A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 13, 2002
TERRACE

STANDARD

ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988

PUBLISHER: ROD LINK
ADDRESS: 3210) Clinton Street Terrace, B.C, * V8G 5R2
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Rest easy

IT MAY still be two and a half years to the next
provincial election, but provincial Liberals in
Terrace should feel relatively comfortable with
the prospect of once again winning the Skeena
seat.

That's because while those opposed or those
affected by provincial government cuts did pro-
test when those started to happen at the begin-
ning of this year, they have failed to translate
that energy into mounting any candidates in this
month’s local elections.

On the surface, there seems to be a lot to
work with. Provincial government job cuts
have eliminated at least 60 positions here this
year so far. There have been school closures
and job losses in the school district. There have
been job cuts at Northwest Community College.
And there have been cuts to social services pay-
ments supports and the like.

All of this touched the lives of many hun-
dreds, if not thousands of people here but did
not result in any organized response for this
month’s location elections.

To be sure, local government is not the stuff
of provincial or federal party politics. Those
running for local elected office shy away from
party labels, as do voters. Local governments
are about filling potholes and water and sewers,
not about larger social and economic issues.

Local governments don’t have a lot of influ-
ence when it comes to dealing with more senior
ones. But they have become sounding boards
for all sorts of actions taken by those senior
ones. For instance, Terrace council is keeping a
close eye on health care changes here.

Local governments also serve a practical pur-
pose for those with an eye on a larger prize.
They are a training ground in terms of building
and testing an election machine. It is a place
where prospective provincial candidates can de-
velop a profile and municipal politics can pro-
vide a platform to either criticize provincial ac-
tions or put forth alternate views.

Some may say it is still a bit too early in the
game. Political organizing takes effort, money
and commitment and keeping that up over any
length of time is demanding.

And there are issues out there still building.
The Vancouver Olympic bid with its hazy cost
factors versus even hazier economic benefits,
particularly in the north, has the potential to
galvanize local opinion.

Alcan’s testing of the waters when it comes to
diverting power for sale elsewhere could lead to
people demanding the provincial government
act to safeguard a northwestern resource benefit
for use in the northwest.

But judging from what’s happened so far,
local Liberals should feel pretty good about
their chances here come the next election.

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Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents
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WHAT THEY SAY:

[FIT TALKS LIKE
A DUCK AND LIMPS
LIKE A DUCK...

It’s like the Nazis all over again

VICTORIA — If an intergalac-
tic visitor were to land at a
Canadian or U.S. university,
and take a look at some of the
petitions circulating on cam-
pus, he would conclude that
this planet is peaceful, “with
only one villainous nation de-
termined to destroy the peace
and vialate human rights,”
says Alan Dershowitz, a pro-
fessor of law at Harvard and
author of Why Terrorism
Works.

That nation, Dershowitz
says, would not be Iraq, Libya,
Serbia, or Iran. It would be Is-
rael.

How right he is. There are
currently petitions circulating
on most North American uni-
versity campuses demanding
that universities terminate all
investments in companies
doing business with Israel.

Other petitions urge faculty
members to boycott scientists
and scholars who are Israeli
Jews. Students also: routinely
try to keep Israelis from
speaking at universities, as
was shamefully the case re-
cently at Concordia, where
former Israeli Prime Minister
{and now its foreign minister)
Benjamin Netanyahu was for-
ced to cancel a speech.

Dershowitz next speculates
that the intergalactic visitor,
his curiosity aroused, would
probably try to find out what

FROM THE CAPITAL .
HUBERT BEYER

this pariah has done to earn
the wrath of our institutions of
wWoabun 4|..4 learning.

“He would discover that Is- .

tael is a vibrant demacracy,
with freedom of speech, press
and religion, that is surrounded
by a group of tyrannical and
undemocratic regimes, many
of which are actively seeking
its ‘désttuction.”

‘Tn sliort, ‘the’ ‘fitergalactic

“visitor: would conclude that

whatever they teach students
at our universities, a course on
right or wrong is not amongst
it.

Now, [’ve concluded that
long before the hypothetical
visitor. | have long been cur-
ious why students don’t seem
to object too strenuously to
Outrages such as the quaint

custom of radical Islamic
states to publicly behead
women who are caught having
sex outside of marriage. I sup-
pose it’s one of those customs
a politically correct nation
such as Canada must respect.

I am at a loss to understand
why with atrocities committed
by vile regimes on a regular
basis, our learned students
keep condemning Israel.

The only conclusion | can
come to is that anti-Semitism
is not only alive and well, but
thriving.

What other conclusion is
there, when Canada’s so-
called intellectua' 'oftist slite
tells us that Palestinians who
blow up civilians in shopping
malls and on buses are free-
dom fighters, but Israel, which
is fighting for its very survival,
is the warmonger?

