Col. Russell Williams redux

The baying of the prurient masses can be heard throughout the country’s media. While not in any way condoning what he did, I must wonder if justice has been better served by releasing the gory details of his crimes. After all, the man did plead guilty to all the charges. I think the result is unnecessary sensationalism by playing to the lascivious impulses of society.

Yes, we recoil from the horror of his deeds, and we justifiably condemn his crimes; but churning his deeds in the media will not bring back the two murdered women, nor make us any safer from such deranged people. This man is insane. Perhaps not in the traditional way, but insane nevertheless. There can be no other explanation for someone carrying on the way he did. He was truly a split personality –a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality if there ever was one. It also seems that one of them wanted to be caught –perhaps one with a residual conscience. We will probably never know. “Depraved”, yes. “Evil incarnate”? No. When the brain malfunctions, anything is possible, and we should all be on guard for “the evil that lurks in the hearts of man.”

Private lives and the public interest by Roseth @ Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 – 10:37:46

Why do powerful and successful men stake their political futures on furtive affairs? The answer might be: “because they can”. The excessive drive of many narcissistic sybarites is seldom sated; one conquest, whether public or personal, just leads to further craving. Our reptilian brain lurks just below the superego, ready to pounce. Success on one level, whether public or economic, often brings the need to succeed on an erotic level, and an egotistic sense of invincibility and entitlement permeates their whole lives.

Adam Giambrone, for one, is an intelligent, and no doubt, capable young man. What I find incongruous –in this case as in many others like it –is that he could not foresee the danger of using the cell phone to text messages of personal content to this demimonde. What was he thinking? Had he not heard about Tiger Woods? The hubris of power and success has toppled bigger people than he, and , I’m sure , will continue to do so; especially in today’s world, where the press is ever vigilant, and their object of elicit love, when discovering the duplicity of their paramour, does not mind “letting it all hang out” on the “clothesline” of the media. The separation of the public and the private is now tenuous at best.

It might well be that the impetus of multiple sexual partners is “in our genes” – of men and women. However, our ordered society frown on this behaviour, as it is inconsistent with our social fabric and mores. If pair bonding is also part of our genes, it is to ensure a social order where our descendants can thrive. Sexual profligacy is generally frowned upon in society, and anyone who aspires to political office should check their perversions in the proverbial closet.

Politicians –or any public figure –should measure up to minimum standards of decency and probity.

If we cannot expect our leaders to show some restraint and to set a higher standard; what do we have leaders for? We need them to lead by example, not truckle to the lowest denominator.

It's interesting to note that Tiger Woods, in his statement to the media February 19th, stressed just these points: that he had a feeling of invincibility and entitlement; and that he owed a greater debt to the public, his family and the golf community than the average man. Too bad it took such an upheaval for him to learn that lesson.

Europe’s WAR against ISLAM –Maclean’s Jan 18th issue.

Europe’s “war” against Islam harkens back to the crusades, and Christian Europe’s animosity towards Jews even further. Jews were persecuted and expelled at time when Islam was more tolerant and allowed Jews and Christians to practice their religion amongst the majority Islamic populations, as long as they paid their poll taxes or “Dhimmis tax ”. The Ottoman Empire was secure enough in their faith not to feel threatened by a few Sephardic Jews or a minority of Christians, with a few exceptions such as the persecution of Armenians by Turkey.

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after WW l, this changed. The fairly homogeneous Arab and Persians lands were split into various artificial entities, lorded over by the British and French. This, among other, was the seeds of the present conflicts in the Middle East.

The European Islamic problem is a more recent development. The democratic/liberal west welcomed Islam to their shores –In Germany mainly Turks, needed for work in their post-war expanding economy. The Brits accepted Pakistani-Muslims from the former colony, and the French from their former North-African colonies. However, it has become apparent that integrating a foreign culture into the old and settled European society is more difficult than anticipated. This is not just the fault of the old country culture. Muslims religion and culture is so intertwined that it is hard for them to integrate with post-modern Europe. This is also, to a lesser degree, true in Canada and the US. There is more than a little truth in Kipling’s dictum that east and west shall never meet; especially when it comes to the convoluted area of culture and religion. This is no more evident than in second-generation immigrant youths who become suicide bombers and terrorists against their own country.

