6 — Friday. October 23, 1998 - Norih Shore News selfless acti are a nasty bunch on the \ West Coast. The streets are choking with caffeine- addled, self-absorbed, humourless, horse-power addicted, road-raging accidents waiting to happen. And then there is the curious case of West Vancouver’s Paul Zalesky. He was going through the motions of an ordinary day, driving home as many of us do. His wife and children were in the car with him. And then something quite extraor- dinary happened. An apparently driveriess BMW swayed past him. He acted quickly, did a U-turn and pursued the vehicle. north shore news VIEWPOINT io The BMW rear-ended his car and eventually came to a halt just before a busy Marine Drive intersection in West Vancouver. Zatesky risked his own life and the well-being of his family to save a young stranger in trouble. Heroic action is often spontaneous and always selfless. It is the hard evi- dence of innate nobility. It’s some- thing we see too little of. On Wednesday Zalesky received a special commendation from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. Just how far Zalesky rose above the cranky herd is confirmed in the com- Te GOVERNMENT'S MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON FOR USE __~ . ( PEPPER SPRAY BEDDER | DEN DA BASEBALL BATS? NO, WAIT- DATS NOT RIGHT. So WE COULDA USED ) DA WATER CANON. ff NS, WAIT. DATS NOT IT) RUBBER BULLETS? NO, WALT- EXPLODING & ARMOUR PIERUNG ‘ gucets. NO,WA\T— BAYONETS Wio OA Boson Tips. NO, WAIT TANKS! DA Bite ONES~ URE tn TIA AWOAEE PRUARE, Oo, wait... THE APEC PROTESTERS MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON FOR USE ments of ICBC’s Dean Pelkey, who AGAINST APEC AGAINST THE A frantic 11-year-old girl was at the wheel. Zalesky managed to position his Mercedes ahead of the runaway BMW and hit the brakes. driven on car).” Electing judges won't fix our justice system Dear Editor: While I can sympathize with Ted White's views (Oct. 9 News) regarding Judge Grant Burnyeat, | don't share Mr White's views that electing judges, or for that matter other legal officers, is the solution. As Mr White knows, the problem svith any elected offi- cial is that once elected, their first priority is to get re-clect- ed. Regrettably currying political favours to assist cither with monetary or political support for candidates’ election or re- election campaigns scems to be a way of life. A quick look at the long list of patronage appointments both ederally and provincially shows plenty of evidence of this. However, I’m not sure that getting re-elected should be our legal officers first priority. The thought of currying legal favours in order, say, to censure enough cash in a judge's campaign coffers, ugh ... 1 shudder at the thought. We need a sirong, independent legal system, that is not subject to the influence of the public opinion that some- times tends to waver from one side to another. Law is so complex a subject that most of the general pub- lic (myself included) don’t possess the knowledge to prop- crly asses a judge’s or a district attorncy’s competency. That’s not to say I don’t favour accountability for judges whose decisions might be suspect. But I’m not sure that bal- lot box accountability is the right way to go. Chris Young North Vancouver Mailbox policy LETTERS to the editor must be legible (preferably type- written) and include your name, full address and telephone number. Due to space constraints the North Shore News cannot publish all letters. Submissions can be faxed te 985- 2104 bur still must be signed and fully addressed. Worth Shore News tounded m 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and quaihed uncer Schedule 111. Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act, pubkshed each Wednesday. Friday and Sunway by Noth Shore Free Press Lid. and aistributed to every door on tte North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canaan Publications Mat! Sales Product Agreentent No 0087233. (Mading rates avatable on request. a Barbara €mo donathen Ge Distribution Manager romagan aces 986-1337 (124) Creative Services Mananer 985-2131 (127) Bt SA2 tavetaye ottulavon, Wedsesgay, Prigay & Sunayy said, “a lot of people would have just (when they saw the runaway Three cheers for Mr. Zalesky. READER, cynic that you are, you won’t believe this. You will suspect that ham conniving in avery clever promotion. Or that I'm an unsus- pecting dupe of ane. Definitely aot the first. Maybe the second? Last Friday { wrote about a splendid concert in Greater Tiddlycove by a mysterious group called The Thre+ Divas. Unreviewed. Umdentitied. Who, I wondered, are they? The plot thickened. On Saturday a striking flower arrangement (by Exquisite Moment Florists, Park Royal) arrived at my abode: A rose Gf delicate hue, a peacock feather, and — fittingly ~ 2 beautiful mask. And a