WCR Letters to the Editor

Justice demands support for striking teachers

If you know how to tie your shoes and button your coat,
It's because of a teacher.
If you know how to read the paper that you're holding now,
It's because of a teacher.
If you know how to go shopping to buy groceries to feed your family,
It's because of a teacher.
If you know how to drive, or to take the bus to go to work,
It's because of a teacher.
If you have a job, if you knew how to look for one and how to sign your application to get it,
It's because of a teacher.
If you know where Afghanistan is so that you can follow world events,
It's because of a teacher.
If you can run a computer, fix a car, perform open-heart surgery, do laundry, play professional hockey, cook a meal, or run a government,
It's because of a teacher.

Even if you do not have children in school, you were once a child who benefitted from a teacher's care and concern. Teachers do not work "only six hours a day." Most of them put in 10 or 12 hours a day plus weekends - marking exams and papers, preparing classes, making their classrooms look welcoming and warm, and myriad other things to care for the children of this world.

Teachers are not in it for the money. Believe me, if that's what they wanted, they'd do something else. This government took five per cent of their wages years ago when times were tough and never gave it back.

Their class sizes are increasing to ridiculous numbers. Many children, even in Grades 1 and 2, are working alongside 25 to 30 other children. How can teachers even begin to give them the attention they need?

Even though it is the public school teachers who are considering strike action, Catholics should support them - justice demands it, and one day our Catholic teachers will be in the same position.

If you are not supporting the teachers in their desire for smaller class sizes, better working conditions and better pay, please think about it. You are where you are because of a teacher.

Write your MLA today and tell him or her to get with the program. If there was enough money for MLAs to give themselves a 13 per cent raise, there should be enough money to give the teachers what they want. Perhaps our MLAs should give their 13 per cent to the teachers - it would be money better spent.

Lynnell Prediger
Edmonton

How a diocese responded to clergy sexual abuse

It is important that survivors of clergy sexual abuse know that someone cares about what happened to them. It is important to them that someone in the Church hierarchy apologizes for the wrong that was done them.

The Diocese of Oakland, Calif., has sincerely answered the issue of apology to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. They organized and held an apology event for survivors in their diocese. This was a North American first.

The committee consisted of Sister Barbara Flannery, Father Dan Danielson and five survivors of clergy sexual abuse. In July 1999 they met to see what form an apology event might take.

Although they admitted that the meetings were not easy, the group persisted in their work toward the event. After three months they had drafted the initial apology statement that Bishop Cummins would read.

Communicating back and forth between the committee and the bishop's administrative council led to the document being approved by the bishop in January 2000.

To address the issue that many survivors could not and would not enter a church, the committee chose a neutral site that was not on Church property.

As a sign of openness on the part of the Church representatives, they took the initiative to contact the media and encourage them to attend the event. Again a North American first.

Invitations were mailed to all the priests of the diocese as well as to all known survivors of clergy sexual abuse of the diocese. To reach as many survivors as possible, invitations were mailed to survivor networks.

All parishes in the diocese received statements that could be inserted into their bulletins inviting parishioners to attend the apology service. All parishes received prayers of the faithful that could be said at Sunday Mass the day after the apology event.

Bishop Cummins made a powerful statement to keep the press focused on the reason the diocese was doing an apology service. He said, "this is not about the priests, this is not about the number of cases of abuse, this is about our apology, as a diocese, to a group of people that we have seriously failed."

On March 25, 2000, the apology event was held with 140 people in attendance. All who attended agreed that it was a moving experience. There was sharing from about eight survivors. The straightforward apology was read by the bishop and received by the survivors.

As part of the event there was a young tree at the front of the room to symbolize new life and that tree was planted at the diocesan retreat centre and a plaque was put with it to remember the event.

What an insightful and brave man Bishop Cummins is. He has started the healing process for many survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Debbie Baier
Tofield

Military tribunal will spawn terrorism

The commission would conduct its hearing in secrecy with only two-thirds of its members support needed to impose the death penalty. There is not much difference between this and the conduct of communist countries and other oppressive regimes.

They would prosecute suspected terrorists who are not American citizens even though they have been living in the U.S. for a long time.

Government officials say that suspected terrorists are not entitled to the same justice safeguards as American citizens. This is a terrible message to send to Third World countries particularly countries who have many Muslims.

It will create more hatred and terrorism against the United States. Whatever happened to the slogan justice for all?

The president justifies this action by a precedent set during World War Two which was supported by the Supreme Court. It was this same precedent that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans without a shred of evidence that they were guilty of anything. Their possessions were confiscated and sold.

The Canadian government at the time did the same thing to Japanese Canadians.

With this kind of thinking it is not a big step to decide to secretly assassinate American citizens or leaders who they think are a threat to national security. We should expect something better from a president who claims to be a devout Christian and asks God to bless America.

Kenneth Curry
Sherwood Park

'Fight fascism wherever it is found'

"Fight fascism wherever you find it," my mother used to say during the Second World War when our country, Holland, was occupied by Nazi Germany.

I cannot forget that admonition, but I think that my brother Hank is doing a much better job of that than I ever will.

I joined the Dutch Underground Forces at the tender age of 14 and I am still in favour of fighting for freedom and human rights. But anyone who thinks that the U.S.A. official policy supports freedom and human rights is seriously misguided.

Read Hank's Nov. 12 column. Like all his columns, it is carefully researched and based on fact.

Do we hate Americans? Certainly not! Some of our best friends are Americans, but they too feel muzzled by their government.

John Zyp
Edmonton

Rebuttal misrepresented me

Willem, if you wish to state to other people what I said then please quote. Do not try and interpret what I said because nowhere did my letter "make the irrelevant assertion that Zyp should not voice opinions, nor point out injustice," as you state.

On the contrary, I pointed out how lucky he is to be able to voice opinions because they are not rights allowed everywhere. They are not rights that many ever earned either because the rights of the many have always been earned by the precious few.

Some of those few have been American and I recognize that and thank God and them for it. But I do not like one-sided intellectual bashings and that is what I responded to.

Michel Gingras
Edmonton

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