One letter excellent, another letter vile hypocrisy
Firstly, Re: Perry Foster’s letter on “The war on Christmas”, (Citizen, Dec. 13)
Well said, sir, and thank you for standing up for what is right. Christmas is and has always been a cherished part of Canadian culture. The agenda-focused reformists would not only change how we behave, speak, and think in society today, but would re-write history to further prove their silly arguments. A Jewish friend I had lunch with yesterday shook my hand as we parted, looked me in the eye and said, “Merry Christmas.” And he meant it! Such a profound act of respect for what I hold dear was gratefully received. He knows that I pay close attention to the Jewish calendar to be aware of what is going on in his life and he appreciates that. That kind of respect is what we need more of in society. Christmas is Christmas, not a holiday or a winter festival or some other kind of “anti” sentiment. There is so much good to be had in the core notion and tradition of Christmas and we need to keep it alive and well. I, too, will only ever say “Merry Christmas” and not “Happy Holidays”, or “Best of the Season”, or something equally tepid or sterile.
Secondly, Re: “Curmudgeon letter writers have lost their way”, (Citizen, Dec. 13)
The vile hypocrisy of Keith Simmonds is very revealing of the leftist agenda, albeit we shouldn’t be surprised. Simmonds twice mentions “old white guys” in his letter (in addition to the despicably blatant stereotype of them as having “ter-bakky chaws and spittoons close at hand”). So let me get this right: Simmonds can be sexist, racist, ageist, and stereotyping all in the same breath (and twice in the same letter!), but senior citizens in our society are not entitled to a voice? I don’t think so! That is not only an overt act of self-serving cowardice on his part (good luck getting away with such comments against other segments in our society), but also sounds a lot like an attempt at censorship to me, which in turn is a form of dictatorship. The irony is that a great many of said “curmudgeons” have served in the military, often at great personal sacrifice, so that this country can be free of extremism and dictatorship and to protect democracy. The downside to democracy, unfortunately, is that the Keith Simmondses of this world do have a voice. It is up those who have “common sense arguments” (curmudgeons or not) to counter such nonsense as this. If we think of the difference between the far left and the far right as the two ends of a horseshoe, we can clearly see that at some point, the gap between the two philosophies becomes alarmingly narrow. The Keith Simmondses of this world sit on the left side, just a very small distance across from those occupying the extreme right. They could literally hold hands!
Merry Christmas!
Albert Head
Shawnigan Lake