Reader's Emails

Mayor Trainer missed a wonderful opportunity to turn this negative-spun march into a positive for Caledonia. Instead of putting on her little "Chicken Little" cap and predicting gloom and doom, Caledonia would have been better off if she had used it to our advantage. Ignore the negative response and said: "I invite everyone listening to this broadcast to come out to Caledonia and volunteer to put out flags and ribbons. Afterwards, shop in our unique shops and refresh yourself at our many great restaurants. If you can't get to Caledonia, make December 16, the day you will fly a Canadian flag and put up a yellow ribbon of support!". Caledonia Resident

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Hi Gary and Christine; Just want to thank you once again for organizing a great rally; you really help to show to all of Canada the political mess that we are living in our town. I admire your strength and conviction, and just had to tell you both that I, as a Caledonia resident, appreciate all that you have done for this town. You put us in the news, and that is our only hope at this point. Thank you both, and have a very merry Christmas. Caledonia Resident

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Dear Mr. Tory,

I am ashamed and appalled at what happened in Caledonia on Saturday Dec.16th. It is now illegal to raise the Canadian Flag in a Town in Ontario. It is apparent that the Government of Ontario and the OPP are functioning at the whim of the Native Agenda. Further to this , destruction of a home in Caledonia witnessed to be done by Natives has left the community permanently traumatized.

This type of destruction has been commonplace in Ipperwash for years. It is proven beyond a doubt that natives can do what they want, when they want and to whom they want whether criminal or not and are answerable to no authority of any kind. At the same time the Natives can tell the rest of us what we are allowed to do and how we have to live each day. This is unconscionable. Perhaps we should cancel all services of the Provincial Government and the OPP, fire the lot of you and avoid a discrepancy you seem to want to cover up with platitudes of calmnesss, and just get all our daily permits on what we are allowed to do from the First Nations.

Where is the charter of rights for us??? How can we be expected to pay a police force that will not uphold our rights or protect us under the law??? I have been a victim of government and OPP stupidity for one quarter of my life at Ipperwash. Is this the only legacy you are willing to leave the rest of Ontario?? We deserve fair and equitable representation from our political leaders and we definitely deserve safety of person and possessions. I thought your party cared about these issues. Obviously no one at Queens Park gives a damn about law-abiding citizens. We are just cash cows for your next salary increase and the perks you all feel you deserve for a job well done. How do you look in the mirror each day and not see someone you never thought you could become.????

You and the Premier got in bed together on a hefty raise, why can't you get together in the same bed and help the citizens of this Province crying out in agony over something that is not their fault, but they sure are taking the brunt of????.

Sincerely Mary-Lou - Ipperwash

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I for one was glad Mark Vandermaas came to Caledonia. Nice to see others feel the same way I DO! Mark is welcomed here any time and the OPP, well they can leave right NOW! Like Mark I am disgusted with the OPP and both levels of Goverment. The natives could have put up Canadian flags themselves before Gary came to defuse the situation! One problem they hate Canada but love our money!

Resident of Caledonia

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Hi Gary,

Congratulations on having the balls to do what it took to make your point today. I did everything short of hanging a flag on a pole and for some reason they didn't arrest me. I look forward to reading on your site the real story of what happened to you because all I have right now is rumors and media reports neither of which can be trusted.

I was the one who attempted to give the OPP Canadian flags and was swarmed by the media. That was not my intention but people who saw what I was doing started screaming at the media to look. I do think the cops refusing the flags was a picture that proved everything you've been saying about them, and I'm glad it's made it onto most news casts I've seen tonight. The news reports are all stating that everyone left as soon as you were arrested. That is (not surprisingly) untrue.

Those of us who had a foothold established near DCE held our ground for a good while. 3 of the hundreds of OPP actually decided to try talking to us like human beings instead of screaming and trying to intimidate us or standing there like goofy manequins. I had a solid 15 minute discussion with a cop who was pulled in from Guelph for today and was not pleased to be there. He asked me what I hoped to accomplish today and I explained that these rallies and these actions are the only means we have to send a message to Ottawa that won't be thrown in a shredder, or deleted.

He seemed to genuinely understand that position and I can honestly say I think there is one cop out there who does understand exactly what we're doing and why it has to be done. As I was attempting to leave the area a reporter from CFRB caught and interviewed me for a solid 5 minutes. I have yet to hear any of that interview air but I hope it does because I expressed very clearly (unlike in the ambush TV interview after the flags in the cops' faces) why we were there and exactly why you were arrested.

