TERK ACK/KETIMAT daily herald GeneralOHice- 635-4357 Circulation . 635-6357 Published by Sterling Publishers GEN. MANAGER - Knox Coupland EDITOR - Srag Middlaton CIRCULATION - TERRACE - 435-6357 KITIMAT OF FICE - 632-2747 Published every weekday at 3212 ‘Kalum Street, Terrace, B.C. A member of Varitled Circulation. Auihorized as second class mali. Registration number 1201. Postage paid In cash, return postage guaranteed. NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT The Herald retains full, complete and sole copyright In any adveriilsement produced and-or any editorial or photographic conlent published in the Herald. Reproduction Is nol permitted without the written permission of the Publisher. EDITORIAL Dear Sir: In view of the article and letters in recent editions of your paper, it is time to set the record straight con- cerning Birthright, and the services which Birthright does and does not offer. The Terrace Chapter of Birthright is one of over 300 Birthright groups throughout North America which have provided help for an estimated 100,000 women and girls who were pregnant and distressed. Bir- thright was founded in Toronto in 1968, and the guiding principle of every Birthright Chapter is that “‘it is the right of every pregnant woman to give birth, and the right of every child to be born.” The aim as stated in Article 2 of cur Charter is “to maintain a crisis centre where any pregnant gir) or woman, wed or unwed, may find help as near as her telephone.’ Birthright is independent, non-political and non- sectarian, and operates on financial donations and by fund raising through bake sales, Our help is free and confidential. Volunteers are from all walks of life, and include registered nurses, certified teachers, clerical workers and home makers. They have attended workshops where resource people Included Dr. Aranas, the Terrace district council members are News Item: 2 of 3 chickens sold found contaminated to be commended for taking steps to tighten dog control for this area. . While this newspaper has made much of the problem in recent months, itis not because the problem has suddenly become worse or because we have nothing more entertaining to deal with. ‘¢ The need for better control of animals and citizenry that that is more aware of thelr responsibilities is part of the maturing process that Terrace is un- dergoing. This is no longer the rural Northern town. It is a city and can move toward being the centre of a growing and develaping area. Taking responsibility for the care and control of dogs is just one of the changes | this city is going to have to face. Council should be commended - because their decision is going to mean spending taxpayers money on something #f that can‘t easily be pointed fo as a |; monument of council’s work. Council | members may have to face some im- mediate hostility from those who find ; thelr dogs picked up. The council has, in ; spite of any criticism that may be levelled at it, made the right move. Now let us see what Thornhill can do about the same kind of problem they have in their area. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Tam also trying to locate motion picture fllm of the sitdown and 1980's in general. It has been said thet there w newsreel: their demand for work they cameramen filming on the’ occupied the building for morning of the eviction fram thirty days. The sitdownhad the post office. This film wide and popular support record of a major historical from the people of British event in British Columbla Columbia. _. history haa since been lost I am currently resear- from public view. ching a documentary Film on Any aid in finding this film this event. For many young or any other photographs, people thia will be their first memorles or reflections on introduction to the 1938 the Vancouver post oflice sltdown. As such a film will sitdown of 1934 would be of rely heavily on historic great value in again bringing pictures I would be in- this event to public attention. terested In looking at any =I hope you will be able to photographs, regardless of publish the above letter as size or condition, that show space in your newspaper the sitdown, RPWU marches permits. or the eviction fram the post With gratitude, . office, _ Richard Payment Dear Sir, In 1938 about 1200 unem- ployed men seized the poat office, art gallery and hotel Georgla in Vancouver. In HERMAN “tt you want to sea something ‘real cheap,’ take a look in the mirror.” Letters welcome The Herald welcomes its readers comments. All letters to the editor of general public interest will be printed, We do, however, retain the right to refuse to print letters on grounds of possible libel or bad taste, We may also edit letters for style and length. All letters to be considered for publication must ve signed. ; ro psychiatrist, doctors from Terrace and Kitimat and representatives from Human Resources, Birthright volunteers seek to offer person to person help, em- ploying the use of all community services. Every woman and girl who believes she is pregnant is strongly encouraged to see her doctor. Dr. Aranas gives advice on identifying problem areas and which cases to refer to the professional services. All matters ‘eoncerning adoption and adoption procedures are referred to the legally authorized agencies. To answer the question of why Birthright ‘‘does not do something about birth control information,” the Birthright Charter states in Article 3 that all chapters “shall refrain