It is too late to put the genie back into the bottle, but at least we can put a cork in it for now, until we can find a way to “join the twain”. Otherwise, we might be looking forward to a repeat of the annihilation of Yugoslavia, but on an immense scale.

BEING FOREIGN

When I first arrived in Canada in 1960, I was sometimes called a DP. This was an appellation attached to European refugees, or "displaced persons", which I was not. Being young and with little command of the English language, it went "over my head."

As a European , I did not face the cultural shock that today’s immigrants from places such as Asia face; but I was still in a strange land with a different language, foods and customs. I too, felt a disconnect between the old and the new country’s culture.

Though the pull of the “old country” waned as time went on, I still had the feeling of being a foreigner, even as I integrated with the culture and language of my chosen home. I travelled “back home” less and less often, especially after my parents died, and old friends died or moved away. I began to feel like a tourist in my own country, a sense of not belonging there, while at the same time I felt more “Canadian” –although there was still a piece missing; that of my childhood in the “old country”.

My connection with other expatriates became less frequent as my identification with native Canadians grew stronger. Yet, there was always that “missing link” of childhood experiences, a kind of duality that still lingers; a feeling of them, instead of us. Yes, as a “willing foreigner”, with extended family “back home”, I could have returned. I chose not to. After many years away, you cannot go back again; the adjustment would be too great; the roots in the new country too deep.

Of course, Canada is a kaleidoscope of cultures and races, so no one needs to feel like an outsider in this happy human alphabet soup. However, immigrants of all kinds will always be a little schizoid; with one foot planted in the new; the other tentatively in the old. In my case, this was especially wistful, as I lost my Norwegian citizenship when I bcame a Canadian citizen in 1965. Norway does not recognize dual citizenship, so I had no choice if I wanted to fully partake in Canadian society. Most Norwegians here retain their Norwegian citizenship, leaving the door open for a return, even after years of life in Canada. I sometimes resent it when I hear these people critizise our government, yet they do not care enough to become citizens.

The first generation of immigrants, no matter how integrated, must live with the dichotomy of “being foreign” it in all its many manifestations, theough they might have little or no connection with the country they left.

In the end, what's important is not whence you came, but where you are going.

“Creba killer was police tipster” –Star Dec.23rd

“Valentine was raised by his single mother, Marcia, in the Jane-Finch area.” This could be the standard epithet for all young, mainly black criminals in the Jane-Finch corridor, and perhaps also Regent Park. But, it’s not endemic to only Toronto; it is a problem in many North-American cities, such as Chicago. Even Barack Obama made reference to the young black men who take no responsibility for their offspring. Perhaps he should have included the mothers, who go along producing children who will grow up without a father, live in poverty and frustration; without hope and social station. They face an identity crisis which is usually only abated by joining violent gangs. In fact, it’s almost a requirement for survival in their circumstances.

In some cases, immigration hopefuls marry a Canadian citizen and stay just long enough to produce a child and obtain landed status; in other cases they are homegrown sperm donators, and in most cases, the result is youth without purpose, guidance and social mores.

The solution is not more money, more social programs or more police. This problem can be solved only by the community itself, accepting responsibility; and by educating the parents in social norms (socializing). Otherwise, we will only perpetuate the vicious circle. “Political correctness” encourages social blinders that prevent proper intervention and change in behavior patterns.

Youth and moral relativism

In case you're worried about what's going to become of the younger generation, it's going to grow up and start worrying about the younger generation.
--Roger Allen

What do the ravages of time not injure? Our parent’s age has produced us, more worthless still, who will soon give rise to another vicious generation.
--Horace; 65-8 BC

The older generation has always complained about the younger generation, from time immemorial. A certain amount of rebellion is normal as the young are finding their own stride. However, if we have infused them with good values, mores and beliefs while young, this should help them get through the rebellious youth without too much damage; and develop their own independent character and personality.

Today there are more diversions and choices, good and bad, for young people. The drug culture is a problem today as it was for the earlier generation, and it is getting worse, with more dangerous drugs and more general acceptance of it.

