Letters to the editor

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12 Comment(s)

Here's how to end assaults on women

I agree with your editorial of July 10 regarding Bernard Richard. He has always been a caring advocate in trying to eliminate family violence; would that all politicians emulate him.

Here are a few ideas I envision to help end violence so that women, children and men can live in a safe, secure world.

Stop glorifying war. Stop sending our sons and daughters to take part in any war. My father went to war when I was seven years old. Already motherless, my siblings and I felt he too, had abandoned us.

Stop calling family violence crimes "domestic assault" in the courts. The word 'domestic' only indicates where the violence occurred - it does not focus on the crime itself. We don't call an assault in a bar between two men 'bar assault.'

Stop depending on abused women to testify in assault cases. Have the police do their homework. Take pictures of the injuries. Get medical reports. Soon the police will get so good at this, the necessity of the woman testifying will not be required. The courts must stop sentencing abusers to serve their sentences at home, sleeping in their own beds.

Stop religions from controlling women, whether they are right-winged Christians or Moslem zealots. In Canada, women have the legal right to abortion. Governments must stop allowing religions from enforcing their views on the rest of us.

We must find better people to run for positions of power in politics. All parties seem the same once they get into power.

Members of society must be educated one by one. Individuals are the ones who can make the changes required to bring about a better society.

Norma Christie,

Women for Justice

Fredericton

Campaign a success because of volunteers

The Canadian Cancer Society Residential Campaign for the Western District was a tremendous success this year.

This campaign takes in communities such as Fredericton, Chipman, Minto, Boiestown, Doaktown, Canterbury, Nackawic and all communities in between.

The success of the campaign this year would not have been possible if it had not been for the many volunteers involved, particularly the dedicated team captains, some of whom have been volunteering for us faithfully for many years.

I am thankful for the thousand-plus diligent canvassers who went knocking on their neighbours' doors. The work of my three dedicated callers is also very much appreciated.

Lastly, our success definitely would not have been achievable without the donors who so generously gave. Each year, thanks to the support of our volunteers and the generosity of New Brunswick residents, we are able to continue working towards our mission, which is to eradicate cancer and enhance the quality of life of those living with cancer.

Your donation helps us to move ahead with our priorities of cancer research, prevention, advocacy, support and information. Thank you so much to everyone.

Tracey Staples

Residential Campaign Coordinator

N.B. Western District

Canadian Cancer Society

Veteran ponders the future

From recent experience I find that we have very little assurance that our mail will ever reach its destination.

On May 5, 2006 while in Miramichi City, I mailed a letter containing a cheque to a rural delivery address. The letter was never received.

After witnessing the Aug. 15 coup d'etat at our provincial legislature when the provincial and Canadian flags were replaced with a foreign one (front page of the Daily Gleaner Aug. 15, 2007), and being a Second World War veteran, I decided what action I must take.

Due to the direction our once-great country is headed, on Nov. 11, 2007, I mailed my service pin and five medals to the prime minister in Ottawa.

In the future, under this new regime in N.B. I fear being arrested for wearing or even owning such medals. As of this date I have had no confirmation that they ever arrived in Ottawa. Is this another case of lost mail? And is this the kind of service we can expect from Canada Post that tax payers continue to heavily subsidize?

Woodrow Cleveland

Fredericton

FSL plan is without benefits of bilingualism

In the debate around French instruction, our education minister has argued that he continues his support for the embattled Croll-Lee recommendations because they are more equitable, making the benefits of French education available to all.

It was a shock, then, to read in the July 5 Daily Gleaner that the minister agrees that the Croll-Lee plan only aims at imparting a level of intermediate French that, in fact, has no immediate benefits in educational or employment opportunities.

He says that's okay, though, because students will pay for private lessons after Grade 12 in order to upgrade their French so they can be employed in bilingual jobs or study at a French-language community college.

Is this government's idea of an 'equitable' plan really one that benefits only those who can afford private tutoring?

Joseph Doucette

Lincoln

Lamrock has no interest in bilingualism, only inclusion

In a recent article about the proposed French Second language program, Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said the intermediate goal isn't setting students up to be bilingual at graduation.

After all these months, he has finally admitted what so many have been saying all along. Under the current program, close to 30 per cent of graduates emerge from high school bilingual. Now it is clear we are aiming for zero per cent.

How, exactly, is this considered an improvement? Lamrock has no interest in bilingualism. Instead, he is making a thinly veiled attempt at improving inclusion in N.B. This is a noble goal, and absolutely must be done.

However, inclusion is hardly simple enough to be solved by having all kids in one classroom and having "peer leaders" make up the difference that the unaddressed, complex needs of exceptional children create in classrooms.

Inclusion is the big pink elephant in the classroom, not French Immersion; let's get honest about that now.

The Graham government has handled this entire issue with such a tremendously dismal approach that is now entirely impossible for anyone to take them seriously. Should they make any decision on FSL on Aug. 5, other than the decision to finally take the time to be fair and reasonable and delay a year, all children in the school system will be thrown into utter chaos.

Lamrock's need to "do something" for September is not about children. It's about his own political interests That is simply not good enough.

Sharon Stevens

Fredericton

CIBC's bike raffle beats a hot dog barbecue

I'd like to commend the CIBC Queen Street branch for choosing to have a raffle for a bike to raise funds for the CIBC Run For The Cure.

This choice promotes exercise and reduces pollution. Sedentary living and pollutants have links to several types of cancer. By encouraging biking, people might choose to bike instead of taking a car.

This is a far better choice than selling hot dogs which contain questionable ingredients linked to several types of cancer. Bravo.

Dr. Aaron Johnston

Fredericton

Screaming the rules doesn't help enforce them

I have to express my disappointment on the way a gentlemen treated some boaters near the Oromocto Marina.

We were out recently for a great day on the river when we were coming back through the marina's no-wake zone. No one looked like they were disobeying any rules and the wake zone was "wake-free" from what I could tell.

There was a boat getting ready, I think, to teach kids to water ski. One child was in the water already and from what we could see from our boat, they were towing her out of the wake zone to getting her going when, all of a sudden, a man came rushing down the dock.

He was screaming at these people about the no-wake zone. They tried to explain their side, but he was unwilling to listen. He just kept screaming over and over about the no-wake zone and that he was going to report them.

No doubt the marina has had problems before, but all he had to do was calmly explain that they couldn't do what they were doing instead of looking like a lunatic.

You know the saying: you catch more flies with honey then vinegar. He should use that motto in his life.

If I were a member of the marina, I believe I would move my boat elsewhere. There was no reason to scream at this family who were just trying to enjoy the day with the kids.

The marina itself should really speak with their employees about how to deal with the boaters and enforce the rules because they obviously don't know.

Teresa Wilkins

Fredericton