Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 21, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Brian Cole 6977044 readers forum Winnipeg free press a 4 c May 1997 m i o Humour Welcome Indor Reynolds strikes again i have appreciated and her humorous columns for a Long and the May 4 free press was a delightful interlude a Brief respite from the Ever present concern we All Felt about the flooding red it was also Good to read her article diary of a flood during the pre Vious week and to see her journalistic Talent used in a More serious Many free press writers have done a wonderful Job keeping us informed every Day about the facts and figures pertaining to the spread of the red being Able to see diagrams of the maps and statistics of the status of the red and information about where to get what to do if asked to was reas Suring in a time when no one knew for certain what might happen from Day to thanks to All who worked on pro Viding Winni Eggers with Fig help and Humour we appreciate what you Katherine Teller Winnipeg Reward everyone for flood Battle i dont think and especially should continue to be too much troubled with thoughts of Rancour toward an Uncertain Leader playing a Muddy and shallow but predictably pragmatic fiddle at the base of a Scotia Street Vantage Point while Rome was there Are other role models to consider at the this is a time when there has been a leadership of another one so Gratifying by visible and determined in its direction and it is that of Ordinary demonstrating in the process that these Are not ungovernable times after the Spir it and compassion of people for people is almost overwhelming in its unfold ing when this agony i suggest that the unprecedented step be taken to give humbly and appreciatively this provinces highest civic the order of the to the to All of them to Neighbours to the thou Sands of unknown citizens who have worked so hard for one another to the Hutt Erite women and children who came such distances to help to the mennonite Central committee whose in a manner of has just to the people of the Canadian red the salvation the Winnipeg Harvest and to their respective countless volunteers to hundreds of High school including those who Are presently Here from other countries to the first nations people who assisted and whose ancestors experienced first the Beauty of this land and the might of its Waters to our american friends and allies who similarly came to help people and their animals to our Canadian armed forces whose and Admi ration is Long overdue in both recognition and gratitude to fellow Manitoban who Are out of harms Way but whose hearts Are present by their generosity to fellow canadians from the other the nine of who have shown such Confederate compassion and concern and of to the Many suffering Vic Tims of this great Many of them having put their sorrows and losses temporarily aside to help oth whether such recognition is symbolized by or Park site of simple the honour whatever it is a place of the Forks or Assini Boine either would be a most appropriate location to remember solemnly this time and its a tribute but at a respectful Dis Tance from the High Waters that have done and to come Back to the i dont think we need worry about such human values As integrity and charac Ter As they Are pretty much where they have always been in human events More in the Camp and tent of the Vagabond and the foot Soldier than in the fortress of the Carruthers Winnipeg taxpayers pay corporate Price your editorial lessons unlearned free May is very its amazing How you write such gobbledegook and expect people to accept what you Are defending is the right for corporations to pay no taxes or Little pay Low wages and make High what you do not say is that the people of the Are supposed to provide a deregulated atmosphere for taxpayers Money without which some Compa Nies tax subsidies and one could go on and William Cave Winnipeg make dikes permanent a Reader wants to see temporary dikes converted to permanent now that Winni Eggers Are begin Ning to consider the possibility of an end to the flood of would like to make a modest proposal based on com ments i heard while spending several How to reach us the free press welcomes letters from letters must be signed and should include a clearly printed address and Telephone names will be published but not All letters May be edited for style and Short letters Are less Likely to be please address letters to letters to the Winnipeg free 1355 Mountain Winnipeg r2x letters can be sent to our fax number letters May be submitted through the internet at letters sent via the internet obviously cannot be but must include Home address and Telephone Days in sandbag use the newly erected sandbag and temporary earthen dikes As a base for permanent dikes that will protect Homes from floods of at least 23 feet James dirt and Sod could be placed Over these reducing the need to remove and dispose of millions of sandbags while simultaneously pro Viding substantially greater Protection and eliminating the need for much of the frantic activity the next time we face a in View of the enormous assistance freely Given to them by Winni Eggers both in labour provided and in costs paid for by All civic tax few Riverside homeowners could legitimately argue that their desire for a better View of the River supersedes the interests of other Resi dents of the wherever require that the Public be granted Access to the area Between the now permanent dikes and the the River walk Between the Forks and the Osborne Bridge has been a huge win nip Eggers clearly appreciate the Opportunity to spend time along the Rivers which define this Dick Winnipeg dont invoke god in flood debate it is a sunday morning and the Csc has just had some woman talking about god and the flood we Are experienc is it not time to recognize that floods Are a scientific phenomenon we dont have to invoke the concept of a god if there is one every time we find our ability to predict such Phenomena not quite As perfect As we would like it to has the time not arrived for us to Start questioning the competency of the specialists in