A4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 20, 1993 ‘TERRACE STANDARD ESTABLISHED APRIL 27, 1988 ADDRESS: 4647 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. * V8G 188 TELEPHONE: (604) 638-7283 * FAX: (604) 638-8432 MODEM: 638-7247 Dr. Isaac Sobol! IF THERE can be such a title as moral victor in the nasty world of politics, it goes to Dr. Isaac Sobol, the National party candidate for Skeena. Dr. Sobol will not win the election next Monday, but he will be able to get a good night’s sleep be- cause he knows he has done the right thing. Dr. Sobol has elevated himself and his party to the high ground of political discourse in the northwest. Articulate. and passionate, Dr. Sobol has been able to touch the all-Canadian nerve of practically every voter. Even those out there tired of politics cannot deny the impact of his state- ments which resulted in numerous rounds of ap- plause at last week’s all candidates debate. The measure of his success is very evident when considering the comments of New Demo- crats, More than a few party members have spent the last days thinking of what might have been had Dr. Sobol. been the NDP candidate. And more than a few people leaning toward the NDP but attracted to the National party are in a quandry about what to do. Every vote for the Na- tional party takes away from the NDP and adds to the Reform party’s chances. As much as the National party wants to deny it, it is acting as the new base from which the original precepts of first the CCF and then the NDP can be revived, refined and built upon. Should Reformer Mike Scott win next Monday his margin of victory over New Democrat Joe Barrett could very well match the number of votes cast for Dr. Sobol. All this is not to suggest that the National party knows what it is doing. A lot of its policies are vague and need a couple of years of simmering. It’s all too easy to say nice things without having to WOrTy i about t following through. The party also ‘needs, ~tihie” to. “build ‘RY? Gipatlization ito | ‘demonstrate. it-has staying power. '. Those who vote for Dr. Sobol will know they have done something for themselves and for that feeling they have toward their country. They will have not-acted out of anger or bitterness or fear - toward somebody else. And that’s a very rare. feeling i in n today’ 8 political climate. ‘good 8 sign MAYBE. BECAUSE there are eight people run- ° ning: for federal office and that encouraged others to think about politics. Maybe the sunny fall has given people a sense of optimism. Or ‘perhaps people are ticked off and want some- ‘thing done. Whatever the reason, it’s darn good ‘to see-the large number of people file for ‘municipal, ‘school district and Tegional district ‘seats. joe. < Itsa fair bet that the recent growth i in . Terrace and area ‘has: ‘spurred a lot of interest in what should: be: ‘happening. The area is at. a crucial ‘stage. of its history. It can either repeat the mis- takes of other’ places ‘that have ‘experienced growth or it can stop, pause and ensure that what ‘Should : ‘happen: next fits a broad. spectrum ‘of needs. - Of considerable interest is the three-way race. for mayor in Terrace and the 11 people running | for six council seats. There’s:been. a- growing ‘feeling that this current council has been-a bit too complacent and doesn’t reflect the full range of the city’s residents, All this should change con- sidering the’ e'wide range of candidates, . PUBLISHER/ EDITOR: Rod Link CNA ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mike L, Hamm a "PRODUCTION MANAGER: Edouard Credgeur . : NEWS COMMUNITY: Jeff Nagel * NEWS SPORTS: Malcolm Baxter , ee “OFFICE MANAGER: Rose Fisher ‘composine: Pam Odell * TYPESETTER: Tricia Walker 2 ~ DARKROOM: Susan Credgeur — a: ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS: Sam Collier, Janet Viveiros -} CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR: Charlene Matthews L Serving the Terrace ares, Publshed on Wednesday ofeach week by Caroo res (1000) Lt a 4eaT ., Latteie Ave, Terraot, Brtish Columbla fea inthe Terrica Standerd are the propery ofthe aiveitishg Vv OLD EINEULATION, " Stories, photographs, Il ns en fy 7 copra holders, Inching Cariboo Press (1969) Ud, Wa Ifuntatlon opto survions and ; Roan inv permission, specticaly prohibited. . - sched nl ung ha on Of ep ar pt icc : } , 3 to all: our contributors and correspondents for thelr time and talents » jog ’-in Mississippi, 1 OHWNO.,.ITS DIFFERENT WITH ME AGAIN, IN THE MORNING | AM PRETTY WELL UNDECIDED... - AND (TIS AFTER MY COFFEE THAT ] LEAN TOWARDS REFORM AND AFTER LUNCH | GIVE IT TO THE LIBERALS ~— ORSOMETIMES THE N.D.P.BUT COMES SUPPERTIME = —{'M-SOLID BEHIND THE CONSERVATIVES... HOWEVER IN THE EVENING | FIND MYSELF UNDECIDED, ,.. Huftina"2 Preston's a very scary guy VICTORIA — When I was signing in at the front desk of the legislative buildings on the holiday weekend to go the press quarters and write this column, onc of the security guards outside, who had ob- viously seen me enter the buildings, said jokingly over the intercom: “Preston Manning is the best thing that happened to Canada, no matter what these colum- nists say.’” Actually, I’m sure he was only half-joking. The Reform Party’s clection-bound juggernaut would indicate that a lot of Canadians think of Manning the same way my ' security guard friend does. i In fact, before I was able to finish this column, another un- likely Manning supporter came out of the woodwork — John Twigg, a former colleague of mins and former press secre- tary to Dave Barrett when he was premier in the early 70s. I say former colleague be- . cause although Twigg is still in the newspaper business — he published several economic- political