March17: Wow! Go to section F1...

....for what may be the best page I've yet seen in The Moncton Times and Transcript. It's a page of paintings by Moncton high school students. The imagination and the skill are breathtaking. It's actually worth cutting out this page and keeping it.

       I hate those kids.

      I took up painting about a year ago. I like it. A few of my paintings have been worth framing. But I'm nowhere close to those kids; and I never will be. I know it. I've always known I have a very limited talent. But, gee, they don't have to rub it in like that.

    The pictures are now on display at Moncton City Hall. I'm certainly going to see them. It'll make me feel terribly clumsy and inadequate and envious. But a man's gotta do whut a man's gotta do.

     There is virtually no news in the rest of the paper. NewsToday has at last noticed that the F-35 fighter-bomber programme of the "Harper government" is a disaster. And a very, very expensive one. That's been obvious from the start. Glad the Tand T picked up on it.

     The story also carries a photo of Peter MacKay, a keeper for your collection of worst and most expensive defence ministers in Candian history. And we've had some gems in the category. Of course, it's hard to put all the blame on young Peter. Harper chose him for cabinet because Harper likes cabinet ministers who do what they're told; and Peter fits the bill.  It's quite likely, almost certain, that control-freak Harper is the real cause of this mess.

      The big headline is "Canadians expect bad budget news".  Okay. But we're Canadians. Right? So if we're already expecting something, why tell us w're expecting it? Do they think we're so dumb we don't know what we're expecting?

       There's a useful starting point for discussion of the fisheries in Bill Beliveau's column. That's a problem we're going to have to deal with very, very soon. And if we leave the decision up to Harper, our Atlantic fishery is toast. This could well be the decisive  year.

        Norbert Cunningham criticizes the internet for its threat to privacy. Good point. Newspapers have always set an example of ensuring privacy - for the right sort of people- like shale gas developers and, you know, people with influence on the government. Terrible the way the internet makes it possible for people to spread malicious stories about the news media and child porn, and talk to each other - about child porn, find out things from around the world - like international child porn.  Wouldn't we be better off relying just on newspapers so respectable people could go on destroying our public schools for children?  poisoning our groundwater and our general environment for children? keeping wages low so that children won't be tempted by having too much money? or food?

        Disgusting as it is, if New Brunswick worried less about child porn and more about abuse of its schools, its working people.its poverty its illiteracy, its lack of intellecutal and cultural life, its environment, the children would be a hell of a lot better off.

      Brent Mazerolle has the usual nothing piece for op ed. It seems  he had a gallstone; and it hurt. Yes, yes. Thank you for sharing that with us.

      Gwynne Dyer has a scary column for those who think we're on the path to economic recovery, making this is a good time to borrow millions for a new hockey rink. Sometimes, I wish I could laugh at Gwynne.s views. But I've learned that's not a good idea. He may not be right this time. I hope he isn't. But it's just as well to look at all the possibilities.

     Below Gwynne's column is a good letter to the editor by George Jonah of Moncton.

    On -and this cheery note for St. Patrick's revellers. Fifty-one percent (51%, slightly more than half) of all the Irish who migrated to Canada were - gasp - Protestant.