Just do it Got a speeding, racing, or stop sign running problem in your area? Get a good high resolution video recorder and film it. Be sure you get a shot of the person's face and the license number and note the location, date and time. Then get it to the cops. If they can arrest all those people who torched the Montreal police cars after a hockey game a couple of weeks ago, then they can at least pay these drivers a visit, show them the video and either warn them or fine them. We have the technology, so use it. People obey the traffic rules when they know they're being filmed. We need photo radar, and cameras at dangerous corners. Australia has them everywhere and no one dare speed as does England. Just do it. Richard Meades No fault equals inadequate compensation In the April 30th edition of the Hudson Gazette, D. Graham-Smith tries to bundle the no fault principle of the Worker's Compensation (CSST) and our auto insurance program (SAAQ) into one argument. "Apples and Oranges." The CSST is an appropriate no-fault mechanism designed to protect employees who are under resourced compared to their employers while the SAAQ protects drivers from high insurance premiums. The no-fault principle of the SAAQ is the issue that is worth debating. The truth is that the insurance premiums are low because the payouts to victims' and their families are low. So, it works great as long as we keep Graham-Smith's insurance costs nice and low (cheap). However, it does not work so great when someone in Graham-Smith's family is killed or unable to work and the SAAQ provides inadequate compensation. This is the case with the Jolicoeur family. Graham-Smith says that "no amount of compensation can make a difference to [Patricia Jolicoeur]". This statement is unfounded and is actually quite callous. I could write an entire editorial on that statement, but I will make only one point; in the case of Patricia the SAAQ compensation is inadequate by the standards that anyone would want for themselves or a member of their family. Graham-Smith asks if we want to move in the direction of New Brunswick where some cannot afford to drive vehicles due to high insurance costs. The answer is most definitely YES. Driving a car is a privilege. The cost of driving a car includes taking adequate care of those who are injured, maimed or killed. If you cannot afford to take care of those that you may injure (through higher insurance premiums), you should not be driving. There are only two ways that I can think of to adequately take care of road victims. The first is to remove the no-fault principle and allow people to sue each other. The second is to drastically improve the compensation from the SAAQ. Both lead to higher insurance premiums. I will certainly not tolerate Graham-Smith's argument for the status quo; that we should try to avoid high insurance premiums at all costs. I do not wish for Graham-Smith to ever get a less-than adequate settlement from the SAAQ in the midst of a tragedy in their family. And I am willing to pay more to ensure that. As a society, we need to make sure that the victims of road accidents and their families get the compensation that we would want for ourselves in the same situation, and that can only come with higher insurance premiums. Marc Koran MDA misrepresented As an employee of almost 30 years at MDA in Ste-Anne, and as the outgoing president of the workers' bargaining committee, I have to wonder how Nick Mayes was so misinformed about the thoughts and feelings of the employees. The members of CAW Local 188, as well as non-represented employees were informally surveyed in January when the sale was announced, and the results then were mostly positive about being sold to a corporation that could effectively use our design and manufacturing capabilities. They have retained the same view throughout the campaign of fear, uncertainty and doubt run by some unidentified opponents to the sale; opponents who don't have to worry about their employer going bankrupt without a savior like Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK). I have not heard a single employee even hint at being warned to remain silent by management. And not one employee has been seen dancing for joy. Mr Mayes likens MDA to the Canadian Space Agency's machine shop. It has always been a machine shop that accepts all paying clients. MDA is a private company that survives on selling products to the public. The CSA has been a good customer, but is definitely not the only one. The Space business has changed in the 50+ years MDA's been active in the field. When RCA built Canada's first satellites, it was the Canadian Division of an American conglomerate. Satellite Payloads were produced for the American parent, for use on American satellites. Support busses were produced by RCA's American divisions. We would buy the bus for Canadian programs and the Americans would buy the payload for other programs. But RCA is gone from the scene. SPAR then bought the busses they needed from TRW, Hughes Aircraft and Ball Aerospace. They've