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The Citizen, 2018-07-05, Page 5THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018. PAGE 5. Other Views How do we lock this stuff out? Since we've been talking a lot about tariffs lately, could we please put a tariff of — oh, say a million per cent — on the importation of the sort of incivility that has overtaken our neighbour to the south? Led by their slanderer -in -chief Donald Trump, our American neighbours have become so divided, and so nasty in that division, that some commentators have predicted civil strife is almost inevitable. Last week a disgruntled gunman walked into the newsroom of a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, and killed five of the paper's staff. He had his own personal grudge and there's no way of tying his actions to the President but it's hard not to wonder if Trump's constant, vicious attacks on the media might have given the killer the sense it is permissible to kill journalists. Days before that attack, the debate was about the actions of people who opposed Trump. A restaurant in Virginia refused to serve White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and friends in protest of her role as chief apologist for the President. That decision divided people at the centre and centre-left of the political spectrum. Some people who thought it was wrong for a baker to refuse to bake a cake for a gay wedding, felt it was fine for a restaurant to ask Huckabee Sanders to leave because it was the only way the restaurant's owner could register her disapproval of her President's policies. Others argued that if you aren't allowed to refuse to serve people in a restaurant because of the colour of their skin, you also shouldn't discriminate on the basis of their political beliefs. Typically, the whole issue brought an outpouring of more vitriol as supporters of Huckabee Sanders, including the President Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk himself, took to social media to attack the restaurant. Americans have been further polarized by the issue of treating as criminals migrants who cross the U.S. border, throwing them in jail and separating them from their children. Even some core Trump supporters protested the pictures of children locked inside fenced compounds. The backlash was so strong that even Trump, who never backs down, declared the practice must end and families must be reunited. But such is the viciousness on the loose that many hard-line Trump supporters saw no problem punishing children. It was their parents' fault for bringing them illegally into the U.S., apologists argued, and an example must be made to prevent others from following them. Trump himself warned that unless a zero -tolerance policy remains "millions and millions" of people would invade his country. As long as this vicious divisiveness stays on the American side of the border, Canadians can sadly shake their heads and worry about the future of their neighbour. But can we quarantine this virus of incivility at the border and prevent an outbreak here? There have been, and will always be, angry, bitter individuals in any society who are ready to strike out against perceived enemies. Until the advent of social media, however, these people have found themselves isolated with limited opportunities for a network. Meanwhile, mainstream media formed the primary source of information and operated on the principles of fact -based reporting and balanced coverage, moderating the extremes of society. The internet and social media has changed all that. Anyone can be a broadcaster today without the training about the ethics of truth - telling and balance. At the same time, fewer people watch mainstream broadcasters or subscribe to newspapers. Often their news comes from dubious internet sources that confirm their viewpoint. Whether Canada will follow its neighbours on a downward spiral will to a large degree depend on whether our politicians are tempted to adopt Trump's formula of winning by setting one part of the population against another. A hopeful sign is that Canadians firmly rejected attempts to demonize Muslims in the 2015 federal election. Much has changed in the information distribution since then, though, and it's easier to foster hatred now. On the weekend I read a columnist who said the greatest threat to Canada's admirable ranking as one of the best places to live in the world is anger over queue -jumpers who cross the border from the U.S. and claim asylum, overburdening the immigration system. Really? It's a relatively small problem that only becomes a big problem if we make it one. With so many examples of intolerance and outright hatred south of the border, some Canadians will feel they are part of the crowd if they join the trend. Our Canadian tradition of open-mindedness and kindness will be challenged in coming months and years. Here's hoping we pass the test. The epoch of forced local shopping While Canada Day was undoubtedly a great time for families and friends to get together and relax, it also marked Canada's first big strike back at our neighbours to the south in the ongoing trade war with the U.S. July 1 marked the day that Canada's tariffs against goods being imported from the United States were implemented, a great way to celebrate Canada Day as far as I'm concerned. The trade war was very much started when U.S. President Donald Trump decided that the U.S. had been getting the raw end of North America Free Tade Agreement (NAFTA) (despite his experts advising him it was more beneficial to the United States than he thought). He made some changes to trade which will hurt the Canadian economy. Politicians from both sides of the aisle have since spoken out against them. It even saw our new Premier, Progressive Conservative Doug Ford, announcing he would stand shoulder to shoulder with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in ensuring Canadian jobs came first. This hasn't been a quiet event, but one with all the bravado of a school -yard square -off between a bully and his former friend (Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) so I don't know that I need to get too in-depth with the analysis of it. What I do feel I need to delve into is the fact that, if you practise shopping local, you won't end up like some friends of friends of mine who have already felt the pinch of the trade war at the border. If you have a Facebook account, you've probably seen one or two people talk about their experiences at the border. I saw one where someone was charged more than $100 in duty for less than $200 worth of groceries. There are going to be long-term impacts of this war, but it seems that anything long-term