from offering or giving advice on the subjects of contraception or sterilization.” This thus enables us to focus all our energies on helping the distressed woman or teenager who is already pregnant, There are many groups available to give birth-control. information, whereas Birthright offers help to women who are pregnant. . Birthright recagnizes that the home and school are the usual places for a teenager whois pregnant to seek help. However, believing that we do have ‘valuable services to offer, we wish to be available to any girl who in the moment of crisis feels that they have EB Pras mien “Other than that, how did you like my chicken Kiev?” Our drug laws make no sense There are questions being asked about the heroin treatment centre at Brannan Lake near Nanaimo after the death of an inmate there. In addition to the death of an inmate there, addicts who have undergone treatment at the centre have compained about problems at the institution. The Brannan Lake Treatment Centre was part of the Social Credit government's ill-fated Compulsory Heroin Treatment Pian. The government's scheme was criticized from the beginning. A court ruling saying the provincial government didn’t have the authority to legistate in the area put an end to the law which effectively made it illegal to be a heroin addict. The now defunct law meant that having heroin in your body was enough to send you to the treatment centre for the sipposed cure. The Vancouver nar-.’ coties squad used it ‘as a means to harass street ad- dicts into leaving town. For the most part they returned to the small towns they came from. This meant that the rural reas suddenly were faced with the petty theft and con games that go with the illegal drug trade. . Small town RCMP detachments were faced with break-ins and burlaries and even holdups they had never had before. — Meanwhile, the treatment centre was nearly empty. The government spent millions of dollars on it and there were more staff than patients. It was doomed to failure because the government overestimated its authority and doesn't understand the problem. After the legislation was chucked out by the courts the government announced the centre would stay open for voluntary admissions. The government also | gtarted to look into ways that provincial court judges could order heroin addicts to go to the centre or off the centre as an alternative to jail. What the authorities overlooked is that it is not the drug addiction itself that is the concern. Because the drugs are illegal the prices are high. The high prices lead to the myriad of other crimes that provide the money the junkie needs. It is those crimes which affect our society. As a result of the high cost of the illicit drugs, drug addicts ignore their health. The poor health of the addict, brought about through the high cost of the drug, adds to cost. Drug addiction Is not a crime in itself, nor is it essentially a health problem, The addiction is not as much to the drug, because any drug will do. The ad- diction is to the search for the high, Et is the lifestyle that is addicting. Throughout my time in Victoria and Vancouver a number of the individuals I knew there became in- volved in the drug culture. Itis a society complex and ordered as the one which you and I move around in. . The junkie has to work hard too. I you think that being a street addict is a matter of laying about, EDITOR'S JOURNAL BY GREG MIDDLETON stoned on drugs, oblivious to the world, then you are sadly mistaken. It is life of constant hustling. Most junkies have to come up with between $50 and $100 in cash a day. You have to be pretty inavative and energetic to do that. It is the amount of involvement that is necessary to live that lifestyle that is the key. . A junkie's life means total commitment. It means he or she doesn't have time for anything else. Personal comfort, sex, success at anything other than scoring drugs becomes secondary. i The score is ail. Junkies have abdicated from all the normal social responsibilities. This means they have left the world that you and I know and moved into a world that is to them easier to deal with because the goals are easier to identify. Drug addiction is a social problem. The people who have become involved in the shadowy world of un- dercover dealing, and the mystique of clandestine fix have renounced all our conventions. They live an amoral existance. It is more exciting to them than our day to day drudgery, . You can not foce an alcoholic to quit drinking | against his or her will, Laws and penalties will not deal with drug addicts. Large treatment centres such as Brannan Lake will only be a monument to the stupidity and naivety of the politicians. A drug addict who wants to quit will do so. To the drug addict who makes that decision I say all the more power, We should offer that person all the help in job training and relearning social skilis he or she wants. The cost is easily recovered through the income tax they'll pay working Ike you and I rather than stealing. I think we should put the money we spend on drug enforcement into dealing with the violent crimes, the white collar criminal and what would be left of organized crime. Give the junkie his few ounces of white powder and let him live a life of total intoxication without the melodramatic cops and robbers situation. Many would get bored and quit. It’s no fun torun If no one will chase you. Think of the social good that could be done for those who want and need