AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/3/2003 09:54:33 PM ----- BODY: I have been sitting here listening to the commentators gab during the Boston Red Sox rain delay at Pittsburgh. Many comments are being made about Shea Hillenbrand's "parting shots" as he gave his take on his trade from Boston and his new home in Arizona.

It seems to me that Shea is trying to make the best of his new home, and his comments are being blown out of proportion. Not many players are put in a situation where their name gets thrown around as a possible trade after having an all-star season as Hillenbrand did. Shea seemed to handle the situation well. Many of us, including his former team mates were very sorry to see him go. Hopefully Shea realizes this and gets over the hard feelings of being on the bad side of this deal. The Red Sox soap opera continues.

Lets hope that the woes of our pitching staff are eased by this trade. Next step: get a regular bullpen squad in order. -------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/2/2003 08:37:16 PM ----- BODY: Great news for alchoholics! Recent studies have revealed ways to keep drinking to excess without damaging brain or liver cells:

Antioxidants, already widely promoted as cancer-fighters, also may help protect the brain from chronic alcohol damage.

Now Uncle Fester can imbibe to his heart's content... and maybe Aunt Jane won't have to spoon feed him his breakfast anymore! -------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/1/2003 06:01:35 PM ----- BODY: Yet another example of how the will of the voters means absolutely nothing to our elected officials:

The Senate on Thursday passed amendments to exempt some programs from the new law outlawing bilingual education in schools...

At issue here are "two-way" bilingual programs that teach students by alternating between their native language and English. What is to stop the districts that object to English immersion from simply calling their "bilingual" program "two-way." The voters made their feelings about the subject known, and now those that dislike the mandate are seeking ways to circumvent it.

Lets see if our elected officials can solve this simple equation:
two-way language program = bilingual language program

If it walks like a duck... -------- AUTHOR: Drew Bryden DATE: 6/1/2003 02:12:04 PM ----- BODY: Thumbs up to the Massachusetts state Senate for approving a new law banning smoking in all workplaces. While I understand the owners of clubs and restaurants feeling that such a ban violates their rights, as an ex-smoker I am well aware of the harmful effects of cigarette smoke. As a result of this legislation, these business owners will no longer lose business to surrounding communities that do not have a ban in effect (their chief complaint).

When I was in high school, we had a "smoking room." This was a concrete area outside where smoking by students was permitted at designated times. A couple of years after I was out of high school this had been phased out of existence. If I remember correctly, the class behind mine was the last class with the "right" to smoke on school grounds. The classes that followed shortly behind never knew that such a right had ever existed, so never missed it. Current smokers and business owners may feel that they are losing valuable rights, but future generations will thank us - and never even remember that smoking was ever allowed in public places. Future generations will frequent clubs and restaurants based on their quality, atmosphere and popularity... not because they allow or disallow smoking.

I am never for people losing their personal liberties, unless those liberties come at the expense of physical harm to others.

p.s. to the anti-gun lobby: No, guns should not be considered a liberty that comes at the expense of physical harm to others. People (criminals) that disregard all laws and liberty are responsible for bringing harm to others by way of weapons, not the guns themselves! --------