Trump, errand boy
Re: Zelensky: Ukraine faces a serious choice (November 22)
The current report that the American president sold out Ukraine to obey his overlord Putin is another in a series of his cynical and cowardly slippers. His pompous and ineffective “demands” and “pressure” on Russia turned out to be as empty as expected.
Ukraine has been excluded from supposed “peace” negotiations, is being pressured to cede unconquered territory to the aggressor and, worse, to agree to give up crucial future security guarantees. This is not a peace plan, but a postponement of new aggression, which all of Europe fears.
“He's not thinking about another war,” Trump said of Putin. This reminds us of former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin and his failed policy of appeasing Adolf Hitler. The difference here now is that while Britain and its allies were weakened and ill-prepared to confront this aggression, Trump has enormous military and financial power to bring to bear against an inept invader whose power is waning. (Putin’s one-day war lasted four years thanks to Ukraine’s courage.)
Trump loves to hang out with supposed “tough guys”, mistakenly believing that he himself will be mistaken for one, when in fact he is just Putin's errand boy.
Trump and Putin are similar in one respect, in that they are both blots on history.
Dan Furlan
Winnipeg
Worth a thousand words
I want to express my gratitude for the beautiful photo taken Free press photographer Ruth Bonneville, who graces the front page of Section B of the magazine's Friday issue Free press.
The composition, use of lighting, depth of field and wonderful way of depicting the subject (the couple) was pure artistry that so often goes unnoticed. Great job.
Glen Hansen
Winnipeg
Secular times
Re: F-bombs abound (Think Tank, November 22)
I share Paul Moist's discomfort with the current widespread use of the “F-word.” Apart from its shock value (which is rapidly diminishing), I believe it reflects the growing loss of intuition of the sacred in the aspirations of humanity. Religion points in this direction, but the sacred is not limited to any creed.
It is significant that the word “swear” refers both to an obligatory promise to tell the truth and to the word we use with children to mean “swearing.” The survey cited by Moist highlights a puzzlingly significant difference between the language used at home and the language used among children. In some jurisdictions, the words “So help me God” have been replaced in judicial oaths with “Solemnly affirmed”—both examples highlighting the general tension between the urge to move “up” and giving in to the pull in the opposite direction.
The F-word fundamentally refers to sexuality outside of committed bonds, indicating that people understand such relationships to be sacred covenants, even if they are not publicly confessed. When we use it in anger or frustration, we are essentially ignoring this truth. Think about how many relationships fail and families are destroyed because of broken promises of fidelity.
Perhaps society's curse words are its canaries in the coal mine—signals not only of the erosion of social norms, but also of a denial of the essential sanctity of life.
Edwin Buettner
Winnipeg
Farewell to Valor
Re: Valor FC closes its doors (November 21)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers president Wade Miller is delusional if he seriously thinks he did everything possible to save Valor.
Having been a season ticket holder since the first season, I saw an organization that did as little as possible to attract fans. The team has never been competitive. Game day experiences have always been poor, and Valor has done little to promote the community beyond phone calls and the occasional ticket giveaway. If Miller were serious, he would learn from successful startup teams like the Sea Bears, who provide a lot of fun for fans while also being a constant presence in the community.
If Miller had been serious about Valor, he would have fired coach Philippe Dos Santos three or four losing seasons ago. And he could have insisted that Dos Santos nurture and play with local talent, rather than resorting to the services of yet another foreign-born striker who failed to score into an empty net. If that's all Dos Santos and Miller were going to get, I'd rather root for the home guy to try and score.
The truth is that Miller and the Bombers didn't put a lot of money or passion into Valour. They may have assumed that the fans could do it themselves and take the team to the playoffs without the club investing in the best coaches, the best players and a stadium fit for football.
The dumbest part of Miller's decision to end Valour is that it comes months before Canada co-hosts the World Cup. There has never been a better marketing opportunity. Instead, he leaves us. Winnipeg football fans deserved better.
Adam Dooley
Winnipeg
About political statements
PC leader Obbie Khan was at it again on Friday when he and most of his caucus declined to stand for the legislature following a heartfelt speech by MLA Logan Oxenham commemorating victims of violence and discrimination against transgender people. He called the speech political.
Well, of course, it was a political speech. Any time someone stands up for the rights of a minority that some other group thinks doesn't deserve rights, it's a political moment.
Khan appears to have forgotten the lessons of his party's disastrous 2023 election campaign, in which he was the public face of the PC's so-called “parental rights” platform. This platform, as we know, was actually about denying the ability of gender non-conforming youth to be who they are.
David Bergen
Winnipeg
Move on to housing
Re: City Council needs control (Think Tank, November 21)
Winnipeg, like most other Canadian cities, is in the midst of a housing crisis, and projects that significantly increase access to affordable housing for mixed-income people need to be implemented with urgency, not hinderance.
The proposed 111-apartment complex next to the Granite Curling Club represents exactly the type of forward-looking investment our city needs, and it is alarming that it is being held up by a small, unelected provincial commission that acts without accountability to the people of Winnipeg.
The City Council approved the project after a public hearing and consideration of parking, land use and long-term public benefits. The idea that a site on city-owned land could unilaterally refuse any loss of parking without offering any science-based compromise should not outweigh the urgent need for homes. When thousands of people are trying to find stable housing, parking spaces may not be the deciding factor.
Moreover, reversing the city's decision undermines democratic local planning. Winnipeg taxpayers, rather than panelists with some members from outside the city, will live with the consequences of delayed or canceled events. If Manitoba is serious about addressing homelessness, supporting mixed-income neighbourhoods, and maximizing federal housing dollars, it must empower municipalities, not sideline them.
This project is good for the neighborhood, good for the city and good for residents who desperately need a place to call home. People come in front of the parking lot. Let the project move forward.
Luba Krosney
Winnipeg
