Letters, Feb. 25

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/02/2022 (1675 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

All democracies attacked

Re: Russia attacks Ukraine; peace in Europe ‘shattered’ (Feb. 24)

For weeks, in full view of the entire world, Russia amassed close to 200,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. Most people did not believe President Vladimir Putin and Russia would invade and, if they did, only the two areas that are populated with Russian speaking people would be affected.

Totally wrong, a huge miscalculation by the West.

Putin wants to restore the USSR to its former prominence. He believes former president Mikhail Gorbachev was a traitor and when the pro-Russian prime minister of Ukraine was ousted and talk of joining NATO gained strength, Putin felt there was no choice but to invade.

No country in history has ever amassed troops and tanks of the magnitude that Russia did and then stood down without attacking.

Russia’s attack against a sovereign nation is an attack against every free democracy in the world. Canada should open its doors and accept the refugees from Ukraine who will be looking to resettle.

Peter Kaufmann

Winnipeg

Message to Canada’s so-called “freedom” protesters: as we see what is happening in the Ukraine, give your head a shake, wake up and look at what loss of freedom really looks like.

Jim Ranick

Winnipeg

Over the centuries, Ukraine encountered many devastating invasions by neighboring countries that wanted to establish control of its fertile land. In 1932-33, Ukraine suffered a manmade famine (Holodomor) of staggering proportions, during which at least four million people were starved by Soviet Russia.

Ukraine stands at a significant crossroad, a country that must be strong to respect its native heritage. Ukraine cannot be “bullied” or pressured by Putin’s autocratic imperialism. It would be a tremendous tragedy if, after 31 years of independence, Ukraine would sacrifice its statehood.

Peter John Manastyrsky

Winnipeg

Military posturing dangerous

Re: West must respond to Putin’s aggression (Editorial, Feb. 23)

This editorial sent a chill down my spine. Yes, we must respond to Russia’s provocative moves in eastern Ukraine, but we also must remember this is not a replay of the 1938 Munich agreement which, when broken by Hitler, ended in the Second World War.

Both sides are armed to the teeth with weapons that could kill hundreds of millions in a couple of weeks. Sanctions, yes, but for heaven’s sake, no military posturing which could be misconstrued.

Michael Dowling

Winnipeg

In regard to your editorial, I am reminded of an incident in American politics dating back to the 1960s.

President Lyndon Johnson was advised by staff members to fire J. Edgar Hoover from his position as director of the FBI. Johnson, aware that Hoover had information on every prominent American politician, rejected the recommendation. He told his advisors: “I’d rather have Hoover inside the tent peeing out than outside the tent peeing in.”

Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Boris Yeltsin requested that Russia be allowed to join NATO. His request was denied.

By denying the request, NATO leadership was virtually guaranteeing that eventually Russia would pee into the tent. This is what is happening now.

Kurt Clyde

Winnipeg

Anti-vax doctor raises issues

Re: Surgeon who donated to convoy questions vaccinations (Feb. 18)

This physician’s behaviour has caused me to question what the rules are for doctors regarding vaccinations. All health-care workers have been mandated by the province to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who refuse to comply are not allowed to work. Yet here we have a surgeon proclaiming his anti-vaccination stance very publicly.

Is he unvaccinated and still allowed to work? Are doctors exempt from the rules that apply to other health care workers?

The public has a right to know if our physicians are vaccinated and whether they have been screened for symptoms before they treat us or operate on us.

Ariel Lee

Winnipeg

Canada not ‘dictatorship’

Re: Where was the ‘emergency?’ (Letters, Feb. 23)

Letter writer Inky Mark and others incorrectly calculate that due to the implementation of the Emergencies Act to end the convoy madness, Canada is now a dictatorship.

This pandemic has killed more than 36,000 Canadians. The majority of us have done the prudent thing by adhering to the advice of medical science instead of throwing infantile and unhelpful hissy fits all across this amazingly tolerant nation.

Canada’s liberties should not include the disrespectful and ill-mannered road apples these protesters have so discourteously hurled at the rest of us law-abiding, peace-loving citizens who, shock and surprise, have suffered just as much as they have over the past couple of years.

If Mark and the occupiers want to know what freedom and dictatorships really are, I heartily recommend reading Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and The Painted Bird by Jersey Kosinski. They will see inflammatory hyperbole regarding Canada as a dictatorship is as irresponsible as it is utterly wrong.

Howard Warren

Winnipeg

A dictatorship would not allow parliamentarians to vote on approving the Emergencies Act, nor would it let the public debate its implementation, nor would it allow an immediate inquiry to be held after the emergency is over. Most importantly, a dictatorship would not allow newspapers to publish criticism toward the so-called dictator.

Paul Robertson

Winnipeg

Crosswalk light often ignored

Re: City staff repeatedly ignored researcher’s pleas to install life-saving eye-level warning lights (Feb. 23)

I am a resident of St. Norbert, which has two activated safety light pedestrian crosswalks on Pembina Highway. I cannot count the number of times where I have activated the corridor lights and watched as cars with plenty of room to stop go sailing through the corridor oblivious to the flashing lights. Yes, that does include the new lower flashing lights installed at the corridor.

I ask drivers to be more attentive and I ask pedestrians to be mindful of the traffic. Just because you have pressed the button, it is no guarantee the vehicles will stop for you.

Brian Timmerman

Winnipeg

Chaos offers opportunity

Re: Conservatives chose chaos (Opinion, Feb. 23)

I would like to add a footnote to the excellent article about “chaos” by columnist Tom Brodbeck.

In the fifth century, a Chinese military general and strategist named Sun Tzu wrote the book The Art of War, in which he stated that “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity … to create momentum by manipulating your opponents.”

Georges Beaudry

Dominion City

Seeking all-vaxxed restaurants

At our local restaurant last night, we were asked for our vaccine passports, and we gladly showed them. I asked if they were going to be requesting the QR codes after restrictions end March 1 and they informed us “no.” We informed them it would be the last time we would be dropping in for a while.

There should be an app where we can see which restaurants will still require vaccine passports, so we can be assured we are amongst people who are all vaccinated.

Will Franklin

Winnipeg