all been acquired. The remaining big time operators in the Space market are all now vertically integrated suppliers, they can supply ALL the elements of the satellite package. They no longer need MDA. They have enough business that they don't want to sell spacecraft support busses to MDA. ATK are latecomers to the space race. They started acquiring the manufacturing capability for all the spacecraft parts in the last 10 years. They still have not filled one hole in their organization, the payload manufacturer. MDA fills that hole perfectly, like a hand in a glove -- a seven-fingered hand in a seven-fingered glove. ATK want to become a world leader in satellite sales, but they need a good payload manufacturer. MDA's Space division needs a reliable source of satellite subsystems it doesn't make, in order to stay in business. Bob Quintal Nervous This talk of giving access to a developer to build multiple dwellings on 25 acres of land through Birch Hill is making every house owner on this narrow street rather nervous. What can we do as a group to forestall this proposal? Fortunately, as the top of Birchill where the access would be is considerably less than 66 feet wide, as is all of the street, some law would have to be altered. Would we residents then have a say? Since the land under discussion to be developed (maybe) is so close to Hwy. 342, the access obviously should be situated up there. If there are ravines, they could be bridged could they not. What about accessing through the neighboring development of Hudson Valleys (or whatever) which is very close to the proposed new housing? Naomi Henshaw Map with that? Re. Duff's Corner, 30 April: Jim Duff again offers Hudson's many ramblers some intriquing thoughts about linking Hudson's trails together. Particularly interesting is the idea of a "mythical Southeast passage... between the Vivery Valley and the Cirko trail," and how the rezoning of Whitlock would affect this, etc. This is a fascinating discussion but a bit hard to visualize. Next time it crops up, I for one would profit from a map showing the main places and possibilities. Tom Cobb Editor's note: An expedition left at 5:30 this morning, armed with a camera, GPS and a topographical map. Thank you to the Hudson community On behalf of my wife Carmen, and my daughter Lauren, I want to thank you for the heartfelt support you have shown us during this dreadful time. We have been profoundly touched by your overwhelming compassion ­ the meals you've cooked, the cards you've sent, the phone calls, the visits, the hugs and the prayers. Seeing the hundreds of friends at Ronnie's funeral gave us enormous comfort and strength. Thank so much to Father Demers for the wonderful sermon, to Yvon Vachon for such a moving reading, to Doug Young and Claude Guilbault for their beautiful rendition of "Whispering Pines," to Glen Bowser for reading the poem, "God Said," and of course to the excellent choir. Thanks as well to all those who sent flowers and to Denyse Mackinnon, Carol Villeneuve and Agnes Moffat for organizing the reception. We also wish to acknowledge our special thanks to all those of you who searched for Ronnie; to Jim Duff at the Hudson Gazette, and especially Ken Hodgson, who brought Ronnie home to us. Carmen and I have lived in Hudson for more than seventy years, and never have we been prouder to be part of this loving, caring community. I honestly don't know how we would have made it through the past few weeks without all of you. Although the road ahead of us is a difficult one, it is made much easier because of your support and your kindness. To each and every one of you, we offer our deepest gratitude. With sincere appreciation, Bill Seguin Pale blue dot This note is to say a special thank you for the editorial the week of April 23rd, and while Carl Sagan was not one of my favorite astronomers, the Pale Blue Dot was magnificent! I hope everyone read it slowly and carefully; it was "how it is" in a nutshell! Each time I read it, I become even more aware of things we so take for granted. Thank you for using it in your editorial - it has been much appreciated. Dorothy Grigg The Barn The barn you pass on the way home May look dormant, even extinct As it sits there quietly supported By drifts of snow But it is no more dead than the pencil In my hand For just as the atoms inside my pencil Are expressing their kinetic energy So, too, are the cows within the barn Shifting position, munching their fuel Or moving about And just as with humans Life may appear to be stopped in its tracks On the outside But, oh! On the inside There is an eternity of things going on! Al Jared The Hudson Gazette welcomes Letters to the Editor for publication in future issues. All letters should be signed, kept to a reasonable length and include a phone number for verification if necessary. They can be dropped off at our office or e-mailed to us at hudsongazette@videotron.ca. While we endeavour to retain the author's main thoughts, Letters to the editor are subject to editing for both length and content.