terms

for marijuana, crack ete, used in inner-city’
America, and probes their sexual, familial,
gambling, smoking and eating-disorder
experiences and such. -

Burnaby-based McCreary says it’s gath-

ering useful data. I say thar it. plants

notions and subtly Iegitimizes bad practices
in the heads of kids as young as 12.—
more of the junk science cagerly lapped up
by the social-engincering elites.

Stevenson moved to have the survey
conducted after school instructional hours,

“Wise. Democratic. The survey opponents ©

warmly supported that. Unbudgingly,

undemocratically, Bell-Lowther and .

Ferguson didn’t. ,
But hopes remained. The green light

“was in the hands of curriculum director

Geoff Jopson. I phoned Jopson April 16.-
He was very vague about when the survey

_ Would be given. Might even be next.school

PETER SPECK:
: Publisher *
2131 (101)

61.582 (average cxeulation, Wednestay, Fricay & Suncay}

Stephenson
Classified Manager
- 986-6222 (202)

year, he mused.

Indeed, on April 22 the News, quoting
Bird, reported that the survey still wasn't a
done deal. Wham. Obviously superinten-
dent Doug Player’ 's staff got the message to
accelerate the process fast.
Because the survey was
railroaded through this
week.At month’s end ler-
ters went out to parents,

advising them they could |:

preview: it May 4-6 and
reject it if they wished.
. Bur Elaine Kohe, who

~ with Raymond Fong and —
ozhers gathered | some 300 .

petition names in about’

» two weeks (59 students.

signed nother hasty petition), said some
didn’t even receive’ that invitation till May

* Look, folks, I hate to raise © the racial
aspect — but'a majority of the concerned
opponents are ethnic’Asians, Iranians and |
Latin Americans. I wonder if 300 WASPs :
of the traditional West Van kind +.

I can tell you from some very hurt,
upser, bewildered conversations —- they
got one hell of a lesson in “democracy,”
West Vancouver School Board- “style le.

; o00 ;
Only terminal exhaustion — from
attending a conference that ran from a

Shame!

Friday evening to Sunday noon — kept me.~

from witnessing, one of the most stirring
moments in West. Vancouver council’s his:

tory. That was when Mary Fawley of the! “>.

Western Community Services Society madé
an cloquent plea on behalf of the proposed
community (not “recreation”) centre thar.

_ would share space with the existing munici-

pally owned Glencagles Golf Cot

__ Tam reliably told that this was the'mo

moving speech since, Gen.. George

Washington addressed his Revolutionary
d

~ War soldiers, sullen because they

been aid.

portive statements ‘3

120 persons who had crows
‘chambers arose as‘oni id applaud
wept. Well, at least ong person wep!

, Mayor Patricia Bonar

cere efforts of my ni

-the beloved Mrs. Fawic

" to repeat: the centre’
~ wrong place and reveals no «
_ it’s Worth nearly $8.6 million

But its advecates bel
council: can’t say no; They fe:

:Even Canada’s.
(vying withtMarkham, Ont,
“s invaded by modern proble

don riot equipment
-. police as standby f
sa teenagers’ pai

rcés last

-Just a month oF bvo ago po

~ swooped arotind some noisy:lar

frolics in my leafy area on’ Marine Drive.:i
the morning the wayside was littered wit!
bores and cans of beer — of the more
expensive brands. Even our, drunk

have their standards, you k OW

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Tunothy
Managing Editor
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