Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 26, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba A15 Winnipeg free press focus saturday june 26, 2004. United nations in offers Home to anti semitism hostile indifferent countries just part of the problem in officials give speeches and hold exhibits regretting the creation of the state of Israel by David Matas i International meetings on anti semitism have become a fad. The organization for Security and co operation in Europe the european Union and the Council of Europe have All in the last couple of years hosted initiatives on anti semitism. Finally the United nations itself has joined in. The in conducted a seminar in new York on june 21 titled confronting anti semitism. The in meeting was both the most and least significant of the lot. The most because the in gathers together almost every single country on the Globe. The least because the meeting was a Public information session Only and not an inter governmental meeting. The Rise in anti semitism can be traced to the in itself because of the platform legitimacy and amplification the in gives to anti zionism the denial of the right to self determination of the jewish people. There Are a frightening number of governments who vote for one sided exaggerated demonizing anti Israel resolutions who abuse the status of the in Chambers to give overtly anti semitic speeches. All too Many other govern ments including Canada remain silent giving the anti semitism that is anti Zion ism free rein. Fault the fault lies though not just with hos tile and indifferent governments but with the bureaucracy of the in. The office of the United nations High com missioner for human rights produces one unbalanced report after another condemning israeli self defence efforts As violations of human rights without so much As a whisper of condemnation of the attacks of even the suicide bombs which precipitate the need for self defence. In officials give speeches and hold exhibits regretting the creation of the state of Israel. Anne Mayefsky said at the seminar that the in has become the leading global purveyor of there was at least some Comfort from the fact that these remarks could finally be said inside the United nations instead of just shouted from the outside. But in itself that is not much Progress. The nominal topic of the seminar was what can the United nations do to combat anti semitism that was Rich. If the in just ceased surveying anti semitism and did nothing More that alone would be a major contribution to the struggle against anti semitism. United nations Secretary general Kofi Annan was instrumental in making the seminar happen. He introduced its open ing session with a speech suggesting that the in pass a Resolution condemning anti semitism which the in has never done. But Annan failed to bring the problem of anti semitism Back Home to the in. He referred Only obliquely to the prob Lem mentioning the new anti semitism and stating that we must be prepared to examine today a manifestation of anti semitism More letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email Arnold and Sam Start a trend with Sam Katz a recent Victory consider Winnipeg now a place on the global political landscape. As a member of the Schwarzenegger for governor Campaign Here in California i was bar raged with questions about political experience being a Factor As to Why Arnold Schwarzenegger should not run our great state. Much like those in the Golden state Winni Eggers were Able to recognize that political baggage in to a prerequisite for Success. Winni Eggers much like Californi ans Are sick of career politicians and their tax and spend policies. Katz brings a fresh perspective and a Busi Ness Friendly approach something Winnipeg has been in dire need of to revert the brain Drain effect of Young people seeking opportunities else where. Neither Katz nor Schwarzenegger Are Beholden to special interests. Nei ther has made political favours in the past that require payback in the future. Both came from Humble pasts and achieved Success. Both feel a self less need to give Back to their communities and personify new Energy and Hope for the future. With Arnold in California and Sam in Winnipeg we have started a political trend Here in North America. If Only Ottawa could be next. Tim Koltek Redwood City Calif. Keep our land glorious and free one of the most significant events of my life in Canada was when my wife my two children and myself became Canadian citizens. When we Sang the National Anthem i was in tears. God keep our land Glo rious and free was a very touching part of the Anthem. Since then i made a commitment to help new canadians As much As i could. We help new canadians find jobs and provide encouragement. We had the Opportunity to Host the reception after the citizenship ceremony three times. We love doing it. During the ceremony on june 16, the citizenship judge talked passionately about the Freedom that we have in Canada. He reminded the new canadians to cherish and enjoy it. Just before the ceremony started i told the judge that we had copies of the Bible we wanted to give As our gift to those who wanted it and that i was going to place it in the reception area where anybody who wanted it could pick up a copy. His reply was that there is a policy now that prohibits the giving of the Bible or placing it in the reception area. I was saddened and disappointed. He talked passionately about Freedom and Here i was not even allowed to offer the bibles As our gift to those