Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com
..............................................................................................................................
Ethics, law, Khadr
If all those who rail at the settlement with Omar Khadr are truly upset with the government, they should be complaining about the apology, which admits wrong on Canada's part, instead of focusing on the $10.5-million, which makes them seem envious rather than principled. The precedent for the amount of money was set by the previous government when it settled with Maher Arar.
Manuel Buchwald, Toronto
.........................................
What is "disgusting," is Andrew Scheer's understanding of Canadian citizenship. What protection could Canadians expect from the Conservative Leader if he became prime minister? And does he have the same view of the Supreme Court of Canada that his predecessor had? Just wondering.
Bill Phipps, Calgary
.........................................
Moazzam Begg, a British man compensated by the U.K. government for his detention and torture at Guantanamo, says: "It isn't about the amounts … It's about the apology." Let the Canadian government apologize all it wants to Omar Khadr, but surely it can find better ways to spend 10.5 million of our taxpayer dollars on more deserving causes.
Michael Gilman, Toronto
.........................................
When the history of this Liberal government is written, note will be made that a government incapable of paying its civil servants and veterans in a timely manner paid the confessed killer of an allied soldier in a manner calculated to deny his widow an opportunity to receive compensation for the loss of her husband. It is unlikely that history will be kind to that government.
Michael Royce, Toronto
.........................................
What does Omar Khadr "deserve" for his pain, suffering and lost youth? Perhaps a lot, very little or nothing. What does the government "deserve" for ignoring his Charter rights and colluding in his mistreatment and prolonged imprisonment? A significant penalty that acts as a deterrent to future misconduct.
The $10.5-million is intended to address the second (legal) question, not the first (ethical) question. For better or worse, Canadians live under the rule of written law, not subjective ethics.
Anne Holoway, Toronto
.........................................
When a Canadian Forces soldier is killed on operations, National Defence has a $250,000 death benefit: The $10.5-million paid to Omar Khadr is equivalent to the benefit paid on behalf of 42 dead Canadian soldiers.
Then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau demonstrated great resolve and tenacity when dealing with terrorists who threatened Canada in the 1970s. In his son, such resolve is sadly lacking.
Dave Morgan, Ottawa
.........................................
Words as weapons
Re When Words Become Weapons, Repression Follows (July 12): Words have been used as weapons throughout history, sometimes good ("J'accuse" – Émile Zola, "I have a dream" – Martin Luther King), sometimes bad (Mein Kampf – Adolf HItler).
Words from the Koran are currently being used by some Muslims to promote terrorism.
To suggest otherwise is blindness to reality.
Marc Lafleur, Caledon, Ont.
.........................................
Barbaric practices …
I didn't regard many of Stephen Harper's ideas as worthy of of much merit. However, after reading about yet another horse that had to be put down after breaking a leg during a chuckwagon race at the Calgary Stampede, and in light of Camille Labchuk's article describing widespread and systemic physical and psychological animal abuse at the Stampede and other rodeos, I've changed my mind (Calgary Stampede: Torturing Cows And Horses Is Wrong, Outdated And Illegal – July 7).
If the Barbaric Cultural Practices Hotline were in operation today, I would have already made a call.
Tom Johnston, Lethbridge, Alta.
.........................................
Solutions, please
Re Kids Are Dying (July 12): I applaud letter writer Peter Best's response to your Monday editorial, When Will We Wake Up To This Tragedy? To be clear on two things: The "elites" he cites must include the Indigenous elites; the "prohibition on public discussion" of abolishing the Indian Act and the reserve system is primarily the result of the drumbeat of accusations of colonialism, settler mentality and racism that greet attempts to broach solutions.
The 600-plus First Nations are not organized to deal with the reality of Canada's political structure, and it appears that most of the incentives support keeping things the way they are.
That being so, the thrust of government policy can only be to manage public expectations, and I'm referring here to the mass of Canadian voters.
My initial reaction to your editorial was disappointment that you focused on emotive points, and not on solutions. But after a moment's reflection I realized … it was in perfect harmony with government policy.
Peter Conroy, Ottawa
.........................................
Your gender?
Re Why Are Some Gender Activists Denying Science? (July 11): This argument is not about science. It's not about sex, either.
It's about identification.
We have, thankfully, already gotten rid of "Miss" and "Mrs.," recognizing that women should not have to be identified by marital status. Why do we have to be identified by gender? Who really needs to know? I may indeed look like society's notion of a female, but then again, maybe I don't.
Gender doesn't necessarily help identify a person at all. I have short, brown hair and brown eyes. I'm 5'8'' and 48 years old. Done!
Elizabeth Graham, Langley, B.C.
.........................................
Russia's help
Re Trump Jr. Faces Legal Risk For Welcoming Russian Help (July 12):With every stone that is turned over in the ongoing Trump/Russia saga, including the most recent concerning Donald Trump Jr., there is a common thread. Various members of the Trump team deny any meetings, reporters dig them up and expose the lie, which is then affirmed by the guilty party as a memory lapse. Viewed kindly, memory defects seem to run deep in the Trump administration. The less kind view is that pathological lying, as practised by the President himself, is condoned as an acceptable strategy for anyone in the Trump administration when faced with an uncomfortable question.
It is uncertain where the various congressional and special counsel investigations will lead, but the constant revelations of rot within an administration six months into its first term should cause great concern that the smoke pouring out of the White House is being caused by a fire fuelled by collusion and corruption.
Frank Malone, Aurora, Ont.
.........................................
Donald Trump Jr. really didn't have to turn to the Russians for critical material on the Clintons. YouTube offers more than enough information on their unethical, sleazy behaviour.
Shirley Regan, Dundas, Ont.