Trump is no Ayatollah

Dear Editor:

RE: Double standard, March 26.

To Allan Berry and others who can see little if any difference between the Ayatollah Kamenei and U.S. President Donald Trump, I would suggest that they go to the U.S. and peacefully protest against the president and any actions or policies they disagree with.

Then go to Iran and do the same against whichever Islamic terrorist dictator is in charge. They will soon realize the difference, as tens of thousands of murdered and imprisoned Iranian citizens have experienced. At the same time, I would disagree with Murray Stevenson, who argued (Morally reprehensible, March 19) that cartoonist Steve Nease’s March 12 depiction of Trump as a dictator comparable to the Iranian leader  should be considered “hate speech” and be banned from the Wellington Advertiser. (Was he being facetious?)

Cartoonists often use exaggerations, as Nease has done, in order to express their views in a humorous or satirical way. I have seen Nease’s cartoons in another publication and it is obvious that he has no affection for Trump. However, I have also seen some that portray Mark Carney in a less-than-positive light.

For example, a recent cartoon showed Carney standing beside a chart showing four arrows pointing up and one pointing down, saying “Overall, things are looking up.”

The four “up” arrows represented “debt,” “deficit,” “jobless” and “cost of living,” while the “down” arrow was for “economy.”

I would never insist that Nease be banned from the Advertiser. I would just propose that they publish more of his cartoons that those on the political left might find offensive.

Henry Brunsveld,
Puslinch