Andrew Mitrovica’s article on Grant Bristow (“Front Man,” September) provides your readers with a window into a unique time in Canadian history, a time when white supremacists, racists, and hate-mongers coalesced into the seething mass that became the Heritage Front. The passage of so many years has perhaps softened our view of these hardened bigots, turning them into nothing more than a cranky collection of social misfits. But as Mitrovica points out, these were the same people who squirmed with delight at the prospect of unleashing an eco-terror attack on an unsuspecting population. These are the same people who placed me, as leader of a Jewish organization, at the top of their “execution list” in the early nineties.
Hindsight provides us with the comfort and space to judge the actions of others. History may or may not look kindly on the role that Grant Bristow played in the “Heritage Front Affair,” but, from the perspective of our community, Bristow’s actions led to the demise of a significant hate-based organization and had a crippling effect on the larger hate movement. For that he deserves the thanks of all Canadians.
Bernie M. Farber
Ontario Region Toronto
Republicans Abroad
Reading Richard Ford’s comments (“A Democrat Abroad,” Field Notes, September), I believe, as chairman of Republicans Abroad in New Zealand, that he captured some of the challenges that all Americans living outside the United States face. His observation that it feels odd to be an American now was particularly pertinent. But it is his statement on the lack of discourse between people who might disagree about which I wish to make an observation. Americans living abroad have unique opportunities to enter into conversations with people who sincerely like America but often disapprove of its policies. We need to take advantage of those opportunities, perhaps to change people’s perceptions, but at least to provide a personal perspective on some of the challenges we all face in today’s world.
William C. Bailey
Palmerston North, New Zealand
As a Republican in Toronto, I have been on the receiving end of unfiltered, unapologetic, and sometimes uninformed anti-Bush rhetoric often enough. (For the record, I’ve met no one in Canada who is pro-Kerry, only anti-Bush.) But what really matters to me are the times, more plentiful than Democrats would care to know, when someone stops me in a coffee shop or on the street to offer thoughtful words of support for our president and the tough work that must be done. Are these fanatics, hawks, or lunatics? No, they’re just regular Canadians who have looked at the facts and complexities of the situation at hand, and decided that, unlike Hollywood celebrities, they couldn’t do a better job of safeguarding America. I dedicate my absentee ballot to all those people!
Kelli Wight
Toronto
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