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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, June 5, 2002 Author Ruth Clarke was at the Clarke Museum and Archives on Sunday May 26th, exhibiting photos from her new book on rural fences. Reduce • Reuse • Recycle TT si fhfj'V 100 Varieties of Xx ]j ostas & p ere nnials Hollow Gardens 5147 Patterson Road Orono, Ontario LOB 1 MO 1) Tel. (905) 983-8246 Taunton Rd. Cone. Rd. 6 Orono §1 - Cone, Rd 4 - - Cone, Rd. 3 - Newcastle -Hwy 2 ■ Bowmanville ■ 401 ■ Bowmanville Museum Annual Book Sale at 37 Silver Street (Corner of Wellington and Silver) Saturday, June 8 th , 10am - 2pm Call 905-623-2734 for more information II MORRIS FUNERAL CHAPEL LTD. SERVING DURHAM REGION SINCE 1841 ALL FUNERAL SERVICES PREARRANGED AND/OR PREPAID BURIAL - CREMATION - TRANSFERS "WHERE PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE IS IMPORTANT" FUNERAL DIRECTORS PAUL R. MORRIS DOUG R. RUTHERFORD 623-5480 A DIVISION ST„ BOWMANVILLE - AT QUEEN ST. GARY M. CONWAY DEBRA D. KELLEHER Basic Black by Arthur Black 0AAA EUCHRE RESULTS Thursday, May 16 DRAWS 1 - Sally Emmorey - 132 2 - Clifford Francis - 128 3 - Helen Logan - 126 4 - Mary Henderson - 124 5 - Norma Glober - 120 6 - Del Olmstead - 119 Rod Caswell LONE HANDS Rod Caswell - 9 Sally Emmorey - 9 Next Euchre - July 20th Newtonville Euchre Results 1 - Don Budd - 86 2 - Jean O'Neill - 83 3 - Eileen Stapleton - 80 4 - Marie Couroux - 79 5 - Reid Harness - 77 6 - Ambrase O'Halloran -77 DRAWS 1 - Rose Mann 2 - Mary Henderson 3 - Ambrase O'Halloran 4 - Marlene Stacey 5 - Edgar Millson 6 - Cleo Day :• 7 - Ed Couroux 8 - Hilton Peacock • Next card party June 14th, 8:00 p.m. • Next tournament June 15th, 1:00 p.m. Shocked and "apolled" We're only about half-way through 2002, but I think I've already spotted my nomination nomination for funniest news story of the year. It's the one that informed us that Prime Minister Chretien was "shocked" to learn that 69 percent of Canadians think federal politics is corrupt. Shocked? Donnez-moi un break, Jean. This was the same week Canadians found out that the Feds had been shoveling millions of bucks into a public relations firm in Montreal - mostly for services never rendered. It was the same week we learned that we'd be paying $100 million for two swanky new jets to whisk the PM, his family and friends hither and yon. (Our armed forces have been forced to fight a war in aged Sea King helicopters -- decrepit buckets of bolts that spend more time falling out of the sky than flying anywhere, but that's okay, the Big Boys in the PMO are safe and comfy. ) It was just a few months after the Liberal Public Works Minister and shameless Liberal bagman Alfonso Gagliano was caught with his hand in the patronage till. Was he fired? Brought up on charges? Nah, he was shuffled shuffled off to Denmark where he continues to haul down a huge salary and live in the ambassador's ambassador's residence for which you and I pick up the tab. Not that the Liberals have any corner on the corruption racket. Remember Preston Manning back when he first led the Reform posse into Ottawa? Preston's number one promise to the party faithful: it was a dang sure certainty that he wouldn't be bedding down at the plush official residence residence for the Leader of the Opposition. No sirree - this was a party for the common people. Within a matter of weeks, Preston had forsaken the Holiday Inn in favour of shacking up in Stornaway. Then there was that great Progressive Conservative Lucien Bouchard. Oops, I mean Independent member....no, member....no, make that Parti Québécois leader... During his years in federal politics, Bouchard changed partners more often than a two-dollar taxi dancer. He began his political career by swearing allegiance to Canada as its ambassador to France. Five years later he was leading a party dedicated to the country's destruction. No, you don't have to be a federal Liberal politician to be corrupt - but you would have to be awfully naïve (or have enough chutzpah to fill a Shawinigan swimming pool) to be "shocked" that seven out of ten Canadians detect an overripe odour emanating out of Ottawa. Personally, I'd like to meet the 31 percent that believe federal politics is pure as the Gatineau Hills snow. Perhaps they're the same folks who voted in another recent poll about federal politics politics - the one that concludes that nearly half of Canadians can't tell the Canadian Alliance from the New Democratic Party. Politically speaking, 47 percent of citizens polled couldn't distinguish their Left from their Right. The pollster who conducted conducted the survey says the lack of understanding shows "Canadians are not easily grouped into ideological packages". I'd say it shows that the citizens citizens polled are dumber than a bag of hammers, but perhaps perhaps that's too harsh. After all, it's hard to tell Left from Right these days. The Netherlands used to have a right(?) wing politician named Pirn Fortuyn - who was openly gay and opposed Muslim immigration because he felt it threatened Dutch traditions traditions of feminism and sexu-. al tolerance. Sounds like a cross between Svend Robinson and Myron Thompson. Unfortunately, Mister Fortuyn managed to irritate a left(?) wing vegetarian, animal-rights animal-rights activist who promptly shot him to death. Left, right, right left - who can tell anymore? We're talking talking about people who will basically stand wherever they have to and say whatever they must to get your X on a piece of paper. And apparently, that's just about all they have to do. In 1994 a candidate by the name of Jacob Haugaard ran for election in Denmark on a campaign platform that included promises to deliver better weather, shorter lineups, lineups, tailwinds for cyclists and the right of men to be impotent. impotent. Haugaard won with 23, 211 votes.