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In Trump's basket …
Re Trump's Rebuke Of Hate Groups Decried As 'Too Little, Too Late' (Aug. 15): Perhaps Donald Trump's belated and begrudging denunciation of racism, white supremacists and the KKK could have been staged against a better backdrop than a giant picture of a slaveholder called George Washington. It raises the question of whether the relocation of monuments of historical figures associated with slavery should extend to moving the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, or indeed vacating the White House, which the Obamas reminded us was built by slave labour.
The United States is a nation founded in liberty by slave owners. No matter how many statues are moved, that will remain part of U.S. historical reality and a legacy that needs to be confronted and addressed.
As George Santayana said, "Those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it."
Tom MacDonald, Ottawa
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It turns out Hillary Clinton was right about "the basket of Deplorables." How sad that it's a bigger basket than anyone imagined.
Eve Giannini, Toronto
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My comment on the U.S. President's forced, scripted rebuke of hate groups: Fake news. Truly bad person.
Paul Rapoport, Ancaster, Ont.
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Facism, racism
Re Donald Trump Gives Racists A Boost. Why? (editorial, Aug. 15): Donald Trump is not looking for support from extremists. As you say, the numbers aren't there.
He is looking for support from that far larger group next to them on the social spectrum. The one whose members cannot be polled or counted, but who still secretly agree with some small sliver of the racist's or fascist's slogans.
These are the social conservatives who feel silenced by – as they might put it – political correctness run rampant. These are the people who listen to the shock jocks and follow Breitbart News. They would never march armed in protest, or condone running a car into a crowd to draw attention to the cause. But when they hear the rantings on TV or YouTube, they might nod their heads and mutter quietly, "Still, they've got a point."
Hannah Arendt said it best: "The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil."
Bill Hall, Toronto
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You say the United States led the fight against fascism and racism in the Second World War.
Isolationist groups whose rallying cry was "America First" (sound familiar?) worked hard to keep America from entering the war with Germany.
It was only in late 1941, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, that the United States entered the war. After America declared war on Japan, Germany (Japan's ally) declared war on the United States – not the other way around. Other nations had already been fighting Hitler for more than two years at that point.
There is no doubt that many Americans fought bravely and their contribution was crucial to victory, but their country did not lead the fight against fascism.
Donald Trump's divisive and vicious rhetoric has stripped the thin veneer of civilization from some of his countrymen and tapped into the rancid underbelly of a nation that has practised overt racism for generations.
Jacqueline Chateauvert, London, Ont.
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At what point?
Re To The Damores Of The World: Focus On Your Own Flaws (Aug. 15): Marie Henein presents a confused case when it comes to James Damore. On the one hand, she refers to his "biological male assertiveness," thus apparently legitimizing gender differences in attitudes, and on the other hand, decries the substance of his allegations.
She proclaims herself a "staunch believer in freedom of expression," then goes on to say "there is no crime in being stupid, but if you are an employee, you are fireable."
When does freedom of expression give way to stupidity when it comes to firing?
Reid Robinson, Regina
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Code for success
Re Coding For Kids: Another Silly Fad (Aug. 15): Yes, most young Canadians will not end up coding computer programs. But that does not mean that others would not also benefit. Learning coding is learning problem solving: how to break down a problem into components, how to solve those smaller problems, how to make the solution reusable and efficient, and how to extend that solution to more problems.
Those skills have widespread applicability, in work and in life.
Even those who are just "using" their computers need such skills. For example, far too many people waste enormous time using "cut and paste" to process data in Excel, rather than using elementary coding skills to write simple Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) solutions.
I first learned Fortran coding in the early 1970s when an Ottawa math teacher initiated a computer science course for Grades 12 and 13. As a professional economist, the ability to code helped my career. The ability to not be intimidated by seemingly insurmountable problems, but break them down and solve them piecemeal, helped much more.
Cliff Halliwell, Ottawa
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Big bucks real estate
Re Along Yonge Street, Small Businesses Consider Closing (Aug. 12): It may be that the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. (MPAC) has overvalued some properties on Toronto's Yonge Street. But I would bet that they are just belatedly catching up with the property boom that has swept the city in recent years. Not to mention the more specific transformation of downtown.
After all, we are talking about prime real estate. Market logic points to redevelopment and densification. If the city decides that that is undesirable, then it should act. But it's MPAC's job to acknowledge market trends, not ignore them.
Richard Harris, school of geography and earth sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton
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A wonderful vision
The Globe and Mail has published beautiful tributes to Jack Rabinovitch, all of which are richly deserved. To see authors, publishers and former jurors praise him for the creation and success of the Giller Prize is a consolation at this very sad time.
But in the recognition of the benefit that has accrued to authors, book publishers, and CanLit as a whole, there is a big piece of this remarkable story missing.
There are hundreds of thousands of readers, from coast to coast to coast, who have heard about and read some 130 Giller-shortlisted books they might never have known about – all thanks to Jack's wonderful vision.
Theirs is the greatest debt of gratitude to a true gentleman.
Marc Côté, publisher, Cormorant Books Inc.