6 — Sunday. March 28, 1999 — North Shore News sober the ORGIVE the good people of B.C. if they seem a little down. Shades of creeping paranoia aside, it’s 2 good thing Westerners are made of stern stuff; if we weren’t the Lions Gate Bridge might be experienc- ing a different sort of traffic jam (as in a lineup for those ready to fling them- selves from it). The final year of the second Millennium has, to this point anyway, not been a proud one for Canada’s most westerly province. Our provincial government is frozen by scandalous innuendo, making even liberals and socialists long for the days of Captain Faaaantastic and the brown-bag hat lady. Our professional sport franchises — the modern world gladiators — are mired in overpaid mediocrity. Neither north shore news VIEWPOINT ughts their long-suffering fans to post-sea- son action this scason — once again. Simply put, they are an embarrass- ment. Our lightweight economy continues its tenuous balancing act between lofty prosperity and sluggish recession. Real estate pundits put on a brave face to the otherwise sour state of affairs, and reports on the province’s high-tech brain drain dominate the headlines. We won’t even mention the rain. The only bright spot on the B.C. horizon seems to be the government’s long-awaited —~ and equally overdue — liquor law amendments. Considering the woes we’ve been through so far this year, the opportu- nity to get a strong drink without ordering from the food menu should never be underrated. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE ~ BETWEEN THE BUYER OF ) a MY HOTEL GETTING A a GOVERNMENT LOAN AND 6¢ PREMIER CLARK'S FRIEND BEING GRANTED A ) CASINO LICENSE... ,, eae y. ——. (COME a the Canucks nor the Grizzlies will treat you said it “Her (Municipal Affairs Minister Jenny Kwan’s) crit- icism of the district’s budget is like getting a lecture from the captain of the Titanic on how to sail around icebergs.” North Vancouver District Mayor Don Bell, after Municipal Affairs Minister Jenny Kwan criticized the district for increasing taxes. According to the district the increase results directly trom the provincial downloading of costs to municipalities by cutting municipal grants. (From a March 26 News story.) 000 _“That was the hardest lezter we had to write, to articulate those emotions.” Brent Palmer, whose infant son Jack received a life-sav- ing heart ‘ransplant, on writing a note to the heart donor's surviving family. (From a March 26 News story.) oqga “There are so many ways to lose your money nowa- days it’s phenomenal ...” North Vancouver City Coun. Barbara Sharp, on gam- bling. (From a Marcel 26 News srory.) aoa “Like today, yes.” “West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Jeremy Dalton, to the March 26 News Inquiring Reporter question: “Should Glen Clark call an carly election?” ; 90a “Lucky was I to live and work in Hollywood dur- ing the 1930s, for there, life was very pleasant with its abundance of warm sunshine, fruits, flowers and good, staunch friends. There and then, the making of motion picture films was fun, lots of fun.” An inscription from the late Osmond Hudson Borradaile inside the cover of a Borradaile scrapbook. (From a March 26 News This Week story.) Q0a “You take this to the next election and tell them you gave away four and 4 half miliion dollars.” North Vancouver District Coun. Trevor Carolan, expressing his disgust at Mayor Don Bell’s support of reducing the payments owed by the Northlands public golf course by almost $44 million. (From a March 24 News story.) north shore , , _ Worth Shore News, founded in 1969 2s an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 113, Paragraph 121 of the Excise Tax Act, % putkshed each Wednextizy, Friday anc Sunday by Porth Shore Free Press Lid. and destnbuted to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canackan Publications Max ‘Sates Product Agreement No. 0067238. Distribution Manager 905-1337 (124) 7 pipn't & GET A NEWS SUNDECK. F Why not sue for Julius Caesar? VICTIM manufacturing — one of today’s fastest growing indus- tries — is now being expanded not only by victims themselves but by their self- confessed tormen- tors as well. Even so, you may have first rubbed your eyes once or twice in dis- belief before digesting a report last week from Britain's Sunday Telegraph. Leaders of the Christian churches there are planning — as their millennial project — to issue an official apology for the Crusades, 900 years after the Christian warriors kicked the invading, Muslims out of Jerusalem and opened it up again for Christian pilgrims. Their campaign began in 1095 on orders trom Pope Urban H, aid culmi- nared in the recapture of Jerusalers on July 15, 1099, For the early Middle Ages, wars didn’t come any more respectable. Despite which, Britain’s priestly do- gooders — ina draft text released to the hewspaper — are now beating their breasts over the “shameful atrocities” suf- fered by the Muslims and expressing their “profound regret and sorrow for the evil that was done in the name of Christ.” If they and their less sensitive col- leagues can get their act together — by no means certain yet — they hope to issuc a formal mea culpa this July 15, the 900th anniversary of the rough stuff in Jerusalem. PETER SPECK Oe Publisher Human Resources Manager +2131 (101) SBS-2101 (177) ‘Stepheeson Classified Manager Phot lography Manager pn 805-2131 (160) Morecover, Pope John Paul Tl is also reportedly preparing a Year 2000 apology for the Crusades, which saw the slaughter of tens of thousands of Muslims and Jews during the reconquest of the Holy Land. True, that’s hardly a happy memory even nine centuries later, although numerically a relatively minor tragedy compared to Hitler’s Holocaust and the vic- tims of 70 years of Soviet gulags. Meanwhile, British cler- gy critical of their fel- lows? abject breast- beating range from compromisers to hard- core realists. The former would be inclined to go along if the Muslims also apologized tor their beastliness to the Christians. The latter say “forget this nonsense entirely — you can’t rewrite history.” And the latter, of course, are dead right. Values constantly change (and, we like to think, improve). So no historic event can ever be judged by today’s val- ues. - Ifthe 1th century Crusaders — wherever they may be — are listening to their 1999 apologists, they must be tear- ing their hair. Slaying infidels was the only right and proper thing to do at their point in time. And what comfort, anyhow, are today’s apologies to the 900-year-old skeletons of their victims? That’s the bottom line with all history. As leading Canadian historian Jack Granatstein emphasizes, you study it not hither and yon LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number. iA e-mait: trenshaw @ direct.ca Managing Editor 905-2138 {116} to judge it but simply to understand where you came from and maybe, with luck, how to avoid repeating past mis- takes. Otherwise, England could still be demanding restitution from France for the Bartle of Hastings, and the Welsh could still be suing Italy for what beastly Julius Caesar did to their ancient Brit ancestors. O00 TROUBLED by the immigration and refugee mess? Then circle Wednesday, March 31, on your calendar for the 7:30 p.m. public meeting at the International Plaza Hotel (North Shore Conference Centre) exposing the truth about Canada’s much abused system from three immigration experts. Speakers are former Canadian ambas- sador Martin Collacort, House of Commons Immigration Committee member Leon Benoit, MP and former Immigration Dept. member Mike Taylor. They will analyze and discuss with you - - the ponderous procedures, the excessive numbers admitted, the gigantic cost and * the lack of control over criminal cle- ments. so The meeting is sponsored by the _- Independent Immigration Aid Association and the Canadian Association for Immigration Reform. Sounds like a worthwhile evening. 900 HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY today, March 28, to West Van songster-cnviron- mentalist Terry Jacks. aoa von WRIGHT OR WRONG: No sense in - being pessimistic, It wouldn’r work any- way, . OURERCHIUS! 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