it if we abandoned the relentless search for drug dealers. Consider the kick in the teeth it would be to those who make untold millions on the ade. I say that trying to enforce useless drug laws is about as self defeating and as destructive ag the lifestyle it forces the junkies to live. Turn Branner. Lake Treatment Centre into a resort or a health spa. 27, SARAREE AEDT ae Birthright clarifies its stand - nowhere else to turn. This is why Birthright wished to make its services known in the high schcols. “ From previous experience we know that ous presentations have been warmly welcomed by both. teenagers and their parents. The advertisement which: we wished to place in the year book was considered, tasteful and helpful by parents of high school students ~ who saw it. . Fran Gibbons is not a member of Birthright and the ~ views expressed in her letter to the Editor in no way. reflect those held by Birthright. Finally, in summary, Birthright is available to help’ any woman or teenager who is distressed by her pregnancy. Maternity and baby clothes, arrangements for a place to live as well as community resource information and referral are some of the- practical helps which we can provide. Yours faithfully, Lesley Nelms Director, Birthright Terrace Chapter OTTAWA OFFBEAT BY RICHARD JACKSON =} OTTAWA — The Liberals for years have told us that : “Tory times are hard times.” It may or may not be so. 7 7 But for sure — on the word of Postmaster General John Fraser — Tory times are serious times. Or if you care to look at it another way, Tory times are funny times. . , Appearing before a Commons Committee the other’ ,, day Mr, Fraser, a Vancouver MP, told the Honorable’~ Members that they must cease and desist making: jokes about his Post Office. With a straight face he told them they weren't to laugh at the postal service. As if anyone would give out with so much as a. chuckle over the non-service of the Post Office which last year ran $495,563,000 in the red. _ Or smile over a letter taking a week to go between, Toronto and Ottawa. ots What's to laugh about some of those funny fellows in. the postal terminals using packages clearly marked” “Fragile, Handle With Care” as footballs in a friendly, time-killing soccer match? i Or who could squeeze a giggle out of the capers- of former Postal Workers President Joe Davidson —’ The court didn't seem amused even if some usually rational but impressionable females seem to find Jean, Claude ‘‘eute.”’ . But back to John Fraser and his strictures against making jokes about the unfunny postal service. - You'll remember that he's a member of a party, indeed of the Conservative Cabinet, that promised — before the election of course — to reduce government spending and slice some of the fat from the obscenely obese public service. _ Well, some of the Honorable Members of the Committee suggested to Mr. Fraser that he might serve both these ends if he were to pare the postal staff by a mere two per cent. After all the Conservatives had promised to slice 60,000 jobs from the federal payroll. Mr. Fraser not only refused, he declared that he ; wouldn't “tolerate” such an outrageous idea, since it . would mean 3,600 being deprived of feeding at the * postal trough. to, ’ Fraser not only lectured the Honorable Members on the evils of laughing at the laughable postal service, but instructed them to take a “constructive and positive attitude” towards it. wo After all, he reminded them, competition was tough with all those fast and dependable courier services guaranteéing 24-hour delivery and actually providing it . ? He forgot to mention that. the private couriars moved smartly into the vacuum when the Post Office went on all those strikes. Lo The Postmaster General has' no sense of the Tidiculous. , , He sees nothing funny about the department's “guaranteed” service that can take up to 10 days to get a first class letter from one end of town to t nothing. . Nothing amusing about those stripes they painted an the post boxes, giving the bemused taxpayer's a choice: of slow-motion service. And pity the poor Honorable Members when Mr, Fraser brings the Post Office estimates ‘before the Commons. = It'll be torture for them to keep a straight face when. Fraser tells them what a great job the postal workers are doing. ; ‘ ; They used to laugh on the outside to keep from crying on the inside. - Now, if we can’t laugh about the state of the postal service, Mr. Fraser better be prepared to see us in’ rs. . POET'S CORNER THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS ‘ By T.A.M. McKay Now is the time we cel our Savion 7 celebrate the birth of our By giving gifts to those that we favor. our ttoney trying to give great cheer,’ But, what happens that rest oF the year?’ nh We slip and backslide, 5 ; another, ide, speaking harsh at one Forgetting once more that i brother, we are sister and Let us all ask God tohelp us remember, a That each and everyone is a Family member. The Spirit of Christmas means cheerfully giving. May we all keep it, all through our dally living. wy ia except for his Caesar-Trudeau atyle haircut — when.- fed up with the taxpayers bleating about the many:. rail strikes he had called he delivered himself of that’ immortal motto of the Post Office:.‘'The hell with thes. i public?” mot tee, _ ; Was it laughable when the current Postal Workers President Jean Claude Parrott defied the ukase of - Partiament and advised his membership to ignore ite } ‘back to work order?