Tuesday July 22, 2008
EDITORIALS 
Some genie, some bottle
An Ontario Court of Appeal judge reinstated a publication ban on Shawn Brant's preliminary inquiry on Friday, out of a misplaced concern that if the media are allowed to publish evidence the Crown wants to protect, the ''genie will be out of the bottle.'' Fortunately, the judge set the genie free by the end of the day.
Harper is not bound
Like most prime ministers, Stephen Harper has had few qualms about reversing his predecessors' policies. But when it comes to Omar Khadr, Mr. Harper acts as if he cannot deviate from the previous government's position.
Thabo Mbeki tries a little harder
What is hopeful about the tenuous memorandum of understanding signed yesterday in Zimbabwe by Robert Mugabe and his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai is that Thabo Mbeki, the President of South Africa, has surpassed expectations, in bringing his and his country's weight to bear on Mr. Mugabe.
Speaking its name
As a pro-choice medical student, I was surprised to find myself with my head between my knees in the women's OR locker room after having been present at my first abortion. Three years later, however, I witnessed the three most profound PowerPoint slides of my life, presented by a Brazilian obstetrician:
Speaking its name
I was saddened by Cate Cochran's article Choosing Silence (Focus, July 19). Where are the stories of single women who carried their children, got an education and are now successful professionals with grandchildren. I know of three. These women took responsibility for their choice to become pregnant and worked hard, sharing their lives with their child, to fulfill their destiny. A young woman in an unplanned pregnancy does not have the foresight to think of herself in 30 years. I was that woman and deeply regret the loss of a child and future grandchildren.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Beware the chains
Your article The Downside Of Up (Globe T.O. - July 19) quotes a Toronto store owner as saying, ''A lot of landlords are making the rent so high because they're hoping for a Starbucks or a major chain to come in.'' Those landlords should proceed cautiously, because leasing to chains is now a risky proposition. In the U.S., Starbucks is closing 600 stores, Foot Locker 140 and Zales 100.
Bizarre logic
The only thing ''bizarre'' about lawyer Clayton Ruby's comparison of the animal-rights struggle to that for gay rights is the fact that you find it so bizarre (Not Just Furniture - editorial, July 19). Animals are a class of sentient beings with rights that have historically been ignored or violated by those wielding power over them. They have these rights for the same reasons that members of your editorial board have rights.
Oh ya, well my tree house ...
Stephen Langmead and Douglas Cornish are a bit harsh over the controversial tree house in Vancouver (Tree-House Generation Gap - letters, July 21). According to your article Tree House Must Come Down, Judge Rules (July 19), the man who built the tree house is an architect. His motivation was to create something unique for his son, not a ''yuppie status symbol'' for himself.
A simple dynamic
As director of the largest treatment program for adult addiction disorders in the country, I found Margaret Wente's series of articles on harm reduction and Vancouver's supervised injection site to be a breath of fresh air. Our centre, too, offers a number of harm-reduction services, but they never are, nor will be, an option for the progressive brain disorder named addiction. To the addict, the drug is their solution and sobriety is the problem. Most well-intentioned policy-makers don't understand this simple dynamic, seeing abstinence as a punishment. Thank you, Ms. Wente, for shaking some complacent cages.
The ringer washer beast
Patricia Robertson (Please, Not A Prairie Springfield - July 21) certainly lays it on with a shovel: ''yellowcake - the crack cocaine of uranium,'' ''mad men who split the atom ... their monstrous technology,'' ''stoke the nuclear beast.'' This is not a useful contribution to debate on an important matter of public policy; it's simply an overwrought attempt at demonization. But, on the lighter side, she says ''there's no need to revert to primitive conditions like ice chests and ringer washers.'' I should hope not. Those ringer washers are awfully noisy.
Just a little misconception
In your moving tribute to Oliver Schroer (Fiddler Was A Prolific Composer And Performer With A Style All His Own -Obituaries, July 19), you repeat a common misconception concerning myelodysplastic syndrome, the bone marrow disease with which Mr. Schroer was diagnosed. This syndrome most emphatically does not ''inevitably'' lead to leukemia. Although some patients with myelodysplasia develop acute leukemia, about 70 per cent do not. In most cases, myelodysplastic syndrome is usually a chronic disorder that necessitates blood transfusions, not a harbinger of leukemia.
In the matter of Khadr
I am sick and tired of seeing headlines regarding Omar Khadr. The latest - What Would Jesus Do? (July 19) - is so ludicrous it makes you look simple-minded. Surely there must be more important events to cover than continually pandering to the vocal ''bleeding hearts'' minority amongst us. Whether he was 15 or 50 when he was captured, he is from a family that shouldn't have been allowed into Canada in the first place.
Who trusts ya, baby?
Jeffrey Simpson says the Conservatives' Federal Accountability Act was ''overwrought'' (Here's The Thing: What Do The Harperites Do Next? - July 19). In fact, the act was underdone, not overdone, as the Conservatives included only 30 of their promised 54 measures. And they still haven't implemented one of the most important changes, the Public Appointments Commission, aimed at ending patronage and cronyism in cabinet appointments.
In the matter of Khadr
Now even former prime minister Paul Martin wants our young Guantanamo detainee brought back to Canada. And it was the Liberals who first closed their eyes when this young Canadian was captured in Afghanistan. If Britain, Australia, Sweden and Germany could fight to repatriate their nationals from Guantanamo, why couldn't we?
A dung deed
If dung from a herd of cows can produce enough power for 800 typical homes (On The Farm, A Back-End Solution To An Energy Crisis - July 21), shouldn't MPs be able to do at least the city of Ottawa? Mind you, that means ''sitting'' year-round.
Where's the palette knife?
The French have long had a reputation for their sense of taste. Now, according to Doug Saunders (Law Of ''The Jungle' Rules France's Stranded Refugees - July 19), even their forklifts have palates!
In the matter of Khadr
Re Bring Back Khadr Now, Martin Says (July 21): Thanks for the advice. Again, a bit late, Mr. Dithers.
Don't ride alone
Re Beijing's Attempt To Slash Smog Exhausts Commuters (front page, July 21): Why don't they carpool?
