Letters to the Editor, March 10, 2022

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FREEDOM AT A PRICE

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I’m sorry, but Warren Kinsella’s Feb. 27 column, Who will rise to challenge? was so off the mark regarding Ukraine, except for the part about leadership. If Trump was in power, do you think Putin would be doing this type of invasion? Trump was a lot of things, but being a pushover was not one of them. His unpredictability and resolve from him were key in keeping his world opponents from this type of mess. Contrary to the media’s and Western politicians’ focus on woke culture and racism and attacking ourselves from within, Russia and China exist on a different plane. Somehow in the West, we forget the price of freedom comes at the cost of at least letting the world know you are prepared for the worst but willing to hope for the best. Nations that give up their energy independence will suffer the consequences in trying times. Let’s start doing what’s right for our country first, like my dad said, “Look after No. 1 first, then you can look after rest.” Kinsella is right when he says we need a real leader, but I feel our definitions are different.

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P.Karas
Oakville

(What is fair to say is there is no world leader — other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — who is prepared to be the one to stand up to Putin. The challenge with former president Donald Trump was that he’s unpredictable)

FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES

Lately, I have been reading letters that condemn freedom fighters. They say, “Look at Ukraine if you want to see what loss of freedom is like — at least we are not them.” To the writers of those letters, that is exactly what they are fighting for: Their freedom. For people to think the current government controls are OK, simply because they found a country that has it worse than us, it is silly. Take a look at what Canada used to be. Crossing into the USA with only a driver’s license — now it is a passport, vaccine proof and a rapid test. We have a federal government that could force banks to freeze accounts of people who protested against mandates — and maybe other causes that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not agree with? How does this not land on these writers’ radar as tyranny? Canada used to be the shining beacon for others to become. Now, people around the world are pointing their fingers and saying, “At least, we are not them.” To simply look at one country and claim we are good because we are not them does not make sense.

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Morley Deters
Lethbridge, High.

(Canadians had to abdicate many of our freedoms when the first lockdown occurred. But let’s not conflate the two issues)

PERSONNEL CHANGE

I keep hearing in the news from our experts about how in the past few years, we have failed to properly develop our health-care system, energy sector, manufacturing, military, and so on. Who exactly is running our country? How could this rich, resourceful, powerful nation become so unprepared? One can only assume the obvious: A change in management is a priority. We can’t afford to wait much longer.

Perry Marinucci
Richmond Hill

(We agree)