Bonfire of the insanities
Re Firestorm Rages Over Planned Koran Burning (Sept. 8): Why are we giving this insane notion such grand coverage? Without media attention, this craziness would be like a tree falling in the wilderness. In its search for events to enrage us, the press has focused on an obscure leader of 50 parishioners somewhere in Florida. That’s where it should have stayed.
Rick Walker, Toronto
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Florida pastor Terry Jones is missing the point: It’s not the book that’s the problem, it’s some of the people who’re reading it. He should organize a burning at the stake, like they used to do back in the days when Christianity was a force to be reckoned with.
Rupert Taylor, Waterloo, Ont.
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So Terry Jones plans to burn the Koran to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11. No prediction of deaths by the Koran in the 21st century, but, according to the World Health Organization, one billion people may die of tobacco-related causes. Why doesn’t Mr. Jones turn his attention to the University of Florida at Gainesville for endowing a chair in honour of a tobacco CEO? Tobacco left me fatherless at 11, not the Koran.
Mike Sawyer, master of divinity, Key West, Fla.
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We have been shielding our three-year-old grandson from the news about the Koran burning that a so-called Christian priest is organizing on Sept. 11 in Florida. Our grandson has already developed love for the Koran, and he has started memorizing verses. He knows it’s sacred and handles it with much care and reverence.
While he may be spared exposure to this Koran-burning hatred because of his age, there are many Muslim youth who know what’s being planned, and they’re confused, hurt and looking for answers. Who will reach out to them and assure them that these people do not represent all Christians?
Shahina Siddiqui, president, Islamic Social Services Association, Winnipeg
The MS story
As someone who has had multiple sclerosis for 28 years, I’m all for healthy skepticism. I used it over hyperbaric oxygen, bee-sting venom and getting hit by lightning. But when I see someone walk and run with ease after a documented disability of several years (W5), then I have to question naysayers such as Timothy Caulfield (The Cure For MS Includes Healthy Skepticism And A Dose Of Hope – Sept. 8).
Mr. Caulfield wants reams of supporting data before allowing any research. But isn’t that the purpose of research in the first place? Why is it that people can have the arteries leading to their brain cleaned out without any hesitation but can’t have the veins leading away from the brain touched without a great hue and cry? If he’s so worried about the cost to the public purse, why not let people pay for it themselves, like they already do for riskier cosmetic procedures.
I’ll bet people such as Mr. Caulfield told Alexander Fleming to throw out his mouldy cheese because he had no evidence to prove it would do anything.
Catherine Caldwell, Barrie, Ont.
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How refreshing to see the words “skepticism” and “liberation treatment” in the same article. Timothy Caulfield’s column on Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni’s unproven MS treatment is a model of thoughtful reflection and critical thinking – two things sorely lacking in the media coverage of Dr. Zamboni’s “breakthrough therapy.”
Despite warning signs that reporters should be trained to recognize – a biased researcher (his wife suffers from MS), small numbers of patients, an uncontrolled experiment, and a widespread lack of support from respected MS experts in Canada and abroad – the stories that poured out were, with few exceptions, effusively hopeful. Fuelled by the weakest kind of evidence – anecdotal stories from desperate patients – story after story ran about this “miracle cure.” Now, sober scientific analysis shows “there is no good evidence that the liberation treatment works, or even that it could work.”
