Follow the … money
The government’s lawyer complains that George Galloway had no way to track how Hamas authorities spent the £25,000 he gave them (British MP Barred For His Political Views – April 29). Does this mean a higher standard of care is now expected when giving someone money than when giving them Afghan prisoners?
David Arthur, Cambridge, Ont.
While they’re at it
Perhaps, while our MPs are busy compromising on who sees the detainee documents, they can also agree on what the military should have done with the detainees in the first place (Parties’ Fragile Truce Offers Hope For Deal In Parliament – April 29).
Richard J. Pantel, North Vancouver
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So now Stephen Harper is offering a veiled warning about the consequences of failure? Were he in court, would he give the judge veiled warnings not to find him in contempt of court, or the jury veiled warnings not to find him guilty? For a man who claims to be tough on crime, he shows little respect for the rule of law.
Kevin Fournier, Winnipeg
Zoned for free speech
The plan to have protesters confined to Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto during the G20 meetings is reminiscent of so-called “free speech zones” in the United States (G20 Protesters To Be Confined To Downtown Toronto Park: Report – April 28). In Canada, the entire country is a free speech zone.
Paul Calarco, Toronto
Risk and horse sense
During the recent U.S. Senate hearing on Goldman-Sachs’s contribution to the financial collapse, one chilling remark stands out (Goldman CEO Denies Wrongdoing – Report on Business, April 28). CEO Lloyd Blankfein pronounced: “Investors came looking for risks and got them.”
The investor accepts a reasonable risk when he bets on a stock. Similarly, he accepts a reasonable risk when he bets on a horse. He does not expect the racing stewards to set up a trip-wire a furlong from the finish line and then be told, “You came looking for risk and we gave it to you, baby.”
Allen Strike, Port Hope, Ont.
How ‘special’ isn’t important
Author Brian Bow touched on several topics that are likely to make both U.S. and Canadian officials and policy-makers squirm a bit (We Can’t Return To Our Special Relationship With The United States – April 29). But whether the relationship the U.S. has with any country, including Canada, is “special” or not – depending on how one defines special – is not that important.
What is important is that the U.S. and Canada realize we have a history of peaceful relations, for which we should be proud; cultures and value systems that share many similarities; interdependent economies; and a requirement to recognize and understand the other’s needs and wants in respectful ways that may foster disagreement, even argument, but do not preclude a good working relationship that produces real benefits and agreements for both. I’ll take that over any ill-defined “special” relationship any day.
Mary Stanik, Minneapolis, Minn.
Bark, bite, ban
It has been four years since Ontario banned pit bulls, yet there has been no statistical decrease in dog bites (Of Barks And Bites – editorial, April 29). The Toronto Humane Society would very much have liked to include an analysis of the severity of dog bites over the period in question, however the data has not been collected and is not available. The government did not collect any data regarding dog bites on its own and did not follow up on the effectiveness of its legislation.
If the government is interested in increasing public safety regarding dog bites, let’s look at real solutions: better public education and stricter licensing standards for dog owners, to name two. To ban and persecute a single breed of dog is not the answer.
Ian McConachie, senior communicator, Toronto Humane Society
The sorry truth of the matter
