Misunderstanding seems to be the word of the day, says reader

To the Editor:
RE: “Protests are about the fight for freedom against tyranny, says reader”

The letter from Lynda Janzen was thoughtfully presented, but regardless of being vaccinated or unvaccinated, or your political stripe, I must take issue with her use of the word Tyranny with a capital “T.”

She references the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the Second World War. In the French and Russian revolutions, tens of thousands of people living in poverty and starving to death revolted against the true dictatorship of unelected kings. The Second World War in Europe was fought to save the continent from the ravages of a dictator.

While the current protesters have the freedom to voice their opinions because we live in a free society, the measures that have been taken by the federal and provincial governments to try and save lives, can hardly be called Tyranny with a capital “T.” We have elected governments which will continue to come and go. To equate our governments to the Tyranny of the Russian Tsars, French Kings or Hitler, is at best a very big stretch.

If you want to understand Tyranny, ask one of the survivors of the genocide of the Second World War, ask a person in occupied Europe what it was like to live through five years of occupation, or a war veteran who fought for years far from home, with the spectre of not coming home a very real reality. Our current situation pales in comparison.

My father fought in the Second World War and I’m glad he did not live to see this. He would have been very upset that the word “Heroes” and “Fighting for Freedom” were being equated to these protests today, and especially sad to see the antics Saturday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Yes, everyone has the right to his opinion, and everyone has the right to decide if he wants to be vaccinated but the current rules, made by ordinary people trying to do the best they can, seem like a small price to pay to move us forward.

Winston Churchill also said, "If you're going through hell, keep going,” and "The price of greatness is responsibility," and for good or bad, the people we elected in Ottawa and the provinces have had to make tough decisions during this time with which not everyone agrees.

Living in Canada affords us the luxury of a decent standard of living, health care, social services and yes, freedom; so if this is Tyranny with a capital “T,” I can live with that.

Dave Kotva
Kincardine