who want it. What kind of Freedom was he talking about we will still Volunteer to Host the reception after citizenship ceremonies for As Long As we Are allowed. We will continue to encourage new canadians to work hard and become responsible citizens of this wonderful country. We will continue to seek the peace and Prosperity of our City and country. We love Canada and Are proud to be canadians. Rev. Fred Sebastian Church of the living Hope Winnipeg helmet Law would discourage Riding in the june 22 letter make helmets mandatory the writer argues that we should make it against the Law to ride a Bike at least without a helmet. In practice such a Law would Dis courage bicycle Riding. Not everyone has a helmet or can afford to buy one. Even some medical associations have spoken out against mandatory bicycle helmet use Laws because they negatively Impact the Overall health of the population by discouraging exer Cise. I Man avid commuter cyclist i always Wear my helmet and i would love to see our governments More aggressively promote the use of Bicy Cle helmets but i Don to think a helmet Law is the Best or even a healthy Way to do so. Stuart Williams Winnipeg doonesbury psychiatrists Are trained to do psychotherapy in his letter regarding psychotherapy services under the provincial health plan or. Bruce Hutchison suggests that valuable physician time could be better spent concentrating on deliver ing proper medical care rather than providing psychological counselling and psychotherapy. He suggests that professional psychologists Are better trained than family physicians to provide such services and that funding psychological ser vices under the provincial health plan would free up physicians to take on More patients and thus go some Dis Tance in solving the current problem of a shortage of primary care physicians. Psychotherapy is a medical service covered by the provincial health plan. It can be provided by any physician with a general medical training or by a psychiatrist that is to say a medical doctor who is a specialist in the treat Anne Mayefsky reminded the seminar of Kofi Annan a own contribution to the new anti semitism giving As an example a speech Annan gave referring to nov. 29, the anniversary of the Day the United nations general Assembly passed a Reso Lution in 1947 calling for the partition of British mandate Palestine into a jewish and Arab state As a Day of mourning and grief. This reminder led a questioner to wonder How helpful it was to criticize Annan now Given the Steps he had taken in bringing about the seminar. In under Secretary general Shashi Tharoor who Heads the department of Public affairs that hosted the seminar prompted a similar ambivalence. His department had been responsible for anti zionist seminars and displays. At the anti semitism seminar itself Tharoor said All the right things. A in Public information seminar has no obvious institutional follow through. Tharoor nonetheless indicated that he would collect the suggestions made at the seminar As Well As other suggestions and present them to his Bosses. Before doing so he would meet with representatives of non governmental organizations to get their reaction. Credibility As a stand alone event the Day was an exercise in hypocrisy hand wringing about anti semitism from and within the very institution that was fomenting it. Establishing in credibility in the fight against anti semitism has two components. One is a change in the position of governments. Felice Gaer of the Jacob Blaustein Institute said at the seminar states do not need to wait for consensus to make their positions that is certainly True of Canada which has All too often searched for consensus or refused to Block a consensus on anti Israel resolutions rather than take a position of principle. A second is the behaviour of the in secretariat. The arrival from Canada of a new High commissioner for human rights Louise Arbour holds out Hope of a Rescue of the in human rights bureaucracy from the anti zionist muck into which it has fallen. Tharoor at the end of seminar told a joke about Adam and eve. Adam found eve Distant and asked is there someone else Tharoor a Point was that there is nowhere to go outside the in that the in is the Only global intergovernmental body. But there is something else than the in organization. There Are the in ideals. As Long As the in wanders from its ideals and offers a Home to anti semitism those who wish to combat anti semitism will have to work against the in and if necessary outside the in in order to promote those ideals. David Matas attended the in confronting anti semitism seminar for a Nai brith Canada. He is a Winnipeg lawyer. ment of mental illness. Psychiatrists Are trained to do psychotherapy. Not All psychiatrists offer psychotherapy As a primary treatment but some do. Many psychiatrists offer psychotherapy in conjunction with a medication treatment. A primary physician has the option of consulting and or referring to a psychiatrist. Increasing Access to psychiatric services would free up primary physicians who often Are in the Posi Tion of dealing with difficult and time consuming problems beyond their area of expertise but unable to Access the system in a timely fashion. Psychological services provide expertise beyond the scope of medically trained health care providers but should not replace an essential medical service that incorporates a knowledge and understanding of body and mind that a medical education provides. Or. Janice Ingmundson Winnipeg by Garry Trudeau ;