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After you see Tevye or Anne, take the time to see Erla and Sheldon

G

Erla Boyer Gallery Owner

Sheldon Russell Chef/Proprietor

Thirty years representing Canada's most
renowned native artists: Inuit, Anishinabek,
West Coast, Cree & Iroquois First Nations.

"Keystone Alley is about modern, ever-evolving,
flavour-packed cuisine at accessible prices.
You too will love it."

A

1

•

Y

inolGene

69 Ontario Street in Downtown Stratford
Open 7 days a week
Tel: 519 271 7881 E-mail: erla@galleryindigena.com

The Alternative
Choice for Arts,
Crafts I Jewelry

5/26

2000

42

ICE14AIIEV

SINCE 1983

Downtown behind the Avon Theatre
Open Thesday to Sunday for Lunch & Dinner and
Monday for Lunch Reservations 519 271 5645

arts, crafts, and jewelry

On The Boardwalk • 6685 Orchard Lake Rd. • West Bloomfield, Michigan
248-539-3309

40

change it.
I joined the other Michigan moms,
holding our banners and signs. I was
pleased Michigan's turnout was one of
the largest. –
Later, I found myself sitting next to
people affected by gun violence. There
was Mary's mom, who had a big pic-
ture of her beautiful young daughter
pinned to her chest. A man who had
just been released from jail killed
Mary at age 22.
Then there was the adorable tod-
dler who sat in front of us, blowing
kisses. He'll .never get to know his par-
ents who were killed by gun violence.
And so I heard one mom's story after
another. The dead children were no
longer just statistics, but faces with
names and parents.
During the program, speakers
shared their stories, thoughts and wis-

dom. Many celebrities had written
special songs.
But perhaps the most powerful
and emotional talk of all was by
Rabbi Eric Yoffie of the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations,
the only American clergyman to
speak from the podium. He opened
with, "Is the need for sensible gun
control a religious issue? You bet it
is. The indiscriminate distribution
of guns is an offense against God
and humanity."
A bell of melted down guns was
presented and rung 12 times, repre-
senting the 12 children killed daily by
gun violence in this country.
Choked up with emotion, I made a
silent vow to my sons, Michael and
Andrew, that I would do everything
in my power to make this a safer
country for them. ID

LETTERS

Raising Kids:
The Parental Role

Crowds of dubious statistics from
nowhere, yet one was missing ("Mom
Power," May 12, page 7) — virtually
all relevant facts showed criminal-like
behavior at the center of the gun issue.
"Mom Power" doesn't address the
question of the criminal element.
Criminals don't obey any law, regard-
less of how good moms and the White
House might feel. Criminals rob gas
stations, hold up innocent people and
make life unpleasant despite being for-
bidden by law from handling
weapons. Despite additional laws lim-
iting access of people to guns, the
criminal will always have his gun.
How can moms and company in the
national mall and compliant politi-
cians address this problem?
In 1965, the U.S. had no gun regis-,
tration and guns flowed through the
Postal Service unimpeded; the U.S.
had virtually no armed juvenile crime.
Today, we are confronted with
reminders of wholesale murder at
Columbine High School in Littleton,
Colo., and, interestingly, by the U.S.
government in Waco, Texas, et al.
The problem is at home. These
moms turn to the U.S. government
and its eager politicians to redress
their failure to teach guns and respon-
sibility. Unhappily, the government
does a lousy job teaching anything,
but it is eager to seize the opportunity
to try. again and again. Moms were

looking for congressmen to cover and
redress their failure at home.
Unspoken for, the good moms were
at home or work, teaching their chil-
dren about gun safety and citizen
responsibility. We need more teaching
and less of the moms on the national
mall begging the government to help
raise their kids.

Michael Drissman
Farmington Hills

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