Dear Editor,
I can’t believe that I’m about to say this: Roland Seguin is absolutely correct.
If you believe that Putin’s Russia Today (RT) is an honest news source, you are sorely mistaken [RT Russian propaganda machine, Oct. 14 Letters, Langley Advance].
Unfortunately, RT seems to be a fashionable “news†source among conspiracy theorists and reflexive contrarians. While it’s amazing to me that someone would so wish to be against the “mainstream†that they’d endorse a despicable, arguably genocidal tyrant, I suppose this shouldn’t be surprising.
Vladmir Putin embodies all of the worst elements of totalitarianism: he wraps himself up in the mythical imagery and power symbolism of the far right Russian orthodox church to exploit religious credulity, he engages in heresy hunts and purges of LGBT people, allowing his supporters to beat, rape, and kill LGBT people without fear of repercussion, and he uses these diversions, scapegoats, and propaganda tactics to pad his bank accounts and take ever more power.
Joseph Stalin would be proud.
I’d advise anyone who is thinking about advocating for RT to first think of their LGBT friends and family members.
Think about the fear that LGBT Russians live with every day. Someone may jump you at any moment. Perhaps they’ll rape you. Perhaps they’ll kill you. Perhaps they’ll kill your partner in front of you.
After this, of course, they’ll take your children and put them in hellish Russian orphanages.
And if the police happen to see it, they will more likely join in than help you.
This threat is a constant state of affairs for LGBT people in Russia.
Roland Seguin and I disgree strongly on climate change.
I think this is yet another area where climate denial hurts the world order. If we were to make a concerted effort to get off of fossil fuels, using a combination of hydro, wind, geothermal, solar, tidal, and nuclear power, we would not only hurt the kleptocracy in Russia, but also the Islamists who are even more brutal enemies of human rights.
A green energy future is our biggest weapon against the enemies of the human family. Canada should lead the world in this defense of our core principles: human rights, good governance, and democracy.
Travis Erbacher, Langley