Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 22, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Brian Cole 6977044 focus Winnipeg free press a 4 May 1997 Al i o mennonite pacifist reviews her feelings taking a closer look at military Leona Dueck Penner has spent most of her adult life working with the mennonite Central committee in places such As Swaziland and Botswana and South her experiences have forced her to exam Ine her pad fist beliefs about the Mil especially this Spring when the Canadian armed forces played such an important role in thwarting the red River some years soon after our return from Southern Africa where we had lived and worked during an especially tumultuous time of War and political i wrote a remembrance Day article for a mennonite Church paper that reflected on the ongoing horrors of i wrote then that every time we drove past the Kenaston Boulevard army Barracks and i saw an armoured i experienced an extreme sense of nausea because of the memories of War that these machines i that i could not accept these instruments of War As necessary to protect the peace because i had seen firsthand the incredible suffering that resulted from their but even then i clearly had some ambivalent feelings about the Mili for i commented about the strangeness of travelling through a Leona Dueck Penner dry and desolate in a Mil itary pacifist bearers of guarded in front by landmine sweep ers and behind by soldiers with machine guns on passing twisted Burntout full of bul let nausea swelling up inside shivering Over those who didst make a few years later when our next overseas assignment took us to South Africa and we participated in the ups and Downs of that country movement toward democracy an emotional rollercoaster ride which took us to the Brink of full scale civil War and at the eleventh hour snatched us from the Edge of my traumatized emotions regarding the military began to experience something of a on election i remember stand ing at the window of our 28th floor apartment window in look ing Down on the streets below and feeling strangely comforted by the sight of a Convoy of military vehicles meandering slowly through the streets keeping the peace As thou Sands of South africans of every shape and Hue queued to cast their ballots in the first democratic elec and a few Days i experienced an even More startling change in my thinking together with our Quaker friends the Quak like the mennonites Are also a peace we watched the Tele vision coverage of Nelson mandelas it was positively Amaz ing to see those apartheid generals saluting a Black president while the military trailing the colours of the new South african streaked by As i watched this spectacular demonstration of military i had tears in my eyes and strange flutters of Joy in my not because i now Felt at ease with these machines that were designed to take life and not to preserve but because they now represented a major shift and maybe to some extent even a redemption in the use of military Power in South Power which had earlier been used against the majority of the people was now going to be used for and if anyone could use such Power it was this Grey haired Humble Man who had spent 27 years imprisoned by a military during the past few weeks As we experienced the most recent red River flood of the my feel Ings about the military were put to the test once like thousands of other Manitoban including that mennonite woman from Altona along with her mostly mennonite said a very Public thank you to their soldiers in a Farewell Celebration deeply appreciated the wonderful help our province received from the Canadian air Force and Navy during this chaotic and slightly hysterical Given my personal Bias for it was especially wonderful to see those swords turned into Plo shares right before my eyes As helicopters and amphibious military vehicles happily trans ported evacuees and desperately needed supplies to Homes located deep within enemy Territo while soldiers with mud spattered tossed sandbags not rescued starving Pup pies from floodwaters signed up to be pen pals of awestruck children and just became Saviours in uniform who tirelessly shored up and patrolled the dikes that protected us vulnerable floodplain dwellers from the rising Waters of the in spite of these More positive my personal need to make peace with the military did not quite end the final piece peace clicked into place on a recent sunday morning during the childrens Story at our the Good Samar Itan Story was acted after the skit was the seeking to make the Story relevant to today asked and who was a Friend and Neighbour during the flood this past week he was expecting responses such As my whole family went three times a Small voice piped up the military the somewhat quickly ended the while the rest of Good activists that we Felt snookered As we hastily tiptoed by on the other for mennonites As Well As for in All its does come out of the Mouths of and where do i go from Here though i continue to be entirely committed to making peace through non violent ill be More careful about where i draw the recognizing that sometimes Neighbours and peacemakers May be dressed in Mil itary fatigues and driving unusual letters to the editor add flood surtax to pay for cleanup As a greater Winnipeg Home i feel that it is my responsibility to pay my fair share of flood cleanup and restoration costs to individuals and my Home and contents were spared perhaps at the expense of oth ers South of the i suggest that had i been Given the option of pay ing to spare my Home from dam i would have gladly paid the i propose that All City of Winnipeg homeowners not damaged by the flood pay a onetime Only sur charge on the 1998 tax Bill in the amount of per assessed value of the for that would mean an extra on my tax when combined with that of other would go a Long Way toward paying for flood related in would free up More Federal and private donations for individuals in the red River Valley As compensation to rebuild what they have these