Yays:
• To Chief Ann Louie for calling attention to the racism that is creeping around in the Cariboo Chilcotin.
• To city Coun. Danica Hughes and the organizers of the city’s 85th birthday party. It was great to see families involved, and that the nasty turn of Cariboo weather didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm.
• To the High School Rodeo participants who didn’t let the snowy Stampede grounds daunt them.
• To the people — many of them young’uns — who brighten the day of others with little acts of kindness — lending a helping hand (like holding a door open), giving up a spot in a line-up, or even just making eye contact and smiling.
Boos:
• To energy giant Kinder Morgan officials for suggesting oil spills could be a good thing economically because the clean-up would employ many workers. The company doesn’t say who would pay the workers.
• The provincial government’s plan to have trades training in the schools should deserve a great big yay, but not when it takes money away from other programs.
We need some roses along with the bread.
(Question: what is the difference between a trade and a profession? It takes years to train a dentist, it also take years to train a millwright. Both work with their hands. Why is one a trade and one a profession?)
• To Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the King of Ad Hominem (if you don’t like what someone says, smear them.)
This may be okay when the target is a political foe but attacking academics, environmentalists, government-appointed watchdogs, and anyone else who dares to offer legitimate advice or challenges a government position is a bit much.
An extra big boo for dissing Supreme Court Justice Beverly Mclachlin.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.