Re: Letters (Gazette, Feb. 18) “No one suggesting unregulated industry” and (Gazette, Feb. 4) “No Going Back.”
It comes as no surprise that frequent letter writer to the Gazette, Doris Wrench Eisler is being questioned by another letter writer M. Barbeau (Feb. 18) about her statement that “one in four U.S. citizens count on the nuclear and conventional arms industries for employment” (Feb. 4, 2017) which would indeed amount to 80 million such employees if you try to interpret that statement. Ms. Eisler has had a long history of making several outlandish and inflammatory statements in her letters to this paper in the past such as “Russia, the only country with the right to be in Syria” (Dec. 19, 2015); “Crimea was taken over as the result of a massively supportive vote" (April 11, 2015); “No evidence in the Donbas region for (either) massive military infiltration (by Russia), nor for Russian culpability in downing a civilian airliner and the deaths of 300 people” (April 11, 2015); “Poland may soon be good for nothing more than cheap labour” (April 30, 2014); several other letters accusing the current Ukrainian government of being neo-Nazis, fascists, and anti-Semitic; and even the infamous “Dogs can be kept safe in hot cars” (July 25, 2012).
Many of these statements have been since shown to be utterly false, misinformed, and highly antagonistic. It is actually quite surprising that more of readers of the St. Albert Gazette do not find many of these remarks to be offensive in nature.
The Jewish Community in Ukraine appears to be quite happy with the current regime, lobbying on their behalf with their “Open Letter of Ukrainian Jews to Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin” and are quite well represented in the Ukrainian parliament and many of the regional governments. There is a very tiny albeit vocal representation by far right parties in the Ukrainian Government such as the Right Sector and Svoboda (that Ms. Eisler likes to use as an example) who collectively have less than five per cent of the popular vote and even less official representation. In May of 2015, the Ukrainian government officially banned all Nazi and Communist symbols, including destruction of hundreds of Lenin statues. In fact, Ukraine is seen as a haven or a refuge by many minorities in the area, notably from the Tatar and LGBT communities as well as battered spouses, all fleeing oppression from the Russian Federation. Hardly the characteristics of a so-called neo-Nazi regime.
The so-called “Crimean Referendum” remains a textbook example of a rigged and unmediated election marked by intimidating voters with armed “little green men” later admitted to be Russian troops. Many voters later admitted to being able to vote several times or not even residing in the region. The option of remaining in Ukraine wasn't even on the ballot. Again, hardly the characteristics of a legitimate election.
There is also overwhelming evidence that Russia was involved (clearly supplying the weapon used and the expertise) in the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 by several independent international tribunals including the UN, Dutch, and Malaysian investigators. Civil court cases in international courts have also been initiated by 18 of the victim's families against Russia and Colonel Igor Girkin, who has conveniently since fled to Russia. Russian civilians even despicably showed off on social media items they had looted off the crash victims such as credit cards, jewelry, and makeup. Again, hardly “no evidence of culpability.”
Russia continues to indiscriminately bomb Syrian urban centres such as Aleppo killing innocent civilians and children, despite overwhelming international calls for war crimes investigations. Once again, hardly the actions of “the only country with the right to be in Syria.”
It is ironic that that at the same time the St. Albert Gazette has recently published several articles such as “Journalists tackle fake news” (Feb. 22, 2017) and commentaries questioning “Fake News” and the credibility of some news reporting.
Zenon W. Wojnowskyj, Sturgeon County
