Category: World

The following is a letter I just sent to the editor of Canada’s new Conservative magazine, the Western Standard, in response to an article (so far as I can tell available only in the print edition) lamenting the high turnout of Indo-Canadians in the Conservative party elections — in my riding!

Dear Sir:

While I appreciate an independent conservative voice, Terry O’Neill’s article “Ethnic Stew” in your April 12 issue left a foul taste in my mouth.

Far be it from a complacent Anglo politician to, you know, actually get out and meet the people who live in his riding. Instead, the author implies that the ignorant Pakis should stay home where they belong, or that the rules should be changed to exclude them.

What’s next? “No dogs or Chinese” on the doors of the polling booths?

Democracy is about letting everyone have a say, regardless of their presumed level of education, literacy, political knowledge, or “family connections that go back to the Punjab.” It’s not about making sure only the right kind of people show up at the polls. If a politician is too lazy to court the majority of his constituents, he deserves to lose ignominiously.

Regards,

Gordon Tisher,
North Surrey, BC

If you don’t already know about the scandal that — if there were such a thing as justice in the world — would have already destroyed the UN as a credible body, check out Friends of Saddam.

Synopsis: high-placed UN officials took enormous kickbacks from the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq.

Will you hear about this in the New York Times? Not likely.

Even as Kofi Annan and cronies were pocketing millions in Iraqi oil dollars, TotalFinaElf was doing the same.

And remember, Jean Chretien’s daughter is married to a major shareholder in TotalFinaElf.

Wow, I haven’t posted in over a week. I guess things in Iraq have been too depressing to comment on; visit some of the sites to your left for all you could wish of that situation.

Just had to quote Colby Cosh on Svend Robinson, though:

Lord knows I’ve “snapped” and done some ill-advised things myself, but they don’t happen to include grand larceny. My basic attitude, and I believe the only attitude that is ultimately consonant with decent social order, is that felonies are not hard to avoid. A lot of people are mystified or outraged by this proposition.

While I’ve got to give him credit for owning up — finally, honesty in a politician &mdash his record of supporting tyrants (Castro), terrorists (Arafat) and totalitarianism at home (hate-crimes legislation) is not one with which I’m terribly impressed.