Page A4 — Tarrace Standard, Wednesday, April #5, 1992 O * ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1088 Registration No. 7820 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C., V8G 188 Phone (604) 638-7283 "TERRACE STANDA Rod Link Fax (604) 638-8432 Servin) the Terrace atea. Published on Wednesday of ach week by Cariboo Press (1959) Lid. at 4647 Lazalle Ave., Terrace, British Columbia. 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CIRCULATION Special thanks to all our contributors and correspondents for their time and talents. _EDITORIAL The need to read Of all the necessities in life, reading is the most important. It’s the one connec- tion that brings all of us together. The ability to read — and to write — allows us to. communicate our thoughts and opinions. It provides the basic tool for survival in an increasingly complex world which demands knowledge as the key to everything. Putting that principle into action is the goal of two local groups — the library board and Project Literacy Terrace. It hasn’t been an easy task for either one. For four years, the library board has been promoting an extension to its building. The journey has been one of ups and downs. Its initial plan was shelv- ed when the city decided instead to pro- mote the now-cancelled plan to build.a community/conference centre. Just last month the library board suc- cessfully gained the support of the city and of the regional district to hold a referendum to borrow money. And then the provincial government wiped out the lottery grant system the board had been counting on for the remaining one-third of the $1.8 million estimated cost of the extension. That’s why it was encouraging to hear veteran library backer Willy Schneider speak to the chamber of commerce last week. Despite the~lottery ;grant,, disap:..:; ! pointment, Mr. Schritidiér said-the board ting educational’ needs’of today: "7" will press on. It’ll lobby for a ‘yes’ vote for the referendum. It’ll continue the ef- fort to secure money from the provincial government. It’ll explore the possibility of federal government money. .The measure of the library board’s commitment is its plan to once again ex- amine the cost of the extension provided city and regional district taxpayers say ‘yes’ in the June referendum. Mr. Schneider said the $800,000 wanted from city taxpayers and the $400,000 from regional district taxpayers is the limit. There will be no more requests. That could very well mean, depending upon how much money from other sources the library can raise, a scaling down of the project. But Mr. Schneider. was firm in saying the final result won’t sacrifice the space required for library -users into the next century. That kind of position, in return, deserves a ‘yes’ vote in June. The other group struggling is Project Literacy Terrace. Financed by a small federal grant last year, the group opened an office to seek out people who wanted to learn to read. It trained volunteer ‘tutors and did a survey to determine the need for more work in this area. More than 60 people have been assisted since the office opened. It may sound like a small number but the. benefit to those who were helped can’t be calculated. Reading opens the doors to opportunity and those people have now stepped through to a different world. The survey determined there is a need for more literacy efforts in this area. It’ was’ accompanied by an outline for a course to teach literacy in the work place. The concept is that improved reading skills result in a healthier warkforce.equipped to handle.the grow- But that grant will soon end. If more money isn’t made available the danger is that what has been accomplished will be lost. - That should not happen. Money is not the easiest thing to come by. But this is not money spent wildly. This is an in- vestment in the future of those who live in the north. And it is an investment that will be paid back many times in many ways. Project Literacy Terrace must continue. In a December Wizard of Id Ribbons fell tale | comic strip, the princess points to a ribbon on Rodney's chest and asks, ‘‘What is that little ribbon for, Rodney??? Bifocals ‘‘Perfect attendance,” he |. answers. by Claudette Sandecki 7 “At what?” Sick call,”’ butts in the king. Through Seas Ss ASE KAMEN MAN on * he ) ~Sa ey \ SX a eo —S ‘S BY ac ae a bw 2 ar: Wearing ribbons has become a silent language. Black ribbons have always signified mourning. Yellow ribbons ~— of the sort wound around oak trees until the hostages returned — con- note steadfast love. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driv- ing). wants every driver to fly a red ribbon from his. vehicle's - antenna like a 1960's racoon tail to remind us of the many people killed by drunken’ drivers. Orange: ribbons mark surveyors’ trails, Lately, men have begun spor- : ting white ribbons to make known ‘their abhorrence of violence against women. Ribbons are a passive, inex- pensive way to support a cause. Instead of jogging 14 sweaty kilometres or donating 50 hard earned doilars, it takes only a few inches of narrow satin and a wee safety pin. No silkscreening. No printing. No assembling of teeny parts like'a Remembrance Day poppy or a St. Patrick’s Day shamrock. At the rate causes are pro- liferating, we're gonna need greater ribbon variety to ac- curately express our sentiments. That could mean ribbons of varying widths —- to signify degree of commitment — polka dots for the undecided, and - various combinations ‘of col- oured stripes or plaids for those working to right several wrongs at once. Ribbon etiquette will need clarification by Dear Abby and Miss Manners. What is the pro- per place on the lapel to pin rib- bons? May they be pinned side by side like military medals? Eventually, for a Harper Col- lins book, Margaret Visser will research the origin and evolu- tion of ribbons as emblems of societal protestation. Activisits will compile a rib- bon wardrobe just as fashion . models assemble a palette of nail polishes or lipsticks. Jewelry boxes will be built with another tray especially for filing ribbons between proclaimed Weeks, Museums will consign a niche to the history of protest rib- bons. Collectors will trade rib- bons like hockey cards. Before auctions, Sothebys will send out auction scouts to. appraise rib- bon collections. Good Housekeeping’s Heloise will publish tips on the — laundering of activist ribbons. Woman's Day will print easy- to-follow instructions for piec- ing ribbons into declarative cushions or quilts.. Chatelaine will offer. fashion. advice on ‘suitable. fabrics and colours as ribbon backdrops. 