our education department and the training that is Given to our teachers if this kind thinking is still going on in our Citi Zens exactly How much probability if is being taught in our faculty of education today would those who blame god for floods agree that the cutbacks to our educational system by the conserva Tives imply that Premier Gary Filmon and his Cabinet Are modern Day t v Vernon Dutton Winnipeg dealing with water City left behind my Mother had one simple request this mothers Day that she have Din Ner at Home with her husband and Chil this sounds simple enough but our journey was much More you my family lives behind the infamous Dike built to protect thou Sands and drown a the drive put was wonderful smooth ditches with Only a few inches of water if any and Fields drying out ready for the closer we got to the the quicker the scene changed to machines and my siblings and i parked our car and climbed Over the Dike to see the murky Waters Rushing Over the washed out we called our dad on the cellular our phones Are not working at this time and waited with the military on an armoured person Nel Carrier until he came to retrieve he stopped about three metres from the Dike As he was unable to see the Highway under the the three of us ran across the washed out shoulder and met him on the other he drove us to the farm where we were met with washed out Trees demolished from the collapsing Snow and dirty water stains throughout the years of hard work Down the Drain Pardon the saying in less than a fixtures need new Stone sculptures Are broken and the Lawn is marked with a Large dead sym Bolic of the our mothers Day meal came after hours of hard labour moving emptying filling sink both at Home and at our grandparents in not writing this to gain pity from the i just want to make it known that while the mayor arranges for baseball season to begin and More Golf courses to my family and others Deal with the water Winnipeg left Jodi Harrison Domain let cooler Heads prevail in gun Law free press letters to the editor some times and Roland Penners of May 4 was no i thought we had heard the ultimate in arrogance and ignorance from Federal Justice minister Allan Rock when he and to Register All guns will Cut Down on no one has yet heard we have another City lawyer chastising provincial Justice minister Vic Toews for stating police will not be instructed to enforce the registration unless Ive missed some this is not saying he is in Defiance of any says shocking that both Rock and Penner have such Little knowledge of How country Folk think and use i am a Hunter of Many years like own four can you just see How registering my or in Defi Ance of this my becoming a Crim will prevent crime most City Folk think of guns As evil and know of them Only As tools to bring in my deep especially to those who never owned or fired a country Folk do not think this Way and View guns As a tool to be used sen Sibly and a a trea sure to be respected and something personally my prop erty hands off by any ill informed bureaucrat both the Learned Rock and in my should be sweep ing floors instead of creating Horren Dous and unnecessary expense and bother to sensible Toews stick to your guns maybe cooler Heads will finally prevail in this sorry and insane Selkirk gun Law unenforceable though undoubtedly Well Roland Penners comment sounds rather too idyllic and self righteous to be taken seriously Toews must enforce gun free May the majority of people respectably observe a Law either for its Sake or that of what Many find reprehensible is when a Law is perceived As having been for the Benefit of a few special ones at the expense of the Many in when society is being continually pushed into a state of then it should be no Surprise when a Law is and until there is a change of there can be no real enforcement neither will jail sentences do any a Law must be just and worthy of respect before any enforcement could be and these characteristics must be exemplified by those at the top Echelon before it filters to the rest of neither provincial Justice minister Vic nor Penner nor any other individual can truly help to uphold the Dan Stasiuk Winnipeg forces act the same around the world it is heartening to see so much recent Good press about Canadian armed forces this is not a new they Are the same great people that they always the firing line has been privileged to have worked and coached Many members of various units of the armed forces Over the years and we have always found them to without a very competent and professional group of motivated for have always slept better at night knowing the defence of our country and our ideals Are in such Good they deserve the thanks of All canadians for their work everywhere around the world not just their recent Contact with Manitoban has come to exemplify the duties that they perform diligently and professionally around the with Only a very few rare i am Only one of Mil Lions of canadians that have always considered them David Brown Winnipeg evacuee spirit example to us All i have been in the company of a num Ber of some of these people fear they have lost not Only their pos but their Homes As while there have been Many moments of great the Strong undercurrent of Hope they feel for their future is All the uncertainty and turmoil these evacuees Are they Are ready to move Forward with their All were in agreement if there had been sufficient government they would have prevailed against the there is already a great Deal of informal discussion concerning their plans to protect their property and pos sessions from future the Humour used to Cope with the situation during these discussions serves to remind me of our indomitable spirit of one evacuee summed up the general attitude of a number of evacuees by events like this remind us to respect the Power of Mother in the larger scheme of the weather is just a minor inconvenience in my daily i will be Happy when that is the Case the spirit and drive they exhibit to overcome their present difficulties is truly and certainly helps me put my life in Jocelyn Bauml Winnipeg doonesbury by Garry Trudeau Soho shout film iwo ;