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something just short of death, speaks volumes about what we really value in our leaders, short of a buiging pocket Politicians are their own worst enemy, confirming at every turn our suspicion that they care more about power than us. The sad struggle for the Liberal leadâ€" ership is a classic example of priorities gone astray as two pugilists, long in the tooth and short on governing, duke it out for the right to rule. A recent poll shows 73 per cent of Canucks fed up with the mudslinging but not fed up enough to let their voices be heard at The impending departure of Joe Clark, the Gordie Howe of the Comâ€" We hold the power and we get the government we deserve __ At this time, we jointly feel that there is more to gain from a reasonâ€" able settlement than there is through Collectively, the city and BIA have been working to prevent or curtail this development for six years now. During that time we have mounted a very strong case against it. On this front, we have not wavered. The city has allocated considerable staff time to prepare our evidence and has absorbed legal costs in excess of $300,000. In the end, the commitâ€" ment that has been shown to fight this proposal in front of the Ontario Municipal Board has allowed us to negotiate with the developer from a position of strength. This was a very difficult decision for both council and the BIA because we do not believe that this proposal represents good planning. However, it was a wellâ€"measured action and one that we mutually agree will provide the best possible protection of the health and vitality of our city core. Why we are no longer opposing Walâ€" n Monday evening, the OUpTown Waterloo Business Improvement Area joined the City of Waterloo in agreeing to withâ€" draw our opposition to the proposed "power centre" to be located in Woolâ€" wich Township at the junction of King Street and Highway 86. You said it book. Joe was the consummate politiâ€" cian, adept at turning a phrase and pressing the flesh, a Mr. Clean who held these at the top to account when the slightest odor of rot arose. He seemed to care and commanded respect from all comers of the house except in the one area that countsâ€"he‘d lost his power to attract votes. We‘d rather be wowed than served, as in the Trudeau era where a rose and a peck on the cheek filled our vision, the arrogance notwithstanding; we‘d rather have the good life than decent thought, was the key to staying in the black despite an Ottawa dictatorship that flies a relative to warmer climes and takes credit for a buoyant economy There are also limits on the numâ€" ber of stores that can carry specific items such as apparel and other retail goods as well as a number of prodâ€" ucts such as fresh food and alcohol that will not be permitted for sale on this site. Finally, there is a substantial financial payment that will be made to the city and the BIA over three years that will cover our legal costs and still leave us over $1 million to reinvest in our city core. The UpTown Waterioo BIA recogâ€" nizes the need for a competitive marâ€" ket environment. The citizens of this city deserve the full breadth of comâ€" mercial opportunities that can be made available to them. We have never opposed this project out of a fear of competition or because of a belief that our residents should not have improved access to a Walâ€"Mart. Rather, we have objected to the fact that this proposed centre is to be located in an area that is not currently intended for such development and rule as in Ontario where red, we a costly board hearing. We have sucâ€" ceeded in capping the overall size of the project at 305,000 square feet. We have ensured that it will be phased into the market over two years. There are minimum store sizes in place that will help lessen direct competition with the types of commercial units available in the uptown core. jack up the price." "Yes. People are going to do it anyway, so it might as well be legal." "Yes, because crimiâ€" nalization only beneâ€" fits the drug dealers and the criminals who IHE CHRONICLI COMMENT world class facilities as the Perimeter Institute and the New Economy Cenâ€" tre to our existing mix of office, retail, tion oursefves for continued success in the coming decades. Please continue supporting our many retailers and service providers to ensure your city centre remains strong and vibrant. guys and gals in Bytownâ€"we put them there and deserve to be shortchanged. The reality is that a majority governâ€" ment is fatal to the cause of democracy as cockiness replaces concern and our hardâ€"earned dollars flow like water to cement their place at the top of the hill. Ralph Nader, the American activist, said there can be no democracy withâ€" out citizenship, which seems to suggest we get the government we deserve, meaning that we, the people, hold the reins of power if we‘ll only exercise it. However, given what was at stake we have decided that it is time to move forward proactively. It is time to shine a bright light on all that our city core has to offer and to redouble our efforts to improve it further. We are very proud of what has been accomâ€" plished in uptown Waterioo over the years and we are very excited about our future. Personally, I feel very fortunate to live and work in a city that has conâ€" tinued to prioritize the vitality of its core and has laboured diligently to ensure its success. As we add such when half a mind