There are, as I see it, two diverse problems our society faces with the young today, and both are largely caused by bad parenting:

First, there are the spoiled brats; the product of over - parenting. The child is coddled and overindulged; over- managed and overprotected, and they come to think of themselves as the centre of the earth. As a result, they show little respect for others, including adults. If disciplined at school, the parents spring to their defence, whether or not they deserve defending. And these are just the good parents.

I recall a young man I had hired as a salesman for my firm. It was his first “real” job, and he was not cutting it. I had several talks with him, trying to steer him in the right direction, but I finally had to let him go. He was rather upset, and told me that his father had died a couple of years ago while taking him to a ball game, and he now felt that I had a duty to assist him, as a mentor; to help him becoming a success, since he was fatherless. I should mention that this was not a young man form a poor family; he lived in a upper class neighbourhood, Lorne Park, in a large house, and his mother was a business executive. This young man had a high sense of entitlement and of expectations –of me.

Second, at the other extreme are those whose parents don’t care; like some the children of single mothers who have no time for them. One of my young workers told me that when he was growing up, he had a new “father” each year.

What runs through much of these families are a serious lack of morals and mores, with parents who themselves are operating in a moral vacuum. Our society is one of entitlement and rights, without the concomitant responsibilities and social commitment. When leaving the nest, the child is bewildered and confused; lacking direction and goals. This hits home, in particular, to the poorer who often drop out of school early, but the upper classes also often get their wings clipped in the world of work.

Our generation, the baby-boomers, started this downward spiral. It might have to be up to the next generation to discover that moral values and a sense of duty are worth having. The chickens are coming home to roost, and the present severe recession is only the harbinger of what to come if we don’t come to our senses.

What people today lack is a sense of shame. A sense of shame is generated by a cohesive community with common mores, and is policed by the community by shaming (and even shunning) the offenders. It is an effective in censuring and restraining the culpable. What we lack now is a community with common mores and practices. We are bombarded with news about politicians and sports heroes who commit the most outrageous acts, both criminal and amoral, often with impunity. What we are developing into is a relativist society –moral relativism –where everything goes as long as it does not directly hurt another person. Without a clear moral beacon, young people are navigating in the dark; and when they flounder, there is no one to hold then to account, and it is someone else’s fault that they fail.

The disdain of a cohesive moral society is a stronger control of behaviour than any police force can muster. It’s also much cheaper. It’s a shame we don’t do more shaming.

An American in Italy, guilty of murder –The Star, Saturday Dec.5th

Amanda Knox, in a drug, alcohol and deviant sex frenzy, took an active part in the killing of her roommate Meredith Kercher. Only the killer’s identity was ever in question, and is now, beyond reasonable doubt, established.

I find it incongruous that the American media, in unison, are excoriating the Italian court, police and society in general, while defending and excusing the accused and now convicted killer. Little is heard about the victim and her family, and their pain caused by this evil trio.


I cannot but think how this story would have played out if the “shoe was on the other foot”; if an Italian citizen had murdered an American girl. The press would no doubt be then extolling the fairness and impartiality of the American justice system, after which they would find her guilty and sentence her to death.

“Police dragnet oversteps” –Star Editorial Monday Nov.16th

This conundrum could be called a Hobson’s choice: do I let the police in, or do I stand on my Charter rights and refuse. If I do refuse, surely I will give the police no choice but to get a warrant, since my refusal could indicate that I have something to hide. I don’t envy the police who have to make such individual decisions.

I empathise with the police force faced with this dilemma, but I do question the efficacy of going through everyone’s garbage. If anything were to be found, it would surely be gone after all the publicity. Perhaps what we are dealing with here is theatre: the appearance of “leaving no stone unturned”. Why else would you turn police into expensive garbage collectors?

We should not abridge citizens rights unless in the most dire circumstances. Once done, we are on a slippery slope –it will become routine, and eventually substitute for real detective work.

“What a waste” –Maclean’s Nov.16th issue.

What a waste indeed! As long as our farms can produce an abundance of foods at low cost, there is not much that can be done about it –save a real change in attitude of consumers, or legal restraints on production and/or consumption. I don’t see either as a realistic option.

