Lumping an entire political group together is unfair
By Lethbridge Herald on February 25, 2022.
Editor:
I am writing this letter as a reply to Tom Moffat’s Feb. 10 letter titled, “Conservatives are creating a bizarre world.” Tom makes a number of false claims and uses a number of logical fallacies, so much so that I would argue his letter is truly “bizarre.”
In his letter, Tom casts a large and hugely biased net, lumping an entire political group together with baseless claims such as “Conservatives are blatantly anti-health” and goes on to say “how did we reach a point where conservatives are calling for an end to health?” An end to health. Those darn conservatives, not wanting anyone to be healthy. What about Denmark, which removed all its restrictions and passport, deeming COVID not a critical threat? Or Norway, England or Sweden who have done the same?
Apparently, not wanting to live under permanent restrictions and heavy-handed mandates, for an illness that the vast majority of people recover from just fine is a just a conservative thing.
If that’s a conservative thing, what would you consider a “non-conservative thing”? Vaccine passes for the flu? Permanent mandates and restrictions based on a never-ending cycle of some people’s fear?
Here is the thing ,Tom: You can wear a mask whenever you want. You can cut your own contacts, you can isolate. You can follow all restrictions you wish. Your sentences such as “ws there a relaxation of the law preventing people from spitting on people” comparing that to the relaxing of the vaccine passport is utterly ridiculous.
What is truly bizarre is some people living in a permanent cycle of fear, pretending they have the moral high ground for constantly harping on people who want to return to normal which is most, if you would believe the Herald poll published on Feb. 10, where 72 per cent of 1,315 readers said they want to scrap the R.E.P program.
Maybe check some facts before you lump an entire political group together with your false and dramatic claims.
Bill Smith
Lethbridge
11-10
Another letter fom a fragile conservative flexing his hyper-individualism.
are you so utterly unable to discuss a point? do you truly believe that insulting, exaggerating, mocking, demeaning helps one get to uncover anything of value?
You seem to be trying to curtail my freedom of opinion, biff. Or do you only believe in freedom when it relates to wearing a mask in public?
The division is quite clear: caring only for yourself, or caring for others. I choose the latter. As for fragility, I’m sure you know what I mean.
pathetic, really. the vaxed really believe they have ‘sacrificed’ for others – real heroes lol. you vaxed caring for yourself, despite what you wish to believe and how you wish to spin it. others did not need your vaxing. if the vaxes work, the vaxed are protected. those choosing to not vax did not want anyone to vax for them.
and nothing about pointing out that you so often evade the crux of an issue by instead choosing to be condescending, demeaning, and rude.
And therein lies the issue with right wing splits, i.e. the more progressive Lougheed fiscal conservatism of yore, and the now, more disturbing neo-liberal ultra right wing Kenney UCP style authoritarianism.
“authoritarianism?” That’s a bit of a stretch don’t you think?
No. One can do some research and reading on this. Perhaps, a suggestion could be:
“Down the Authoritarian Rabbit Hole with Alberta’s United Conservative Party”
http://www.canadiandimension.com
It does depend on one’s political belief system and whether one might be willing to do some critical thinking on any sort of politics. I didn’t always agree with the AB NDP, but I certainly cannot abide the true nature of the UCP.
what are so-called libs and ndp supporting in actuality? neo-lib govts and approaches. we have been living neo-lib, neo-con…neo-whatever since the 80s.
Still, I will vote for whomever I believe is the lesser. 🙂
and at least one still has that much “freedom.” the thing is, how do you not see the futility in supporting the least of the worst? i suggest the best thing we can do for democracy, and for society, is to reject what our system has become – x-out the entire ballot, and in so doing, one does not lend legitimacy to a corrupted and unrepresentative system.
Well, I have ‘x’ed out voting for Alberta senators, and I have voted for the Rhinos when they bought rounds of beer for everyone at the local hotel and promised to put marijuana in the drinking water. But, changing the system seems lengthy so I’ll do my best to piss off who I feel needs it for my remaining lifetime since I’m already a ‘senior.’ ‘Rejecting’ has to be done by the majority which seems unlikely at this point. I’ll keep watching the % of spoiled ballots though and see what I think.
There is also the thing for ‘holding one’s nose’ when voting, for the lesser.
“Lengthy” is one way of putting it!
But Bill that’s how the Left-Wing-Nuts operate! If you don’t agree with them or absorb their BS you automatically get labelled and tarnished! The pendulum will swing back soon hopefully knocking them all down like a strike in a bowling alley.
Well it is obvious that if you don’t drink the NDP milk you are a dastardly conservative. Moffat’s next campaign slogan. “How dare you question my control of you”. Bill has it right, do what you want, leave the rest of us alone.
Dastardly is complete understatement. And yeah, “don’t tread on you eh?” Freedumb! American style….
There are a lot of us who imagine that ok, NOW we’ll start to see some sort of conservative condemnation of what their cohort has become. Reasonable people are nothing if not patient, but look what’s happened in the States now with the GOP. Given an inch….then an insurrection that actually killed people even though they left their beloved guns home, at least THAT time. The Republicans are now widely regarded as a bunch of crazy cultists worshipping Trump and shamelessly promoting “the big lie” while simultaneously, stupidly and casually dismantling democracy at the same time. And then there’s Q-Anon just when you think their fanatical religiosity couldn’t get any worse. That’s a powerful example, all of it, of where we could be heading now too if people like you have your way. There’s no shame in admitting that sometimes your “party” leaves you.
indeed, to question govt is now blasphemy: govt is de facto the new god. as such, ownership of our body is govt’s right, as govt is supreme. get with the program. resistance is futile – exhale, and relax into your fresh, blinding-white man from glad outfit. you will look smart, no matter how dumb you have been rendered.
Hey, “biff”, as of September 1 there will be a vacancy on the Supreme Court. Why don’t you arrange to be nominated so that you can set those idiots on Wellington Street straight? You seem to have it all figured out. I’m sure the other justices — you know, the ones who went to law school — would benefit greatly from your wisdom and perspective.
Biff is probably supporting Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill some of the systemic gaps in recognizing privilege.
well, thanks for the heads up. as much as i would enjoy the pay and perks, i simply could not live with myself in joining the movement that has sullied our charter of rights and freedoms such that it has become a charter of limits and privileges.
another of your wonderful entries that fails to discuss issues, and instead seeks to deflect with insult.
thanks for a letter that is spot on. it is rather curious that the cons are now leading the way in our country to support that we each own our body. as the writer notes, in other parts of the world govts have been been gutting vax mandates, and they are not each con govts.
not sure what happened to basic rights – such as we each own our body – and what happened to the idea of consent, but what is a sight to behold is how easily the masses lined up to pay homage to govt, their lord and master. you folks are the front of the line, and you will be the first to get your man from glad outfit: not made to measure, but most certainly, a one size fits all.