tells you we prosper only because of our neighbour‘s forâ€" as such will work to undermine the strength of those districts that are designated for such uses. It has always been our belief that existing commercial districts â€" should approach their full capacity before new commercial areas are brought on line. But then again, don‘t blame the "No. If it‘s legal, there would be more access to it and it would have a worse influence on people." also believe that drugs that are mindâ€"altering shouldn‘t be legal. Jeff Zavitz, UpTown BIA chairman "I‘m right on the fence. I see the beneâ€" fits of both sides. But I CHRI digmâ€"broad incursions on liberties, largely targeted at unpopâ€" ular noncitizens and minorities, in the name of fighting a war. What is new is that this war has no end in sight, and only a vaguely defined enemy, so its incursions are likely to be permaâ€" nent. And while many of the most troubling initiatives have initially been targeted at noncitizens, they are likely to pave the way for future measures against citizens. So as we mournfully pass the oneâ€"year anniversary of Sept. 11, we should ask whether President Bush‘s new paradigm is in fact something we want to live with for the rest of our lives." An article by David Cole in the current issue of The Nation details some extremely serious violations of civil liberties that are more than theoretical (see the full article at www.thenâ€" ation.com). Cole argues that, "with the exception of the right to bear arms, one would be hard pressed to name a single constiâ€" tutional liberty that the Bush Administration has not overridâ€" den in the name of protecting our freedom. Privacy has given way to Internet tracking and plans to recruit a corps of 11 milâ€" lion private snoopers. Political freedom has been trumped by the effort to stem funding for terrorists. Physical liberty and habeas corpus survive only until the president decides someâ€" one is a "bad guy." Property is seized without notice, without a hearing and on the basis of secret evidence. Equal protection has fallen prey to ethnic profiling. Conversations with a lawyer may be monitored without a warrant or denied altogether when the military finds them inconvenient. And the right to a public hearing upon arrest exists only at the attorney general‘s sufferance." Cole goes on to say that "Administration supporters argue that the magnitude of the new threat requires a new paradigm. But so far we have_ seen only a repetition of a very old paraâ€" Author Michael Moore certainly â€" found out what Flescher was talking about when his publisher threatened SCOTTFT to "pulp" the entire run of his book | PIATKOWSKI Stupid White Men because it was critiâ€" cal of George W. Bush (who he refers to as "President" Bush). Eventually, the book was released and, despite getting virtuâ€" ally no publicity support from HarperCollins, it shot to number one on the best seller lists and has stayed there for most of the year. It‘s one of the fastestâ€"selling nonâ€"fiction books in Ameriâ€" can history, and no one in the business community orolitical establishment can figure out why. Here‘s a clue: Michael Moore says what other people are thinking, but are too scared to say out loud. Since the book burning hasn‘t started (yet), buying and reading the book is a safe way to express their dissent against the way that their country is being run. A few weeks after Sept. 11, George W. Bush told the world that "You‘re either with us or with the terrorists". I‘m one of many people who had always thought that the world was a litâ€" tle more complicated than that. Then again, during the Cold War, I didn‘t really buy Ronald Reagan‘s claim that the issue was "not about right and left, but about right and wrong". As detailed by Frank Faulk (son of blacklisted radio personality William Henry Faulk) in an excellent CBC radio documentary aired on the day before the anniverâ€" sary of the attacks, the first response . |RI@®@et los. of America when it is or perceives A NC )THER itself to be under attack is to restrict q AAdre the liberties of their own citizens. Such VIEW was the case with the imprisonment | of Japanese Americans during the * | Second World War; such was the case 6 | during the McCarthy and Reagan eras; * and, such is the case now. As presiâ€" | dential spokesperson Ari Flescher # 1 warned, "Americans better be careful (28 e c | of what they say." | | One year ago, terrorists loyal to Osama Bin Ladan sought to bring the United States of America to its knees through a series of wellâ€"orchestrated, horrific and unforgiveably brutal attacks. Their targets were chosen to achieve maximum casualties, as well as maximum symbolic value. The fact that the terrorists have largely achieved their objective, however, has less to do with the fact that the twin towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed within hours, or the fact that thousands of people were killed. The real victory achieved by the terrorists lies in the fact that America is turning itself into a country in which free thought and free discussion are increasingly restricted and racial profiling is increasingly seen as acceptable. The trouble with normal Suddenly it‘s repression, moratorium on rights, What did they think the politics of panic would invite? Person in the streets shrugs, ‘Security comes first, But the trouble with normal is it always gets worse | ANOTHER | vIEw P | e | Eud | J ; SCOTT | | PIATKOWSKI Bruce Cockburn, 1983