(Jed Tallo/GazetteStaff)
Re, “On Statues,” Editorial, November 5. I find it interesting that the topic of Ruth Abernathy’s sculpture has arisen yet again. Macdonald, albeit seriously flawed, has been much maligned of late. People forget that the infamous Indian Act was brought in by the Liberal government of Alexander Mackenzie and also that the compulsory nature of residential schools was not introduced until years (decades?) after Macdonald’s death.
But here’s my aesthetic complaint: This sculpture purports to represent the young Scot’s tenure in Picton, when he was a teenage lawyer and we had none of these grudges. (Maybe you have not seen a portrait of the young John Alexander Macdonald, but there is one from 1842.) Look at this statue! A teenager he ain’t. The man in the sculptural portrait is at least fifty. A cocky statesman.
Perhaps if we had him recast as the young ruffian who defended himself, successfully, here in 1834, there might be less brou-ha-ha about the whole thing. Drop his shoulders a bit. Give him a face-lift. Put him at the courthouse. Install a new plaque — but tell the truth for heaven’s sake! Let’s not forget that he later argued for both Indigenous and female voting rights.
Janet Walters, Picton
Re: Letters (December 17). Several claims in Mr. Appledoorn’s response to my letter require clarification.
The Library event he organized was titled “Is Canada Complicit in a Genocide?” That framing already assumes that Israel is committing a genocide. A genuine discussion would first ask whether genocide is occurring at all, especially given that reasonable people, governments, and legal scholars disagree. That is not discussion; it is a predetermined conclusion.
Mr. Appledoorn states that Israel’s actions constitute genocide and that this conclusion is not subject to debate. That claim is incorrect. The International Court of Justice has not ruled that genocide is occurring in Gaza. The case is ongoing. Provisional measures issued by the court are temporary steps intended to limit harm while arguments are examined; they are not findings of guilt. Until a final ruling is issued, the legal question remains unresolved.
The claim that 38 countries have identified Israel’s actions as genocide is also misleading. Some governments have used strong political language or supported legal proceedings, but that does not amount to a binding legal determination. Many countries have rejected the genocide claim outright, while others have deliberately avoided using the term because the legal threshold is extremely high.
None of this denies the suffering of civilians in Gaza, which is real and demands humanitarian attention and long-term re-education and rebuilding. But compassion does not require shutting down debate. In a free society, open disagreement is how difficult questions are examined honestly, not something to be feared.
Dr. Pierre LeBrun, DC (Ret), Prince Edward County
Re: “SWANA Festival” (News, December 17). What is going on with our town? Allowing politically polarizing interest groups to promote antisemitic views in public buildings, supposed to be open to all? Inflammatory words used and on display at the SWANA shindig, such as “Hasbara,” described as “Hebrew for lies and bullshit,” and referring to the Jewish side, in “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free,” meaning, as is well known, to erase Israel if not Jews.
Earlier this summer I went to our library for a similar event and it had the same purpose: to ignite and cultivate antisemitism, especially in our youth who are uneducated in history and aspire to be social justice warriors.
Watch the news! Bondi Beach Australia. Take the heads up: warnings from Jewish community leaders went unheeded and we need to stop politicizing Picton for all of our residents, Christians and Muslims — and Jews, who are being targeted around the world.
Nancy Ryan, Picton
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