Marketing boards can underpin prices –which benefit farmers –by either buying up surpluses and destroying it, as you describe, or restrict production, which is probably the lesser of two evils, because at least the food is not wasted and produced with its concomitant energy usage. Either way it reduces price variability and supports the farmer. However, the supply-controlling quotas also create inefficiencies and must be complemented by import restrictions on the same farm products.

In a more philosophical way, it is a shame that we in the western, developed world, gorge on foods to where it damages our health; while many in the developing world are living on starvation rations. I don’t pretend to have an easy the answer to that conundrum.

As a child in Europe during the war and after, I experienced food shortages, though not starvation. If we did not clean our plates, mother would have a standard statement: “think of the poor starving children in Africa”. Not much has changed in parts of Africa, but it certainly has in my birth country. Food waste and excess consumption is just as rampant as in Canada and the US. So soon we forget.
Thank you for bringing this subject to the fore. Perhaps it will help bring attention to the horrendous waste in modern society; whether it is food, energy or other resources.

Raitt accused of expense abuse –Star Nov 5th

There seems to be growing problems with public servants abusing their position and their expense accounts. Lisa Raitt has continued to be controversial in her function as a cabinet minister, showing carelessness with official documents (though she has not equaled Maxime Bernier there) and public utterances; yet, she is still holding on to her cabinet post, unlike poor Mr. Bernier. I guess Prime Minister Harper cannot afford to remove another minister.

I wonder if these instances of abuse of public trust is something that has always been the norm in public service, or is it that public morals, in general, has declined?

There might be another reason: abuse of public trust has always been the same, but the media – the Star, in particular – is more focused on such behaviour.

Elena’s scraps of love –Star, Nov 5th

Kudos to you for publishing the sad but beautiful story of Elena Desserich and her family. This kind of reporting is a welcome break from the proliferation of murder and mayhem it seems we read about daily.

Having finished reading about an angelic child and loving parents, I get to ``Murder mimicked favourite lyrics, trial told``; about the 14-year old boy – inspired by the rapper Eminem –killing his mother by shooting her eight times in the head and burying her in her own back yard.

I guess the latter is also our world, but we could use more of the former.

Accountant gets 5 years for bilking winemaker –Star, Aug 25/09

Christine Papakyrioku has a problem. Not just that she is going to jail, but that she is addicted to gambling. Her addiction made her steal more than 7.4 million from her employer where she was employed in a position of some trust; namely as an accountant. Addiction, as we all now know, is a serious affliction that must invoke pity and empathy from everyone. It’s not really her fault, since her employer “failed to examine her accounting practices closely” so as to prevent her from stealing millions. Her venality is really venial –she just could not help herself.

It is also the provinces fault, and Niagara Falls Casinos, for not preventing her from acting on her base impulses and reprobate desires –so she is suing them. Clearly, she is a VICTIM.
In today’s society, it is not “cool” to take responsibility for your actions and to say you are sorry. Surely, we are all victims of something or other, and the fault lies elsewhere, outside our control. Guilt and contrition are obsolete terms, and culprits should be handled with extreme unction, lest they suffer permanent emotional scars.

My question is this: with all these victims loose in our society, who is to be the victimizers?

RIGHTS ANS WRONGS

Toronto has many fine attractions, but the annual Gay Parade is not one of them. Here we even have our mayor riding around in the parade, mingling with raunchy half-naked men and women jiving to raunchy music and making obscene gestures. But, of course, it brings in money for the city, and money trumps decorum any day. It’s Sodom and Gomorrah combined into a, big public frenzy.

I thought of initiating a Heterosexual Parade, but realized that unless I got some naked Hollywood beauties on the floats, no one would come; and if I did, it might become an issue for the Ontario Human Rights Commission for not including everyone.

We live in a “rights” society, where you have a right to be different, even if it goes against nature. With our modern technology, propagating need not be limited to man and woman; why, some day we might find that you just get a baby in a bottle at the local baby dispensary.
But we still have our rights – right to be so obese that we need to occupy two seats on an airplane, and use gender-neutral address if we have a gender identity crisis while boarding the flight.

We are all “victims” of one thing or another, and need to be coddled and protected from our own vices. What I still don’t understand is that with all these righteous victims, who is left to do the victimizing?

