Every week, with religious-like fervour, I read the letters to the editor ofThe Western Producer.
Like many readers, I often get worked up over the dozens of topics that people choose to write about, not thinking for a moment how fortunate we are to have a newspaper that still publishes what is the writer’s heart and soul, and not just what sells more papers or online subscriptions.
I have an extensive collection of letters to the editor, columns and editorials and other features that I’ve written over the years.
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Some I’ve never seen, simply because I wasn’t able to obtain a copy of the paper. I can attest that no other paper has an interesting or widely varied number of topics in their letters to the editor asThe Western Producer’sOpen Forum.
I believe that the number of letters to the editor strongly reflects the popularity of our newspapers.
For example, Saskatchewan’s major daily newspaper, theSaskatoon Star Phoenix,rarely publishes more than three letters to the editor. And the letters are greatly limited in length and edited for content.
It seems that as long as the writer is praising the Liberals or complaining about the sad state of the nation, they are happy.
So thanks ,Western Producer,and to all the people who sit in front of a keyboard or a writing pad and make reading theWPan interesting experience. I hope you’re around for a while yet.
In closing, I’d like to share these words by Rose McCauley: “You should always believe what you read in the newspapers, for that makes them more interesting.”
John Hamon
Gravelbourg, Sask.
LONG GUN REGISTRY
To the Editor:
It’s the damnedest election issue I ever saw.
The long gun registry: hate it, love it or ignore it, this issue is shaping federal politics, and has been since its inception 15 years ago.
For those who hate it, it was an expensive boondoggle that cost Canadians dearly and it is an intrusive invasion of privacy with a fear that their rifles, once registered, will be confiscated by the police.
Of course, this fear has proved groundless with rare exceptions, and these exceptions have generally been caused by careless or dangerous use or storage of the guns in question.
For those who love it, the chiefs of police, the RCMP, the victims of senseless carnage, the registry is a useful tool to help police deal with potentially volatile situations.
The statistics show that suicides and murders using long guns are down, and that domestic violence against women with long guns is also in decline.
The long gun registry is cited as one of the reasons.
Then there are those who ignore it, the vast majority of Canadians. To most of us, the registry is of no or little significance.
So why is this a masterful bit of politics for the Harper Conservatives?
It’s simple.
The core Conservative voters not only are dead against the registry, but are willing to cough up the big dollars whenever it is mentioned.
It is Stephen Harper at his disruptive best, dividing the nation down its urban and rural corridors, and playing to his hard core supporters at the same time.
I can’t help but think that in 20 years Canadians will look back and say, “what on earth was the big deal about registering long guns?”
That is, if the Conservatives aren’t still using it to win votes and raise money in rural Canada.
Duane FilsonWoodrow, Sask.
DEATH BY STONING
To the Editor:
If we in the West, on the North American continent, adopted the custom of penalty of death by stoning, for the sin of adultery, it would not be long before there would be not one left to cast the stone.
George SantoCalgary, Alta.
