Letters, Jan. 5

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/01/2023 (623 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The West and Russia

The whole world is experiencing a large degree of instability, with much of the blame owed to Vladimir Putin.

Russia has neglected Ukraine’s national sovereignty, and not respected international law. Putin has proven beyond any doubt that he is prepared to destabilize the western world, regardless of casualties or political and economic consequences, to reach his strategic goals.

Therefore, in order to stop Putin, the western world must introduce a secure, stable, far-sighted strategy in order to prevent further takeover of Ukraine.

Why is Putin allowed to openly target Ukrainian civilians? How is the West responding to the massive killings? Putin has bombarded the Ukrainian population day after day, knowing he faces no danger of retaliation from the West. NATO seems to be paralyzed by fear of Russia’s escalation. Ukraine is totally devastated and has been isolated for more than 10 months, on its own, fighting Russian imperialism.

How many times have we seen how Putin expands his campaign of destruction? He then waits to gauge the international response; if there is no reaction from the West, Putin pushes further.

The question is: does the western world foresee getting involved in the war? Most likely not.

Eventually, if Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, like it or not, the world is already involved in the war. Someone must face the threat from Russia. As I see it, if world leaders want peace down the road, they must overcome their fear of Russian escalation, and find a resolution that forces Putin to listen.

A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Ukraine. If the West remains adamant not to start any direct military intervention, then it must be prepared to continuously deliver weapons to Ukraine and impose heavier sanctions to close loopholes currently being exploited by Russia.

The West should call Putin’s bluff. Russia can be beaten.

The world should keep an eye on global security, not allowing a return to an era of imperial aggression. Let us see what will happen in 2023.

Peter John Manastyrsky

Winnipeg

Respect for the law

Re: Only part of the story (Letters, Dec. 31)

This letter typifies the thinking that allows crime to continue to rise unabated in Manitoba. The writer mocks the residents in Riding Mountain, who are rightly afraid of Wesley Bone, given his past behaviour.

Apparently, it is no longer permissible to even have those feelings of fear. It doesn’t matter if the person in question has repeatedly vandalized property, threatened violence, and has social-media rantings full of conspiracy theories and anti-government diatribes.

According to the writer of the letter, until such time as Mr. Bone is actually convicted of (not just commits) a violent crime, he should be afforded all manner of sympathy because he is allegedly fighting for a cause the writer believes in. In fact, according to the writer, for the residents to be afraid of Mr. Bone is simply the result of their “enjoying the fruits of government injustice.”

It is that sort of thinking that led up to the Jan. 6 riots in the U.S., the Ottawa siege by the trucker convoy, the pipeline railway blockades before that, and even the current blockade at the Brady Landfill. When we allow our system of laws to be sliced and diced and applied differently depending on our own personal political views, the laws themselves become meaningless. That is what is most worthy of fear.

Steve Teller

Winnipeg

Look beyond Perimeter

Re: Winnipeg nurses burdened by 400,000 OT hours, records show (Dec. 28)

It is great that there is an article on the front page about the disgraceful conditions city nurses must endure. The voting public needs to continue to hear how bad the health-care system is.

Please don’t forget about the rural nurses who are having to work in conditions similar to those experienced by city nurses. I would be interested to read how much mandated overtime is occurring in rural Manitoba.

Dwayne Kozlowski

Gimli

Poilievre no libertarian

I thought Pierre Poilievre considered himself to be a libertarian. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t libertarians tend to support the decriminalization of illicit drugs, as well as of prostitution? They typically oppose the criminalization of activities between fully consenting adults.

Poilievre’s recent rehashing of tired, old, conservative, war-on-drugs tropes from the 1980s, which have long since been discredited and found to be not only ineffective, but also both costly and deadly, is deeply disappointing. It is also a missed opportunity for a new type of 21st-century Canadian conservatism that emphasizes individual freedom and personal liberty.

Poilievre is no libertarian, despite his musings about crypto currency and the free market. Rather, he is just another American/Republican-style sanctimonious social conservative who panders to the moral panics of the CPC’s grassroots voting base.

Unfortunately, many Canadian Conservatives still naively believe they can arrest and incarcerate their way out of a decades-long addiction and mental-health epidemic.

Noelle Terry

Winnipeg

Looking back, looking ahead

Re: Toast to new year, cheers to Free Press readers (Dec. 30)

As I read editor Paul Samyn’s walk down memory lane as he reflects on his thoughts and feelings, not only on the Free Press’s past 150 years of distinguished publication, but on this past year’s unpredictable events, it also reminds me of my lifelong history with the Free Press.

The Winnipeg Free Press became part of my daily routine as my parents shared the sections at the kitchen table every afternoon after the evening paper was delivered, after school when the paper boys received their routes’ allotments.

The reading often continued after dinner, with a cup of tea and a cookie.

My curiosity as a child soon had me joining in at that kitchen table, commandeering the “funnies.”

Soon my interests widened to sports, as our family never missed Hockey Night in Canada as we all gathered around the black-and-white TV to watch those original six NHL teams compete.

I’m not sure when or why my interests grew into local and world news, but somewhere, somehow, I became a news fanatic.

Once or twice, I had the opportunity to peruse the rival newspaper, the Winnipeg Tribune. A pale comparison.

Years later, in retirement, I still continue to read the paper daily, and online when I’m travelling.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Samyn and staff during a very interesting tour of the Free Press a few years back. They continue to meet their mandate of delivery of news to the readers on a daily basis.

Happy New Year to all the staff for another year of keeping us educated and informed of local and international news!

Karen Zurba

Winnipeg

Turn the page

Re: Browsing the bookstores (Letters, Jan. 2)

Along with letter writer Vince Tinguely, I too am a fan of used books. However, I am also a fan of thrift stores, and enjoy the thrill of leaving with an armload of quality books for minimal cost.

Please do continue to “dump that expensive online-purchased book at a thrift store”; it will absolutely find its way to readers who want it.

Alexa Rosentreter

Winnipeg