Our changing world of work and play

In olden days, artisans lived and worked in a seamless life of work and private existence, as did the peasants and yeomen of the land. Modern, industrial life has separated work from home life; work being a means to an end, a necessary evil.A few lucky individuals can do what they love to do and also make money from it — artists; hi-tech entrepreneurs, and the creative individuals come to mind. However, most people spend half their waking hours “earning a living” with little or no enjoyment derived from the activity.
In Europe, where I grew up, there was usually a road to semi-professionalism for those not inclined to go the academic route. It was apprenticeship; shop craft, usually a five-year internship with little pay and much menial work for the master. Afterwards, you had status, and usually steady work as a tradesman. However, technology has changed much of that privilege too. Printers, draughtsmen and many other trades have gone by the wayside, diminished in importance and remunerations;eliminated or sidelined by technology.
Even post-secondary education is no guarantee of an interesting and well-paying job, but it does give you more options.
In many ways, we have come full circle with the days of yore. Manual, repetitive factory type work is declining and more and more; education, skills and “meritocracy” determines ones status and earning capacity in life.
The day might well come again, when there will be two classes of citizens: patricians and plebeians; those who toil, and those who manage. Meritocracy care only if you can perform; and to do so, beyond the most menial tasks, you need brains and motivation –in that order. The egalitarian society might have been just a chimerical dream, and we will awaken to the brutal truth of the market economy.

“We can’t talk about immigration” –Mark Steyn, Maclean’s Aug.17th



Yes, we can! But, it does little good, because like the weather, no one can do anything about it. Lately, it seems I agree with Steyn half the time. That’s not bad for an old contumacious curmudgeon like me.

Steyn need not go to Germany and Sweden to find examples of “reunification” abuses and welfare dependency among immigrants. We Canadians have also made it so, by making it too easy to claim refugee status, or to enter as a dependent under the reunification program. What you get, are older parents who come here to enjoy our free medical system and other entitlements (I know whereof I speak: I personally know “new Canadians” who put their mother in a government supported seniors home, even though they were rich).

As to the many professional, independent immigrants who are doing menial jobs here; part of the reason is that they have been “oversold” on Canadian opportunities, possibly by local immigration officials, and also by their own relatives or friends all ready here, who send them glowing accounts of their success here, with nice photos of their new houses, though devoid of furniture, they, like some people, look nice on the outside. Some more realistic picture should be presented to potential immigrants, and some basics in Canadian laws, mores and expectations should be inculcated before their landed certificate is issued. Another issue is that sometimes their educational standards are not always comparable to ours. This was perhaps more so in the past, but I know, for example, that China’s educational system was at least 10 years behind ours until fairly recently; and during Mao’s time, almost non-existent. You got accepted by the university based on how good a Communist your parents were, and if you came from the right proletarian background (for example, surgeons at the hospitals were required to read a chapter of Mao’s Little Red Book before commencing an operation!). I would want to know that before someone began surgery on me, they were truly skilled and qualified.

Then there is the issue of latent or subtle discrimination. Today’s “visible minority” immigrants are more “visible” than the earlier European immigrants, and their cultural and religious backgrounds are more “foreign” to the native population. They take longer to integrate –perhaps as much a two or three generations, and they cling to the “old country ways” longer than the immigrants of yore. This is, however, one area where Canada does better than Europe, because we are attuned to immigration –we are an immigrant country. Europe, in particular the two countries mentioned by Steyn; Germany and Sweden, have a much a more homogeneous society than do we. This causes them to, in spite of the “official” welcoming stance, be more wary of newcomers, especially if they persist in setting themselves apart and creating ethnic ghettoes.

Immigrants do not help themselves either by supporting such nuts as Mullah Krekar in Norway, where they have tried to deport him for some time; but he is still there. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to sending Krekar home! [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=37022756828].

Canadians are concerned about our rather loose immigration policy, and even more so, the ability for wannabe immigrants to claim “refugee” status once they manage to get here by hook or by crook. It is unfair to the Canadian public and it is unfair to new Canadians who have come here the legal way. By all means, bring in qualified, skilled immigrants that we need, but to let in people willy-nilly is asking for trouble down the road –in fact, it’s all ready here. Being more critical in our immigration policy does not mean that we should revert to the discriminatory policies of old, where, in the case of Jews, “one is too many”, or like the Chinese Exclusion Act.

