Stop blaming the poor

I feel, and I know that everyone who is living in poverty and those who are on the streets of our cities feel, that the city of Montreal is going too far with its ordinance on the homeless in the downtown area [“Quiet in the parks,” The Front & “Shunning the homeless,” Letters, Sept. 7].

What’s next? Are we going to throw these people in jail because they can’t afford to pay a fine for sleeping in a park because there is no affordable housing around? Or are we going to throw people in jail because they are poor?

People around our country should realize that we do have a serious crisis on our hands when it comes to poverty in Canada. Our federal government should do more to alleviate the plight of our homeless, if there’s someone or somebody who needs to be reminded of this situation, it’s not the people living on the street, it’s the federal government.

The cities (most of them), our brothers and sisters across Canada and everyone else in between who cares enough, believe that our governments need to do more to help our less fortunate, not less. It’s time to stop blaming the poor and the homeless for their predicaments and our governments (provincial, municipal and federal) to take some responsibility when it comes to help our own.

» Daniel Dufresne, Founder, National Coalition Against Poverty (NCAP), Calgary, Alberta

Defending Israel

I defend Israel as a Jew defending my heritage. As a result I am despised by Shirley Groves, who is obviously an enemy of Israel [“Arabs demonized,” Letters, Aug. 31].

Thank you, Shirley. You made my day. To be hated by an enemy of Israel means that I must be doing something right.

» Barry Merson

Smoking and the citizenry

Back in May, after the Mirror published a letter by CAGE director world-renowned political scientist David Romano, who argued against Quebec’s most recent anti-tobacco legislation, a number of anti-smoking activists responded in ire.

In his most recent letter [“Cagey tactics,” Aug. 31], lead-“anti” Scott Jones shifts the debate from a discussion on the merits (demerits?) of the legislation to an attack on CAGE itself. This tactic is not surprising given the number of “anti” letters that resorted to ad-hominem attacks against Dr. Romano and subsequent CAGE contributors.

Although mildly amused by the attempt to portray us as a well-financed lobby group, I do feel bound to set the record straight. CAGE was born in my living room after many lengthy discussions between my brother and myself about our huge government’s evolution into an all-powerful and unstoppable Super Nanny that combines the hysterics of extreme risk aversion with the power to fine, penalize and imprison us.

CAGE now lives on my computer desk, and in the hearts of a number of dedicated volunteers across Quebec, Canada, and the U.S. CAGE is financed mainly from my own pocket and through donations of $10–$50 from ordinary people who are grateful for our efforts. Given what we have managed to accomplish so far with these meagre funds—imagine what we could do if that $5,000 dream donation ever did materialize!

As an adamant non-smoker who will not let my own friends smoke in my apartment, smokers’ rights was originally the least of my concerns when I launched CAGE, and although it has become an important canary in the mine-shaft of government encroachment, it remains only one of many issues to which we lend an active voice. Our goal is to awaken our fellow citizens to the reality of their quickly disappearing personal rights and freedoms. When we openly encourage people to write to newspapers and to speak out, it is called “grassroots mobilization,” not “propaganda,” as was implied by Scott Jones. For a better understanding of who the well-funded propagandists really are, please do follow Mr. Jones’ advice and check out our Web site so as to draw your own conclusions.

» Dan Romano, President & Co-Founder, CAGE (Citizens Against Government Encroachment), www.cagecanada.ca

Personally, I think the people at CAGE should be commended. They are a true citizens’ group. So what if they didn’t mention an affiliation. I notice that Mr. Jones didn’t mention an affiliation either. Anti-smoking lobbyists rarely, if ever, do. They also never volunteer information on their funding, a lot of which comes from government. That’s right, folks, a lot of your tax dollars are being given to these one-issue lobbies. While the anti-smoking lobby has their “sugar daddy,” you can be sure that none of your money is flowing to groups like CAGE.

Mr. Jones’s letter has inspired me to either join CAGE or make a donation.

» Vince Harden, Winnipeg

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