newsletters — he has : forfeited the right to call him- self a journalist by publicly aligning himself with a politi- ALL THE world’s stage... and some political: candidates are harder to keep on it than others. That’s why they’re flanked by a close-formation row of stone-faced puppeis who smile, nod, or applaud. on cue. These weeks of campaigning . have become re-runs until I’ve given up concentrating on the: pasty leaders’ words. I analyze their stage presence. _. Aly. more town hall mect- “ings and Kim Campbell will _ have to forsake her stool for an _clephant’s tub. Like the flood- she’s "spreading: before our very eyes. She Jost 25 pounds before the _ June. leadership convention. Since then, she’s replaced the lost weight and gained another 15 or 20. Happy yo yo. She springs to a podium with the bounce of Raymond Burr approaching a murder jury for his final summation. Though short, her prime ministerial ex- perience has aged her unduly. That gives her no Tight to lec- | OH YEAH! EAT MY): pusr you 6x ¥& FOTLICKERS ! _FROM THE CAPITAL HUBERT BEYER cal party. In case you're wondering . ‘where all this sudden support for. an extreme ‘right-wing party comes from, the answer - is easy. In times of uncertainty, people are hoping for a Mes- siah to deliver them fom whatever mess they got them- selves into. These are uncertain times, we are in a mess or rath- er we believe we are, and Man- ning is a handy Messiah. Preston Manning’s vision of Canada is a reborn version of Alberta-spawned Social Credit, the party of which his father, Ernest Manning, was an early : and ardent follower, os THROUGH BIFOCALS. CLAUDETTE SANDECKI ture me with finger jabs. Has she bit off more role than she can chew? What’s eating her? Perhaps she's worricd about the October 25. outcome, Maybe she could resist calories if she had a spouse to’ share her day, to dump on. when things go wrong, lo kick back with when things go right. Something © must be bothering her, some- thing job-related, In those days, they called it the funny-money party. Like his father, Preston Man- ning is a fundamentalist Chris- tian, and you can bet your share of the national debt that, given half a chance, he will try to mold the nation in the only image he has ever known — _ that of Christian fundamen- talism. “Now, before you drive a stake through my hart, I have to tell you that I’m a Christian myself, albeit a lukewarm one. But I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state. On the economic front, Man- ning worries me, too, If Manr ning is,to be; and he ‘would eliminate the deficit in three years, there is only one way he could do it — by savaging the country’s safety net. Yes, you can wipe out the deficit if you take away pen- sions from one-third of all Ca- nadians, scrap unemployment . insurance, throw medicare on - the garbage heap and tell wel- fare recipients to go to. hell. Like I said, it’s easy, if you put your mind toit TIE you really want to know whose side Manning is on, I’d Audrey McLaughlin bobs her head like a starving Wyandotte knee decp in wheat keeping an eye out for hawks. When she. relaxes and speaks off the cuff, ‘her voice drops to a level. that sounds honest and sincere. Delivering ascripted talk, her. exaggerated manmerisms and vocal intonations repulse me. Preston Manning offends me with his effeminate ‘inversion of the wrist while pointing an index finger extended from a closed fist. A schoolmarm pose, chalk in hand. I try to picture my father gesturing similarly while explaining. to Mom why he rushed to the im- plement dealer for a replace- ment tractor gear in the midst of spring planting. No image of my Dad takes shape on my mental screen. What I seé Is a funeral parlor director showing caskets, Jean Chretien too often looks _. wild-cyed, “Oh, my God, have I put my foot in It this thmel’? Sometimes he’ loses the thread n by his word, | ale Mh ihe afta CH MIE 7) like to draw your atiention to a Saturday Night article a couple of years back, which reported on a swanky affair thrown for him by newspaper magnate Conmd Black and friends at the exclusive Toronto Club, where Manning was sized up by Bay Street’s power brokers and found deserving. . Black is the same guy who, when asked in a television in- terview what he would like to be remembered for, replied for having invented the one-man newsroom. By the way, this column runs in some of Black’s papers. At least it did. But I digress. Back to _Man- Han ba nadians Foun’ vote out of fear and shouldn’t consider secondary consequences. I'd like to think that secondary consequences are not only an important but essential consid- eration in any election. Before you put your ‘X? bes- ide the Reform Party candi- date, you should think of the consequences. For my part, Manning scares the hell out of me, Zealots always do, ‘and if nothing else, Manning’ is a zealot. Actions louder than words | of his speech, like a TV news anchor listening to instructions on his earplug. — At his best, Chretien’s worth listening to for. his jokes. He as Bob Hope's timing. and ability to ad lib. But adhering - to a written script, he’s too preoccupied interpreting stage: _ directions to deliver a moving ' Message. His hands flap about {n contrived swoops and chops that have me ducking.: ” For amusement, I by to guess the stage lines I can ex-. pect to hear blown up by Dou- ble Exposure or The Air Farce, With 47 days practice, I can pick them as well as any Monty Python buff. This éntire campaign’ has been a circus. Spin ‘doctors. Handlers. Advisers. Their manipulations are as evident everywhere a5 cuc.cards at 4 TV special. a! I can’t wait for this: out-of- town stage run'to close and the | main show to begin in Ottawa. S. 2