Editor:
Thank you Cathie Roy for your column stand up and ban the bullies (Coast Reporter, Jan. 31).
When we read Coast Reporter's front-page story about the campaign to boycott small businesses that support The George we knew something was definitely not right, but couldn't quite name it. Your column clearly addressed the insidious nature of suppressing someone else's opinion, simply because it doesn't conform to one's own.
Why shouldn't small business owners have the right to their views on any issue, especially one that affects our community? Canada is a pluralistic society that derives its strength from the respect that we have for each other's origins, beliefs, opinions and sexual orientation. By suppressing today the right of some people to express what they think, one wonders what comes next? There is a disturbing sense of righteousness and false certainty in this anti-George boycott that is, in our mind, a dangerous path to follow.
Additionally, don't our small businesses, already beleaguered by BC Ferries' policies and "winter blues," deserve all the help we can muster?
Lynne and Jaime Gonzalez
Gibsons
