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Paul Russell on the week in letters: Canada post should deliver the mail, not political messages

Posted: May 05, 2008, 10:43 AM by Marni Soupcoff

Filed under: Paul Russell

Every week, the Post receives hundreds of letters to the editor, providing a snapshot of our readers' collective state of mind. In the column below, our letters editor highlights some of the more passionately argued letters we received last week that did not make it into the paper.

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Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) should just deliver the mail, not political messages. That's the consensus from dozens of readers after the union's president took sides in the Israel/Palestinian conflict. In a letter, Denis Lemelin said he is urging members to boycott Israel-made products, adding there are "no plans to block mail to and from Israel, as of yet." That statement -- which some took as a veiled threat --did not sit well with readers.

"Denis Lemelin lists Israel's failure to comply with international law, 'including a raft of UN resolutions,' as a reason for a boycott of Israeli products," wrote S. David Rosner. "What about the UN resolution of 1948, which partitioned Mandate Palestine, giving a sliver to the Palestinian Jews and all the rest to the Palestinian Arabs? It was the failure of the Arab side to accept this two-state solution that began the sad conflict that both sides now live with."

"The egregious exaggerations made by the eminent Mr. Lemelin are trite old propaganda," added Jerome P. Henen. "Until the Palestinians value life more than death, they will continue to be victims, scorned even by their own Arab 'brothers' who do nothing constructive to assist them, other than use them as pawns in the relentless mania to demonize Israel."

Harold Pomerantz succinctly summed up the feeling of many readers: "Lemelin should stick to what he might know something about -- delivering the mail."

-- In a long letter clearly marked "not for publication," a reader last week tackled topics such as conservatism vs. liberalism in Canada, individual responsibility and education. I found her views intriguing, so with permission, here's a sampling of that letter.

"When I mentioned Don Martin's harsh approach to Brenda Martin to my girlfriend ["Patience running out for tiresome Ms. Martin," April 29] her reply was, 'What did you expect from a radical conservative newspaper like the National Post?" said Carol Dunn.

"This got me thinking, as anytime I mention I read the National Post, I get scoffed at as if I have leprosy, and I do not understand why. Some apparently believe that any non-liberal idea is blasphemy. Many of my fellow Baby Boomer friends consider conservatism to be an evil. Are Canadian voters so stubborn that they refuse to evaluate political situations as they arise, instead of taking recourse to lazy mental habits?"

-- Toronto Transit Commission employees were ordered back to work last week just days after going on strike. Some readers commented on how the Ontario government seems selective on what issues to get tough on.

"It's remarkable how quickly a legal strike was ended in 48 hours by the firm hand of Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario legislature," wrote Enrico M. Iafolla. "Can it be assumed that the illegal land seizure in Caledonia will be handled with the same resolve?"

-- A former prime minister offered the current office-holder some advice this past week, namely to tone down his conservatism. Or in the words of Kim Campbell, who served as our PM for four months in 1993, "Canadians are very centrist and all research shows they are becoming more socially liberal, not less socially liberal."

Her thoughts brought in this letter: "Of course, this week's big laugh was Kim Campbell giving Stephen Harper advice on leadership," wrote Iain G. Foulds. "Golden nuggets of wisdom, for sure."

prussell@nationalpost.com