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Suzuki’s claims continue to be too negative

David Suzuki's environmental and social columns miss the mark repeatedly

David Suzuki tries to make an equivalency between his support of the Occupy protests and opposition to slavery, in your Oct. 21 issue (Occupy Wall Street reflects increasing frustration, Opinion).

But slavery is an issue of individual freedom. Advocates make all kinds of phoney claims – appealing to “culture” is a scam today, claiming black-skinned people cannot be trusted was the scam in the southeastern U.S. decades ago.

Suzuki advocates a degree of slavery – controlling people he thinks cannot be trusted to take care of their environment, and forcing charity because he thinks that we exploit people from an economic “fixed pie.”

He ignores the gardens and forests planted and nurtured all around him by property owners. He muses about using force against politicians who don’t follow his whims, and speaks encouragingly to an inherently violent protest – the “Occupy” mob, whose name means initiating force.

In your Nov. 4 issue, Suzuki (Is 7 billion people to many?, Opinion) makes a further attempt to blame people here, especially the groups of investors and employees called “companies” for consuming resources. But the system proven to feed and shelter humans has increased the amount of food per person despite great population growth, and has found new sources and developed substitutes.

If Suzuki cared about people he would help improve the system and get it adopted worldwide.

Sensible people will ask Suzuki why he continues to be so negative.

Keith Sketchley

Saanich