4 ~ Wednesday, March 8, 1989 - North Shore News

SOMETIMES THE print
media are definitely unfair.
(Sometimes?)

Case in point: Alberta Premier
Don Getty starts off his re-election
campaign by stumbling into a lame
joke, and then is ripped apart by
the press and the Opposition for
“horrific taste.’’

The wimp Liberal leader in
Alberta goes so far as to demand
that Getty apologize to Alberta
women!

Gimme a break.

I happened to be watching TV
and caught Getty making his joke.
There was absolutely no doubt
about it. It was a joke. It was the
wrong joke to make, but so what?
We all make inappropriate jokes
from time to time. (We don’t? I'm
the only one?)

To understand Getty’s joke, you

SR
...anybody who saw
Getty make his faux
pas on TV knows it
was trivial in the
extreme, the sort of
thing which, when it
happens at a dinner,
simply causes the
hostess to move
quickly on to the next
subject...”’

have to look at the context. The
seat belt issue happens to be hot in
Alberta right now, and Getty is
sensitive to that. A newspaper col-
umpist had made a reference to
him as a ‘‘closet abuser of seat
belts.” (The mind boggles.)

This particular columnist was on
deck at the press conference. In a
tare display of wit, Premier Getty
said to the columnist: ‘Il may
whack my kids, best my wife, but
I've never abused a seat belt."

Ho, ho.

The metaphors seem mixed up,
but, actually, that's quite funay —
for a staid old cowboy golfer.

Alas, more context:

Getty’s son, as everybody in
Alberta knows, happens to be on
trial for drug trafficking. As a
result, Getty’s wife is reportedly on
the verge of @ nervous breakdown.

Things are not all that jolly back
at the Getty ranch. His wife and
kids aren't, therefore, proper sub-
jects for the premier to be joking
about. I'm sure Getty’s PR ad-
visers would agree.

Also, as any progressive person
will tell you, jokes about ‘‘whack-
ing" one’s wife are no longer tres
chic. Premier Getty should have
made a joke about the NDP or
something safe.

Watching the incident on The
National, I was able to study the
expression on the face of the

Bos
HUNTER

® strictly personal ©

three-piece suit flunkie standing
just behind Getty. His mouth
dropped and shock left it frozen
open. (That was really funny!)

Wait, there is more context here.
Getty has been pushing the theme
of family togetherness in his polit-
ical campaign and patronage pro-
grams. In the Throne Speech, he
used the word ‘‘family’’ or ‘‘fami-
lies’’ 40 times, according to
Calgary Herald columnist Don
Braid.

Now, if a guy’s got serious
troubles at home and he goes
ahead and builds a political plat-
form based on domestic bliss, he is
inviting very negative karmic feed-
back, yes?

Asking for it or what?

God knows what’s going on in-
side the man’s tormented psyche,
but let us assume that it's no picnic
(a) having a son facing imprison-
meni, (b) having a wife driven to
distraction, (c) being the premier
of Alberta.

Any one of these situations
would be enough to drive me into
making a slip of the tongue or two.
(Not that I’ve personally ever ex-
perienced (b), you understand!)

The point is, anybody who saw
Getty make his faux pas on TV
knows it was trivial in the extreme,
the sort of thing which, when it
happens at a dinner, simply causes
the hostess to move quickly on to
the next subject while not im-
mediately refilling the visitor's
giass. (Not that I've personally
ever experienced this, either!)

In the humorless light of print,
Getty’s remark looks crude enough
that editorial writers can goad him
with it, women’s advocates can
blaze with righteousness, and Op-
position politicians can play chint-
zy pool.

Stay out of politics, my children.
You can never have a laugh.

Oh, by the way, did you hear dic
one about how many feminists it
takes to change a lightbulb?

(That’s not funny!)

Hell, it’s not even fair...

i of premiers, I am
grateful to North Vancouver
veader Allan V. Burgesse for poin-
ting out a rather terrible error in
something | wrote recently. 1
referred to Amor de Cosmos, the
second premier of B.C., as a
‘loonie,’ comparing him to Bill
Vander Zalm.

Mr. Burgesse notes: ‘‘Amor de
Cosmos, as the founder and editor
of the daily newspaper...which is
today the Victoria Times and Col-
onist, spoke out on behalf of the
common folk of the colony, calling
for responsidle government attack-
ing the self-serving ways of the
family compact colonial govern-
ment led by Sir James Douglas. He
was (also) instrumental in assuring
th: the trans-continental link
was...delivered as promised (and)
personally secured...the Royal
Navy graving docks for Es-

uimalt..

““As for your association of the
current premier with Amor de
Cosmos, I can only say that they
are sot in the same league."

Sir, I stand corrected @

Three fined for theft

THREE VANCOUVER residents
were fined $500 each in North
Vancouver provincial court after
they pleaded guilty to charges of
theft and possession of stolen
Property.

Kinga Glowacka, Zofia Loczko

and Eugeniusz Grabowski were
originally charged in connection
with Feb. 25, 1989 incidents in
which two Artecho Mirage leather
jackets were stolen from Boom-
ingdale's Fashions Ltd. in
Whistler, B.C.

GIGANTIC PRE-SPRING SALE

On Bedding
Basics

White Goose Down
Twin 5159”
Double 199”

219°

Stumberland
s9ge
49°
59”
79°
99”

At Prices
You Just

Can’t Beat!

DESIGNER
LINENS |

DISCONTINUED
PATTERNS

Good selection

Luxury Fabufill
Queen 2 for®

White Goose
Feather

2 for 549

Queen

BATHROOM
RIES .

Painted Iron

Doll or Pet Beds
Peach - Reg. $100

Brass & Chrome
Towel-stands, Soap-
dishes & Fingertip
Towel Holders

"25 See

Lonsdale ¢ Quay 1854 W.4th Ave.
jar’
North Vancouver at Burrard

987-0008 736-7233