Dear Editor:
Re: Fighting for the right to protest, Burnaby NOW, Jan. 7.
Finally - a face to go with the name! Mr. Dutton, an inveterate opinion page correspondent, has been
"protesting" for as many years as I can remember now. We learn that he is now retired, and I must say he seems quite young to be able to do so, but then, as a member of academe, we should not be too surprised, as they seem to be generously looked after (pensions wise) and although I too worked in a union industry, we were informed by our representatives that we did not make enough money to be accorded a pension! (Meditate on that a minute.)
It seems that Alan (if I may be so bold) believes that he has the inalienable right to protest Kinder Morgan even though they were only going about their legitimate duties as a Canadian business is wont to.
According to his mantra, everyone has a Charter right (oh, blessed document) to protest the attempts by private industry to go about their business. But, I too, surely have the right to protest their protestations? To picket their pickets, as it were?
You see, I think that those of us who do not get their salary paid by the taxpaying public should be able to go and earn a decent buck, working at a real job, in the woods, the mines and other pursuits that make the country rich! More and more unions are beginning to see the value of such pursuits, especially given the demise of good union jobs in the private sector, and the huge growth of same in the public sector.
Mr. Dutton is on a winning streak otherwise, in that I have failed to agree with any of his many letters in the past, and that has not changed - he can't be accused of being overly changeable.
Larry Bennett, Burnaby
