_-‘Sirike Fantasies Right Hook JJ McCullough, OP Columnist There’s really only one word for this ongoing teachers strike: stupid. Now, keep in mind, I am not using the word stupid in the juvenile, temper-tantrum, “Brussels sprouts are stupid” sense. Rather, this strike is stupid in the most literal definition of the term: it is poorly planned, illogical, unproductive, and ignorant. Now granted, perhaps part of this makes sense. The British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) has always been one of BC’s most notoriously incompetent unions, and in their long history they have never been able to effectively negotiate a contract. Part of the problem is that the union has repeatedly refused to hire an independent arbitrator to negotiate on their behalf. Instead, they believe a flunky appointed from within their own ranks can do a better job, and we’ve seen what a roaring success that’s been so far. Talks always break down, and successive BC governments—be they Socred, NDP, or Liberal—have always been forced to impose contracts on teachers just to prevent the educa- tion system from stagnating. One would assume the BCTF elites would have picked up on the pattern by now, but apparently not. There’s a word for these kinds of people. As the days and weeks go by, it’s getting harder and harder to see what exactly the strike leaders are accom- plishing by continuing to string out this protest; aside, of course, from digging themselves into an even deeper hole. The picketing teachers are no longer getting strike pay and whatever public support they once enjoyed is quickly dwindling. To sustain media interest in the issue, the BCTF has thus predictably resorted to sucking up to the lunatic fringe of the rest of BC’s big union boss- es. Their frantic tactics are to now try and escalate a petty strike into some sort of grand general strike melo- drama. Far from being a dreaded “last resort” to many members of the BC union establishment, this sort of long, drawn-out tumultuous feud is precisely what they wake up each morning hoping for. There are people in this province (BC Federation of Labor President, Jim Sinclair, being perhaps the most vocal among them) who continue to believe that the role of unions is not to simply fight for employee rights, but rather to actively work to pursue the eventual overturn of the present capitalist order. I may sound like a right-wing conspirazoid saying that, but many of the leading union big wigs are actually fairly open about their socialist views. Half of them are even still using language and metaphors that have remained unchanged since the turn of the 20th century. A few days ago, I was listening to one of these types being interviewed by Bill Good on CKNW. When the discussion turned to talk of a possible general strike, Good asked how such a drastic display of anti-govern- ment action could be justified against a democratically- elected Premier. Waxing philosophical, the union guy responded that “it depends what you mean by democra- cy,” and launched into a convoluted rant that touched on, among other things, the fact that British Columbians change their minds a lot and have an unfair electoral system. The implication was that the unions—and the unions alone—will decide which government is legiti- mate and democratic, what laws are to be obeyed and disobeyed, and what the public wants and needs. Call them what you want, but when you have a tiny, unac- countable group with this sort of mentality, they’re any- thing but democratic. I don’t have a lot of love for the Campbell adminis- tration, and one can certainly make the case that his government has been bumbling and insensitive in their past dealings with teachers’ issues. My own mother is a teacher, and I personally would like nothing more than to see her bring home larger cheques in recognition for the hard work she does in the classroom every day. That being said, the idea that the sort of massive overreac- tion we are seeing right now is in any way accomplish- ing anything even remotely productive—aside from sat- isfying the socialist role—playing fantasies of big union bosses-is simply a false hope. At this time next year, how do you think we will we look back at the strike: With joy and nostalgia? Will we regard it as a vital turning point in which the entire edu- cation system of British Columbia suddenly entered into a new golden era of quality teaching and student satisfaction? Or will we regard it as simply a footnote to history, and just another unproductive, pointless strike launched by the province’s angry, partisan unions? Teachers are smart people. It’s tragic their tactics have become so stupid. The Earth is So Last Week Let's crash on Mars Left Overs lain Reeve, OP Columnist In a recent issue of Discover magazine, it was revealed that the European Space Program is making major strides in their aims to land on Mars. Recent updates suggest they may even beat NASA to the punch. I must say that, should we choose to go back to the old “stick a flag in it” method of claiming territory, I’m happy Europe will be getting there first. Why? A recent study conducted by multi-disciplinary professors from SFU has revealed Europe to be tops among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states in environmental sustain- ability and progress. Who better to look after a new planet than those who have at least been making some effort to look after this one? There is, however, some bad news. Guess who ranked number 28 out of 30? Why, little old us—Oh, Canada! Now I'll allow the right a fair bit of intellectual cred- it on many issues. When it comes to some issues, I’m willing to accept that there is logic in their positions, at least the ones that have been reasonably and rationally thought out. However, there is one place where I will grant very little room: environmental issues. Let’s admit it kids: the days where we can recklessly wander about plundering the earth and dumping all our crap everywhere are over. We can no longer get by insisting God put the earth here for us to ransack as we see fit; nor can we go about denying the existence of issues like global warming just because one or two sci- entists out of a million say it might not be true. The ostrich syndrome is getting us nowhere. If you're still having trouble with this I suggest you consider it this way: if they’re right—nothing happens; if we’re right— WE’RE ALL DEAD. In situations like that I tend to err on the side of caution. One would think a country with such an entrenched attachment to nature would be a little more responsible with the natural wonders we have around us. Sadly, our fair nation is painfully substandard in the realm of envi- ronmental sustainability. It is a simple matter of priori- ties. As with so many other things, environmental issues take a backseat to economic growth. It’s tough too, because that backseat is very cramped, the environment is a really big kid, and the journey’s long and getting hotter. The solution is simple here. The earth is quite sim- ply the most important resource we have. We should treat it as such. All issues: the economy, security, human rights, the price of crackers, old-age pensions, tuition fees; they all mean sweet F.A. if our planet cannot sus- tain our sad-sap species. I suppose the other option would be hitting up Mars for a place to stay. But you know the Europeans; they would never let us in. It’s like renting a basement suite to a smoker. It’s just a bad investment.