Comment – March 2022

We Need to Talk Listen

The first letter to the editor I received from Cavan resident Robert Hancock came in early January and was 641 words in length.  I asked him to revise it to adhere to our letter policy which limits letters to 200 words.  He correctly interpreted my response as a reluctance to publish his letter because of the views it expressed.  The “Freedom Convoy” had just begun.  It gradually morphed into a confrontation unlike any we have seen in Canada.  The intolerance on both sides of the argument was troubling, to say the least.

While vaccine mandates and passports may soon be a thing of the past, the hard feelings on both sides will not go away so easily.

If we hope to return to a society of tolerance and compassion, we have to find common ground with people who have different views.  Most of us want to live in a community where we are safe and where we can disagree without calling each other names.  We may disagree on how we get/stay safe, but without respectful conversations, our disagreements define us and our polarization becomes entrenched.  It is time to start building bridges.

To that end, I asked Mr. Hancock to resubmit his letter, this time with a 400-word limit. It is printed below.

We have to find shared ground to pursue the common good.  It’s hard work, but critical if we want to move forward together to build back the respect and civility which has been fundamental attributes of our national identity.  KG


Letter to the Editor:

I am one of the many people that are making a stand and rallying for freedom.

We are not anti-vaxers like many people refer to us as. Most of us have had vaccines in the past and possibly will again. We have been called spoiled brats for having a tantrum to get what we want. More accurately stated, we are resisting having our freedoms and most basic human rights stripped away. We have been called selfish for putting our desires ahead of the good of the community.

I would like to point out that health officials all agree and what the latest lock down for all people, vaxed and unvaxed alike, proves is that vaccinated people can transmit the virus the same as unvaccinated. The studies and data are showing and what health officials are saying is, this transmission is not a lesser amount nor is it a lesser strain, it is the very same for vaxed  as it is for unvaxed.

If there was any chance that I was a public health risk greater than that of a vaccinated person I would be first in line to get a shot but we all know that I am not. Vaccinated people seem to easily dismiss the fact that they too can infect the vulnerable in our communities and instead want to point fingers and lay blame on the unvaxed.

Those of us defending our freedoms are accused of being the aggressors in our fight against those freedoms being taken away. To that I say, we wouldn’t have to fight back if we weren’t being attacked. You claim that you are not attacking. The truth is that if you support discrimination and segregation, YOU ARE ATTACKING!

It is time we reunite and stop blaming each other and lay blame where blame belongs. It belongs on the Prime Minister for intentionally dividing with his insults and hate speeches.

It is time to mend the divide and come together as a free democratic society!

Robert Hancock, Cavan

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