Thursday, January 12, 2006
It's Clear Who the Racists Are
When I arrived back in Alsask this evening from Saskatoon, I went straight to my post office box, as usual. All I had were flyers, three of which were political advertisements for local candidates in the upcoming election. You can feel it already can't you - yes, I got activist again!
Most shocking was a pamphlet from local indepedent candidate Dr. Jim Pankiw. Apparently he was a member of the former Alliance party, elected as an MP for Saskatoon, and was asked to leave the party due to his views being too conservative. So, lucky us, he's moved to West Central Saskatchewan! *Grin*
His pamphlet is entitled, "It's Clear Who the Racists Are" and gracing the cover is a photo of a face to face standoff: "Militant Indian Confronts Canadian Soldier at Oka, 1990." It's actually pretty funny, since the position of the two in the photo actually makes it look as if a militant soldier is confronting an Indian, but that is just semantics. The real goods are inside.
I'm assuming it's public property to state verbatim what was in the pamphlet since there was one in every P.O. Box in this riding today. Anything italicized in this posting is quoted directly from this pamphlet. Anyways - in it he states that "Common sense, fairness and equality demand that special race-based privileges be scrapped. Doing so is in the best interest of our children and future generations. - Dr. Jim Pankiw" That gives you the general feel of the pamphlet. He also states that Canada needs: "[To] abolish the Indian Act; Equality of opportunity and merit-based hiring; restore the criminal justice system to ensure that all criminals are treated the same regardless of race; end special privileges and race-based government policies; eliminate special tax exempt status for Indians." He argues that the three mainstream political parties are wasted votes because they advocate: "Segregationist plicies of the Indian Act which isolate and divide society; race-based hiring quotas for Indians; Two-tier Criminal Code sentencing provisions that give lenient sentences to Indian criminals; Special hunting and fishing privileges for Indians; Indians exempted from paying taxes."
Now - none of this surprises me. I hear these arguments all the time. What was especially offensive were partial quotes of former First Nations leaders set next to their photos, under the banner "Racism". He includes the following:
Perry Bellegarde, Former FSIN Chief "...the NON-FIRST NATIONS people are indeed treaty beneficiaries in their continued use and enjoyment of the Treaty/Indian lands NOW CALLED Canada."
Chief Bill Wilson, Former Chairman of BC First Nations Congress "...homely diseased people on boats... because you were the lowest of the low. You came here because you couldn't make a living, and you had nowhere else to go. And did we do? Well, we welcomed you. Stupid mistake. Really silly mistake. We should have kicked your ass for a hundred years. And we really should have killed you all for a hundred years, and hopefully, selective breeding could have produced some decent people."
... as well as other quotes by Melvin Laboucan, Mathew Coon Come, and David Ahenakew. Granted, some of what he printed was inflammatory and racist. No doubt about it - but they were also a generation of door-bashing political activists who HAD to talk like that to get attention. They were the first generation of enfranchised First Nations people in Canada. And they were responding to "white" society the same way as they were treated.
Anyways- en route to the local news media as we speak is my open letter in response to Dr. Pankiw, which you will find below:
An Open Letter to Dr. Jim Pankiw
January 12, 2006
Dear Dr. Pankiw:
As a resident of the riding in which you are running for election as an independent MP, I received your most recent campaign flyer. I have to say that I was shocked to the point of feeling physically ill that you would so blatantly single out First Nations people in your campaign.
People who visit Saskatchewan praise the hospitality and openness of the people here, so your biased and ignorant propaganda is surprising to say the least. My greatest comfort is that soon there will be enough First Nations to make up the majority population in Saskatchewan after which we hope we can count on no more of this type of infection in our political discussion.
