I received two emails this morning telling me about this story.
It's funny the Irvings printed this one because I received two emails from Irving's reporters asking me for an interview about blogging?
I replied- You better asks your bosses the Irvings if it's ok?...lol
Guess what? I never heard from them again.
This is a serious issue and the Irvings should put Charles LeBlanc on the side and write editorials of the way the Saint John Police Force arrest and deleted 200 pictures from my camera.
But this will never happen. The story must be printed in the New York Times first....lol....
I believe that I have no choice but to email the Senate about this issue in the new year.
We have nowhere to turn. It's sad!!!!!
Here's the story -
N.B.'s naughty and nice list
Peter T Smith
commentary
Published 2006-12-19 | Page A5
Santa Claus, if he is true to the jingle, will this week be making his list and checking it twice. Some people are due for a merry Christmas, other deserve no more than a lump of coal. Here are some limited observations on who's been naughty and nice recently.
Shawn Graham: Nice
Since being sworn into office two and a half months ago, Shawn Graham has made enough good announcements to earn a top spot on the "nice" list.
The day after becoming premier, Graham made a funding announcement for harbour clean-up in Saint John, reduced the provincial gas tax, and announced that the $2,000 grants for first-year university students would be in place this year. Wildlife fencing will finally go up this spring along the parts of our highways that have a high risk of such collisions.
He has made some headway on auto insurance, but whether or not this is really "mission accomplished" remains to be seen. Recent announcements on hospital services, nursing home funding, and home care hours are also welcome.
Social workers in child protection, conscientious but overworked professionals charged with a sacred trust, are happy with Graham's plan to add 20 legal assistants to the system. This will allow child-protection workers to spend more time with families in need of their services. When your clients include children, often helpless and voiceless, you can't let them get lost in the paperwork.
Graham is nice for now, but hints that the Liberals may not be able to afford to fulfill their elections promises will land him squarely on the "naughty" list next year. Remember, Shawn, everyone still loved Bernard Lord after his first 100 days.
The Third Session of the 55th Legislature: Naughty
A virtual stalemate in the Legislature. Shawn Graham's offer to break the deadlock if Bernard Lord held a fall election. Frank Branch's misfortune. Mike Murphy and Margaret-Ann Blaney differing on the connotation of the term "weathergirl." Kirk MacDonald's musings on his kilt. Kelly Lamrock's quips. Allison Brewer in the visitor's gallery. Bev Harrison's impossible solutions to impossible problems with legislative committees. All this, and Tanker Malley.
When the Legislature resumes in the new year, it has to go better than this.
CFB Gagetown's Soldiers: Nice
Over the past year, there have been hundreds of soldiers training at the base for deployment in Afghanistan. What motivates someone to volunteer to go from best place in the world to the worst, risk life and limb trying to make that place better, and do it on behalf of all of us back home? While we celebrate Christmas with our families, we should appreciate those who are so far away from theirs.
The Saint John Police Force: Naughty
Yes, even the police can sometimes be naughty. Not in the way drug dealers are. As evidenced in Grand Manan and CFB Gagetown, those people destroy lives and divide communities, whereas police generally do quite the opposite. But not always.
The trial of Charles LeBlanc is just one exception to their usual good work. Not only was New Brunswick's best known blogger acquitted of obstructing justice, CBC videotape of his arrest contradicted the testimony of the arresting officer. LeBlanc did not challenge police authority or resist arrest (though there was plenty of that going on around him) and certainly shouldn't have had his camera meddled with.
Despite their limitations, the human rights issues, and the whole "slippery slope" argument, the police want to give prospective officers lie detector tests as a means of getting the best candidate. We also want the best teachers, doctors, nurses, and politicians, all of whom hold similar public responsibility, but no one would suggest polygraph tests for them. Well, maybe for politicians.
Most seriously, two officers were recently disciplined for failing to respond to a call from a hotel in 2004.
The hotel manager contacted police because an intoxicated man had a nearly empty bottle of Oxycontin. The officers declined to investigate and the man was found dead in the morning.
Harbour Lights: Nice
For 10n years now, CBC Saint John has raised money for food banks from Sussex to St. Stephen. The $40,000 raised this month is represented by the Harbour Lights Tree maintained by the Saint John Port Authority. The tree celebrates the success of the campaign, the goodwill of the people taking part, and the creativity of the organizers. If anything is a symbol of community in the Christmas season in Saint John, it is the Harbour Lights Tree.
Just one more week till Boxing Day.
Peter T. Smith teaches English and psychology at Kennebecasis Valley High School and lives in Hampton. He can be reached by e-mail at ptsmith_tj@hotmail.com. His column appears on Tuesday.
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