Dear Editor,
She has hardly sat down before she tells me about Yemen and Beirut seen from afar. We could call her Judy and she has health issues that would consume ordinary folk but foremost on her mind is what is happening to people in Yemen. She mentioned floods. Good God what else can hit them in this country with which we have no ties except that we supply its enemy, Saudi Arabia, with weapons while it bombs to bits Yemeni schools, hospitals, marketplaces and civilians.
Judy is warm and caring, and I am often struck by her manner of connecting wherein you can almost see her heart. She sent money via UNICEF to aid Yemenis kids, but the cheque has not been cashed yet and when she reveals this, I know she is concerned about their needs and not about her display of love.
• READ MORE: Bells for ring out in Langley City to honor atomic bombing victims
Judy’s concern reminds us that we are in a much better position here at home to aid people in “violent places.”
Our legislators care about people. They just need reminding that we care, too, that the few thousand jobs provided by Canadian weapons dealers are not worth the lives of Yemini civilians. They just need reminding that we are not a racist nation. These Canadian jobs involved in the manufacture of weapons to kill those we deem lesser beings can be converted into jobs that make our world better, safer, healthier and cooler.
There is so much we can do to transform our country from one that exports violence, that is still a proponent of nuclear weapons and is now calculating the job benefits of purchasing 88 jet fighters.
Ninety per cent of weapon casualties are civilians.
Remind our legislators that we are civilized.
Brendan Martin and Marilyn Konstapel, Langley Climate Not War, Langley
.
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share. Please send us a letter to the editor, include your first and last name, your address, and your phone number. Email to editor@langleyadvancetimes.com. In the meantime, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
