Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 8, 1994, Winnipeg, Manitoba A6 10cm editorials six years of tories six years ago Gary Filmon became Premier of since the former Engineer and Busi Nessman has led a tentative there have been few major no damaging scan dals and Only moderate management of the provinces financial affairs has been the conservatives inherited a fiscal Windfall from the Pawley government of the a combi nation of revenues from a surtax on a booming mining Industry and unexpected transfers from Ottawa gave the government enough Cash to Salt away Mil lion in a Rainy Day Flat revenues from nearly every source and a reluctance to Cut too deeply into government programs have drained the fund of All but spare deficits have been As Large As those of the nip but these were caused by poor economic performance during recession Ary rather than by profligate Manitoba Economy has uttered along on three As it historically has Fil Mon has no interest in using Public Money to create Short term he talks about creating a climate which encourages private that climate has not been As sunny As the Premier would have Manitoba economic growth rate has not been the Filmon tories have resisted the temptation to Cut heavily into government the Way other most notably that of Ralph Klein in have chosen to no mass layoffs in the Public sector no hospitals closed As they have been in no assault on income support for protecting vital services during a prolonged races without raising personal income the govern ment deserves the major departments of health and education Are in better hands now than health minister Jim Mccrae and education minister Clayton manness Are More Likely to win Public support for their Reform ideas than former ministers Don Orchard and Rosemary Vodrey could have but for both lofty words about enhancing service while cutting budgets do not ring during the sunup to an voters can expect both ministers to raise the rhetoric without disrupting the Sta Tus it is too late in the mandate for whatever is left of Hilmons second term in office a More Likely half that much will Likely produce the same modest results As the six years which came this is a cautious government which seeks to find the Middle of the since that is where most of the people that is a reasonable a limited agreement the government of Israel and the Palestine libera Tion organization signed an Accord last week de signed to begin the process of palestinian it was a Small step on a Long but it was an important one towards the ultimate goals of a peaceful Settle ment of the palestinian problem in the Middle East and a secure existence for those goals Are still Distant the agreement is for self Rule in Gaza and Jericho the rest of the occupied territories Are still in dispute and there Are wounds left by the creation of Israel in 1948 that have still not even the signing ceremony was not without it came close to being cancelled when Plo chairman Yasser Arafat refused to sign some maps attached to the saying the areas shown were still in Arafat eventually relented and the Accord was successfully that disruption serves As a useful reminder of the difficulties that lie there was not much in the Way of Celebration in the streets of Gaza and Jericho even though the Accord is a Milestone on the Road to an inde pendent Homeland for the nor was there much Celebration in the streets of Jerusalem and Tel although a safer future for Israel is now a Little Clos perhaps it was because this Small step was so difficult to political posturing on both sides caused a Long delay in implementing a Deal that Basi Cally was struck last it simply under lines How much harder is the task that lies even with the Goodwill that seems to exist Between Rabin and not so Long blood ene Mies it is ancient extremists on both sides who Are determined that there will be no and the Many conflicting interests that have to be re solved throughout the entire Are Many spoons stirring that not leave a lot of ground for in the signing by two old foes of one Accord last there is ground for it May have been a Small but it is the first step Forward that has been made in the Middle East for a Long love to be with you at the Sharp but somebody has to be Back at command Central negotiating Roseanne Arnolds Jock and Jill this is Equality the struggle for women Equality still has Many Battles to much ground to it May be time to Start the Battle for equal Crotch Protection for players of both sexes on the playing Fields of win women up to been denied a vital piece of athletic the Jock this denial has labelled them As inferior athletes and helped confine them to the Pink ghetto of Wingette and rhythmic the Jock modern heir to the ancient started out As a protective to shield the male ath letes genitals from harm in the rough and Tumble of a Contact but it has developed into much More than it is a badge of Honor and a Symbol of All supporters of sports proudly Call themselves All but the that Jock strap is neither inclusive language nor inclusive it is narrowly and exclusively this cannot go on much bring on the Jill this will be an athletic supporter adapted to the female it use less and a Mere irritant to the female but the symbolism is extremely powerful and the marketing Opportunity is the Way you know you Are an athlete is you look like the professionals on in the team they fill their Mouths with gum or chewing Spray saliva around them during the playing of the National Anthem and try their Best to look like during pauses in the they fiddle with their uniforms and adjust their Jock this is not just Idle this is sending a message to the opposing team and the onlookers i i i scratch my Crotch and pull at my Jock in a Tough and where does that leave the thou Sands of girls playing on softball and Wingette teams All Over Manitoba it leaves them out in the that it leaves them once again on Terence Moore the outside looking enviously wishing they could Chew and spit and pull at their Jock straps like the not any the Jill strap takes its rightful place in the locker rooms of the on the face of the proposition is i but nothing can be so ridiculous that there is not a Way to make a Buck out of it even the Jill strap can probably be turned into a sound commercial