You speak of ending special privileges and race-based government policies. You speak of equality of opportunity- yet that is to singularly ignore the history of interaction between First Nations and the rest of Canadian society throughout the past 500 years. The fact that you refer to First Nations as “Indians” is testament to your ignorance in itself for we are not an “internally, homogeneous, unchanging society” (Crawford), but rather distinct societies of people each with their own history, language, culture, world view, and theology. To argue that there is an “Indian problem” persisting into the 21st Century is to perpetuate the intentional denial which argues that colonization and oppression are things of the past. There is no Indian problem. There is a broken relationship between Canada and its indigenous peoples. To quote former U of S student James Crawford:
In promoting the idea that First Nations in Canada are “privileged” by their legal uniqueness in Canada is ignorant. The Indian Act is no benefit to the aboriginal peoples of this country, but in fact the remnant of an archaic legally mandated plan to eradicate First Nations from Canadian society en masse. The intention of the authors of that Act was not to create special privileges for “Indians” but to create a micro-managed life which either forced them into oppressive conditions which would result in their extinction, or to conform completely and assimilate into mainstream (translation “white”) Canadian society in the late 19th Century. The “plan” of the Indian Act was that there would be NO “Indian problem” into the 20th Century since its success (ie: the eradication of Natives) was expected no later than 1920. If you do your historical research and spend some time in the national archives, you will find internal documentation to back up these facts from the early years of the Department of Indian Affairs.
As far as special tax exempt status is concerned, that is another leftover from the same piece of institutionalized racism. A close reading of the Indian Act will reveal that native peoples in Canada were “protected from” tax liability and were also not allowed to be sued in a civil law suit. The purpose of those clauses were to limit aboriginal peoples from borrowing capital to create any sound independent corporations. “Protection” was provided at the cost of submission to the other requirements of the Indian act – which was to choose to be disenfranchised (status Indians were not allowed the vote until the 1960's) and economically dependent on the government.
If you did your homework and checked out the facts you would not be printing misguiding information. Your campaign makes it seem as if all native people are non-taxable. This is far from the case. Since the 1983 Supreme Court case Nowegijick v. The Queen, tax rulings have become more and more conservative in their interpretation of the “protection from taxation” provided in the Indian Act. There are now no less than 5 connecting factors which only Native peoples with their status must meet in order to keep tax exempt status. Those who do not have status are never tax exempt. These connecting factors include: being considered legally “Indian” under the law (having Indian “status” as defined in the Indian Act) residing on reserve, working on reserve, having your paycheck issued on reserve, working for a business which is principally located on reserve and whose governing persons make all business-related decisions on reserve, keeping all income in a bank whose head office is situated on reserve, not earning any interest income off reserve, not owning any property off reserve, and picking up your pay on reserve. Since there is high unemployment on reserve, I can guarantee you then number of people who “benefit” from your supposed “special exemptions” is far far less than you would argue.
Special hunting and fishing privileges have been hard won in the courts, at great expense to tribal councils and individuals, by proving legally that the Indian Act never extinguished those rights in the first place. I refer you to the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples for historical background on this issue.
Abolishing the Indian Act would mean settling Land Claims. I'm sure that is not something that you wish to see happen anytime in the future. The truth is, Canada is one of the only remaining countries with such an atrocious piece of institutionalized racism. Most Canadians were supportive of economic sanctions against South Africa during the Apartheid period. What most Canadians don't know is that the white minority government of South Africa came to Canada to study the Indian Act as an effective tool of oppression against non-Caucasian peoples, and took its underlying principles and some specific clauses back to South Africa as the basis for Apartheid.
I am not denying that there are truly “racist” First Nations individuals and groups in Canada. Just as there are racist individuals from every other racial group in this country. However, it would be just as easy to create inflammatory propaganda containing statements that are racist in the opposite direction.
Rather than promoting ideas and attitudes which create division and hostility, I would see you focusing your platform on sound bases which included economic development for all Canadians, integrity in government, responsible spending, appropriate socialization of safety net services, and the opportunity for diverse peoples to coexist in a peaceful manner affording each other dignity and respect.
I'm not saying to throw a bunch of money at “the Indian Problem” and hope it goes away either. For true healing cannot come from government spending. It has to come from individuals and groups in our great country opening their minds and hearts to one another. It has to come from being willing to hear the stories of oppression and be accountable for our corporate sins as a country, without reacting in anger or shame. It means rebuilding trust with one another, and neighbours helping neighbours. I see you doing nothing to promote the kind of Canada in which I'd like to live. So, you asked me not to waste my vote, and I can guarantee I won't be wasting it on you.
Sincerely,
Carmen Lansdowne.
Alsask, SK
Most shocking was a pamphlet from local indepedent candidate Dr. Jim Pankiw. Apparently he was a member of the former Alliance party, elected as an MP for Saskatoon, and was asked to leave the party due to his views being too conservative. So, lucky us, he's moved to West Central Saskatchewan! *Grin*
His pamphlet is entitled, "It's Clear Who the Racists Are" and gracing the cover is a photo of a face to face standoff: "Militant Indian Confronts Canadian Soldier at Oka, 1990." It's actually pretty funny, since the position of the two in the photo actually makes it look as if a militant soldier is confronting an Indian, but that is just semantics. The real goods are inside.
