THANKS TO ALL WHO KEEP THE SIDEWALKS CLEAN

Editor:

I'd like to THANK all the good people who have been keeping their sidewalks clean and free of ice.
And a special Thank You to the Town crew members who have been out with metal shovels on 74th Avenue cleaning the ice and snow from sidewalks, so we can all walk safely.
We also appreciate our street being plowed and sanded on Finch Crescent.
Keep up the good work.

Karl KohlerrnOsoyoos

— (OSOYOOS TIMES — Dec. 27, 2006)

[b]NATIVE HUNTING COURT DECISION UPSETTING[/b]

Editor:

I can't believe it. I am at a loss to understand why the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Natives can hunt at night and shoot from a vehicle. This is being described by some members of the Liberal-left as an example of Treaty Rights superseding provincial law. But really it's just an example of a double standard that allows Natives to ignore the laws of common sense and safety.
My Dad taught me everything I know about gun safety. Always assume a gun is loaded, and never point at anything you don't intend to shoot. You know¦ the basics. He also taught me to:rnAlways unload a gun before you get into a car; otherwise the gun goes off and you blow your foot or your head off,
Never shoot from a vehicle; otherwise you might injure yourself or someone else in the vehicle, not to mention the fact that it's a good way to go deaf,
And never, ever go hunting after the sun goes down, because the effective range of a high-powered rifle is 3 miles, and you won't know what's beyond your target!
But now, in the name of First Nations rights, this all goes into the trash bucket.
It's a travesty of justice, but also a clear example of what happens when people who don't own guns themselves and who've never gone hunting make the rules. Don't the Supreme Court Judges realize the common sense involved in the rules they've just struck down?rnWait until one of these guys has a serious accident the next time he shoots his high-powered rifle from the cab of a pick-up truck, or wait until one of them accidentally shoots someone because he couldn't see him in the distance in the dark.
There are reasons we have these rules, and it never had anything to do with denying natives their rights.
It's simply a matter of common sense!

Mischa PopoffrnNomination Contestant for the Conservative PartyrnBC Southern Interior

— (OSOYOOS TIMES — Dec. 27, 2006)