The title of today’s blog says it all.
It’s what I believe is behind the continuing criticism of Jack Layton by columnists from Charles Adler to the Montreal writer whom Adler quoted on his show this week, in a thinly veiled prop brought up only, in my view, to give him a reason to mention his own, earlier column over and over again.
Somehow, if you or I were moved by anything Layton wrote in his last letter to Canadians, we’re foolish simps who are easily manipulated.
The wannabe pundits are saying Layton should have stepped aside if he knew he was terminal, because to do otherwise was misleading to Canadians.
Bullspit.
Jack Layton was a man of tremendous political ambition, who against every wish in his body, was dying. If he wanted to spend part of his last months on earth pretending they weren’t his last months, and exercising his right as a Canadian citizen and elected official to see his dream go as far as it could, then so be it. He owes and owed us nothing. I have never even cast a vote for the man, nor did I agree with a lot of his policies, but I have been deathly ill and perhaps that’s something Mr. Adler and his ilk have not experienced. I’ve read some of the most flawed, thoughtless and mean analyses of the latter part of Layton’s life, all written by healthy people who have a future to look forward to. The audacity is galling. I hope they never have to face what Layton went through because it would probably reveal them to be the hypocrites I suspect they are.
….soooo….we’ll put you down as ‘undecided’? (grin) Well said!