I wish that these words were written by someone other than an Estonian, then the title would be more of a grabber, addressing Estonian sympathies.

One born into a culture, a people, a tradition of powerful national identity is hardly the best candidate to act as anything other than an ambassador, or if you will, a lobbyist for the cause of one’s country.

These thoughts came after reading The Globe and Mail’s May 13th Comments page. Two striking articles will briefly be addressed. The first was by John MacArthur, publisher of eminent Harper’s Magazine titled “The roots of my Jewish sympathies” which asks - the Jews came through such darkness - how can be blame them for defending themselves? The other was by Quebec columnist Lysiane Gagnon, asking “How stupid does Ottawa think we are?”

The first piece addresses the condemnation that Israel has received for reacting aggresively to the suicide bombings perpetrated by Palestinian extremists; the second addresses Shawinigan’s le petit gar’s “attempts” to justify Liberal patronage in Quebec.

In a nutshell, MacArthur, after giving personal reminisces of attending bar mitzvahs, talking to rabbis and reacting to the Six-Day War as a 14 year old, addresses the Holocaust. The author discusses American indifference to Jewish refugees (although the US was not alone, Canada’s record is hardly stellar) during WWII, that effectively led to the founding of the State of Israel.

Like many Americans, MacArthur knew no Arabs as a youth. Arabs have always been portrayed as warlike, Israelis as victims of aggression. To give him credit, MacArthur feels that it is a great injustice that Palestinians have had to pay for Hitler’s crimes. He also notes that Israeli violence pales in comparison to the documented atrocities commited in Vietnam. The major theme, then, is that victimhood (as presented!) remains an inescapable fact in any analysis of the Palestinian-Israeli crisis, and the collective guilt expressed by “liberal Americans and others” (which others? why only liberal?) remains the major stumbling block for a resolution of the crisis that would serve all involved.

Gagnon, on the other hand, addresses the issues of Quebec and seccession from Canada, in view of Chrétien’s lame excuses of providing tax-payer funds to Quebec as a means of increasing “Canadian visibility” in the province. Fact is, as Gagnon astutely points out, two referenda have proven, narrowly, but with more of a majority than historically given to the ruling Liberals, that Quebec wishes to remain a part of Canada, no matter how strident les separatistes.

Gagnon, as a Quebecer, is offended by the heavy-handed approach of Notre Oncle Jean. Couching the fact that Quebec votes are critical for any majority government in this country is no way to justify incresed patronage - vote buying. To clothe it in avoiding separation, is offensive at best. Oui or Non, Quebec is already getting the best of both worlds. What gall, concludes the author.

Quebec’s wishes have been incorrectly compared to the wishes of the Baltics during Soviet times to regain their independence. Viewing these two cases in such a light is akin to comparing apples with kumquats. The Baltics were occupied, then annexed, forcibly populated by the occupants, denied national symbols, denied freedom of religion, forced to learn a new language. None of these apply to Quebec - the French lost a war to the English, conceded a colony, not an independent country with national identity and a political system in place. Quebec has kept the fleur de lys, Roman Catholicism, has maintained distinct identity, language protection that borders on Hitlerian - more examples abound than there is space here to provide.

I express my Estonian national sympathies here as a reaction to these types of pieces. I have sympathies for both Quebecers and Jews. I have attended bar mitzvahs of friends, respected their religious cultures. I have taken advantage of French immersion, boarded with Quebec families, struggled in my schoolboy French in trying to communicate with proud Quebecois who refused to parle anglais. What I find manipulative, however, is that most media representations of these struggles do not admit bias.

Estonians, forcibly deported from their country for no other sin than their nationality, imprisoned in Gulags for decades, executed for trying to defend their country from invasion in the uniforms of another occupying country, contrary to the Geneva Convention, have as much, if not more right to protect their rights. Why do so few prominents like MacArthur fail to express sympathy for Estonian interests? After all, Estonians had their own Holocaust, the Red Terror levied by Communism. I’d like to see a numerical comparison between the Holocaust and Baltic losses. In percentage terms, of course - losses of an entire community tied by religion worldwide (not only in Europe!) versus the losses of a small independent country. Don’t think that Simon Wiesenthal would touch that one, which makes his recent attack even more distasteful and offensive.

But hey - the media rules public opinion. And if you can get them behind you in your cause, easy in America where the left-leaning intellectuals are easily swayed, then the efforts are money in the bank.

The Holocaust remains Israel’s trump card. Remember as well, that they possess nuclear power, the A-bomb, and are militarily dominant in their region. Quite the three aces up your sleeve. One does not expect them to be a participator in nuclear arms reduction as Bush and Putin are, under a cloud of deception. Why would they?

Russia remains Estonia’s most important danger, more than Wiesenthal or the Israelis. As we have few public sympathizers we should applaud the US stand to accept enlargment of NATO, support for the Baltic States, as evidenced by last week’s Senate vote by a considerable margin.

Estonian Life is a small fry in the media world - other standard bearers are needed to convince Mordecai and Jean-Pierre, Jew and Quebecer, others, liberal or not, to express their own Estonian sympathies publicly in support of the right of all people to have freedoms and rights afforded, alas, far too often, to only the select few that have the media in their pockets.

Märkmed: