Ever since Gov. George W. Bush launched his South Carolina campaign last month with a speech at Bob Jones University, school officials have defended their ban on interracial dating as being based upon Scriptures. Last week, BJU President Bob Jones III lifted the ban, provided students get notes from their parents. The notes will be submitted to the dean and forwarded to the proper Authority.

The anti-Catholic views of BJU’s founder — that would be Bob Jones I — stirred up its share of controversy. So much controversy that Ross Connelly, chairman of the Bush campaign in Maine, says it “energized those who were non-Catholics” and led to Tuesday’s big win. Gov. Bush says he regrets the politicizing of religion. He’ll probably get over it.

The views and sincerity of Bill Bradley will be missed on the campaign trail; the tiresome basketball cliches that tagged along will not. They gave 110 percent, but it just wasn’t enough to get to the Big Dance.

A new study finds that more than half of Mainers don’t get enough exercise and eat too much fatty food, making the state the most overweight in New England and one of the heftiest in the country. This seems an unfair criticism. Aren’t lawmakers working up a sweat right now to repeal the snack tax?

Despite rising gasoline prices, the Maine tourism industry is upbeat about the coming season. In fact, said one expert at a travel show here last weekend, the current price — about $1.50 per gallon — isn’t high enough to deter out-of-state visitors, but just high enough to get more Mainers to “explore the things that are in their own back yards.” With predictions of $2 by Memorial Day, the back yard might be as far as anyone will get.

The task force formed by the Legislature last year to study ways for schools to deal with violent and disruptive students made a commendable effort, but it’s understandable that no concrete solutions were found. After all, these troubled youth are violent and disruptive students only part time; they’re the violent and disruptive children of their parents full time.