I do think that there is a valid economic argument for immigration, in addition to the skills we need for the economy; we are also a nation with a low birth rate, below the level of replacement. Thus, if we want to grow economically and also to have enough young people who can pay our old age pension, we need immigrants. But, not just any immigrant –we don’t need people who become a burden on our society –we need productive, intelligent people who can build on what we have achieved so far, and even make it better –regardless of colour, creed or nationality.

“The feeble ‘march’ of Euro-fascism” - Paul Wells, MACLEAN'S June 29th issue.

A kudos to Paul Wells for his rebuttal of Mark Steyn’s selective and improper use of statistics to support his rather biased and singular opinions. I have often written letters critical of Steyn, but with one exception, it was not printed; to the degree that I almost suspected Mr. Steyn of being a “fifth column” hiding amongst Maclean’s editorial board.

Now, Mr. Wells has gone a long a long way in mollifying my ire and making the points better than could I.

Having gotten it of my chest, I had to wipe the smirk off my face when I read Mr. Steyn’s irreverent column in the same issue, on Jennifer Lynch and the CHRC. There, I agree with him wholeheartedly. Love him or hate him, he sure can dish it out in a profusion of vernacular castigations.

Kind of reminds one that there are often two (or more) sides to a story, and that not everything is black or white –we often find ourselves in the grey areas.

Rethinking the rules of citizenship –Martin Regg Cohn, Star May 19th

Rethinking the rules of citizenship –Martin Regg Cohn, Star May 19th

Mr. Cohn brings up several valid points in today’s column. I would like to make a few comments.

The earlier immigrants, after WW II, came here to escape from the ravages of war, and later, for economic reasons, to escape the poverty of their homelands. Many of them, Finns, Italians, Portuguese and others came with little or no education but with strong backs, a willingness to work hard, and to build a future for themselves in the new land. Because of language difficulties, but also because of cultural differences, they stayed with their fellow countrymen whenever they could. This was especially so with the large cohort of Italians that came in the fifties and early sixties. Many never learned to read English, and they still speak with heavy accents. But they paved our roads, dug our ditches, built our houses, and cut our hair. They were frugal and industrious, spreading out from Oakwood & St.Clair, to Mimico, Weston and Woodbridge; moving northward as their families and fortunes grew upward. Yes, it was easier for a labourer to find work in those days, as Canada was in a post-war boom, but nevertheless, their lot was not an easy one, though few complained, and even if they did, no one would listen. There was no ESL for newcomers, nor immigrant services and little help of any kind.

Martel’s “Canadian hotel” citizens, new and old, are a more recent phenomenon, partly as a result of our economically integrated society, or “globalism”. Educated Canadians find it easy to work overseas, and in many cases, immigrants –Chinese in particular –park their families here to obtain a Canadian passport and an education for their children, while the father works in the “old country”. For educated Chinese, it is easier to work in their expanding economy there, where their education is recognized and the language is familiar, than drive taxis or work in Chinese grocery stores here. Expatriate Canadians do not contribute to Canadian society the way one domiciled here, and might in fact be using more resources and services for their family’s education and medicare, than they contribute in taxes. This problem was illuminated a couple of years ago when hundreds of expatriate Lebanese-Canadians had to be “rescued” during that country’s short conflict with Israel.

A reasonable ability to speak one of the official languages is a must for anyone expecting to succeed economically here in today’s economy. There are not enough unskilled labour-type jobs to accommodate the number of immigrants now arriving. In the case of family reunification, language might not be as crucial for dependent parents, but another issue is the extraordinary strain these newcomers put on our social and medical services, free to people who have contributed nothing to the Canadian economy.

As to knowing about our past, a rudimentary knowledge of Canadian history and traditions should be a minimum; but I have to say that even the Canadian born are sadly deficient in historical knowledge, and are more likely to cite American history than their own. For this, I blame our schools and the various Provincial school officials.

There is no easy way of forcibly inculcating love for flag and country; and we would not want the jingoism and excessive patriotism that lead to xenophobia and wars in the twentieth century. What we can do and must do, is gently nudge our children towards becoming responsible and loving citizens, teaching them how the past is our heritage, our mores and our culture, and how it can also be part their future.

