Skip to main content

Today, readers are discussing the spate of pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats across the U.S. and whether Canada should suspend our arms shipments to Saudi Arabia.

Open this photo in gallery:

A member of the New York Police Department bomb squad is pictured outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, U.S., October 24, 2018.KEVIN COOMBS/Reuters

From: Suspicious package found at Robert De Niro’s restaurant after foiled bomb attacks on Clinton, Obama, other Democrats, by Adrian Morrow

When what divides the people exceeds what unites them the result is a failed nation. - Candace248

We need to keep in mind that Trump wasn’t the first to win power by stirring up the disaffected masses with incendiary rhetoric. Right wing “populism” has been rising everywhere in the world at least since 9/11, and decades before that, with Nixon’s bigoted, racist scapegoating of African-Americans and anti-war protesters.

Trump is exploiting fears, resentments, anger, and class divides growing more hostile everywhere, from The Philippines to Brazil, Hungary and Poland to Israel, Myanmar to Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala. Not to mention the Middle East, where the West has been stirring up trouble for more than a hundred years.

The 10,000 pound gorilla in the room is the growing divide between upper class rich, struggling middle class, and suffering lower classes.The solution obviously is a more equal economy that works for the prosperity of all. Let's get moving towards genuine social democracy. - The Work Farce

You don't need a big investigation to know the root cause of these acts. Trump has been preaching hate, racism, divisiveness since coming into public life. Americans have to turn up at the midterm elections or else it will only get worse. - Lee666

What else readers are talking about today:

Why is Canada still selling arms to the Saudis? By Konrad Yakabuski

A better question is why is Canada still buying oil from the Saudi's when we could be buying it from our own country? - Ken2682

As a taxpayer, I don't want to be penalized by Canada having to pay $1 billion for cancelling the arms contract. I, for one, could care less about Khashoggi. He has no bearing on Canada. He would have known that if you play fire you get burned. He did get burned. It’s too bad. But end of story. - Amarone

It’s because the consequences of abandoning the Saudis – greater instability in a Middle East dominated by Iran and its enablers, Russia and China – are even more horrifying than the barbarous murder of a journalist. That’s the world we live in and, as Mr. Trudeau says, it’s “incredibly frustrating.”

It is the world we live in and it makes for very difficult choices. Canada can stop the sale, feel very superior and make no difference at all. Someone will sell the equipment to the Saudis, if not the western democracies then China or Russia will. If you support them you have some control, if you don’t someone else has control. Russia could play the same role as they do in Syria. The China could give a great speech in the UN and we would continue to feel smug and accomplish nothing. - outsider22

From the Comments is a new feature designed to highlight interesting and thoughtful contributions from our readers. Some comments have been edited for clarity. Everyone can read the comments but only subscribers will be able to contribute. Thank you to everyone furthering debate across our site.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe