From: Kidist Paulos Asrat
To: "rose.vespa@mississauga.ca"
Cc: Marian Kutarna
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 9:30 AM
Subject: Author's program IN the Canadiana Room
Dear Ms. Vespa,
I am lodging a formal complaint regarding Marian Kutarna, who oversees bookings and events in the Canadiana Room [of the Mississauga Central Library].
Ms. Kutarna gave me no reason why she and the staff of the Canadiana Room were not willing to hold an event I proposed, which was to hold a conference for the book My Battle Against Hitler by Dietrich von Hildebrand, edited by John H. Crosby and John F. Crosby, who established a literary and cultural organization,The Hildebrand Project, and who would be the guest speakers. The book is already in the Mississauga Library system, which I had submitted several months ago.
1. Ms. Kutarna's interaction with me was rude and unprofessional.
She never responded to my numerous emails about my request to plan this event (I have copies of these emails for your reference).
I had to find her in person during her working hours at the Canadiana Room to get a response from her, which was a brief "The Canadiana Room has decided not to sponsor this event."
Still, I asked via email why the research room was not able to hold my event.
She gave no detailed response, but sent me an email to repeat what she said in person: That projects are taken on by the staff of the Canadiana Room, and that is the way events are planned.
This still didn't give me any explanation as to why the project I proposed was inadequate or incompatible with the room's policies.
As a taxpaying citizen of Mississauga, I believe I require more explanation for the use of the Canadiana Room, a facility which is run by my contributions, and for the benefit of citizens of the city, like me.
Therefore, after researching Ms. Kutarna's programs in the Central Library I have come to the following conclusion:
2. Ms. Kutarna is racially choosing the events that will take place in the room.
Literary and cultural occasions that involve non-white, non-Canadian, and non-Western persons take precedence over events that benefit white, Western, Canadian and European patrons.
I am therefore reporting Ms. Kutarna as racist towards these latter groups (white, Western, Canadian and European patrons). And I will bring this to the attention of the library's heads, as well as beyond. I will also write articles in the various city and regional papers to report on these biases by the Mississauga Central Library.
2. Because of Ms. Kutarna's decision, the Mississauga Central Library has lost the visit of an important contemporary historian, who has a wide influence in intellectual, academic, historical and religious spheres, both here and in the United States, and of course for the Mississauga Library system as a whole.
3. The topic of the conference, and the presentation in the Canadiana Room would have included World War II, and how an astute German citizen was able to discern Hitler's maneuvers before many others realized Hitler's gotterdammerung aims, and how that is relevant in our era where Christianity and the West is being undermined by another remorseless enemy, Islam. Such discussion is of paramount importance to all patrons of the library who wish to preserve the West and its sophisticated culture and civilization.
Hildebrand also realized the vicious anti-Semitism of Hitler and the Nazis, and as a parallel behavior by Muslims, we are seeing a frightening rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Israel movements amongst Muslims and Islamic countries.
Here is my perspective on the contemporary lessons we can learn from Hildebrand: The Dangers of Quietism: A Contemporary View
4. This conference is going on ahead the assistance of the University of Toronto. The Hildebrand team will be coming to Canada, but all the doors have been closed off for the Mississauga Library system, and I will make sure that they will remain so.
This will deprive your library's patrons of the insights, intellect and vast amount of information that the Crosbys would have brought to Mississauga and its citizens.
If Ms. Kutarna wishes to hold her events for isolated, narrow, ethnic groups, who have no desire to attend each others' events (do Hindu Indians really attend events by Muslim Indians, and do Somalis have any interest in what Ethiopians present?), she is welcome to do so. But her "multicultural" agenda is fragmentary and exclusive. I am sure some time in the future, an angry Somali or Muslim Indian will question the methods of her "community" education.
True Canadians are interested in the depth and breadth of their history, even it it reveals some unsavory moments. The Hildebrand Project and its leaders are unafraid to tackle such issues, and I will assist them to do so to the best of my ability.
Sincerely,
Kidist Paulos Asrat
nb: I received the exact same email a few days ago. I believe Ms. Kutarna simply forgot that she had sent me the first email, and just simply re-sent the second one. She had already established that she wouldn't assist me in planning and holding the conference in the Candadiana Room.
Working in the patio of the C-Cafe (The Library is just ahead, behind the fountains)