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_ Are we alll murderers? The debate on capital punishment has been getting a good sounding out in parliament ever the last two weeks. The whole issue isn‘t really a religious one alâ€" though some like to make it out that way nor is it one which has to be pushed through immediately because of necessity. It is simply â€" should we kill someone who has killed? The parliamentary debate includes good points from both sides. Each just as valid as the other, or at least made out to be. At that point individâ€" ual interpretation is necessary. An increase in murders certainly wasn‘t eviâ€" dent when the ban on capital punishment was placed five years ago and there doesn‘t seem to be any great rush for murderers to get their work over now while the debate is still going on. There is no evidence which can be brought forth that capital punishment acts as a deterrent to murders. Psychologically the motive for a murder is so complex no general rule can be apâ€" plied. Same as no general rule can be applied to any matter involving people as individuals. Popular consent during the issue has leaned towards the reinstation of execution and that probably comes from a public who haven‘t given it much thought. No more thought anyway than the immediate response of "kill the guy if he killed someone else!" 4 _ Waterigo Chronicie, Wednesday, February 7, 1973 Is it to show the family or friends of the murâ€" dered person our laws are fair and retribution has been gained? Or is it just to quickly get a failure of society put into a place where he won‘t come back to remind us not all people turn out as they should. How can a society which calils for murder exâ€" pect not to breed murderers. Don‘t they say we‘re a reflection of our environment? Mr. Neilson, MP from the Yukon told the House of Commons no one really â€"knows if execution is a deterrent. ‘"Nobody can produce any statistics in this regard, he said, ‘"for those who are deterrâ€" ed from committing crime do not volunteer that information to anyone. An incredible assertion it may be to Mr. Nielâ€" sen, but it is no more incredible than saying a man wanted to make another stop living. Mr. Nielsen may fear death and so may the average man on the street but do murderers? That‘s hardly likely. According to a University of Toronto study most murders are crimes of passion and not premeditation. If that‘s the case what is accomplished by capital punishment? They have aroused deep resentment in the U.S., to which some cannot return under presâ€" cent laws without risking arrest. A segment of public opinion in Canada likewise believes we erred in admitting them. Some encounter preâ€" judice and unfriendly attitudes. North American history however reveals that U.S. to Canada population movements for political reasons are nothing new. A very influential element among Canada‘s inhabitants, the United Empire Loyalists, came here in one such movement. e Canada has accepted numerous immigrants from the United States who left because of curâ€" rent conditions there. These include draft dodâ€" gers and deserters from its armed services. So to say that the death penalty is no deterrent is to say that men do not fear death and I find that to be a rather incredible assertion." We are all immigrants Again, in the nineteenth century, tensions that culminated in the American Civil War causâ€" ed many south to north border crossings. These included escaping Negro slaves, also draft dodâ€" gers who ‘"skedadled" to avoid service in the Northern Army. Even when free to do so, few of the recent crop of immigrants evidence much desire to reâ€" cross the border.â€" As did their predecessors of the past two centuries they seem more likely to become permanent Canadians. Some random shots and shafts this week. Today we were missing some 400 stuâ€" dents from among 1400 at school. That‘s about double for this time of year. It‘s the ‘flu. I‘ve never seen so many kids and teachers dragging around as though they were not long for this world. Published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Record Ltd. 30 Queen St., N., Kitchener Ontario Address correspondence to Waterioo Square Watâ€" erloo Ont. Telephone 744â€"6364. 