I'm assuming it's public property to state verbatim what was in the pamphlet since there was one in every P.O. Box in this riding today. Anything italicized in this posting is quoted directly from this pamphlet. Anyways - in it he states that "Common sense, fairness and equality demand that special race-based privileges be scrapped. Doing so is in the best interest of our children and future generations. - Dr. Jim Pankiw" That gives you the general feel of the pamphlet. He also states that Canada needs: "[To] abolish the Indian Act; Equality of opportunity and merit-based hiring; restore the criminal justice system to ensure that all criminals are treated the same regardless of race; end special privileges and race-based government policies; eliminate special tax exempt status for Indians." He argues that the three mainstream political parties are wasted votes because they advocate: "Segregationist plicies of the Indian Act which isolate and divide society; race-based hiring quotas for Indians; Two-tier Criminal Code sentencing provisions that give lenient sentences to Indian criminals; Special hunting and fishing privileges for Indians; Indians exempted from paying taxes."
Now - none of this surprises me. I hear these arguments all the time. What was especially offensive were partial quotes of former First Nations leaders set next to their photos, under the banner "Racism". He includes the following:
Perry Bellegarde, Former FSIN Chief "...the NON-FIRST NATIONS people are indeed treaty beneficiaries in their continued use and enjoyment of the Treaty/Indian lands NOW CALLED Canada."
Chief Bill Wilson, Former Chairman of BC First Nations Congress "...homely diseased people on boats... because you were the lowest of the low. You came here because you couldn't make a living, and you had nowhere else to go. And did we do? Well, we welcomed you. Stupid mistake. Really silly mistake. We should have kicked your ass for a hundred years. And we really should have killed you all for a hundred years, and hopefully, selective breeding could have produced some decent people."
... as well as other quotes by Melvin Laboucan, Mathew Coon Come, and David Ahenakew. Granted, some of what he printed was inflammatory and racist. No doubt about it - but they were also a generation of door-bashing political activists who HAD to talk like that to get attention. They were the first generation of enfranchised First Nations people in Canada. And they were responding to "white" society the same way as they were treated.
Anyways- en route to the local news media as we speak is my open letter in response to Dr. Pankiw, which you will find below:
An Open Letter to Dr. Jim Pankiw
January 12, 2006
Dear Dr. Pankiw:
As a resident of the riding in which you are running for election as an independent MP, I received your most recent campaign flyer. I have to say that I was shocked to the point of feeling physically ill that you would so blatantly single out First Nations people in your campaign.
People who visit Saskatchewan praise the hospitality and openness of the people here, so your biased and ignorant propaganda is surprising to say the least. My greatest comfort is that soon there will be enough First Nations to make up the majority population in Saskatchewan after which we hope we can count on no more of this type of infection in our political discussion.
You speak of ending special privileges and race-based government policies. You speak of equality of opportunity- yet that is to singularly ignore the history of interaction between First Nations and the rest of Canadian society throughout the past 500 years. The fact that you refer to First Nations as “Indians” is testament to your ignorance in itself for we are not an “internally, homogeneous, unchanging society” (Crawford), but rather distinct societies of people each with their own history, language, culture, world view, and theology. To argue that there is an “Indian problem” persisting into the 21st Century is to perpetuate the intentional denial which argues that colonization and oppression are things of the past. There is no Indian problem. There is a broken relationship between Canada and its indigenous peoples. To quote former U of S student James Crawford:
An area of growing concern to me is the very common practice of blaming
Native peoples for their socioeconomic conditions. Blaming
“forgets” that racism has also been institutionalized in
government policies of assimilation, paternalism, and the
historical and continuing confiscation of Native lands and
resources. These policies have had a devastating impact on Native
peoples but the fallout has been explained away as stemming
from “cultural differences.” In turn “cultural differences” are
reduced to stereotypes such as “Indians can’t or won’t adjust” to
city life. In other words, Indian “culture”, rather than colonization
or racism, is blamed for whatever has happened to Native peoples.