8.C, Woman will run an article on 3 Sooke woman who weaves rib- bon on a hand loom. In Terrace, rather than another hamburger drive-in, a franchised ribbon outlet will open in the mall. Special recycl- ing bins will be set up for frayed ribbons. No doubt we'll be ad- monished to remove pins before recycling, just as we are now directed to remove labels from cans and bottles. Stripes in clothing will be frowned upon. Their mixed messages could lead to unex- pected violence. After all, a striped jersey like Jughead's could send conflicting messages, Is there.a colour left to. pro- test this ribbon rash? He's glad to help out friend Kempf VICTORIA — If I’ve learned one thing in my 30-year career as a reporter and columnist it’s that there are two sides to every story. The story of Jack Kemp's conviction on a breach-of-trust charge is no different... no The one,side everyone wha,.:;, followed the Kempf case knows by now is that he changed his plea to guilty, was fined $11,000, and put on pro- bation for one year. I'd like to write one more column about Jack Kempf and tell you abou the other side of that story. A week before Kempf was to be sentenced, I phoned his lawyer, Brian Davis, to ask whether I could be of any help. I said I would be quite willing to appear as a characte: witness for Kempf. 1 asked for one condition, that I pay my own way, and not be reimburs- ed by Kempf. . Davis accepted both my of- fer and my condition, and a week later, I found myself in a Vancouver courtroom as a character witness on behalf of Kempf, along with Graham Lea, former NDP Member of the Legislature, and Linda Babb, a former assistant to Kempf. Steering me gently through my testimony, Davis asked how long had I known Kempf. For about 10 years, I said. Wasn’t it a bit unusual for a journalist to stand up for a politician? Maybe, but I wasn’t here as a4 journalist. I was here as someone standing up for a friend. And just in case the judge was still wondering what a. political columnist, who is sup- posed to ‘eat politicians for breakfast, was doing in his courtroom as a character witness for a politician in trou- ble, I thought I'd better elaborate a bit. Contrary to opinions held in some quarters, I said, not all journalists are a ‘‘pack of wolves catering to the worst in: _ Stincts of our society.”? I’m. You'Ll BE COMING BACK WON'T You? From the Capital | by Hubert Beyer quate, It was from one of his fellow judges, Mary Southan. What did I know of Kempf’s abilities as an ad- ministrator? Worse than mine, I replied. Kempf was a great politician, but a terrible ad- ministrator, What was my opinion of Kempf's honesty and integrity? I had no reason to doubt either, Lea told the court of his -association with Kempf, which saw the two on opposing ‘sides of the political fence. Lea, too, left_no doubt that Kempf had a propensity to get into fre- quent trouble by refusing to put his brains in gear before © his mouth. . But Lea also pointed out that he considered Kempf an honourable man, whose word was his bond. And so did dozens of written testimonials from both former colleagues and constituents, There were letters of support from people such as Grace Mc- Carthy, Pat McGeer and Bruce Strachan, and there were let- ters from ordinary folks whom Kempf had represented in Vic- toria. Why did ] choose to come to Kempf's aid? The simple answer is because [ like him, and because he seemed to need a friend when the chips were down. ] usually treat politicians at arm's length. It's generally nat a good idea for @ journalist to Bet too close to politicians, - because sooner or later, there are critical things to be writ- ten, , With Kempf I made an ex- ception, and I’ve never regret- ted it. Jack has been and still oF CouRSsE! THE NoRTH IS THE FREEST , CLEANEST, MOST EXCITING ANP BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE WORLD I! * met ee ee Hier ofnees sure the judge recogiiized the SIGH!,..2 ALWAYS KNEW IT Ll! —F 3 ) ? fiat is as good’a friend as one might wish for. Kempf always embodied what I thought a northern politician should be. He fought fiercely for his constituents, but he never fit any political mold, a He would just as soon savage his own party than give in to the temptation of political expediency. He was al his best as an independent. But he did breach the trust, didn’t he? After all, he plead- ed guilty to the charge which involved leasing a-motor home with constituency funds and using the vehicle as collateral for a personal loan. There was nothing wrong with leasing the motor home per se. Kempf used the vehicle as a mobile constituency of- fice, which made perfect sense in as huge a riding as Omineca. What got him into trouble was that he used the motor home as collateral for a loan. The judge appeared to take a rather lenient view of the whole thing, suggesting that it was more of a technical breach of trust, but the prosecutor disagreed. Under most cir- cumstances, the judge said, the case would qualify for an un- conditional discharge. The high office Kempf had held, however, made it impossible to discharge him. In the end, the judge had to walk a fine line between satis- fying the prosecution or risk a Crown appeal. The fine and the probation were the result. As for my involvement in the case, I’m glad I was able to help out a friend and I wouldn’t hesitate a moment to do so again. oO