Letters, Feb. 11

Lessons from Cuba

Re: Airlines scramble as Cuba’s jet fuel runs dry (Feb. 10)

My memories of Cuba include a waitress with full orthodontic braces telling me it was part of comprehensive health care, and Cubans valued equality, education and health care for all.

My wife and I also toured a 23-storey hospital in Havana which, under former president Batista, was going to be a bank, which explained the 15-metre-high reception, and marble and fancy fittings in a state-run hospital for the people. Though on one of the top floors we were surprised to see a Venezuelan patient getting a mitral valve replacement because “we can provide the health care and it is quietly bartered for oil.”

Then during COVID-19, the 11 million Cubans (a population a quarter the size of ours) developed two effective vaccines and had 2,000 people in the medical teams they sent abroad to help those in need. Meanwhile the powerful U.S., 90 miles away, had a death rate from COVID double that in Canada (instead of about 500,000 deaths they had over a million) because Ivermectin and bleach were not as effective as touted.

It sickens me that the U.S. in its ignorance and greed abuses its power to subjugate others with decades of sanctions and misery, and threats of regime change and invasion instead of aid and humanity. Now we just want them to stay home, and leave us all alone.

It also bothers me that Canada has not more noticeably already stood up with a coalition UN- and NATO-based to protect Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland, Gaza, Ukraine, ourselves; what happened to the all-for-one, one-for-all ethos against the three world tyrants on the UN Security Council? Why has the majority not voted to end the veto? We have the tools — the meek should inherit the Earth. Prime Minister Mark Carney has his “values.” Use them.

On spaceship Earth we need more equality, education, health care. And braces, instead of perpetually bracing for war. We can learn a lot from waitresses.

Andy Maxwell

Winnipeg

Working against hate

Re: Ottawa closes offices combating antisemitism and Islamophobia (Feb. 9)

When the two offices to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism were announced, we were skeptical about the political motives behind the move. The concern was not so much about who may be appointed, but rather what would be the terms of reference, and the mandate under which they would operate.

Our years of experience with anti-racism and anti-hate advocacy have taught us that an anti-hate mission cannot flourish if we operate in respective silos of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and orientation. Separating the Islamophobia and antisemitism offices fostered the impression that these two faith communities are at odds with each other, thereby undermining their mutual solidarity against hate and violence.

While Islamophobia and antisemitism are deliberate and vicious doctrines, we cannot exclude or marginalize anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and anti-women hate. The colonial history of sowing seeds of fear of the “other” only begets hate.

Our hope for this new council is that it will be inclusive of all forms of hate, and operate within a human-rights framework, with a collective and inclusive commitment to education, allyship and taking the anti-hate vision from policies to action.

South of the border, we are witnessing the worst violations of the rule of law, the rampant stomping on human rights, in a so-called democratic nation. Let us not close our eyes to how hate can eat away at our humanity, power can corrupt, lies can muzzle the truth, how false narratives are sold as news, and history is distorted to support military policies.

We have enough bombs and guns in our world today — we need leaders who care more about human dignity and rule of law as a whole, rather than the next election cycle. Apathy can buy power, but empathy, compassion, and honesty can produce leaders who care and complement humanity with their commitment to truth, justice, and human rights for all peoples.

If our hearts do not hurt when our fellow human beings are in pain, dying of hunger, feeling hopeless, helpless and abandoned. Be sure to raise your voices together, so we can preserve our own humanity.

Shahina Siddiqui and Harold Shuster

Winnipeg

The value of empathy

Re: The war on empathy (Think Tank, Feb. 9)

An excellent read. Empathy and compassion walk hand in hand together with love. Belittling empathy by equating it to toxic, exploitive, being a weakness of western civilization and its suicide, is simply a justification for one’s own unwillingness to be it.

We are called to walk in love so as to better share this wonderful place we call home … the Earth we live in. Words as in empathy and compassion are action words of love. Empathy can only come from a place of love where compassion develops, so we can be the empathy this world so desperately needs.

The “death” of empathy is the weakness of civilization and the death of it.

Darcia Albrechtsen

Winnipeg

No violence, just joy

Re: It’s high time people stopped opposing Pride events (Feb. 9)

Tom Brodbeck hit the nail on the head with this column. Having grown up in a Mennonite community, somewhat halfway between Winkler and Steinbach, I know all too well about the violence in the supposedly “non-violent” Mennonite people. I was bullied, even though I was not aware of my sexual orientation as a young kid. Somehow the proud boys of Rosenort intuited that I was not cut out for obedient wife-dom on the farm.

In order to become aware of myself and my rights, I definitely had to leave that place, as do so many others.

When Steinbach held its first Pride Parade, I participated, with 5,000 others, queers and their allies. I did not feel I “parachuted” in, as I was in fact born in Steinbach. As Brodbeck notes in his article, there was no violence or destruction. Just joyful people being out at last in a very tenuous place. Courageous for those who still live in Steinbach, those who calmly went to work the next day and faced their co-workers and bosses.

So what about Winkler? Their mayor may have to review that over which he has no control. Such as people’s sexual orientation. Such as the Bill of Rights. But he could definitely do a much better job of encouraging Winkler folks to get vaccinated. The threat of measles there is the only “filthy” thing about going to Winkler!

Gloria Enns

Winnipeg

A plow by any other name

I understand that name the Winnipeg snow plow challenge was a success. The names chosen are nice and tame and a bit far from reality.

I would have liked to see the list of names that weren’t chosen. I bet some of the names that did not make the final list could have been: “Curb Crusher Curt,” “Don’t know where to dump the snow, Donny,” “Sign knock-em-over Stanley” and “Boulevard Wrecker Bob” and possibly, “Fill in the shovelled path to the street, Freddy.”

R.J. Moskal

Winnipeg