ehonian
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      am
      person...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hear
      me
     
    
   
   
    
     
      roar
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      public
      are
      suckers
      for
      novelty,
      always
     
    

    
     
      eager
      to
      lap
      up
      the
      strange
      and
      original.
     
     
      That’s
      why
      the
      popular
      tabloids
      perpetrate
      such
     
     
      enlightening
      exposes
      as
      Elvis
      sightings
      on
      Mars
     
     
      rather
      than
      bore
      us
      with
      such
      everyday,
      pedes-
     
     
      trian
      fare
      as
      political
      events
      and
      economic
     
     
      reports.
      If
      you
      want
      people’s
      attention
      you
      have
     
     
      to
      be
      startlingly
      different,
      and
      things
      have
      be-
     
     
      come
      startlingly
      different
      on
      P.E.I.
      with
      the
     
     
      departure
      of
      popular
      Premier
      Joe
      Ghiz,
      a
      fixture
     
     
      of
      Island
      politics
      for
      years.
      That
      in
      itself
      is
     
     
      startling,
      but
      it
      got
      better.
      Not
      only
      was
      Joe
     
     
      giving
      his
      swansong,
      but
      his
      replacement
      wasn’t
     
     
      even
      drawn
      from
      his
      still-popular
      Liberal
      gov-
     
     
      ernment.
      Stranger
      still,
      this
      federal
      MP
      and
     
     
      would-be
      premier
      faced
      virtually
      no
      opposition
     
    
   
   
    
     
      t
      he
      key
      word
      in
      ‘‘news’’
      is
      ‘‘new’’.
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      inthe
      race
      for
      Ghiz’s
      job,
      and
      won
      by
      a
      stagger-
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      but
      unsurprising
      landslide
      in
      an
      extravagant
     
     
      “race’’
      that
      served
      virtually
      no
      purpose
      beyond
     
     
      stroking
      the
      new
      premier’s
      ego...and
      the
      sur-
     
     
      -
      prises
      didn’t
      stop
      there.
      Even
      before
      the
      conclu-
     
     
      sion
      of
      the
      leadership
      race,
      the
      media
      were
     
     
      excitedly
      buzzing
      about
      the
      strangest
      twist
      of
     
     
      all,
      our
      new
      premier’s
      deep,
      dark
     
     
      Secret...Catherine
      Callbeck
      was
      a
      woman!
     
     
      While
      the
      gravel-voiced
      Callbeck
      could
     
     
      hardly
      be
      considered
      the
      archetype
      of
      feminine
     
     
      allure,
      the
      discovery
      by
      the
      media
      of
      her
      gender
     
     
      'S
      still
      something
      less
      than
      the
      investigative
     
     
      ‘eporting
      coup
      of
      the
      century.
      Nevertheless,
      as
     
     
      Callbeck’s
      victory
      began
      to
      look
      certain,
      na-
     
     
      tional
      and
      local
      reporters
      alike
      began
      comment-
     
     
      Ng
      incredulously
      on
      how
      Callbeck
      would
      be-
     
     
      ‘ome
      Prince
      Edward
      Island’s
      first
      woman
      pre-
     
     
      Mer;
      moreover,
      the
      leader
      of
      the
      only
      poten-
     
     
      ‘tally
      significant
      opposition
      party
      on
      the
      Island
     
     
      ‘Salsoa
      woman:
      Progressive
      Conservative
      leader
     
     
      at
      Mella.
      With
      a
      provincial
      election
      looming
     
     
      °n
      the
      horizon,
      newshounds
      have
      been
      panting
     
     
      “the
      possibility
      that
      P.E.I.
      could
      be
      the
      first
     
     
      Province
      in
      Canada
      to
      elect
      a
      woman
      premier.
     
     
      €
      mind
      boggles.
     
     
      Before
      we
      get
      carried
      away,
      though,
      just
     
     
      -
      are
      our
      minds
      boggling
      at?
      Callbeck’s
      rise
     
     
      Power
      is
      not
      necessarily
      all
      that
      amazing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —
      ofall
      things
      conservative,
      spent
      a
      good
     
     
      "8
      While
      with
      a
      female
      by
      thename
      of
      Margaret
     
     
      me
      holding
      the
      national
      reins
      of
      power.
     
     
      a
      'n
      Canada,
      women
      like
      Kim
      Campbell
      and
     
     
      ae
      MacDougall
      have
      become
      major
      play-
     
    

