Letter to the editor:
Re: Letter to the editor, "Brant justified in protecting land: reader" (Packet & Times, Aug. 11)
Fifty years ago, my family's home and six other houses in Long Branch were expropriated to "expand" a bridge. It was unnecessary. There is just a green space there now. We all could have ving there. Should we, as a group, have blockaded Lakeshore Road that ran in front of our homes or the CN tracks that bordered the back of our properties? Would the authorities have tip-toed around our "just" cause and admitted that razing our homes wasn't necessary and, like the present stand-off in Caledonia, just backed off and let us be?
All this nattering about Indian lands and distant treaties is avoiding the real issue. How does a distinct racial group become competitive in our very multicultural society? Other ethnicities have come to Canada lacking both the language and financial resources and in a generation or two have become successful citizens. It may have something to do with that hackneyed descriptor "work ethic."
Furthermore, such minorities have been able to maintain a pride in their culture and in the struggles of their ancestors. They have their cake and are enjoying eating it. The drive to achieve that is evident in many new immigrants in our cities merits admiration, although it could be argued that it's just joining the rat-race.
As for Indians/aboriginals/natives, too many seem to have adjusted to the government cheque arriving at the end of the month. It should be considered treaty "welfare." There is no question that, historically, the treatment of North American Indians has often been a disgrace. But as a people, they have to move forward. Of course, if they insist on living on ghetto-like reserves, so be it. Unfortunately, drug or alcohol dependency, abuse by family members and dismal academic results seem too often to be the norm. The rest of us are very busy, and the warrior mentality of crusaders like Brant will only result in a backlash from productive members of society.
As for our neighbourhood blockade that should have been erected back in 1957, I suspect it might have lasted 10 minutes before the adults were hauled off to jail. That would have been the law.
Garry Burke