or big -picture is a hard sell for people, so 4114 - Denny y Scott LAN& Denny's Den hearing about huge duty bills at the border actually made me a little hopeful for the future of Canada and its independence. Let me preface the next few paragraphs by saying I suggest always shopping local if possible. I hit up vendors at local markets when I can and choose products from companies supporting Canada when possible. Take this weekend for example — through the Blyth Artisan Market and the Brussels Farmers' Market, I was able to stock up on strawberries, rhubarb, garlic scapes, red peppers and peas. The garlic scapes went great with the ground beef, locally produced and locally processed, that was already in my fridge awaiting a decent spaghetti dinner. It all got mixed up in some iconic Canadian spaghetti sauce and was enjoyed by all... two of us, it was just my daughter Mary Jane and myself. As I write this, I'm enjoying some rhubarb slices — a healthy alternative to my normal Monday afternoon snacks. I'm not saying it's easy — it requires planning. Not everyone gets to visit the markets for work on a fairly regular basis like I do. It goes beyond hitting up those local producers, however, and extends to going to your local shops. Things are going to get tough for local grocers as tariffs on products and inputs increase. Many companies are going to be faced with the difficult decision of raising prices to compensate or shifting those expenses onto the end uses of the products. Of course, with Canada's climate, there are things that we will have to purchase from south of the border. Orange juice, for example, might be more difficult to source locally due to the shorter growing season. It isn't just food: the tariffs are on products from virtually every sector, but, in retail, they range from broad categories of items right down to incredibly specific items. As an example of the former, take dairy products. Yogurt has been pinpointed as something that should definitely be sourced locally to produce savings. Take it from someone whose near -two-year-old loves saying yogurt as much as she does eating it; there are dozens of these products. Orange juice falls between the two categories: there are tariffs on fresh juice, but not frozen. An example of the latter would be plywood, which is part of the tariffs, unless it's made out of bamboo. That very specific type of plywood is apparently not tariffed. Scrolling down the list of things that are now under the tariffs, I couldn't help but think it shouldn't be difficult to find Canadian products of equal or greater value, and that's not including maple sugar and maple syrup (who would buy such an iconic staple of Canadiana south of the border anyway?). I'm sure there is yogurt produced in Canada, just as I'm sure other tariffed items like roast coffee, pizza and soups and broths are made here as well. We know that Canada has whiskies and pretty darn good ones at that. Substitutions may need to be made and changes may be coming, but, as Canadians, we have to stand up for our country. And who knows, in the end, you might find that shopping local isn't just economical, but a great way to connect with the community. Shawn Loughlin gab Shawn's Sense Allow for discourse Jn the days approaching Monday's deadline, I received correspondence from guest columnist Julie Sawchuk. She asked if I'd be alright with her taking me to task this week over my description of her in my June 21 story on her crosswalk proposal. In the story, I said that Julie was "confined to a wheelchair." In response to her message, I told Julie that I didn't have a problem with it and that I likely could have been a little more sensitive with my terminology. I also told her that her e-mail struck at something much more serious, especially given today's media climate. The Citizen has always welcomed Letters to the Editor and has not attempted to suppress criticism. If a letter is critical of the way we've approached something, as long as it's accurate and fair in its description of our coverage, we have always run it. That is not to say that it's easy to hear or to publish, but in our minds, it's an essential part of the process. The idea of conflicting viewpoints is a crucial aspect of discourse and leading an informed life with your eyes wide open. Just like a "yes man" was seen as an Achilles' heel for any leader years ago — giving leaders the impression they were always right, no matter the decision, no matter the circumstances — the world of media has become a definitive yes man for millions across the world. Years ago, there was a handful of trusted news sources in any community. On a larger scale, there would be a "paper of record" for regions and countries — think The New York Times in the U.S., The Globe and Mail in Canada or The Guardian in the U.K. — to which you would look for accurate, reliable information and educated opinions. If you thought one way and you read a piece in The New York Times that took an opposing viewpoint, it might cause you to rethink your position, wondering if you've been wrong all along, or to simply see something from someone else's point of view. Now, however, we've entered an "echo chamber" environment with today's media landscape. This is especially prevalent in the United States, where if you don't like what's being said, you simply change the channel. Is Donald Trump hurting the reputation of the United States with his actions? Perhaps The New York Times or another reputable newspaper might suggest that he is. As an informed consumer of news who thinks that's not true, you should listen to opposing viewpoints and try and understand if this opinion on Trump is right, or at least listen to the columnist's reasons. But no, in the United States there is Fox News or Breitbart, who will tell those who think Trump is the greatest president of all time that their way of thinking is the correct one. Just like those who deny global warming or think mass shootings are fake or think the earth is flat, you can find a "news source" that supports your opinion, rather than one that might offer an alternative point of view. The day after five of its reporters were gunned down by a man with a vendetta against the paper, The Capital Gazette published a near -blank editorial page. It featured the names of the dead and stated, "Tomorrow, this page will return to its steady purpose of offering our readers informed opinions about the world around them, that they might be better citizens." So, like I've learned to choose my words more carefully, perhaps we should all listen to someone with whom they disagree. If you choose to broaden your horizons, you just might learn something and better yourself.