    
     
      the
      federal
      political
      arena.
      Seeing
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Catherine
      Callbeck
      become
      top
      dog
      in
      the
      penny-
     
     
      ante
      provincial
      legislature
      of
      Canada’s
      smallest
     
     
      province
      is,
      in
      light
      of
      other
      women’s
      political
     
     
      accomplishments,
      not
      enough
      to
      make
      the
      femi-
     
     
      nist
      pulse
      quicken.
      :
     
    

    
     
      More
      significantly,
      it’s
      rather
      shallow
      and
     
     
      condescending
      to
      regard
      any
      politician
      prima-
     
     
      rily
      as
      a
      woman
      politician
      rather
      than
      consider-
     
     
      ing
      the
      individual’s
      unique
      personal
      qualities
     
     
      and
      merit.
      Catherine
      Callbeck’s
      role
      as
      a
      female
     
     
      politician
      doesn’t
      mean
      that
      we
      can
      or
      should
     
     
      expect
      to
      see
      ‘‘female
      politics’’
      from
      her.
      In
     
     
      fact,
      Callbeck
      does
      not
      describe
      herself
      as
      a
     
     
      feminist.
      When
      asked
      about
      her
      stance
      on
     
     
      “‘women’s
      issues’’
      Callbeck
      has
      refused
      to
     
     
      acknowledge
      them
      as
      such,
      saying
      that
      she
     
     
      prefers
      to
      deal
      with
      people
      issues.
      Similarly,
     
     
      Conservative
      leader
      Pat
      Mella
      could
      hardly
      be
     
     
      considered
      the
      poster
      girl
      for
      mainstream
      femi-
     
     
      nism
      in
      that
      she
      is
      steadfastly
      opposed
      to
     
     
      abortion,
      which
      is
      seen
      by
      many
      feminists
      as
      an
     
     
      essential
      right
      of
      all
      women.
      Politicians
      cannot
     
     
      and
      should
      not
      be
      neatly
      typecast
      according
      to
     
     
      gender,
      since,
      as
      Callbeck
      and
      Mella
      show,
      we
     
     
      can’t
      expect
      them
      to
      act
      the
      roles
      we
      envision.
     
    

    
     
      Most
      importantly,
      we
      should
      not
      let
      such
     
     
      politically
      correct
      ponderings
      as
      gender
      ramifi-
     
     
      cations
      distract
      us
      from
      actual
      political
      issues.
     
     
      Rather
      than
      buzzing
      about
      women
      premiers,
      the
     
     
      media
      can
      (and
      in
      some
      cases
      they
      have)
      ad-
     
     
      dress
      more
      relevant
      questions:
      for
      instance,
     
     
      how
      valid
      is
      anomination
      process
      that
      favors
      an
     
     
      outsider
      like
      Callbeck
      over
      government
      mem-
     
     
      bers,
      how
      is
      it
      that
      Callbeck
      faced
      virtually
      no
     
     
      resistance
      to
      her
      rise,
      and
      what
      does
      she
      intend
     
     
      to
      do
      now
      that
      she’s
      in
      power?
      She
      has
      ex-
     
     
      pressed
      her
      concern
      with
      such
      vague
      issues
      as
     
     
      education
      and
      economic
      development,
      but
      has
     
     
      yet
      to
      map
      out
      any
      convincing
      or
      detailed
      plans
     
     
      (and
      given
      the
      fact
      that
      she’s
      working
      with
      a
     
     
      cabinet
      that
      is
      basically
      inherited
      from
      the
     
     
      former
      administration,
      we
      probably
      shouldn’t
     
     
      be
      expecting
      any
      truly
      shocking
      changes
      in
      the
     
     
      way
      things
      are
      run).
      With
      an
      election
      in
      the
     
     
      offing,
      now
      is
      the
      time
      to
      evaluate
      our
      politi-
     
     
      cians
      by
      their
      policies
      and
      actions,
      not
      their
      sex.
     
