Editor:
It was with mixed feelings that I read of the Village鈥檚 decision on Aug. 2 to ban Wanda Wiebe from holding her weekly Wednesday little anti-vax vigil at the downtown RV pullout.
When she wrote a letter to the editor last year expressing her strong opinions about Covid 19 vaccinations I responded with a letter pointing out that her opinions didn鈥檛 comport with rather well established facts.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Still, free speech matters. I suspect banning her from the public square will just lead to her and others like her feeling more alienated and distrustful of authority. Her quiet protest didn鈥檛 bother me, I dropped by and respectfully talked with her, we shared our thoughts and feelings.
The fact is that trust in and respect for government has been eroded of late. You can ascribe that to social media, Russian trolls or something else if you like but it鈥檚 a real and problematic phenomenon. Lately I myself have had personal dealings with the federal government leaving me feeling like it鈥檚 a vast, impersonal broken bureaucracy that has been unhelpful, to say the least. A part of me can relate to the freedom convoy mentality [though not its鈥� actions].
The village citing as a reason for the ban that the site is for RV use only is somewhat disingenuous, given that the site is virtually unused by RVs. One could think it鈥檚 another example of government being less than optimal.
I say, let her speak. Drop by and chat with her. There鈥檚 plenty of parking space.
Sincerely,
Walt Vanderkamp
