Is English in Quebec once again becoming something akin to a bad rash for many of our 'compatriots?'

Frustrated and disgruntled separatists need to relax.

As the dreams of a unilingual French paradise on the St Lawrence fade into recesses of time, the nastier their vitriol becomes.

Case in point: Benoit Dutrizac is a popular radio host who has been making sport of Anglos at City Hall who have French accents which are not soothing to his pure laine ears.

Councillor Marvin Rotrand has served his community well for 30 years, and his French may be accented but fluent.

Does one really need to be required to speak French with such perfection?

Case in point: French newspapers going after companies because some of the employees may be not fluent -- as judged by self-appointed members of Quebec's Star Chamber of linguistic purity.

Instead of going on the equivalent of a linguistic turkey shoot, maybe the opinion leaders should be celebrating how far the language has come in and outside the boardrooms in the last 30 years.

Case in point: A PQ MNA who says he will no longer answer English questions in news conferences.

Yves-Francois Blanchet says it sends out a message of bilingualism.

What's wrong with that? English happens to be a language of the National Assembly.

Blanchet says even Premier Charest should speak only French when he travels abroad.

Good idea… Let's try that one out next time he meets with the New England governors.

Blanchet should read his history.

The most revered of all separatists, Rene Lévesque, loved to speak English.

Even he would be horrified at some of the stuff going on today.

The fact is French is stronger now than ever.

But every day, someone somewhere is taking shots at English in Quebec.

One journalist in l'Actualite issued a call for readers to report their encounters with unilingual anglos.

The fact is, Anglo Quebecers are more bilingual than Francos.

The good thing is that Anglophobes are a very small minority of malcontents.

But Anglo bashing can sell papers, incite anger on the radio and be soothing balm for embattled Pequistes whose best days are behind them.

But we have rights too. This is our home. We are not guests


The war on Christmas

Finally, why is Christmas under attack?

Every year it gets worse.

The decision by TMR to remove the manger scene and even its menorah was not well thought out.

Did one person complain? Two maybe?

It is our culture our history and I don't want to see it get diminished every year because someone might be offended.

There is more to Christmas than Santa and Boxing Day sales.

What's next, a petition to remove the cross on Mount Royal?

The authorities can try to deny who we are and where we came from, but the TMR council was wrong.

Can we please stop the war on Christmas?

After all, 'tis the season for peace on Earth and goodwill toward men.