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Hands up. Fed up …
The Conservatives would have us believe that Ray Novak, the current chief of staff in the PMO, did not read an e-mail from Nigel Wright, his then-boss and chief of staff in the Prime Minister's Office, regarding the plan for Mr. Wright to repay Mike Duffy's expenses.
Hands up everybody who ignores e-mail from their boss.
Phil Ford, Ottawa
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I (and I suspect many other members of the public, too) am getting fed up with the constant Thomas Mulcair/Justin Trudeau hot air attacks on Stephen Harper (Trudeau Calls For Firing Of PMO Staffers – Aug. 17). These have reached the stage where they have no impact. It would be nice if Mr. Mulcair and Mr. Trudeau were to issue their party platforms – although I suspect that those, too, would be full of hot air.
John Markham, Ottawa
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Peter Carrington was Margaret Thatcher's foreign secretary when the Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina. No one could have expected Argentina to invade, but he resigned because he took full responsibility for the failure of his ministry to foresee the invasion. In his view, even though the Falklands were inhabited by relatively few British subjects and a lot of sheep, those subjects were as entitled as any to the protection of his ministry.
Peter Carrington may have set a "high water mark" for the principle of ministerial responsibility and for the chastening impact the principle must have on ministries in the Westminster model.
In Canada, various federal and provincial ministers likely should have resigned for any number of gazebos; fishing trips; e-health messes; air ambulances; gas plants; robo-calls etc. Stephen Harper repeatedly claiming that Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright are the "two people responsible" in this scandal may set a new low for the principle. Mr. Harper appointed Mr. Duffy and hired Mr. Wright. Baron Carrington had never even been to the Falklands.
Tim Hyde, Oakville, Ont.
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Looking south
Re Ingredients Of A Populist Revolution Simmer In Canada (Aug. 17): Iced Tea Party, eh?
F.W. Major, Chelsea, Que.
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Donald Trump is calling for a wall to be built along the United States' southern border. If Mr. Trump is ever elected, Canadians would appreciate a wall on our southern border as well.
Peter Ryan, Vancouver
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Principles, pipelines
Re Which Party Is Right On Pipelines? (editorial, Aug. 15): "Opposing Energy East on principle is as bad an idea as going to bat for Northern Gateway on principle."
Depends on the principle.
Here's a big one: Protect the planet. If there are better ways to honour this principle than a pipeline, we are obligated to pursue it.
Jayson MacLean, Ottawa
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Hamas, Hezbollah
It is absurd that two terrorist organizations, Hamas and Hezbollah, are masquerading as moderate (Hamas And Hezbollah Condemn Islamic State, Reject Own Blacklisting By Canada – Aug. 17). Hamas boasts of murdering more than 1,000 Israelis; Hezbollah has murdered hundreds more civilians in terrorist attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets abroad. Both groups have fired thousands of missiles at innocent civilians. Both openly call for Israel's destruction and actively undermine Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
A previous Liberal government listed the two as terrorist entities. The current Conservative government renewed this designation. There is a non-partisan consensus in Canada that terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic State should remain illegal.
Shimon Koffler Fogel, CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Ottawa
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Black and white of it
Margaret Wente laments the lack of a Martin Luther King-like figure among African Americans today – someone who would preach a narrative of hope and forgiveness and believe that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice" (White America Dons The Shroud Of Guilt – Aug. 15). If he did exist, Ms. Wente insists, "no one would listen to him."
Interestingly, the greatest moderate African-American leader today has that very quotation woven into a rug in his office. Did Ms. Wente miss the widely reported eulogy he delivered at the recent Charleston memorial service, a speech praised as one of the most moving and important ever made on the subject of race in America?
Hasn't she heard the eloquence over the past many years of the greatest moderate African-American leader since King?
He not only exists, but has for seven years been President of the United States.
Don LePan, Nanaimo, B.C.
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Freezing. In August
We overcool buildings (Is Air Conditioning A Sexist Plot? – Aug. 13). A study at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that average temperatures in office buildings are lower in the summer than in the winter, and are lower than recommendations found in standards.
These standards are not devised exclusively for men. They are based on studies of men and women wearing the same clothing, engaged in the same activity and which show no difference in preference between women and men – but large individual differences. Some field studies have shown that women feel colder than men, which mainly can be attributed to individual differences in clothing.
It is impossible to provide comfort to everyone with a single thermostat setting. We must provide occupants with more localized and personal control of their own environments.
David Underwood, president, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
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Hair-raising tale
Re Well, That Was A Lousy Weekend (Facts & Arguments, Aug. 17): A few years ago, I went to a big box store and bought a hair-trimming kit, reasoning that I had insufficient hair left to justify seeing a barber.
My wife volunteered to take on the barbering. When I got home and opened the kit, I was appalled to see hair contaminating just about every part.
Back at the store I was even more shocked when the bored woman at the returns desk rolled her eyes and said, "Well, yeah. It is September, isn't it?"
She explained that it happens every September. Kids get sent home from school because of head lice. Families of limited means with more than one child save money by buying the kit, shaving their kids' heads, and returning the trimmer for a full refund.
Then, with a wave of her hand she summoned a helper, handed him the package and said, "Restock."
And speaking of returns, I have since returned to my barber.
I have not returned to that store.
Daniel J. Christie, Port Hope, Ont.