Sunday, December 09, 2007

Brian Day: Guilty of queue jumping or just a responsible parent?

Today, CBC Radio's Cross-Country Checkup is featuring a discussion about Dr. Brian Day's recent admission that he twice used connections to get himself and his young daughter ahead of the line for medical treatment.

Before the show even starts, I sent host, Rex Murphy, this e-mail:

I'd like to make a comment prior to any callers voicing their opinions on whether Dr. Brian Day was right or wrong about using his connections to get faster service for himself and his 5 year-old daughter. One might be able to make a legitimate argument that he shouldn't have done so for himself, though he could make an even better argument that restoring his own health as quickly as possibly meant that dozens, if not hundreds, of other patients were helped out as well.

But if anyone dares espouse that they would let their own 5-year old child suffer longer out of some sort of homage to "Canadian fairness" then they should immediately be called a liar. If they convincingly dispute this charge then the authorities should be called immediately to rescue their children, because they are clearly an unfit parent. Making such a claim is akin to a pacifist saying that they would not protect their child, through defensive violence if necessary, if an intruder broke into their home and threatened their child. Any person who actually stood on [very misguided] principle rather than defend their child resides in an area well beyond selfishness.

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