(Taken from Media, Stereotypes and the Perpetuation of Racism in Canada, May 1998)
In promoting the idea that First Nations in Canada are “privileged” by their legal uniqueness in Canada is ignorant. The Indian Act is no benefit to the aboriginal peoples of this country, but in fact the remnant of an archaic legally mandated plan to eradicate First Nations from Canadian society en masse. The intention of the authors of that Act was not to create special privileges for “Indians” but to create a micro-managed life which either forced them into oppressive conditions which would result in their extinction, or to conform completely and assimilate into mainstream (translation “white”) Canadian society in the late 19th Century. The “plan” of the Indian Act was that there would be NO “Indian problem” into the 20th Century since its success (ie: the eradication of Natives) was expected no later than 1920. If you do your historical research and spend some time in the national archives, you will find internal documentation to back up these facts from the early years of the Department of Indian Affairs.
As far as special tax exempt status is concerned, that is another leftover from the same piece of institutionalized racism. A close reading of the Indian Act will reveal that native peoples in Canada were “protected from” tax liability and were also not allowed to be sued in a civil law suit. The purpose of those clauses were to limit aboriginal peoples from borrowing capital to create any sound independent corporations. “Protection” was provided at the cost of submission to the other requirements of the Indian act – which was to choose to be disenfranchised (status Indians were not allowed the vote until the 1960's) and economically dependent on the government.
If you did your homework and checked out the facts you would not be printing misguiding information. Your campaign makes it seem as if all native people are non-taxable. This is far from the case. Since the 1983 Supreme Court case Nowegijick v. The Queen, tax rulings have become more and more conservative in their interpretation of the “protection from taxation” provided in the Indian Act. There are now no less than 5 connecting factors which only Native peoples with their status must meet in order to keep tax exempt status. Those who do not have status are never tax exempt. These connecting factors include: being considered legally “Indian” under the law (having Indian “status” as defined in the Indian Act) residing on reserve, working on reserve, having your paycheck issued on reserve, working for a business which is principally located on reserve and whose governing persons make all business-related decisions on reserve, keeping all income in a bank whose head office is situated on reserve, not earning any interest income off reserve, not owning any property off reserve, and picking up your pay on reserve. Since there is high unemployment on reserve, I can guarantee you then number of people who “benefit” from your supposed “special exemptions” is far far less than you would argue.
Special hunting and fishing privileges have been hard won in the courts, at great expense to tribal councils and individuals, by proving legally that the Indian Act never extinguished those rights in the first place. I refer you to the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal peoples for historical background on this issue.
Abolishing the Indian Act would mean settling Land Claims. I'm sure that is not something that you wish to see happen anytime in the future. The truth is, Canada is one of the only remaining countries with such an atrocious piece of institutionalized racism. Most Canadians were supportive of economic sanctions against South Africa during the Apartheid period. What most Canadians don't know is that the white minority government of South Africa came to Canada to study the Indian Act as an effective tool of oppression against non-Caucasian peoples, and took its underlying principles and some specific clauses back to South Africa as the basis for Apartheid.
I am not denying that there are truly “racist” First Nations individuals and groups in Canada. Just as there are racist individuals from every other racial group in this country. However, it would be just as easy to create inflammatory propaganda containing statements that are racist in the opposite direction.
Rather than promoting ideas and attitudes which create division and hostility, I would see you focusing your platform on sound bases which included economic development for all Canadians, integrity in government, responsible spending, appropriate socialization of safety net services, and the opportunity for diverse peoples to coexist in a peaceful manner affording each other dignity and respect.
I'm not saying to throw a bunch of money at “the Indian Problem” and hope it goes away either. For true healing cannot come from government spending. It has to come from individuals and groups in our great country opening their minds and hearts to one another. It has to come from being willing to hear the stories of oppression and be accountable for our corporate sins as a country, without reacting in anger or shame. It means rebuilding trust with one another, and neighbours helping neighbours. I see you doing nothing to promote the kind of Canada in which I'd like to live. So, you asked me not to waste my vote, and I can guarantee I won't be wasting it on you.
Sincerely,
Carmen Lansdowne.
Alsask, SK
Comments:
<< Home
Hmm.
This guy seems to have attracted quite a lot of notice on the 'Net. Perhaps he believes there's no such thing as bad publicity? However, I haven't been able to find a complete transcript. Do you know where I might find one, or has nobody wanted to sully their computers by creating one?
