Ken DeLuca

Below are my Letters to the editor written to the Globe and Mail and published in 2008. Letters published in other years may be viewed by clicking the appropriate year above.

41	Afghaniquicksand: Having just finished reading the Manley report (Ottawa Must Dictate Terms To NATO, Panel Says - Jan. 23), I'm inclined to label Canada's mission as "Ifghanistan" - if NATO partners commit forces in the same way that Canada and others have, if tribal rivalries and corruption don't undermine government institutions, if the Afghan central government can gain control outside Kabul, if the warlords and drug lords allow a democratic government to function, if an Afghan security force can be recruited, armed and trained, if Western forces are not seen as occupiers, if diplomatic efforts with Pakistan can secure the border from outside interference, if economic, social and political institutions can develop in one of the world's poorest nations ... Yes, the mission may succeed - in 20 or 30 years - and Canada may pull out. January 24, 2008
42	L'important c'est le mot: Warren Clemens’ challenges in the Globe and Mail will be sorely missed. He is retiring after 17 years and 882 columns which inspired thousands of readers to match his and his readers’ verbal shenanigans. A tip of the hat to a muse who never failed to amuse. February 23, 2008
43	Tim's conduct a Timbit much: There's a crumb of comfort for the fired, then rehired employee: She can rest assured she won't be fired again any time soon, whether for cause or not. In fact, she's got them by the Timbits. May 9, 2008
CBC	*CBC The National Your Turn:* Rex Murphy has delivered a preemptive eulogy for Stephane Dion by referring to the Liberal Leader's call for a carbon tax as 'courageous'. As 'Yes, Minister' character, James Hacker famously remarked, " When a politician does something innovative, he loses votes. But when he does something courageous, he loses the election." May 16, 2008
44	Cops and robbers: So, a "posh prison" in Brazil is raided and police find a plasma TV set, gym equipment, two pistols and cash worth $173,000 (U.S.) in a prisoner's cell (Posh Prison - online edition, June 4). Obviously, such things could not have gotten there without the help of prison officials. When I was a kid, we played cops and robbers; these days, it seems you can play that game on your own. June 4, 2008
45	The politics of health: More than 20 years ago, tainted tuna toppled a Tory minister in Ottawa. Walkerton water was seen as one of the main reasons the provincial Tories went down to defeat in Ontario a few years ago. Now, we have deadly deli meats on the eve of another election (Inspectors Failed To Adopt More Rigorous U.S. Measures - Aug. 27). The latest accusations in this health tragedy include inspection systems that allow the industry to, more or less, oversee more of its own sanitation procedures: "New rules pulled lone watchdog off floor of contaminated meat plant, union says." Bring on the election! August 27, 2008
46	That was funny?: Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz's death by a thousand cold-cuts comment was decidedly insensitive, but I guess death wishes against a fellow MP is what passes for humour in the Harper cabinet (Cold Cut Quip Puts Minister In Hot Water - Sept. 18). Still, it won't be the first time this government has given Canadians a load of baloney. September 19, 2008
47	Keep the Change?: It's bad enough that governments around the world are tripping over themselves to save banks from the dire consequences of the banks' own greed and mismanagement. Now this country's banks want to do a little sidebar-gouging by not following the Bank of Canada's interest-rate drop. I assume these are the same banks that are tightening up and raising their own lending rates. Oh well, banks gotta eat, too. October 8, 2008
48	More trick than treat: Your Halloween headline, Ontario Cities Bailed Out On Welfare Costs (online) will prove to be more trick than treat for towns and cities. The treat is found in the article's second paragraph: "The McGuinty government will assume all social assistance benefits and security costs from cities." The trick is in the next line: "But the 10 years for the move to reach its full effect is much longer than cities had initially hoped." In effect, municipal ratepayers are getting less of what was promised for now, but a promise of more in the far distant future. A case of "jam yesterday and jam tomorrow, but never jam today." Not sweet. October 31, 2008
49	The cost of democracy: Tory plans to eliminate the subsidy for federal political parties is a step backward for democracy. Fair representation in Canada is already hindered by our electoral system; Ontario voters are disadvantaged by the inequitable distribution of seats in Parliament; urban voters have less say than voters in rural areas. Now Stephen Harper wants to revoke the one policy that seemed to promote democratic fairness. November 27, 2008