Speak up

I went to a lecture in the Richmond Public Library by Tony Cowling, a former prisoner of war from 1942 to 1945. There were approximately 45 people in attendance.

I told the librarian when he was introducing the speaker that I could not hear well. He said that I could sit at the front. Later on a lady asked Mr. Cowling to use a microphone.

When I spoke, I put up my hand. Then he indicated that I could speak. I stood up and mentioned that I was in Singapore on a aircraft carrier two weeks after the end of World War II. The Japanese prisoners of war had to bow every time they passed a British serviceman.

It is a sign of poor manners when a famous speaker is speaking and people do not have the courtesy to stand up when they speak to him. If a person who wishes to speak, stands up when she or he is speaking, people in audience can hear them a lot better.

I am a former Toastmaster.

Losing Stock

The Canadian Alliance dissident caucus members have violated a democratic election vote and betrayed their leader Stockwell Day.

They failed to recognized Stockwell Day's win over Preston Manning by a large majority.

Thanks to these members and the media's negative coverage, Reform/Canadian Alliance is in the position it is now.

As for a Conservative alliance, I don't think it will happen under Joe Clark and Stephen Harper.

Let's abolish political parties in Canada

Editorial, commentary and letters pages have contained much material on what is wrong with our parliamentary system.

The latest comes from Nick Loenen (Richmond Review, March 21) who clearly outlines the need for coalition government through a fairer voting system. Indeed, this would be an improvement.

Also, it could be argued that even more satisfactory results would be attained with the abolition of political parties, altogether.

The many weird things happening to "democratic" governments today really call for a complete assessment of the need for political parties. These are the "factions" feared by the first believers in democracy and by others throughout history including the those involved in the creation of the United States of America.

Even within political parties the breakdown of the party system is apparent. The signs are there: new parties are formed, policies shift between right and left, free votes are demanded, members find new homes (allegiances) and party infighting. The non-elected advisors and caucus members are worried about the negative impact on their personal ambitions as political pandemonium rages on.

Today, an informed general public can judge the performance of politicians and they see glaring examples of the waste of time, money and human resources. The great rise in public protest and outright disrespect of political office comes from people who know their individual representation has been lost in a melange of party politics.

Voters are fed up with party campaign promises. They need assurance the system of government, at each level, will serve the best interests of citizens through the election of independent representatives.

Canada has a good model of public government without political parties. The people of our newest northern territory of Nunavut established a public government in 1999.

Nineteen independent representatives were elected from that vast region. Through secret ballot the 19 elected a speaker of the house, a premier and a number of ministers. The balance of the representatives act as the opposition and government comes by consensus.

Imagine a Canada where the most important work of government is the pursuit of what is best for the country instead of the election of a political ideology. Surely, in this day and age, the problems and priorities of a country are well known and solutions are available from qualified sources without the political interference.

It is time to think about life in Canada-without political parties.

Street racers should be punished accordingly

So what are we going to do about this street racing problem? Enough is enough. It has gone too far.

Innocent people are starting to die, and what happens to the people responsible? Not much. Maybe their driver's license will be taken away. Big deal!

Do the police really think that this will detour people from street racing? I don't. Look at all of the recent deaths. These deaths are not discouraging young street racers; it's just the opposite, it is the thrill that they crave.

And what about those innocent people that are unfortunate enough to be in a crosswalk when these demons fly by?

Does everyone remember the mother who was in the crosswalk in south Vancouver a few months ago? She was going to the corner store to buy some milk for her children and along comes a car going 200 kilometres an hour, which struck and killed her.

The bottom line is we need stiffer penalties for these reckless drivers who terrorize our streets. Harsher penalties are the only way to deter these horrifying tragedies.

You cannot be charged with manslaughter if you kill someone while street racing. It is a provincial law; the most you can be charged with is dangerous driving causing death. This isn't even in the criminal code. It's provincial law, under the Motor Vehicle Act.

I encourage everyone to write their MLAs and MPs and demand stiffer penalties regarding street racers who cause death or injury.

Where Joe was

Re: "Peschisolido a no-show at Liberal AGM," Sunday's Richmond Review.

This article describes the event that Joe Peschisolido attended on Thursday night as "racism-related." While it is a rather ambiguous phrase, with unclear meaning, it is also totally inaccurate.

It was a musical evening featuring the Jewish a capella group Magevet from Yale University.

Mr. Peschisolido made a simple presentation welcoming the group and while he may have made a grave error in judgement by avoiding the Liberal annual general meeting, there was nothing regarding racism in the evening's program.

Adopt tough stance on contaminated soil

Citizens of Richmond should remain vigilant regarding the importation and dumping of toxic soil on our city. As an island city in the delta of a river we have the most unsuitable location to store any toxins, in soil or other materials. But my view is larger than that:

I firmly believe that no contaminated and toxic materials should be stored in the Fraser Basin, as it is the drainage basin of a river and all its tributaries. The Fraser Basin Council, under Lt. Gov. Iona Campagnolo, was the first group to look at the Fraser River, the Thompson and all creek tributaries as a whole. The system is all interconnected. I would ask the Lt. Governor to speak to the ministers responsible and the premier on our behalf.

The B.C government should follow Quebec and Ontario's stand on the issue and not allow the export/import of contaminated toxic soil and other such materials to and from other countries. B.C. needs set standards that at least meet the standards of the U.S.; and aim for even higher standards.

The B.C Ministry responsible for Water, Land and Air Protection under MLA Joyce Murray should identify more appropriate dumping sites in B.C. for B.C. uses. By using dry sites where no groundwater contamination would take place dumping toxic wastes could be relatively safe. These area should have a low impact on the environment and wildlife, and none on people. Surely such sites can be found within the threehundredandsixty plus square miles of British Columbia!

And to the mayor of Richmond I say this on the issue: pick up the torch for the citizens of Richmond and carry it! Use a strong voice for us in Victoria and Ottawa. Do whatever you have to do, because we, the citizens, are right behind you!

Port security a concern

A recently released report by the Canadian Senate is quite an eye opener.

The committee, headed by Senator Colin Kenny, has done a commendable job in identifying some of the most glaring gaps in Canadian security. According to the findings of this committee, some Canadian ports are sadly influenced by criminal elements. Almost 17,000 restricted area security passes are unaccounted for at any given time.

Our military is woefully under-equipped. Only two Aurora aircraft handle Canada's security in the vast Arctic. These are only a few of the countless examples outlined by the Senate Committee on Canadian Security.

On the whole, this report is mind-boggling. It raises some very serious concerns about our national security. It is now incumbent upon Ottawa to address these concerns promptly.