- Tim
This guy seems to have attracted quite a lot of notice on the 'Net. Perhaps he believes there's no such thing as bad publicity? However, I haven't been able to find a complete transcript. Do you know where I might find one, or has nobody wanted to sully their computers by creating one?
- Tim
# posted by 
: 1:50 PM
: 1:50 PM
When Jim was MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, he sent the same brochure to his constituents. Here is an article from the Star Phoenix where Jim childishly responds to a letter he received about the brochure:
Authors: James Parker
Pagination: A.7
ISSN: 08324174
Personal Names: Pankiw, Jim
Dunham, Trudi
Abstract:
A Saskatchewan woman who complained to Saskatoon Humboldt MP Jim Pankiw about one of his controversial pamphlets was sent a response suggesting she is a "bigot, close-minded, uneducated and socially uninformed."
The mailout, paid for with Pankiw's parliamentary communication allowance, includes quotations attributed to prominent Indian leaders that the MP describes as "racism examples not reported by Saskatoon's newspaper monopoly The StarPhoenix."
After receiving Pankiw's July 3 letter responding to her, which condemns "politically correct zealots who foment and foster division within society,"
[Trudi Dunham] demanded to be taken off Pankiw's mailing list. She received no response to her request.
(Copyright The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2003)
Full Text:
Pankiw brands woman 'bigot, racist' in response to complaint over mailout
A Saskatchewan woman who complained to Saskatoon Humboldt MP Jim Pankiw about one of his controversial pamphlets was sent a response suggesting she is a "bigot, close-minded, uneducated and socially uninformed."
The Independent MP added "racist" to the list of insults when he was contacted by a reporter about the correspondence Monday.
"If you're asking me do I regret insulting a racist, no I don't," said Pankiw, a two-term MP who is also running for mayor in the Oct. 22 civic election.
"If she doesn't want to be informed, if she is so afraid of information and wants to keep her mind that closed, that's her prerogative. No doubt I did take her off the (mailing) list. She can live in this uninformed haze that she obviously walks around (in), and so be it. You can't get through to everybody."
Trudi Dunham, who farms near the southwestern Saskatchewan community of Admiral, was appalled when she received Pankiw's notorious pamphlet entitled "It's Clear Who The Racists Are," which attacks "Indian lobbyists"
and other supporters of "race-based privileges" and has been widely condemned.
The mailout, paid for with Pankiw's parliamentary communication allowance, includes quotations attributed to prominent Indian leaders that the MP describes as "racism examples not reported by Saskatoon's newspaper monopoly The StarPhoenix."
It urges recipients to answer three questions dealing with government funding of "Indian lobbyists" -- Pankiw's description of political organizations such as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).
Under House of Commons regulations, MPs are allowed to send out four newsletters a year to all their constituents. They can also send an unlimited number of mailouts to the number of households equivalent to 10 per cent of their constituency population. The so- called "10 per centers" can be mailed anywhere in Canada.
Pankiw said he sends his pamphlets to people who have contacted his office. In addition, the MP targets specific geographic areas and sends material to households at random.
On June 10, Dunham wrote a two-page response to the pamphlet, calling it simplistic and taking issue with Pankiw's approach to aboriginal issues.
"I really took exception to getting this," she said in an interview.
"He's not stupid. He's educated. This is really inexcusable. There are deep-seated problems in our Native community. Stirring the pot like he does won't help. It's so shallow. I certainly hope the voters will throw him out."
After receiving Pankiw's July 3 letter responding to her, which condemns "politically correct zealots who foment and foster division within society,"
Dunham demanded to be taken off Pankiw's mailing list. She received no response to her request.
"He didn't answer the questions about where he got my name and address.
At the very least, he should have agreed not to subject me to any more of his (material)."
The MP, who was barred from re-entering the Canadian Alliance caucus last year after serving in a parliamentary coalition with the Progressive Conservatives because of his confrontational tactics, said the vast majority of people who write to his office are supporters.
"Letters like hers are extremely rare. Most of the letters I get are:
'way to go Jim, keep up the good work, you're telling it like it is, don't back down, you're doing a good job.' Those are the comments I get. You should put that in the paper. You're going to some extremist, left-leaning liberal racist, and put her comments in."
Pankiw sent The StarPhoenix more than 60 e-mails and letters expressing support for his views and urging him to continue to speak out. He refused the newspaper permission to print any of the correspondence.
