Tools of inhumanity
Your editorial Stand Up To Barbarism (Aug. 13) is quite right in calling for an end to the ancient practice of death by stoning. Stoning is indeed a questionable way of killing people, especially when compared with the bombs, shells and automatic gunfire that are much more effective in our advanced civilization.
But would Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani much care about the manner of her death, since she stands convicted of taking part in a murder? Isn't it more important to advocate an end to killing people, even when the killings are performed in a manner we civilized folk approve of? How can so many of us support conducting war, which includes the killing of so many in so many terrible ways?
Tony Eberts, New Westminster, B.C.
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It seems to me that by limiting its condemnation of state-sanctioned killing to death by stoning, the civilized world is setting its sights too low. Shouldn't it just say "enough" to all forms of capital punishment?
Norbert Froese, Vancouver
Donating begins at home
In discussing the shortage of organs for transplant, your editorial Cutting Out Transplant Tourism (Aug. 13) recommends that Canadians consider becoming living organ donors. I would also like to point out the importance of registering your willingness to be an organ or tissue donor upon death.
In Ontario, we lose four out of 10 potential deceased organ donors because the family does not consent to donation when a loved one dies. When families do not consent to donation, they often cite ignorance of a loved one's wishes as a reason for refusing. And yet when an individual has registered their wish in Ontario, families consent to donation 90 per cent of the time.
If Canadians find the idea of transplant tourism repugnant, as I hope they would, they can do something about it by registering their wish to be an organ or tissue donor when they die.
Frank Markel, president and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network, Toronto
Turning up the heat
The odds of extreme weather have markedly increased - a pattern seen with growing frequency and predicted years ago by climate scientists as the likely consequence of human-generated climate change (Climate Scientists Forecast More Heat, Fires And Floods - Aug. 13). We have collectively ignored the warning; we would be reckless to now ignore the solutions. It's urgent that we wean ourselves from fossil fuels. In the process, we may also improve the geopolitical position of democracies everywhere and generate a new set of industries and jobs. What are we waiting for?
Ian Kitai, Toronto
The battle within
David Van Praagh's argument in India, Surrounded (Aug. 12) that India's foreign policy "needs to remain firm but not provocative" is very sound. However, this should not be a strategy adopted to win a so-called race vis-à-vis China. It would also be helpful if the firmness is complemented by some niceness, and India could also pursue a less arrogant approach in dealing with its smaller neighbours.
Indeed, many of India's problems are internal, not external. In this regard, what may be helpful is a more inclusive approach in its negotiations with the poor and landless tribes, who are angered by what they perceive as wanton industry and government encroachment on their livelihood.
The bottom line is that China seems to have a long-term vision for itself, but it is not obvious that India has the same. Developing such a vision is urgent for its own sake, and whether it will be helpful in attaining the same rate of development as China is secondary.
Ritha Khemani, Toronto
It's not rocket science
Perhaps support for the war in Afghanistan is falling (The War Where Public Opinion Marched Out The Door - Aug. 13) all across NATO countries because: the Karzai government passed laws that essentially legalize the marital rape of women; misogynist warlords and drug lords have replaced the Taliban in power; billions of dollars have been spent, but due to widespread corruption schools and hospitals seem to be the last to get money; and the majority of the dead and wounded are civilians.
Pundits and military leaders scratching their collective heads should look at these facts to see why so many Canadians, Americans and citizens of NATO countries want our troops to come home now.
David Fox, Toronto
The welcome mat
The difficult situation the Conservative government finds itself in as a boat of Tamil migrants, some purportedly Tigers, arrives in Canada awakens a touch of schadenfreude in some of us (Ottawa Plans New Rules For Boat Migrants - Aug. 13). Last spring, as the Sri Lankan Army put the finishing touches on a vicious military campaign that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Tamil civilians, the Conservative government chose to stay painfully silent - the logic being that civil wars in other countries are not Canada's problem. But the Sri Lankan war is Canada's problem, because Canada is home to the largest diaspora Tamil population in the world, a key reason these people have chosen to spend months in the dank darkness of a boat to get here.