You're a political target because you are not afraid to expose the truth about every level of this "occupation" our own government, and the OPP, and you also happened to be the wrong race trying to hang the wrong flag in Caledonia. I know in the eyes of some today's rally was a failure but in my humble opinion it was a very big success.

Your point was proven beyond any doubt, and the OPP were made to look like complete fools when we were able to simply go around them in a field and make it most of the way to DCE. Good luck and god speed in getting past whatever legal bullshit they tried to pin on you today and I hope there will be another March For Freedom if this nonsense doesn't end soon.

Sincerely,

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I am glad there is someone out there who feels the same way about the 2 tier system in this country as I do. I live in northern Saskatchewan and I am considered a second class citizen because I am nonnative. Imagine being called a "racist" for saying that people should be treated the same regardless of race? It would be funny if it was not so frightening. I believe there is a growing silent majority of people who are sick and tired of [being] discriminated against and being called Nazis for having the gall to resent it. What about nonwhites who live in Canada? Should how many rights and privileges you get depend on how long your family lived here?

Thanks for doing a hard but important job and have a merry Christmas.

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Dear fellow Citizens

Out here on the West Coast it is the same story. We have crimes committed by Natives from the Duncan Reserve all the time. Often violent crimes. The Natives are well known to Police, but will NOT be apprehended or charged. In Victoria B.C. for instance you will be fined if you do not wear a Bike Helmet. In Duncan it is okay to go without because all the Natives do... What a joke it is getting to be to live in this country, where our heritage is denied and even vilified, while others get to openly break the Law and even kill people (Oka) and never be charged. Majority of Canadians feel this way but sadly our fellow countrymen are very complacent. Speak out, demonstrate, let yourself be heard. This is supposed to be a Democracy with Freedom of Speech. What Freedom of Speech? That depends on what you say! Keep on fighting, I hope someone will listen.

BC, Canada

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Hello Mr. McHale,

As a Canadian American I applaud you for standing up for your rights. It is shocking to see how the OPP are behaving and have treated you . Please keep at it and don't give up. Possibly you could contact CNN both in Canada and USA for more coverage. best regards.

John Papp Fort Lauderdale,Fl.

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Keep up the great work Gary McHale! Everyone backs your efforts 110%.

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I was born in Vancouver and as far as I am concerned, I am a NATIVE. Doesn’t native mean being born in the country? Why should my rights not be the same as they are for all Canadians? Am I a lesser citizen with fewer rights than others? I totally support your cause. Good luck

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I wonder if Mr. McGuinty knows how far he has bent over to appease the native (criminal elements). I personally know of three occasions where suspects involved in illegal activity off the DCE have made a mad dash for DCE to foil capture by the OPP. DCE being a no go zone from the OPP has made it a sanctuary for criminals.

How nice it is for Mr. McGuinty to allow this parcel of land, on the edge of town, adjacent to an elementary school, to be used as a safe haven for criminals. Is this his idea of compensation for previous injustices? Minister Ramsey is so concerned about the injustices done to the natives in the past, that natives now have special consideration when it comes to the law. Injustices have been a part of life ever since Cain killed Abel.

A study of history will show that the many injustices done to the Aboriginals of Canada, pale in comparison to injustices done to many other groups in other countries. We cannot pretend or attempt to correct the wrongs of the past by providing special treatment for a specific group. We can only see to it that everyone is treated equally regardless of his or her background.

To do otherwise becomes an injustice to all. We cannot go back, we can only go forward. Start today and treat everyone the same. Settle the land claims, never mind building up the bank accounts of the many negotiators and government cronies.

The natives should remove themselves from land purchased with Ontario taxpayers’ money and all of Ontario should be allowed to use the land their money has paid for.

Mr. McGuinty seems to think taxpayers’ money is his own. You would think that he owns the land rather than Ontarians (Mr. McGuinty, once again this week, has shown how he runs fast and loose with taxpayer’ dollars). The natives' continued presence only tends to show that they have no interest in settling things for their people, otherwise they would show good faith and leave the land, allow the town, residents and Six Nations people to get back to living together as friends and neighbours.

This cannot happen as long as they are sitting on land they took over illegally. Regardless of what the Province says, no one in Caledonia is going to forget the terrorist activities of this past ten months. The first step to putting hard feelings behind us would be to have the land cleared thereby removing the criminal elements that have been associated with the takeover.

Caledonia Resident

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Hey Gary Are you OK? I saw on the TV that you had been arrested and hope everything is ok with you. Unfortunately I have been ill so was unable to attend today The first one since it started. Please let me know when you are having the next one. Thanks.

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