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j The Watertoo Chromcle is published every Wednesday by the hairway Group, owned by CityMedia Group Inc a subsiciary of Torstar Corp The content of this paper is protected by copyright and may be used ordy for persunal non: commrerctal purposes All other nghts are reserved and commercial use is prohubited. To make use of this matenal you ut first obtain the pertmsston of the owner of the copyright editortal@waterloochronicle ca sportse@ewaterloochronicle. c sales@waterloochronicle cit composing@ waterloochronicle ca WATERLOO CHRONICLE 279 Weber St., North, Suite 20 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 3H8 L snn Bartol Miar SMiller Special Projects Special Projects Manager £23.3050, Ext. 208 823.3050, Ext. 210 The Waterloo Chranicle welcames letters to the Editor They should be signed with name. address and phone number and will be verified for accuracy. 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Ext. 229 Nummer ald Sites Prow I was seven when the first movie stormed into the theatres in 1977 and had myself and a lot of kids my age looking to the stars along with Luke Skyâ€" walker. The series kept us enthralled with the dark hapâ€" penings of the Empire Strikes Back and the hopeful outcome of the Return of the fedi. We recreated a lot of those scenes on my own childhood backlot with the sixâ€"inch figures and playsets forming the basis of my own short movingâ€" making career. So when series creator George Lucas told us he was going to fill in the back story with the Phantom Menace detailing Luke‘s father Anakin‘s slow descent into darkness, 1 was one of the first in line â€" though 1 kept my light sabre and toy collection safely in the closet at home. he lights went down and the credits rolled on I what has been a big part of my extended childhood â€" the Star Wars franchise â€" during one of the first showings of the final chapter of the series the Revenge of the Sith last Thursday. Final Star Wars film lived up to its own hype It‘s one thing to acknowledge you‘re a fan; it‘s quite another to reveal vou‘re a fool. ©"Sididiniinniincnannone And no, I didn‘t name my son Luke after Luke Skywalker, although I did use the "Luke, I am your father," line in the delivery room. Even with some reserâ€" vations about the fever that had gripped some people, 1 got swept up in the tide of the first new Star Wars film since Return of the Jedi. When the Lucasfilm logo flashed on the screen, there was more than a little excitement and cheering. Int Do 000C Then there was a roar when John Williams famous score started up and transported us away to a galaxy far, far away. But truth be told, the Phantom Menace and the Attack of the Clones never did live up to the hype, much like a lot of things these days. It didn‘t touch the kid in all of us the way the original trilogy did. The fact the movie was geared to an older crowd, and that Darth Vader would be masked could save this empire Instead, the movies looked like Lucas was trying to be too kidâ€"friendly for all the marketing and product placement tieâ€"ins with the movies. And more than a few dieâ€"hard fans will never forgive George for Jar Jar Binks. Enough said. So when the release of the final chapter finally revealed itself last week, more than few of us were looking for some redemption in Anakin‘s fall from grace But George tricked us all in the first two movies by lowering our expectations, and then blowing us away in his third installment. So when the beginning credits rolled out, the response was more muted, with a lot less applause than was heard when the series returned to the screen in 1999 And despite all the special effects and space farâ€" ing that could turn even the most doubting fan to the Sith, at its heart the latest movie is about someâ€" thing all of us can understand â€" the frailty of human beings and how our fears shape our chor That makes the onginal trilogy even more joyful with its message of redemption, as a son‘s love reclaims his father‘s humanity It made me want to rush out an watch the orign nal series all over again Thanks, George BOB VRBANAC VIEWPOINT ( :oumless words have been used to describe new Liberal Belinda Stronach since she left the Conservaâ€" tive party last week. Political whore, dipstick, dumb blonde, Barbie doll, black widow, just to name a few. But I have another word for her... strongâ€" willed. Now â€" for better or for worse â€" she‘s a household name. What more could a politician ask for? It‘s no secret that during an election, more times than not, voters go for a candiâ€" date whose name they recognize. There‘s no doubt that unless you‘re living under a rock, you now know exactly who Belinda Stronach is. Three years ago, few people in this counâ€" try knew who Belinda Stronach was, despite her ranking as one of the richest women from coast to coast. Need proof? Only name recognition can explain a few of the results of this region‘s last municipal election. But that‘s another story. Thousands supported Prime Minister Paul Martin when he was stacking the deck against former PM Jean Chretien in his bid to become the next leader of the Liberal party and eventually this nation‘s head honcho. Yes, her defection was nothâ€" ing if not strategic. Dumb blonde? I think not. It‘s funny how all‘s fair in love and politics â€" when you‘re a man. And barely a barb was thrown last week when independent MP Chuck Cadman handed the Liberals the ability to pass the federal budget with his deciding vote. First. I agree that her former boss, federal Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, does n‘t have the whole country‘s needs in mind Cozying up to Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe goes against the wishes of most Canadians who suspect such a deal Yet, when Stronach rattles the cage, she‘s considered despicable. Does anyone else smell hypocrisy here? Hearing some of her political and perâ€" sonal reasons for crossing the floor, in my view, justifies her move Dumb blonde? I think not £ En TTrl ITS FUNNY HOW | ALWAYS ASSOCIATE THE START OF SUMMER WITH EARLS ANNUAL POST MAY 2â€"4 . FIREWORKGS RECUPERATION ... ANDREA BAILEY Stronach too sees this as a dangerous concept, and wanted no part what she conâ€" siders to be a risk to national unity. She also believes Harper fails to consider the interests of cities, women and young voters in this country â€" groups she highâ€" lighted as priorities during her candidacy in the 2004 Conservative party leadership race. She sees the Liberals as a more sensitive bunch to these groups, and for that reason she traded her blue cap for a red one. But her political reasoning is nothing compared to the personal motivation she had for all but telling Harper and his party to stick where the sun don‘t shine. could pave a smoother path to Quebec sep aration. She shared her embarrassment when members of her nowâ€"former Conservative family used press of Stronach as an example of what not to do when dealing with the media. Mind you, people are so fickle that had the scenario been reversed, Stronach would likely still be facing the same barrage of insults from the Liberal faithful. No matter what side you‘re on, the menâ€" tality is, "If you‘re not with us, you‘re against us". That brings me to the one comment launched at Stronach that wouldn‘t surprise me if it came to pass. mc Would the same Conserva tives that have called her every name in the book still be chastising her, or would they be singing her praises? A TV viewer wrote in to a news show, say ing that Paul Martin should watch his back I can‘t think of more disreâ€" spectful behaviour towards a colleague. Yet, it‘s Stronach‘s behaviour that‘s deplorable? Who can blame her for jumping at the chance to earn respect and pump up her politiâ€" cal portfolio. You can bet most would have done the same â€" men and women. I‘m also curious, what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if Ms. Stronach had been a cardâ€"carrying Liberal and defected to the Conservaâ€" tive party? Continued on page I 1