     
      We
      should
      vote
      not
      as
      men
      or
      women
      but
      as
     
     
      people,
      if
      we
      want
      politicians
      who
      will
      serve
      us
     
     
      as
      such.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sean
      McQuaid
     
     
      Editor-in-Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      the
      Editor:
      itt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tao
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Over
      the
      Christmas
      vacation,
      I
      had
      a
      very
      good
     
     
      experience,
      which
      I
      would
      like
      to
      share
      with
      the
     
     
      campus.
      I
      volunteer
      with
      CIMN
      Radio,
      and
     
     
      must
      frequently
      deal
      with
      Campus
      Security
      if
      I
     
     
      am
      working
      there
      outside
      of
      normal
      office
     
     
      hours.
      One
      evening
      quite
      close
      to
      Christmas,
      I
     
     
      needed
      to
      go
      into
      the
      station.
      The
      Student
     
     
      Union
      office,
      and
      therefore
      the
      Barn
      itself,
      were
     
     
      not
      open,
      and
      had
      not
      been
      open
      for
      a
      few
      days.
     
     
      No
      CIMN
      volunteers
      had
      been
      in
      that
      day
     
     
      either,
      and
      it
      was
      within
      a
      few
      days
      of
      the
      series
     
     
      of
      brazen
      attacks
      on
      women
      which
      occurred
      in
     
     
      the
      Charlottetown
      area
      over
      the
      holidays.
     
    

    
     
      I
      went
      to
      Security
      to
      get
      the
      keys
      to
      the
      Barn
     
     
      and
      the
      radio
      station.
      I
      requested
      that
      someone
     
     
      then
      call
      up
      to
      the
      station
      in
      about
      ten
      minutes
     
     
      or
      so,
      just
      to
      make
      sure
      that
      I
      had
      made
      it
      there
     
     
      safely.
      After
      all,
      in
      case
      the
      locks
      were
      seized
     
     
      up
      on
      me,
      the
      burglar
      alarm
      didn’t
      work,
      I
     
     
      slipped
      on
      a
      patch
      or
      ice,
      or
      anything
      else,
      it
     
     
      seemed
      safer
      to
      have
      some
      follow-up
      made,
     
     
      rather
      that
      me
      just
      walking
      off
      and
      having
      no
     
     
      one
      know
      where
      I
      was.
     
    

    
     
      I
      made
      my
      request
      to
      the
      secretary,
      and
      the
     
     
      security
      officer
      on
      duty
      said
      he’d
      go
      one
      better
     
     
      and
      walk
      me
      over
      to
      the
      Barn.
      This
      officer
     
     
      walked
      over
      with
      me,
      waited
      while
      I
      got
      in
     
     
      through
      the
      front
      door,
      walked
      up
      to
      the
      station
     
     
      with
      me,
      turned
      on
      the
      safety
      lighting
      around
     
     
      the
      building
      (which
      was
      useful,
      asI
      didn’t
      know
     
     
      the
      location
      of
      the
      switches
      for
      them),
      and
      then
     
     
      came
      in
      and
      checked
      all
      the
      studios
      and
      offices
     
     
      around
      the
      station
      for
      anything
      out
      of
      the
      ordi-
     
     
      nary.
      Then
      he
      put
      in
      a
      good
      word
      for
      the
      Safe
     
     
      Walk
      program,
      and
      left
      with
      a
      reminder
      to
      me
     
     
      that
      I
      could
      call
      Security
      if
      I
      had
      any
      problems
     
     
      through
      the
      evening.
      I
      have
      had
      bad
      experiences
     
     
      with
      Security
      in
      the
      past,
      as
      well
      as
      neutral
      and
     
     
      good
      ones.
      This
      incident
      was
      important
      to
      me
     
     
      because
      it
      seemed
      to
      be
      a
      possible
      indication
     
     
      that
      Security
      had
      heard
      the
      complaints
      about
     
     
      them
      during
      this
      fall’s
      turmoil
      on
      campus,
      and
     
     
      were
      making
      steps
      in
      the
      right
      direction.
      What’s
     
     
      the
      point
      of
      even
      having
      a
      Security
      department
     
     
      ifthe
      people
      who
      live
      and
      work
      oncampus
      can’t
     
     
      work
      with
      them?
      If
      all
      the
      security
      officers
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      behaved
      this
      way
      all
      the
      time,
      this
      campus
     
     
      would
      be
      a
      much
      safer
      place.
     
    

    
     
      I’d
      like
      to
      publicly
      thank
      that
      particular
     
     
      officer
      for
      his
      courtesy,
      and
      thank
      the
      rest
      of
      the
     
     
      department
      for
      the
      strides
      which
      I
      have
      person-
     
     
      ally
      observed
      them
      making
      in
      their
      treatment
      of
     
     
      UPEI
      students.
      Believe
      me,
      it
      is
      very
      much
     
     
      appreciated!
     
    

    
     
      Signed,
     
     
      A
      CIMN
      Volunteer