September 29, 2009
Special praise
We bribed some politicians to keep us out of the clutches of the local RCMP, and frankly, it worked.
It's quite likely the media would not have got to first base during our investigations of the goings-on at Douglas Park on Saturday, if not for underhanded dealings with MLAs Rich Coleman and Mary Polak, MP Mark Warawa, and Langley mayors Peter Fassbender and Rick Green.
The coppers would have stopped us for sure, and now it's time to pay off the bribe: we promised that, if the politician umpires allowed us to steal a few bases during the media-versus-RCMP Special Olympics softball game at Community Living Day, we'd write something nice about them.
And indeed, it's not really all that difficult to find something nice to say every once in awhile.
We may disagree with the political stances taken by our various politicians from time to time, and we may be on the look-out for errors in judgment (and jump on them when we occasionally think we find one), but in fact, they are good people who got into their line of work to make things better for other people, because they do care - their participation in Community Living Day and so many other community events is proof enough of that.
While we're at it, we'd like to offer a pat on the back to RCMP members from Langley (on and off the ball diamond) and from across Canada, who do a tremendous job every day, despite a somewhat soiled spotlight that shines on a few among them now and again. Like those among the ranks of the politicians - and the media - it's natural that not every one of them is perfect, but the vast majority are in it for all the right reasons, and do their jobs in such a way as to make this country the envy of the world.
And while we're doling out a few helpings of pride, let's not forget the Special Olympians, whose drive and accomplishments set a standard for us all.
- B.G.
