This Goat has got to be kidding
As far as the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats goes - what a stupid concept (Guilty Of An Excessive Use Of Farce - Review, Nov. 6). If staring with enough intensity killed anything, all the boys I had a crush on in high school would be long dead.
The error of Marcus Gee's ways
Marcus Gee suggests that because some materials are renewable - he references sand for glass production, trees grown for pulp and, strangest of all, his belief chemicals used in plastics manufacturing are renewable - there should be no emphasis on reducing the volume of raw materials that we consume as a society (Time To Chuck Our Views On Recycling Into The Bin - Nov. 5).
Civilized endings forbidden
There is an argument for legalizing doctor-assisted suicide that's seldom mentioned - civil rights (The Great Canadian Euthanasia Debate - Nov. 6). Suicide is not forbidden in the Criminal Code. But what if I need help in exercising that right, from a doctor, a friend or family? That would be illegal and expose the helper to severe penalties. It makes no sense. If I can hang myself, jump off a bridge or swallow enough poison, that's okay by the law. But if, say, I were disabled, or simply wanted a more peaceful and less painful death, no doctor is allowed to prescribe a suitable pill. In other words, I have a right to end my life, but not in a civilized way.
Abdelrazik: no mystery
I recently travelled across much of Canada to speak about my six years of exile and current situation as an individual on the UN's 1267 list. Several people asked me about Paul Koring's article Abdelrazik's Lost Years (Sept. 28), which suggests I am a mysterious man with a hidden past.
Shortchanged in the cities
John Ibbitson's article on rural overrepresentation in Parliament is long overdue (Rural Overrepresentation Defeats The People's Will - Nov. 6).
Mr. Crosbie's seal of approval
Although John Crosbie is no longer in politics, he still has that uncanny ability to ruffle a few feathers (Crosbie In And Out Of Sealskin For Royal Visit To St. John's - Nov. 5). We still remember upsetting the feminists with "quiet down baby" to a boisterous Sheila Copps in the Commons, and following it up in a speech in Victoria with, "Pass the tequila, Sheila, lay down and love me again."
Registering disapproval
If graphic imagery won arguments, I would be convinced by coroner Alan Drummond (Gunning For The Registry - letters, No. 6), but he doesn't explain how a single suicide's been prevented by the registry. Blaming suicides on opponents of the gun registry is disgusting. Neither suicides nor homicides are prevented by the registry's wasteful tokenism.
Registering disapproval
For almost 30 years, I worked in various capacities for the federal and provincial NDP, most recently as chief of staff for Alexa McDonough. I've always been proud to be a member of the NDP - but as I watched 12 New Democrats vote to end the long- gun registry, I was deeply ashamed of my party and my country.
Registering disapproval
As a psychiatrist in a rural area where guns are prevalent, I have invoked the gun registry at times where it is necessary to either get someone's guns removed or prevent them from getting guns because of mental illness (Illegal Handguns Matter More - editorial, Nov. 6). I'm sure this has prevented tragedies. I practised psychiatry in Prince George before the registry was available and it was difficult to have guns removed.
Lest we forget to remember
My grandfather, a First World War soldier, told me not to forget that Remembrance Day is a special day reserved to remember the fallen only. (This was even an issue regarding the wording, "To Our Glorious Dead," on the Toronto Old City Hall cenotaph, as opposed to "To All Who Served," which returning soldiers of the day wanted nothing to do with.)
What readers think
Nov. 7: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: united by Nov. 11, divided by the gun registry, John Crosbie's coat, Abousfian Abdelrazik writes ... and more
What readers think
Nov. 6: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: gunning for the registry, wrestling with the Chen case, H1N1 and Mickey Mouse, the other Victoria ... and more
What readers think
Nov. 5: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: the doctor's in, the vaccine isn't; eating organic, true courage, the cable/broadcaster war ... and more
What readers think
Nov. 4: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: temperatures rising on H1N1, demagogues of the day, oil and the West, Lord Moran's Canada ... and more
What readers think
Nov. 3: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: the H1N1 mess, Royal perks, Afghanistan, nerds ... and more
What readers think
Nov. 2: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: responses to Rex Murphy on climate change, celebs and H1N1, Jeffrey Simpson's royal treatment, justice for a war criminal ... and more
What readers think
Oct. 31: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: Rwandan genocide, CSIS chief Dick Fadden, no free lunch, the allure of the brainiac, the allure of the babe, Britain's High Commissioner ... and more
What readers think
Oct. 30: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: our well-prepared navy, Peter Donolo and the Liberal message, one sad Newfoundland choir, the stand-up CBC, climate change, another fine H1N1 mess, the lost Canadians ... and more
What readers think
Oct. 29: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: Sikuvut Auliqtuq, the stand-up CBC, the damn Yankees, the obsession with female bodies, swine flu and the messenger ... and more
What readers think
Oct. 28: Letters to the editor
Today's topics: House chant, swine flu feud, Danish cartoons, the power of an elevator, the Norsewest Passage, in praise of an ephemerist, school closings ... and more
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