2008-01-23

Pam Barret; 1953-2008

I didn't like Pam Barrett any more than I liked Heath Ledger, so her obituary in this space will have very few good things to say about her.

The Edmonton SUN had no such qualms, already writing that

To her admirers, Pam Barrett was feisty, fearless and passionate. To a legion of people she helped, from the underprivileged in her Edmonton Highlands riding to the unrepresented Alberta women who followed provincial politics, she was a hero.
And to people like me who knew the kind of dangerous politics she represented, she was a dangerous zealot whose every political idea was 100% wrong and not worth paying any attention to. Therefore, the only thing I'll say about Pam Barrett is what I remember somebody remarking on the University of Alberta campus a decade ago (paraphrased, and unattributed since I don't know who said it):
Pam Barrett reminds me of a dog. Not a powerful dog or an important dog, but one of those little yippy dogs that you just want to pet in the hope that it will shut up.