WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 25. 1987, PAGE 5 The federal government promises a vote on capital punishment - perhaps even before the next federal elec- tion. When that vote takes place, Tory backbenchers hold more than enough votes to swing it, if you pardon a bad pun. And reinstatement of the death penalty, some say, will bring the laws of the country perfectly in line with the wishes of the people. Ain't democracy wonderful? Pardon me if ITam not cheering. A vote to reinstate legal murder will be the first step in the retreat of modern civilization. Why do Isay this? We jail criminals for three reasons: protection of society, rehabilitation and vengeance. Protection of society is understandable. Locked away, thieves and killers and con artists and drunk drivers can- not inflict more damage. If protection of society were the only criteria, then it would make perfect sense to lock up every convicted criminal - for life. We would all be safe from repeat offenders. Escapers might be dyed indelible green to make it difficult for them to hide in a crowd, expect perhaps on St. Patrick's Day. But it needs no a Biblical scholar to brand such a program inhuman and inhumane. Take a morning and sit through.a session of provincial court. This parade of people are guilty of one crime: stupidity. Any one of us could the there. But, says a voice, the killing of another human being is not the same as shoplifting. No, killing another human being is a final, unforgiveable act. And for some killers - those who slay children - few find anything in such a per- son worth keeping alive. There is no denying that the execution will make sure WITH OUR FEETUP by Bill Swan When the state kills, we all kill that the accused will never kill again. Thus our society is protected, and we save money. But the call for the death penalty arises not out of a neen to balance budgets; the call for the death penalty arises purely out of a desire for vengeance. And it is strange that'many of those who are loudest in the clamor to legalized such murder claim to be Christian. Many of those strike me as being more interested in ab- solute answers than they are in understanding the Christian message of love. Don't throw me the line about the Old Testament talking about an eye for an eye. That part of the Bible would permit me to have six wives. Times have changed. Forgiveness came in with the New Testament, about two thousand years ago. An execution is -not something that can be taken back once administered. Courts do make mistakes. Remember the Donald Marshall affair? Eleven years he lanquished in prison until the real murderer came forward. Take another argument: the death penalty will reduce the number of murders. Faced with a death penalty, criminals will make good, rational business calculations and decide it isn't worth the risk. The logical extension of this would be to maximize the exposure. Executions could be carried live on national television to make sure that everyone gets the message. At best, it might make a few.people feel better to know that killers die. But justice is never that neat, and the legal arguments over which killing deserves execution and which does not could rightfully go on indefinitely. Most murders are seamy affairs, committed under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A woman kills her husband in the middle of a drunken argument. Would her execution make any of us safer at night? The death penalty will not end poverty, slums, mental illness, drunkenness, drug addiction, misery, unfaithful spouses, squalor, greed. ·But a vote to reinstate legal murder will take the heat off the Regressive Preservative federal government. Come election time, voters will be so happy that the state is once again killing people that they will re-elect Brian Mulroney. It would be the most bitter of ironies if Mulroney were re-elected for this one act - which is against his own beliefs. When the state kills people we are all killers. Violence begets violence. The return to the death penalty would be the first step in the retreat from civilization. BEAVER ROBBIE COOKE (1) and Canada program that will see 20,000 brother Keith, a cub, look on as coun- trees, provided by CLOCA, planted at cillor Joe Bugelli, CLOCA chairman, Lynde Shores. Fifteen per cent of and Mayor Bob Attersley sign their money raised by boys goes to inter- pledge sheets for the scouting Trees for national development projects. Free Press photo MTC rejects road subsidy Decision on bingo fee hike back to committee Whitby council has referred the proposed bingo license fee increase back to operations committee. The committee had previously approved increasing the average fee to $318 for a 13-week license from the current $118 fee. But committee chairman Ross Batten asked that council send it back to committee for public input. After the council meeting, Batten said letters were sent out to all groups affected by the increase in- forming them of what the Town was proposing. He said the Town received no requests to appear, before the committee. However, he was later informed that there were some representatives from organizations at the committee meeting last Monday. Batten said the organizations will be notified again about the meeting. BANKRUPT SALE PIK KWIK Convenience Store 209 Dundas St. E., Whitby Up to 50% OFF Open Thurs, Fr!, Sat 10 am - 8 pm The Ministry of Transportation and Communication has turned down a request from the Town for a $390,000 subsidy to help pay for road work. The grant would have offset the cost of three projects the Town had planned to complete in 1987. The projects were improvements to the Dundas St. E. and Garden St. intersection; lights for the intersec- tion of Dundas St. W. and Byron St.; and the modernization of lights at the intersection of Dundas St. E. and Garrard Rd. The total cost of the three projec- ts is estimated at $410,000. Under the province's connecting link subsidy program, a municipality can apply for 90 per cent of road work costs to provin- cial roads which the niunicipality looks after. "We can't go ahead with the projects, if we don't get the grant," says Dick Kuwahara, director of public works. In a letter to the town dated Mar- ch 5, Peter Ginn, district municipal engineer, informed the town that the request had been reviewed. Cancer Society needs volunteers The Durham chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society seeks volunteers for canvassing. For more information call 686- 1516. "Unfortunately, we were unable to approve your request," stated the letter. Because the Town believes im- provement to the Dundas/Garden St. intersection is of major impor- tance, Whitby council has approved asking'the province to reconsider the request. Kuwahara says the Town has not set aside any money for the three projects over and above the Town's share. He said there is always the possibility of taking money from other projects. Improvements to the Dun- das/Garden intersection involves widening Dundas St. to provide a left hand turn lane. A study was undertaken on the in- tersection following the death of a crossing guard in 1983. The recommendation was to build the left turn lane. Entrances to Lyle's Gas station were also revamped in an effort to improve the safety at the intersec- tion. "As everyone knows there has been an enormous amount of development in the Town with a significant number occurring along the Garden St. corridor," states a report from the public works department. The Town also expects the road to become busy with the opening of the GO station at the Brock St/401 intersection. Kuwahara says he has no idea when the Town will hear back from the province. "But I hope we get it," he said. Bonus: ORDER NOW & DON'T PAY UNTIt DECEMBER 1, 1987. ~5 FINANCING AVAILABLE AT RATES BELOW M-T BANK PRIME. SALES INSUIRIES Cal! 7234663 r-M . 7AM TO 9PM 7 DAYS AWEEK r' SHOWROOM OPEN 8:30AM TO 5:00PM 313 ALBERT ST., OSHAWA