Oh Conrad, Oh Canada
Re: An Astonishing Country, Conrad Black, June 27. I began reading Conrad Black’s article with the usual expectation of getting the “big” picture on some aspect of history, and he did deliver, as usual. However, I found four things to be disappointing: 1 He reacts to statements by Bernie Farber concerning Canada’s treatment of aboriginals (and his criticism of Black) with personal ridicule. Certainly, a writer of Conrad Black’s stature can deal with someone with whom he disagrees in more sophisticated ways than saying, “I have been defamed by more substantial figures,” and, “No great weight attaches to the frothings of Bernie Farber”; 2 After expressing his anger at those, such as Farber, who compare Canada’s treatment of aboriginals to the Nazi Holocaust, he hypocritically follows with his own absurd comparison: “The massacre inventors are just as odious as the Holocaust deniers”; 3 His claim that he does “not believe anyone has ever or could question my credentials as a philosemite” had no relevance to his argument, and while I can believe him, it still sounds too much like “some of my best friends are Jews”; and 4 While reading Black’s powerful defence and praise of Canada, I could not help but wonder how his desire to be a British baron was so strong that he was willing to renounce his citizenship of this “astonishing” country.
Asher Sadeh, Richmond Hill, Ont. In a novel written in my native language, the main character is a boy in elementary school who is not good at mathematics. Once the teacher asked him what one plus one is. The boy did not know the answer off the top of his head. He thought for a while and believed he had come up with a solution to the problem. He reasoned that if two rivers merged, they would became one fat river. Eureka, he found the answer. He stood up and proudly answered: one plus one is equal to one bigger one. The whole class burst into laughter. For his endeavour, the teacher asked him to stand on the bench and gave him six spanks and advised him to count them as one bigger spank.
Canada is a great nation because of the contributions of the natives and European pioneers on one hand, and the newcomers like me on the other, who bring their rich cultures and backgrounds, and who are ready to contribute positively to make this country the envy of the world. There are obstacles along the way, but ultimately, we are one great nation, thanks to our collective effort and willpower. Thank you Canada, the jewel of the world, for giving us a chance to succeed. I hope you, the readers, won’t spank me with angry letters.
Karottu T. George, Toronto.