"Given the editorial board's penchant for using selective omission and bias against those with whom it disagrees, the authors would undoubtedly be misrepresented," Pankiw said in a letter to the newspaper, which he accused of "daily cheerleading of special race- based Indian privileges."
Post a Comment
Authors: James Parker
Pagination: A.7
ISSN: 08324174
Personal Names: Pankiw, Jim
Dunham, Trudi
Abstract:
A Saskatchewan woman who complained to Saskatoon Humboldt MP Jim Pankiw about one of his controversial pamphlets was sent a response suggesting she is a "bigot, close-minded, uneducated and socially uninformed."
The mailout, paid for with Pankiw's parliamentary communication allowance, includes quotations attributed to prominent Indian leaders that the MP describes as "racism examples not reported by Saskatoon's newspaper monopoly The StarPhoenix."
After receiving Pankiw's July 3 letter responding to her, which condemns "politically correct zealots who foment and foster division within society,"
[Trudi Dunham] demanded to be taken off Pankiw's mailing list. She received no response to her request.
(Copyright The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2003)
Full Text:
Pankiw brands woman 'bigot, racist' in response to complaint over mailout
A Saskatchewan woman who complained to Saskatoon Humboldt MP Jim Pankiw about one of his controversial pamphlets was sent a response suggesting she is a "bigot, close-minded, uneducated and socially uninformed."
The Independent MP added "racist" to the list of insults when he was contacted by a reporter about the correspondence Monday.
"If you're asking me do I regret insulting a racist, no I don't," said Pankiw, a two-term MP who is also running for mayor in the Oct. 22 civic election.
"If she doesn't want to be informed, if she is so afraid of information and wants to keep her mind that closed, that's her prerogative. No doubt I did take her off the (mailing) list. She can live in this uninformed haze that she obviously walks around (in), and so be it. You can't get through to everybody."
Trudi Dunham, who farms near the southwestern Saskatchewan community of Admiral, was appalled when she received Pankiw's notorious pamphlet entitled "It's Clear Who The Racists Are," which attacks "Indian lobbyists"
and other supporters of "race-based privileges" and has been widely condemned.
The mailout, paid for with Pankiw's parliamentary communication allowance, includes quotations attributed to prominent Indian leaders that the MP describes as "racism examples not reported by Saskatoon's newspaper monopoly The StarPhoenix."
It urges recipients to answer three questions dealing with government funding of "Indian lobbyists" -- Pankiw's description of political organizations such as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN).
Under House of Commons regulations, MPs are allowed to send out four newsletters a year to all their constituents. They can also send an unlimited number of mailouts to the number of households equivalent to 10 per cent of their constituency population. The so- called "10 per centers" can be mailed anywhere in Canada.
Pankiw said he sends his pamphlets to people who have contacted his office. In addition, the MP targets specific geographic areas and sends material to households at random.
On June 10, Dunham wrote a two-page response to the pamphlet, calling it simplistic and taking issue with Pankiw's approach to aboriginal issues.
"I really took exception to getting this," she said in an interview.
"He's not stupid. He's educated. This is really inexcusable. There are deep-seated problems in our Native community. Stirring the pot like he does won't help. It's so shallow. I certainly hope the voters will throw him out."
After receiving Pankiw's July 3 letter responding to her, which condemns "politically correct zealots who foment and foster division within society,"
Dunham demanded to be taken off Pankiw's mailing list. She received no response to her request.
"He didn't answer the questions about where he got my name and address.
At the very least, he should have agreed not to subject me to any more of his (material)."
The MP, who was barred from re-entering the Canadian Alliance caucus last year after serving in a parliamentary coalition with the Progressive Conservatives because of his confrontational tactics, said the vast majority of people who write to his office are supporters.
"Letters like hers are extremely rare. Most of the letters I get are:
'way to go Jim, keep up the good work, you're telling it like it is, don't back down, you're doing a good job.' Those are the comments I get. You should put that in the paper. You're going to some extremist, left-leaning liberal racist, and put her comments in."
Pankiw sent The StarPhoenix more than 60 e-mails and letters expressing support for his views and urging him to continue to speak out. He refused the newspaper permission to print any of the correspondence.
"Given the editorial board's penchant for using selective omission and bias against those with whom it disagrees, the authors would undoubtedly be misrepresented," Pankiw said in a letter to the newspaper, which he accused of "daily cheerleading of special race- based Indian privileges."
# posted by : 10:18 PM
: 10:18 PM << Home