card. It read: “If you want to know who we are, come tu the Cotton Club comozvtow [i.c., last Sunday} night. A free pair of tickets awaits you and a guest at the door. (Signed) The Three Divas.” I tingled. fasitively tingled. One has so little drama in one’s life, doesn’t one? Of course tis free tickets were a no-no. My company, Holland House Communications Ltd., has a firm policy against freebces. You get biases in these columns. But they are biases — what less candid colum- nists call “opinions” or “views” — free from crass commercial taint. But I hesitated to accept. Sundays are for sleeping. Early to bed. A hard week ahead of guiding the destinies of those who guide the destinies of the world. (Scof¥'as you will, My appointment PEYER SPECK Publisher 885-2131 (101) Human Resouttes Manager 985-2133 (177) Bell Tery Peters Photography Manager 985-2134 (160) Classitied Manager 986-6222 (202) Doug Foot Comptotter $85-2131 (133) Entue coments © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All tights reserved, PROTESTERS book, for boil one-on-one or collective interviews just since Sept. 22, includes: Prine Miniter Jean Chretien. Opposition leader Preston Manning. Finance Minister Paul Martin. Sen. Anne Cool. House Speaker Gilbert Parent. . Capilano-Howe Sound MI John Reynolds, BC. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell. A West Vancouver councillor who will be nameless. Treasury Board President Marcel Masse. Chretien’s princi- pal secretary and probabiy closest confidant Eddic Goldenberg. Jim Fulton and his David Suzuki Foundation. Federal {nvergovernmental Minister Stephane Dion. U.S, ambassador to Canada Gordon Gittin. B.C, Hydro chairman Brian Smith. French ambassador Denis Bauchard lies ahead. Now do vou understand why I’m in bed by 7:30?) Fortunately, ['m not a name-dropper. And you’re thinking: Doesn't he know any really important people, like bakers and carpenters? But that’s an aside. As of this writing, I'm undecided whether to attend The Three Divas concert at the Corton Club. One thing is certain, though. Whether it’s smart self-promotion on their part or not, the mystery divas are getting a jor of ink in this column. G00 Now, a leak ofa disturbing document (?'m reluctant'to name names because of potential libel): A politiaan claims he/she feels intimi- dated and to have been pointedly leaned on by a former political supporter if he/she LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number. Timothy Renshaw Managing Editor 985-2131 (916) mn ee Trixi Agrios Promotions Manager 985-2131 (218) Aren Evers Acting Display Manager $80-0511 (307) VIA e-mail: trenshaw @ direct.ca Gail Srelgrove General Otlice Manager 985-2331 (105) internet- http-//www.nsnews.com GOVERNMENT vas and oiher local ferry stories doesn’t actively support a third person. This is the second instance — the first had a difterent cast of characters but was built around the same theme — within a few weeks of claimed attempted intimida- tion, If T seem slow to pass judgment on both macters, its because one man’s buily- ing and threatening is another man’s point- ed advice and tiiendly persuasion. Ie might take a court to decide which. And, who knows, it might ver. But 1 wish P'd been the tly on the wall —~ or the cop tapping the telephone (just kidding, I hope) — to judge for myself and inform readers. 999 West Van Council, backing a proposal by Coun. Allan Williams, is absolutely right in resisting B.C. Ferry Corp.'s attempt to impose not just a parkade (needed) bur a combined parkade and retail operations (not needed) on charming and fragile Horseshoe Bay. The situation is entirely different from ferry terminals at Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Duke Point and Nanaimo — all of tiem far from restaurants and other services. Liberal MLA Jeremy Dalton properly scorns the New Democratic Party govern: ment for recently passing Bill C-31, sup- posedly giving municipalities more power. Meanwhile B.C. Ferries’ top dog, Tom Ward, makes it clear that the government sailors can push municipalities around with impunity, because his corporation has high- er pricrities than merely Iccal ones. True cnough. But lovely Horseshoe Bay is a ferry point totally unlike the others. It richly repays an hour or fwo’s sauntering, plus offering half'a dozen good places for food and drink within just a block or two. HOW TO REACH:US: Administration Sisplay Advertising Real Estate Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom Distribution Display & Rea! Estate Fax Hewsroom Fax Classified, Accounting & Main Office Fax Michael Becker - News Editor 985-2731 (114} : Andrew McCredie - Sparts/Community Editor 985-2131 (147) The Rorth Shore News is published hy North Shore Free Press Ltd., Publisher Peter Speck, from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, B.C., V7M 204°