By stepping in and helping to create an equitable political solution to the conflict at the time, Canada might have avoided having to face boatloads of people fleeing the militarily imposed "reconciliation" taking place in Sri Lanka today. When the Conservatives stayed silent at the height of the civil war, they chose to have their cake. The eating part doesn't look like it is going to be so easy.
Arvind Magesan, Calgary
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The fear-mongering in the mainstream media surrounding the story of the Tamil migrant ship is embarrassing. Is the irony of a boat of immigrants showing up uninvited to the shores of North America lost on everyone? Such stories reveal the historical amnesia among many Canadians about how "our" country was founded on indigenous people's lands by our immigrant ancestors. Empathy and historical awareness suit Canadians much better than knee-jerk, reactionary calls for deportation based solely on rumour and speculation at this point.
Sean Carleton, Peterborough, Ont.
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So, once again, Canada is on the hook to do the "right thing" by yet another boatload of would-be refugees who are mastering the art of jumping queues. Canadians should realize that the world changed after 9/11. Countries around the globe have tightened their security to protect their citizens. All one has to do is travel to Asia, Europe, the U.S. and even Mexico to experience this. Canada must strengthen its policies and then diligently follow them. If this were to happen, Canada would no longer be the soft target it is now.
It's ironic that it appears to be easier to get into Canada illegally than to do so legally.
Jean R. Lazar, Medicine Hat, Alta.
Good as gold
Investors assessing Kinross's Red Back transaction should look beyond the column Why The Market Isn't Trusting Tye (Business - Aug. 12) to understand the value of this combination. We are investing in an excellent asset at a fair price, and we have done our homework.
As The Globe and Mail previously reported, Kinross conducted exhaustive due diligence on Red Back, giving us a thorough understanding of the assets and confidence in their future potential. Since our announcement, Kinross shares bought and sold have been balanced, while the risk arbitrage spread between Kinross and Red Back share prices indicates solid investor confidence that we will complete this transaction and deliver on its potential.
Fabrice Taylor's assertion that Kinross has "burned cash and lost money" is misleading. From 2004 to 2009, our cash flow per share grew at a 25-per-cent compound annual growth rate, while margins increased 229 per cent versus a 139-per-cent increase in gold price. The 2008 goodwill charge he highlights was a non-cash accounting item, with no impact on the tremendous value realized from our Bema investment and from Kupol, one of the world's best gold mines.
With Red Back, we are creating an exceptional high-growth gold producer, and a great opportunity for shareholders of both companies.
James Crossland, executive vice-president, external relations and corporate responsibility, Kinross Gold Corp.
The status of women
I share many of the views expressed by Gerald Caplan in Violence Against Women: An International Epidemic (online edition - July 30). However, I find it necessary to correct Mr. Caplan's assertions regarding Status of Women Canada's funding. Far from cutting funding, our government has increased support for on-the-ground, grassroots community projects to its highest level ever. In 2006, we nearly doubled the Women's Program budget, from $10.8-million to close to $19-million. For the period 2007-2010, the Women's Program committed close to $70-million in worthwhile community projects, with more than $25-million in funding to specifically address violence against women. The numbers speak for themselves.
Rona Ambrose, Minister for Status of Women, Ottawa
Thanks for the memories
Lawrence Martin remembers a more idyllic 1950s for Stephen Harper than many of us actually experienced (Puritanism Could Be A Winner - Aug. 12). Where I grew up, the girl voted most likely to succeed had to drop out of university when the mayor's son got her pregnant. The government erected air-raid sirens and our next-door neighbour built a bomb shelter in his basement. Every day during lunch hour, the school principal would drive through the streets looking for students smoking cigarettes, whom he would bring back to school and punish with a leather strap. Stephen Harper would have felt right at home.
Les Bowser, Omemee, Ont.