if a manufacturer produced such one Small piece of apparel a great step toward equipment and hired a distributor for that distributor might have a Tough time persuading girls and Young women to buy or Wear such a thing by direct the direct approach is a the distributor could approach the Volunteer softball coaches who run the Little league world and make a convincing the Jill strap could be made Standard equip ment in no time at the coaches will accept the idea More they will not have to pay for the they will not have to Wear they will not have to Bear any ill consequences for imposing such a All they will have to do is agree with the distributor that every player on every girls softball team must Wear the run on the stores will be prices will fortunes will be but the commercial Side of it is Sec the main thing is the generations of girls have been sent Forth into Young womanhood blighted and wounded by the humiliation of playing their sport without a Jock they were exposed to injury while the boys were their relative nakedness told them while the boys genitals were valued As pub Lic assets that had to be sheltered from their female genitals were not they were treated As expend even studies have shown that the Selim age and Sel Confidence of women have been deeply wounded by the Low regard for their organs but if no such studies have been the Gap can be quickly this is the evil that the Jill strap will All Little Canadian athletes will learn that All crotches Are of equal value to the boy crotches and girl crotches once the Little girls have become accustomed to the Jill the chastity Belt will seem even Comfort when their husbands ask them to adopt thus the Jill strap will prepare a whole generation for the next stage in the blossoming of women there is life beyond teenagers by David Koulack special to the free press Winnipeg free press Winnipeg int Gnu my 1171 Winnipeg to bunt my Maurice publisher Duncan Mcmonagle executive editor John Dafoe editorial Page editor directors John Bardawil marketing Craig Barnard circulation de Belhumeur human resources Bill Burns Brian finance Stephan Majorki production Winnipeg from div upon of new Paiml i unto Ion of Thornton co Juny limited put eld do Mountain w770m a i it Council More information is in and it Doest All seem to be bad my friends and i used to spend a lot of time comparing notes on our respective usually the topic arose when one or the other of us was having a particular problem with a teenage son or Daugh Ter whom we didst know How to Cope so at a gathering of friends or Over the we would talk about the problem and try to find some an we never the Best we could Hope for was if we were teen Ager talk would degenerate into a can you top this session with each frustrated parents Story being funnier than the next no but certainly a lot of laughs and in told that laughs Are Good for your cardiovascular there were of course the generic teenager incidents ones that every one had experienced in one form or an children coming Home in the Early Yelling Good night to the Friend who had dropped them waking neighbors and parents in the next came the inevitable clumping around and of doors while getting the essential bed time then with a final crash of dirty dishes into the they be off to a variant on this theme is the Story of the teenager who decided to have Popcorn before going to putting the Popcorn in a pot with he settled Down to the required lat night phone Call to his engrossed As he was in the he failed to no Tice that his Popcorn was on Fortu the smoke detectors woke his there was also the Universal com plaint of what one Friend described As teenagers being House devils and Street somehow the children were extraordinarily considerate of their friends and friends re ports were always trickling in from outside sources of How polite our Chil Dren How they helped with the dishes and were generally very thoughtful and it made one won Der if the conversation was about the same if Only our teenagers would ask us How we were or help put away the dishes at Home now and like everyone i had a couple of Standard stories about my older sons noise mess stories and of the garbage i used to expect my sons to take out the garbage when it was As it turned they had trouble with the concept they always managed to squeeze one More thing into the garbage bag some times splitting it at the but that didst bother i suggested that they just take it out when Ever they were going out the Back whether it was full or no one i put a full All tied up this was not believe me on top of my sons shoes in the Hope that it would remind him to take it what did he do he moved the Gar Bage out of the put on his shoes and one of the Best stories i heard was told by the father of three teenage one cold Winters night he Lent the eldest his car for the he awoke Early the next morning As he described staggered Down the hallway in a Semi somnolent state to the As he started to shave he noticed a piece of paper taped to the slowly his a glazed Earl morning vision brought it into he realized it was a map telling him where he could find his his daughter haunt been Able to Start so she had abandoned it on the other Side of Well at least the map was accurate and his car haunt been towed but As i the news int All As our children have grown Nice stories have begun to come there is a touching tale of a concerned son carrying his ailing father lovingly out of the House to the car and driving him to the Hospital being caring and con another Friend reports that his older who has returned Home for a few has taken on the responsibility of cooking and clean ing up after dinner without being my older sons who have established lives of their own actually do care about they Call me up these Days to ask How in or just to Chat and Tell me How things Are going with occasionally they seek my and not Only do they seem to want to spend time with but the time we do spend together is exceedingly pleas so take All of you who Are parents of there is a Light at the end of the Tunnel or at least i have to Tell myself you the children in my second family Range in age from nine to 13 and in just starting through the next run at that seemingly endless period of David Koulack teaches psychology at the University of ;