Two takes on Black

Re: A review of David Johnston’s new book, and its author, Conrad Black, March

have just read Conrad Black’s invective rant against David Johnston and then Beverley Mclachlin. I simply can’t understand why this usually fair-minded man would turn around and be so vitriolic about two such excellent Canadians. But then in the last column, all is revealed when we find out he feels they didn’t support him enough in his American prosecution.

His reaction is not unlike that of his American hero Donald Trump; when crossed, he lashed out at them personally and can’t find enough hateful adjectives. There might be some truths to be found in the article but not enough — or serious enough — to warrant such insulting and abusive language thrown at two very fine Canadians who have served their country so well. Diana Tremain, Toronto Conrad Black’s article about David Johnston’s recent book was most interesting, but I was shocked to be informed that Black’s legal bills in his past “unjust” court cases had exceeded $30 million. Truly depressing, shattering and a bad reflection on the greed and grasping nature of our lawyers and outrageously costly legal system. To hear that he was also deprived of his Or- der of Canada was shameful.

Conrad Black is a devoted Christian, generous to charitable causes, and could with a little persuasion, have given this money, or some of it, to be better spent on causes to relieve the high poverty rates in Toronto, instead of paying greedy and grasping lawyers outlandish fees and legal costs. The legal system in this case is all very sad and wrong. Michael Stevenson, Toronto