individual Home and farm owners Are the ones who need it and i would like to see them receive nothing less than 100 per cent real value Cathy Welch Winnipeg flood flight opened eyes i feel compelled to thank those involved in an exceptional Effort to help flood on saturday and 12 flights were arranged to make available opportunities to View the flooded area of Southern i paid to go As a fortunate City resident who had been spared the tremendous heartache and expense of a flooded Home i was overwhelmed by what i tears came to my eyes and my heart ached As i looked at hundreds of Homes and farms submerged in the huge the path of the red River was described by Treetop outline in the midst of the most went with Cam eras to record the disaster that will go Down As Manitoba the extent of the flood is the Crest has but the huge Lake is still there so imposing and the experience has sharpened my realization of the immensity of this flood and How Long our Rural neigh Bours will be coping with the effects of i Hope those of us who were fortunate to remain comfortable re Mem and for the full that went entirely to the Manitoba farm flood Relief fund care of and for More to we need to thank min is tic a division of Garden Hill first its Crew and Gary Canadian regional its Crew Doug and Donna Kelly Western Shell for fuel Winnipeg Airport authority for waiving fees and obtain ing air clearance triad printing for tickets Keystone agricultural producers Pitblado Hoskin the Winnipeg chamber of Commerce Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and most of to the energetic idea Man Bill who found these 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 generous and to Sherri Meik Lejohn who helps transform Many of Bills ideas to both of them gave so much and coordinated this generous thanks and congratulations on a outstanding Bev kindle Winnipeg police Worth every cent kudos to the police and fire depart let me just say that i have Noth ing to do with either department other than being dependent on their ser if anyone deserves their it is the Heads of those two departments and their the men and women of those two departments put their lives on the line for us every time we Call for their help that should be Worth if cuts have to be make them at City we can always depend on our men in Blue or the fire at least they dont just Promise to put out the they do Rit Wurr Winnipeg police Are there to protect us on May i had my purse stolen from my Home by one of my Daugh ters it was fortunate that i realized immediately that it had been very shortly after her friends had left for in the purse were the usual Bank and credit cards and other papers and the worst thing was that i was booked on a flight out of Winnipeg at the following Day the ticket and a a gift for my mothers were also in the i contacted the police right away and officers Lloyd and Reimer from the James division arrived very after talking with my daughter and some phone Calls to the police left to search in garbage behind fences and in the Assumption was that the kids would have taken the Money and ditched the can you imagine my Relief when the police arrived at my door an hour later with the purse and All its but the Winnipeg firefighters put their lives on the line and deserve their a Reader Wallet missing they had persevered in the searching through several garbage cans until they found it in a i want to Praise the officers who spent three and a half hours on a Fri Day night recovering my the police officers demonstrated to my children that if you Are on the right Side of the they truly Are there to help Lynn Picard Winnipeg time to put politics aside an interesting program on Channel 11 recently traced the history of the controversy and ultimate construction of duffs it caused a political and requests for the Premier Duff Roblins head on a opposition parties of the the program Points were in full voice in opposing the building of the flood at least Larry a member of the legislature at the time and party switcher Extraordinaire confessed on the program that opposition to the flood Way was All that his Retro opposition for political but his manner suggested that that the Way the game is adding More fuel to the we cant Trust politicians school of now it Doest matter what political party one supports it but that another one can Only Hope that those in politics of whatever Stripe Rise above this kind of cynical approach and face with courage and common the thousands of prob lems brought about by the flood of and with but not would it be asking too much for All parties to sit Down in a civilized Man politics and work for the common Good the people of Manitoba expect and they deserve nothing i Hope it comes but As a disillusioned political in not waiting to Vera Mardon Winnipeg responsible dog owners praised an addendum to the recent letter from Kathleen Darby and to two let ters in the May 5 paper there is a Law that says one should pick up the mess ones dog in you Are not supposed to allow your dog to defecate on Public i do take my two Little dogs for walks and carry a Supply of bags to pick up after if i agree with the lady who is upset about Large dogs jumping at her Little poodle when she takes it for a i have had the same thing an even worse problem is dogs running Loose without anyone at All in such dogs Are a danger not Only to peo ple walking their own dog on a Leash but to children going to or from i would like to say thank you to All responsible dog and to ask everyone else to please think about your responsibilities if you own a please keep your dog on a Leash when you take it for a walk and please do take it for walks instead of letting it run and please pick up any mess your dog Hough Winnipeg stars on ice a great night i was the Winner of the stars on ice contest and just wanted to let you know How much i enjoyed the show and the the seats were great and the Opportunity to meet the skaters was it was a great and i just wanted to thank Deloraine doonesbury by Garry Trudeau ;