That anti-Semitism is what
drives many of Israel’s neigh-

; hors :is-no secret. As Andrew

Sullivan, formerly editor of
The New Republic, and now
writing for the New York
Times Magazine, said recent-
ly, “fanatical ant-Semitism, as
bad or even worse than Hit-
ler’s, is now a cultural norm
across much of the Middle
East and beyond.”

“It’s the ucrid glue that uni-
tes Saddam, Arafat, ai Qaeda.

Bored? Try reading a

ELECTING A Thornhill school
trustee November 16 promises
all the excitement of a her-
mit’s wake. Voter enthusiasm
is difficult to whip up even
when regional district reps are
Tunning.

This year, regional district
positions were filled by accla-
mation leaving the lone
trustee seat. Hardly a major
drawing card unless your kids
now ride two miles on a bus
that passes the closed neigh-
bourhood school they once
walked to.

Despite angry parents and
grandparents crowding meet-
ing after meeting last spring as
the incumbent school board
closed five schools, I’ll bet
you could bultonhole any 10
people leaving a grocery store
Saturday morning and at least
eight of them would lock puz-
zled and say, “Election? 1
never heard of any election.
For school trustee? Today?
You're kidding!”

Then ask the plans of the
two who know about the elec-
tion. At least one will have
better things to do than vote.

That level of interest results
in 242 voters deciding major

THROUGH BIFOCALS
CLAUDETTE SANDECKI

issues we all live with for
three years or longer.

Pity the deputy returning
officer and scrutineers on duty
for twelve hours from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. while electors dribble
in.

I recall acting as scrutineer
for Nadine Asante the year she
contested a regional district
seal. ] was assigned to the hub
of Area E polling activity,
Thornhill! Elementary School.
There we sat, rulers poised
over our voters’ lists, eager to
tick off an electors - name
whenever one wandered in.

Knitiers constructed most of
a sweater. Unqualified to knit
or crochet, I memorized the
gym’s decor down to the rub-
ber mats strung like stepping
stones from the front door to
our tables,

We sipped coffee from ther-
moses to stay warm and
awake. Lunch hour brought a
crush of electors, at least
eight, forcing us to pick up our
pace. They were impatient to
get back to fun activities like
dropping off dry cleaning.

The weather was typical for
elections in mid November. A
whoosh of fog escorted each
elector like a rock star ap-
proaching the mike. Nonethe-
less, when Asante drove me
home in blowing snow she
wore only sandals on her bare
feet.

Election staff enjoy prompt
results. The rest of us will wait
several days for news media ta
reveal winners and losers,
Mayors and councillors rate a
mention on the Monday morn-
ing news. School trustees
don’t.

I wanted to attend fast
Tuesday’s all candidates forum
at the REM Lee. But I can-

Hezbollah, Iran and the Saudis.

They all hate the Jews and.

want to see them destroyed.”

The imminent anniversary ol
Kristallnacht, the Night of Bro.
ken Glass, should be a remin-
der to all people of goodwill af
what unchecked and state-
sponsored hatred leads to.

On the nights of November 9
and 10, 1938, gangs of Nazi
youth roamed through Jewish
neighbourhoods breaking win-
dows of Jewish businesses and
homes, burning synagogues and
looting.

In all 101 synagogues were
destroyed and almost 7,500
Jewish businesses were de-
stroyed. 26,000 Jews were ar-
tested and sent to concentra-
lion camps, Jews were physic-
ally attacked and beaten and
91 died.

It was the beginning of the
end for Europe’s Jews. The Ho-
locaust that followed was to

., see six million Jews murdered.

I lived ‘in Germany during
those horrible years. True,’ ]
didn’t know about what was
happening. Many others did
and said nothing. But today I
do know.

It is for that reason I stand
on Israel’s side as a friend.

Beyer can be reached at:
E-mail: hubert@ccolcom.com;
Tel (250) 381-6900; Web

hitp:ltwww.hubertbeyer.com

book

celled when rain began about
suppertime. Rain could become
ice or snow. I’m not a winter
driver.

Next morning I felt less
guilty for staying home. The
news reported four single car
accidents thal day due to icy
roads,

] stayed home and watched
the Giller Prize presentation. ]
met the five authors (only one
of whom ! knew) whose fiction
books were short listed for the
$25,000 prize.

Their writing could have as
much, maybe more, influence
an the education of our kids as
Saturday’s choice of a trustee.
We all know our trustees have
no money to work with, and no
way to demand more.

] would have awarded the
prize to Austin Clarke for his
novel, The Polished Hoe, The
spting curled Jamaican born
black man has a courtly charm,
as does his prose. The three
person jury agreed with my
choice.

Thornhill scrutineers will
have time to read a Giller
novel while they wait for yo-
ters,

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