POSTED RESPONSES TO A COLUMN BY JEFFERY SIMPSON IN TORONTO'S GLOBE AND MAIL
From another reader:
"Isreal [sic] is freely elected democracy and an ally of Canada's. Yet, Mr. Simpson goes out of his way with every opportunity to criticize it and Canada's support of this nation."
How can you be a true democracy in which only people of certain ethnic/religious identity can become citizens and vote?
And where you have a small number of other kinds of people who are treated under laws very differently?
You cannot.
But even if one grants the doubtful but regularly-made claim, Israel cannot be distinguished from a tyranny when it comes to treatment of its neighbors.
You cannot be a true democracy without democratic values, and these last Israel lacks entirely.
"If he prefers facist[sic] theocracies over peacful [sic]democracies why doesn't he just come out and say so."
First, Israel's nasty Ultra Orthodox rank, hands-down, with some of the worst of the world's intolerant theocrats, and they have a huge effect on the county's laws and customs.
Second, Israel is the one giving loyalty to people like Mubarak, not Jeffery Simpson or anyone else.
Third, Israel in so many cases behaves just like the worst tyrannies do.
Killing children by the hundred?
Blockading and starving a million and a half people?
Dropping cluster bombs on civilians?
Shooting and terrifying humanitarians on the high seas?
Making dirty deals with outfits like apartheid South Africa?
Lying, cheating, stealing and killing to get illegal nuclear weapons?
Keeping several million people in horrible abusive conditions, much like those of apartheid South Africa?
Where's the humanity? The democratic values? The respect for human rights?
You may blubber the word "democracy," but in this context, it is close to meaningless.
_______________________
From another reader:
"...all you and CTV news could come up with was an analogy that he made with a tooth paste tube..."
You are so very, very wrong.
The toothpaste cliché was the outstanding phrase of the speech.
One of Canada's former ambassadors, one both to Israel and Egypt, said much the same.
It was a terrible set of words to utter at such a time.
Try all you wish, but - in the words of another immortal cliché - you will not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
