The Eiffel Tower, 1929 oil on canvas, National Gallery of Canada.The Canadian Press
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National Gallery’s mess
Re Donor Shields National Gallery From Auction Fee (May 11): One has to admire the gall of the National Gallery’s board of directors. In the ongoing attempt to frame the debacle with the Chagall painting as a victory, Thomas D’Aquino, the chair of the gallery’s charitable foundation, called the gift they received to pay the fine for pulling the painting from the auction block, “philanthropy at its best.” Really? The money is not being used to fund the creation of art or to allow the public to experience art, but to cover up for the actions of the gallery’s board and its director, Marc Mayer.
Imagine what any other of Canada’s wonderful arts organizations could do with a gift that size. It’s time for the gallery to show some humility and take responsibility for the mess it created.
Peter Duschenes, Ottawa
Iran and the West
Your editorial, The Iran Deal is Hurt, But It’s Not Dead Yet (May 9), skims the surface.
You write that Iranians “still live under the thumb of an oppressive theocratic dictatorship … that continues to demonize the United States and its Western allies.” You do not say this is a result of the British and American overthrow of prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh’s democratically elected government in favour of establishing the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1953. The Shah was an American-puppet ruler who chose money and gold-plated toilets over principles and the well-being of the Iranian people. The future consequences of the coup probably never entered the short-sighted and greedy heads of those focused on binge drinking at the Iranian oil trough.
This is a big reason why we are where we are today. It’s not so much because Iranians are bad, but because they’ve been badly treated by the United States and its Western “allies” who continue to demonize and punish Iran because of the reaction to the West’s ill-thought-out actions. If anyone can predict the short- and long-term consequences from what Donald Trump did this week, please contact me with the winning lottery numbers.
Bill Bousada, Carleton Place, Ont.
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After finally pulling the U.S. out of the “Iran Deal” as promised during his campaign, Donald Trump’s wet-finger-in-the-wind diplomacy still has not only Americans guessing what’s next, but his close allies, too, as rockets are launched toward Israel.
With no Plan B and/or leverage, and with billions of dollars held back from the Iranians having already been given back to them, Mr. Trump looks to the wind yet again to give the world his greatest strategic forecast: “We will see what happens.”
Steven Manganello, Somerville, Mass.
Waiting, waiting in B.C.
Re In B.C., Access To A Wait-List Is Considered Access To Health Care (May 9): A study of orthopedic wait times in British Columbia (BC Medical Journal, April, 2018) concluded that the average journey from referral to surgery was “worrisomely long at 59.5 weeks.”
Hip and knee replacements only represent 15 per cent of patients waiting for orthopedic surgery. The recent funding of these does not address unreasonably long wait times for the other 85 per cent of patients who need orthopedic surgery. Instead of paying lawyers, the government should address the many challenges in our health-care system and focus on providing the financial and management resources to deliver the best and most affordable care possible, ensuring our patients stop suffering and get timely surgical solutions when needed.
Alastair Younger, president, BC Orthopedic Association
Obama’s impressive prize
Re Preposterous Prize (letters, May 9): A letter writer says the Nobel Peace Prize was cheapened when it was awarded to U.S. president Barack Obama, who had done nothing to deserve the award other than “simply [winning] an election.”
This would come as a surprise to the Norwegian Nobel committee, which gave numerous reasons for conferring the prize. These included his efforts to restore multilateral diplomacy to a “central position” in international affairs, and to strengthen institutions such as the United Nations. The committee also noted that Mr. Obama had led the U.S. into “a more constructive role” in combating climate change. It gave special recognition to his global campaign against nuclear weapons, which had already “powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations.”
These are all concrete achievements that go beyond merely getting elected. Your correspondent helpfully reminded us that Mr. Obama had been in office less than a year when he was awarded the Nobel prize. That makes his ability to channel the global enthusiasm that greeted his election into tangible accomplishments for peace all the more impressive.
Anthony Cantor, Toronto
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A universal means of assessing leadership qualities is a leader’s ability to inspire followers.
After misguided and ill-conceived actions by Barack Obama’s predecessor, including the invasion and destabilization of Iraq, Mr. Obama proposed blazing a path based on tolerance, co-operation and a general reduction in international tensions. He did this as a member of a visible minority, with a decidedly unfamiliar surname, breaking social and racial barriers and raising hope among societies worldwide. Collectively, his electoral achievements and leadership supported the intention of the Peace Prize.
Those who demean Mr. Obama’s award might consider the inspirational basis of Mr. Trump’s words and actions. He rarely speaks of peace; often, his actions hinge on conflict and his values are dismissive of other nations and cultures. In that light, are we surprised at the values of those he inspires? Or the inspirations he generates in them?
John Lawrence Reynolds, Burlington, Ont.
Inside Trump’s cauldron
Re The American Media Media Are Trapped In Trump’s Cauldron (May 9): While Lawrence Martin paints an all-too-realistic portrait of the media’s continuing obsession with the seemingly never-ending Trump train-wreck, I must disagree with asking if coverage of the issue of Russian collusion and related matters could actually be “more important to Americans than jobs.”
Isn’t it obvious that unless the media continue to focus on the collusion and obstruction issues, Americans, including those who are unemployed, might awaken one day to learn that their democracy and much-beloved Constitution have been damaged beyond repair? Not having a job in that situation might be the smallest worry of an unemployed American.
It’s my hope that, as tedious as it might become, the American media continue their mighty and critical work in bearing down on Donald Trump and his cronies for as long as it takes to uncover the truth.
Charles Sager, Ottawa
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The revelation that an author is going to “punish” his book about life in the States gave me a chuckle. Is Stormy Daniels going to (allegedly!) spank it for him?
Connie Reynolds, Kelowna, B.C.