222 Croaking, sweating, dull gray in colour, they are like so many zombies. Why don‘t they all stay in bed? Well, I have a theory about that. Bed is boring, unless you are engaged in sleeping, or some other pleasurable occupaâ€" Dental Health Week is upâ€" on us, and I can‘t avoid the feeling that the cruel month of February is the logical time for it. I have considered dentists as honorable, but mortal enâ€" emies since I was a kid. As a teenager, when my teeth had the consistency of cheese, every visit was a traumatic experience . Crawl into the chair, wish ing the dentist would have a heartâ€"attack or something before you did. Clutch the arms in a deathâ€"grip. Open the mouth and prepare to render up your soul. Mutter ‘"Aggh. Glug.", as he asked stupid questions about what grade you were in this year. My attitude to the man change in the service. Just before I was shipped overâ€" seas, I had 14 fillings in one afternoon. No anaesthetic. The maniac whoâ€" did me fillâ€" ed about six canyons, then stuffed my cheeks with cotâ€" ton and went into the next room for afternoon tea. I could hear the teaspoons In Canada: one year $8 : in United States and Foreign countries: one year $10 SUBSCRIPTION RATES ESTABLISHED 1854 Wendy Herman, editor Bill Smiley tinkling and the heartless swine exchanging jests with the nurse as I lay there quiâ€" vering like a trout just pullâ€" ed out of the water. It‘s not so bad with the new ‘"‘painless‘ drills But there isn‘t much to work on any more. I break a piece off a tooth, go to the dentist and whine, ‘"Couldn‘t you just build that up one more time, Doc?" It‘s rather like handing a man a single brick, and askâ€" ing him to construct a highâ€" rise with it. However, young Jane Alâ€" mond of Meaford thinks denâ€" tists are pretty fine fellows. She has won a prize and a plaque from them for a postâ€" er, chosen the best for Denâ€" tal Health Week. Jane deâ€" signed the poster in Grade 5, and she‘s now only twelve. And come to think of it, dentists deserve a decent living and some recognition. They are far more interestâ€" ed in saving your teeth than pulling them. And any man who spends a lot of time looking into mouths like mine can‘t be all bad. And an Ontario reader who hails from Wrexham, North Wales, wrote after I menâ€" tioned that town in a recent column. I spent a dreary winter there during the war. Edward J. Jones wants to know if I wish any old conâ€" tacts looked up or have any anecdotes for the Wrexzham Please, Mr. Jones. I am a happily married man. Any old contacts would be strictâ€" ly out of the picture. As for anecdotes. . . well. You might mention the night they cancelled nightâ€" flying, the abomination of For the 19th time since 1901, the annual Nobel Peace Prize is to be left unâ€"awarded. The fivd man Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliaâ€" ment gave no official reason for its decision to withhold the award, but it is generally believed that the Committee was unable to find a worthy recipient. The prize money, approximately $100,â€" 000. will be kept in the Nobel fund. In the same year, a mathematician has decidâ€" ed that every man, woman and child in the world is worth at least the explosive force of 15 tons of TNT. Stockpiled weaponry in the Russian and U.S. military forces divided by the world populaâ€" tion results inâ€"that 15 ton dividend of each of us. All of whis;z )shows our unfortunate emphasis. Hostility seems more natural and real than peace. If the efforts spent on more and better weapons were expended on more and better attempts to reconcile men and nations, perhaps each of us could disown our J5 ton theoretical share of TNT in favor of "*goodwill toward all mankind"‘. dents, that quite a celebraâ€" tion developed. It began with hurling empty pint beerâ€"mugs at the clock on the mantel. When we ran out of mugs and clock, another game began. This was an old R.A.F. faâ€" vourite. Let us hope that in 1973 the Nobel Committee will be able to find that man or woman. fighter pilots, because of fog. We were so overjoyed, The hero takes off shoes and socks, lies down on his back and blackens the soles of his feet in the cold fire place. He then makes footâ€" prints up the wall, as high as ne can reach. He blackens feet again, gets up on a chair and makes further footprints, higher up. This continues until he is held up to the ceiling by some mates standing atop a table. When it‘s finished, it looks exactâ€" ly as though someone has taken a run at the wall, gone right up it, across the ceilâ€" ing and down the other side. It was hilarious. We top ped this off with a game of rugger in the mess. And by the time this ended, it was a mess indeed. & me this ended, it was a _ And a happy Valentine‘s indeed. a Day to all. Wanted: Nobel peace prize candidates About zombies and black feet C.O. was not amused, when he surveyed the mess in the morning. Surly old coot. It cost about twenty of us ten quid each to redecorate the officers‘ mess. Ah, dear. Nowadays they‘d call it flagrant vanâ€" dalism, and sock the taxâ€" payer for the damages. In those days. it was high spirâ€" its, and we paid the shot ourâ€" Or, Mr. Jones, you might mention that Wrexham had one of the best hockey teams in England. We were about eighty per cent Canadian, with several hockey playâ€" ers of Jr. A. calibre. Our C.O., an Englishman, had lived in Canada and loved the game. We won every game, except the crucial last one. Our goalie hit the ice with about twelve pints of bitter in him. He was outâ€" standing. Every time the opâ€" posing team shot, he‘d stop two of the three pucks he saw, but miss the third. Score, 142.