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Ghomeshi case: justice on trial
Re Ghomeshi Acquittal Hinged On Complainants' Lack Of Credibility (March 25): Kudos to Justice William Horkins for delivering a thoughtful, thorough and clear verdict in the Jian Ghomeshi trial.
Kudos to lawyer Marie Henein for a robust and effective defence.
Kudos to the brave women who came forward and persevered through difficult court examinations.
Sorry, I can't say anything positive about the police investigators who didn't vet the evidence thoroughly, the crown who moved this forward without a solid case and the laws that define procedures with brushes that are too broad for the nuances of sexual assault cases.
Maurice Nelischer, Guelph, Ont.
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Re Truth And Deception: Verdict A Good Day For Justice (March 25): The headline on Margaret Wente's column should have been Verdict A Good Day For Jian Ghomeshi.
The trial and the decision proved once again that victim-blaming is still alive and well, and that the behaviour of the complainants is what is on trial and not the alleged actions of the accused. The case fell apart because the system is "rigged against the victims." There is nothing reassuring in that at all.
Leonard Naymark, Toronto
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Margaret Wente is right when she says that "public opinion will mete out its own sentence on Mr. Ghomeshi." Mr. Ghomeshi got off in a court of law but that doesn't change the fact that I never want to see or hear from him again in any medium.
Cassandra King, Clementsport, N.S.
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Across the deficit divide
In the early to mid 1970s, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau and his finance minister, John Turner, discovered they could buy the hearts and minds of the people with the people's own money. Serious budget deficits followed, setting in motion the Law of Unforeseen Circumstances, circumstances I like to liken to a folk song, There's a Hole in the Bucket.
Forty odd years pass and we think we would have learned some lessons. But this week, Trudeau Junior and his Finance Minister, Bill Morneau, made their first attempt at buying the hearts and minds of the people.
But this time, it is different. They are not trying to make this purchase with the people's money. Rather, they are putting the burden, knowingly, on our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The move is an absolute disgrace.
The 2016 "budget" is a farce.
Graham E. Sanders, Hastings, Ont.
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In large measure, the recent political rage and turmoil in America has been fuelled by the legacy of a few decades of starve-the-beast government budgets. We had the makings for a similar future: housing costs rising faster than wages, uncertain jobs, needing to work more than one job just to make ends meet. For many people, ballooning debt in spite of long hours working and commuting.
Instead of the American path, Canada's recent budget is focused on the need for opportunity for all – not just Bay Street. Doing this is likely to avoid the deep rage harnessed by unscrupulous politicians such as Donald Trump. I welcome avoiding that – not in order to feel smug, but in order to feel safe.
Sharon Oddie Brown, Roberts Creek, B.C.
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Intelligence disconnect
Re Emerging Links Between Brussels, Paris Attacks Point To Existence Of European Terrorist Network (March 24): Looks like intelligence fiascos will continue to make the history books. Between the WMD "slam dunk " affair in Iraq and Belgium's indifference following Turkey's warning about one of the Brussels terrorists, a really hard look at security agencies' operating methods is warranted.
We need new intelligence strategies with different situational responses to terrorists' methods. "On the radar" or "no actionable information" are no longer adequate.
Chad Macey, Toronto
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Boost your happiness
I didn't know March 20 was World Happiness Day, but suspected more than coincidence at work last Saturday when I noticed two articles on happiness.
First, Jeffrey Simpson reported that Canada ranked No. 6 on the World Happiness Report, behind smaller European countries (Danes May Be The World's Happiest, But We're Pretty Close – March 19). When I saw the criteria used to measure national happiness – ranging from objective data (GDP per capita, life expectancy) to more subjective measures (generosity, perceptions of corruption), my reaction was "humbug." These don't measure happiness; they indicate the life circumstances of the country which could or should influence how individuals feel about their lives. From my experience with people in our privileged society with its many positive life circumstances, I'd say fewer than half would de-scribe themselves as happy 80 per cent of the time.
The second article was the review of The Happiness Equation (Does This Man Know The Secret To Happiness? Books, March 19). I have now read Neil Pasricha 's book, and noted in it in particular his reference to research in The How of Happiness that only 10 per cent of our happiness is based on our life circumstances and 90 per cent is based on our attitude to our circumstances or how we see the world.
So before we puff up our collective chests about how happy Canada is, keep in mind we placed sixth on criteria that are only a small part of the big picture. It is up to each of us to deal with the more significant 90 per cent. For those needing a boost, Mr. Pasricha's book offers interesting strategies.
Bryan McConachy, West Vancouver