As an immigrant, albeit an old one, I can understand that a new-Canadian has affinities to his “old country” and its culture; such things as the foods one grew up with, our native language and even religion, has strong emotionally strings attached to it. I had it rather easy; I was young and single, and intent on adjusting. I started off with only rudimentary English, but learning a language is also much easier when you are young. I believe, though, that when it comes to politics and societal commitment, your loyalties must be here, not there. If you cannot accept this, then you don’t belong, and unless you are a true refugee, you should be encouraged to return whence you came.

Tamil protest on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.

While one can sympathize with Tamils who have relatives in Sri Lanka, it does not follow that we should accept their recent behaviour, shutting down the Gardiner Expressway with their “protests”.

This is another situation in which immigrants drag the problems of their origin countries into Canadian society, involving people who have nothing to do with the situation. This is especially so with Tamil-Canadians, who now are causing distress and inconvenience to the general public, insisting that the Canadian government get involved in their native country’s strife.

It is not without reason the Tamil “Tigers” have been declared a terrorist organization, and their terrorist activity now involve using civilians as shields in their battle with the legitimate government of Sri Lanka. Such behaviour is now reflected in their Toronto demonstrations, where they put their children in harms way on the Gardiner expressway to further their case for government intervention on their behalf.

It behooves our local government and our police to arrest and charge the leaders of the group that blocked the expressway, and to send children’s aide officials to investigate and possibly charge parents who put their children’s lives at risk. I must wonder how long these people would survive if they showed this type of behaviour in their native country. They are trying the patience of fellow Canadians, and stand to lose any goodwill they might have gained otherwise.

“MOUNTAINS OF YOUTH” –Aaron Wherry, Maclean’s May 11th/09

I have nothing against youth, I was young myself once. However, an error of youth is to believe that intelligence is a substitute for experience; while an error of age is to believe experience is a substitute for intelligence. Mr. Ignatieff would do well to ensure that in his drive to rejuvenate his party and policies, he does not ignore or alienate the older constituency. That would be a mistake.

Pure intelligence will get you only so far, unless it is meshed with “emotional intelligence” and “social intelligence.” People can have a very high IQ but be remarkably weak when it comes to thinking rationally. I don’t for moments suggest that Mr. Ignatieff is not rational –in fact, he might be too rational for many – it can be misinterpreted as arrogance. However, youth worship can also lead to perdition politically, unless he keeps one foot on the throttle and the other on the brakes, and his eyes on the road.

Angus Reid Poll -- Maclean's

Maclean’s John Geddes has provided a balanced and interesting delineation of the Angus Reid online poll. Islam, in particular, has been getting much negative attention since 911, much of it justified, if one look at the rabid, extremist Muslim factions. Sikhs also have been involved in extremist acts; the Air India affair being the worst example. Tamils, though practically “inventing” suicide attacks, have had less impact on Canadian society.
It is unfortunate that new Canadians bring their origin countries conflicts with them here, especially when it leads to violence in their adoptive country. It does seem that the current crop of immigrants, especially those with strong ethnic and religious connections, have more difficulty accepting and adjusting to the values of their host county, than did earlier arrivals. The extremist behaviour displayed by some groups, reflected in some youth and a few families such as the Khadr clan, is causing damage to the Muslim image everywhere, and one can fault, to a degree, the moderate Muslim community for not taking a more vocal and firm stance against the few recalcitrant extremists among them.
However, one need not be a historian to know that these problems have always been with us, in one form or another. For example, Irish Fenians caused much conflict and consternation both in Canada and the United States, including physical attacks and the assassination of a member of the Canadian parliament and former sympathiser, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, in 1868. The Irish have maintained a strong Irish cultural identity over the years, but no one would suggest today that they have failed to adapt to Canadian society.
It is unfortunate that extreme tribalism, both of the political/social and the religious mode, is allowed to prevail in our society, but it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. The same churches, temples, synagogues and mosques that serve as a support system for new arrivals, can also act as an incubator for extremism. We must always be vigilant in ferreting out the lunatic fringes, but also be mindful that given time, the greater good for our society will persevere. It did in the past, and it will do so in the future. Our ship of state is built for stormy weather, and behind the clouds the sun is still shining.