Hockey pain
We are far from "losers at what we love" (Disowning Lord Stanley – editorial, April 11). Have you forgotten the superb playoff runs of Calgary in '04, Edmonton in '06, Ottawa in '07, and pre-riot Vancouver last season? I will grant that the pathetic seasons of Montreal and Toronto should be enough to make their fans blush with embarrassment, but disagree that "Canadian teams haven't kept up." What about the triumphant return and respectable showing of Winnipeg this year? Should Jets fans disown the future quest for Lord Stanley's Cup? Hardly.
Don't bemoan the lost seasons of the teams of yesteryear, cheer on the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators as they begin the battle to bring the cup back home!
Hugh Scott, proud fan of Canadian hockey (except the Leafs and Habs), Ottawa
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If The Globe were one of my grandsons, I would have to sit you down and have a chat about "sportsmanship," about the camaraderie of time spent with others that a team sport brings and, above all, that losing does not make you a loser, as your editorial implies. How sad that The Globe should write such an editorial.
Linda C. Hunter, Calgary
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You ask, "Why are Canada's hockey teams, all of them financially healthy, such losers?" The answer is buried in the question. It's because they are too financially healthy (the Maple Leafs being a prime example). Being a business first and foremost, profit is all important. Winning on the ice is not, despite public apologies from the powers that be.
And why isn't winning important? Again, your editorial provides the answer: "The fans across the country can only take it. They can't boycott the games. Canadian hockey fans aren't that type."
Only when individuals and corporations stop buying tickets will their beloved teams find a way to change their losing habits.
Ken Dixon, Toronto
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Jet pain
Re DND Prompted MacKay To Tout F-35 As Cheapest (April 11): It looks like most of us will be working the two extra years from 65 to 67 just to pay for the Conservatives' fiscal profligacy.
Thor Kuhlmann, Vancouver
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Buying a fighter jet is like buying a new car. One buys a car for a certain price and does not expect the price to include fuel, insurance, maintenance, etc.
Canadians are insulted by the way the Auditor-General and politicians are glossing over the difference between capital costs and operating costs. We deserve the full context of the complete story. The most important aspects of the F-35 story remain largely untold: the RCAF's ability to defend our sovereign interests and the well-being of the Canadians who fly fighter jets into harm's way.
Mike Velemirovich, Halifax
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A letter writer (A Big Deal – April 11) states Canada should rely on (among other organizations) the UN for protection. Look at the picture of the Syrian child in front of what used to be her house (Syria's Brutal Suppression Is No Civil War – April 11). She is waiting for the UN to save her – and waiting and waiting.
The UN is not famous for quick response: I know whereof I speak; I was with the blue berets on the Golan Heights on a UN mission called United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). It was, at times, very frustrating duty. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Prefer self-reliance for defence.
Mike Wehling, Chief Warrant Officer (Ret'd), Barrie, Ont.
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For a song
When an art form absolutely depends upon government subsidy for survival, it's time to take a look at its relevance (How Canadian Should The Canadian Opera Company Be? – Arts, April 10).
Opera, invented by aristocrats in 1600, flourished during the rise of the wealthy middle class and, as a form for new works, ran out of steam about 1960. Fine composers and librettists still write operas, but it's clear the opera-lovers community won't regularly pay for their performances. They prefer the popular fraction of a vast 400-year repertoire; charitable opera societies are not obliged to bet the farm on work, new or old, that people won't come to see or subsidize.
Nor are governments compelled to make direct grants to it. Bach wrote some of his most treasured works in the form of church music. When, in Handel's day, the vogue for opera took a dive, he switched to writing oratorio.
No one seems to be complaining that there aren't enough 21st-century cantatas, masses and oratorios, that the government should do something about it, and that Bach and Handel have nothing to say to audiences now.
David Lemon, Vancouver
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Magnificent moose
A moose with remarkable genetics – the "Monster of Matane" – which roamed freely in Quebec's park has been killed. With this sire gone, it will only increase the odds that such legendary antlers will never be seen again.
Well done, Jérémy Boileau and Claude Lavoie (Hunter And Guide Lock Horns Over Legendary Antlers – April 11): It's been really great sharing our environment with you.
Gabrielle Duval, Guelph, Ont.
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Why is it that we cannot leave anything rare and beautiful alone? I cried when I read this article. This magnificent creature's antlers are going to be adorning some person's wall. I cannot understand how anyone would want to own such a thing.
Margaret D'Asti, LaSalle, Ont.
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An answer
Leila Fawzi (Baird's Work – letters, April 11) asks: "How would Canada be harmed if Palestine became a state?" My answer is that a Palestinian state that does not recognize the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland, particularly after the Holocaust experience, is a threat to the only functioning modern democratic state in the Middle East and, therefore, a threat to the well-being of freedom-loving Canadians in our interconnected world.
Jiti Khanna, Vancouver
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Deck-chair debate
It's good to see that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty retains his impeccable sense of timing (Liberals Plot Electricity Overhaul – April 11). Just as most of the world observes the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, he feels it's time to rearrange Ontario's energy-sector deck chairs!
Robert McKendry, Kingston
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More like hyperopia
Re Academic Freedom? More Like Myopia (April 11): In Jim Balsillie's own words, the mission of the Centre for International Governance Innovation is to promote "co-operation among business, government and universities."
The unique mission of a university, however, is the unbiased pursuit of truth, which often conflicts with the goals and practices of business and government. York University's Osgoode Hall faculty council made the right call.
Irwin Silverman, emeritus professor, York University
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Not 'a,' but 'the'
I, too, was saddened to learn of the passing of A. Trevor Hodge (Classics Act – letters, April 11). To readers of The Globe's letters to the editor he will always remain the Trevor Hodge.
Michael Cook, London, Ont.