6 - Wednesday, July 1, 1992 - North Shore News FREE An To NEC NEWS VIEWPOINT | A day for Canada ORGET ALL the moaning, nitpick- ing and whining: take time out today to celebrate Canada’s 125th birthday. _ The tandwringers, caterwaulers and chronic complainers that are a tax on the spirit of our country would have everyone north of the 49th Parallel observe a wake ‘rather than celebrate a birthday today. But those with the commoa sense to ap- preciate the greatness of Canada should take no notice. Regardless of ‘the growing pains the country is currently undergoing with the relentless Constitutional debate, most Ca- nadians have a gut feeling that Canada should and will survive the white-livered Politicians who run the country and the bliakered special interest groups who CRUE would tear it apart to appease their own shortsighted political agendas. iq April, a United Nations report that compared the quality of life in 160 coun- trics judged Canada to be the best place in the world to live. The rating was based on such factors as education, life spaa and purchasing power. Of course, chronic complainers and other killjoys dida’t agree then and won't agree now with that assessment, but then they wouldn’t know a good thiag if it poked them in the right eye. So take the time today to give thanks that you live in Canada and that this great nation is still in one piece. Then consider taking one more step and * decide kow you might help to keep it “together. LETTER OF THE DAY Understand why the community is angry Dear Editor: In her June 12 letter to the edi- tor a policeman’s wife wrote ‘I am outraged, not at the way things are being handled with the Danny Possee case, but with the way that our community views the job of police officers.” L understand why the communi- ty is mad. Publisher Manat ing Editor . Associate Editor Advertising Director .. 7 Comptroller .. Peter Speck . .Timothy Renshaw Noel Wright .Linda Stewart Doug Foot You did not attend Danny Possee’s funeral. 1 did. You did not have to say goodbye to him, the way his family and many. friends did. You did not watch a video tape of Danny Possee grow- ing up and stopping at the age of 22 years old. We did. You did not have to look at the media cameras outside the church. Display Advertising 980-0511 Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Newsroom 985-2131 fat vouce G8 MONTH AND Wass WuRCOUVER You see your husband every day, but the Possees and friends do not get to see Danny any more. I would like to write one last thing: Goodbye, Danny, and as Pink Floyd said ‘‘PIl see ya on the dark side of the moon,”’ and save a cold one for me. J. Peatman West Vancouver Distribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax 985-3227 Administration 985-2131 North Shore maragec North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph It of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wi , Friday and Sunday br North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Class Mail Regiswation Number 3885 Subscriptions North and fancouver, $25 per year. Mailing rates available on request. issions afe welcome but we cannot accept tesponsibiity for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stamped, addtessed envelope. V7M 2 SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY 113S Lonsdale Avenue, North vancouver, BC. MEMBER SN" | _._ <> sae [crao | + 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday. Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1992 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserveg. Forget Ottawa. Listen to the and that’s us DEAR CANADA: I couldn’t let your 125th birthday pass without adding my congratulations and wishes to the thousands of similar messages you'll be getting today. A century and a quarter is quite a landmark anniversary for a sturdy youngster like yourself — something like grad, ! guess, with a wonderful life beckoning you. So my sincerest wish of al! is for endless more occasions like this through all the years to come. Personally, I’ve no fears about that and I feel sorry for all the grouches sunning around saying this may be your fast birthday. They need psychotherapy, or counselling, or even (in 2 handful of cases) more direct help — like the toe-end of a boot. They’re encouraged, of course, by those bad actors in Ottawa and provincial capitals who for far too long have been messing up your young life for their own political gain. What all these pygmies can’t seem fo grasp is that — in your quiet, modest way — you are far stronger than they are. You're far stronger for two reasons: the LAND your 27 mil- lion people share and the IDEA it represents to them. Geographically, the breakup of the U.S.S.R. made you.the world’s largest nation — a vast, majestic and mostly beautiful stice of real estate with the potential © for offering every inhabitant a life of liberty, security, achievement and personal satisfaction that’s envied around the globe. In short, as that UN survey put it a couple of months ago, you're simply the best place in the world to live. This, Canada, is the gut feeling your people have about you from coast to coast. They include Quebecers, the original Canadians two centuries before the rest of us — even those Quebecers who, sincerely though mistakenly, think political independence is the only way to protect their language and culture. And a big majority even of the latter make it clear they would want to keep their other links with the remainder of the country their forefathers pio- neered. Eighteen years ago Pierre Trudeas ran an election campaign under the slogan “*The Land is Noel Wright | HITHER AND YON Strong.’’ Today in Ottawa they're - celebrating your birthday with a special new song by Vancouver’s Paul Airey and Jady Harnett. Its title: ‘Listen to the Land.”” Pierre, Paul and Judy under- stand you, Canada. And they un- derstand the 27 million of us who — in our many individual ways — love you for exactly what you are. They understand us both far bet- ter than the pathetic wheelers and dealers temporarily in charge of the store. That’s why I’ve no fear for your future birthdays. Even should one of your kids leave home politically, it could never cut its emotional ties to the land it would still share with all of us. ° Not that I think it must come to that. Canadian patriotism has never been loud and ostentatious. its strength lies in a quiet, deep, unshakeable state of mind. For this reason I believe you'll always win the day, without any noisy flag-waving, against any who would seek to destroy you. Because the magnificent land that YOU are is an inseparable part of every one of US. What it means to be a proud Canadian is, in the end, as simple as that. Many, many happy returns of July Ist, Canada! : NEWS photo Mika Wekeficid REPRESENTING 8.C. at Canada’s 125th birthday party in Ottawa is West Van artist Jody Simmons (right), winner of the Canada Day Challenge Poster Contest. With her, Associate Defence Minister Mary Collins, and Canada Day Challenge Contest president Rick Watson.