Casualties of sex
When it comes to sex, Margaret Wente's "cultural and digital minefields" description is right on (Sex Education, Then And Now, Feb. 24). In sex therapy, I see far more casualties since the dawn of the Internet age. Online porn has become the major source of "how to do it" information for youth, and at an all-too-young age. A modern sex ed curriculum must tackle this reality.
Frank Sommers, MD, Toronto
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I am a retired high school teacher and a grandmother of five (the oldest is 6). While I applaud the improvement in sex education in Ontario, I do have concerns (Back To Class: What To Expect From Ontario's New Sex-Ed Curriculum – Folio, Feb. 24).
As with everything in education, the success of such a program is related to the instructors. What training program will prepare teachers of these sensitive topics? Teaching assignments have sometimes been made for expediency and/or convenience rather than for appropriateness. Without properly trained educators teaching such subjects, serious problems could result.
Some critics have argued that parents should be the ones to teach such material, but a parent's prejudice could impede such instruction. Consider parents who are homophobic or misogynist, or parents from cultures where women have limited or no rights, or where homosexuality is not accepted – this would make for very concerning scenarios.
Joanne R. Fisher, Thornhill, Ont.
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This past weekend, I hosted a political engagement workshop, and we discussed the sex education curriculum. While the 50 participants varied in their perspective, there was a consensus on the centrality of parents and the government's overreach.
Should eight-year-olds be introduced to dating relationships and sexual orientation? Do Grade 8 students really need to be taught that there are six gender identities? Why are some school boards focusing on "heterosexual privilege" and implementing all-gender washrooms? I believe the 45,000-plus petitioning against the curriculum feel their voices haven't been heard.
Roland Mascarenhas, Toronto
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Terror's leash
Re Anti-Terror Act Risks Creating 'Grey Area' With RCMP (Feb. 23): CSIS has its fair share of shortcomings; needless to say, change needs to happen. We can't have our security agency cutting through red tape when it could make swift work of possible terrorist threats. On the other hand, kicking the RCMP to the curb and letting CSIS off the leash to do as it pleases seems like an even worse idea: No organization should have that kind of free rein. The Harper government needs to focus on finding a middle ground, less bureaucracy while still maintaining a sense of accountability.
Brett Banser, Calgary
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Before MPs hold their final vote on increased powers of arrest and detention, they should have the full picture of what the RCMP did and failed to do in its surveillance of Martin Couture-Rouleau, who ran down and killed Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.
RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said that prior to the killing, the Mounties had seized Mr. Couture-Rouleau's passport, had seen his online postings and had investigated him. The Commissioner said the RCMP wanted to arrest him but were told they couldn't use the preventative arrest and detention powers under the Criminal Code.
Parliamentarians should want to know precisely what information the RCMP had on Mr. Couture-Rouleau, why they wanted to arrest him, and who in the government legal services said they could not. MPs should want to see the legal opinion the RCMP got about their arrest powers concerning Mr. Couture-Rouleau.
I have been doing work in the criminal law and national security field for more than 40 years. I served as a special advocate in the Harkat and Almrei security certificate cases.
My view is that prior to the murder of WO Vincent, there was more than enough information about Mr. Couture-Rouleau to justify his arrest under the preventative arrest provisions in Section 83.3 of the Criminal Code.
If MPs hear evidence on this issue, I believe they'll find there is no need to give increased arrest powers to the police in these types of investigation.
Paul Copeland, lawyer, Toronto
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Pass the veggies
Many thanks to Leslie Beck for educating readers about the benefits of a plant-based diet and providing an excellent set of tips for making the switch (Veggie Might – Life & Arts, Feb. 23).
The Toronto Vegetarian Association can also help make the transition easy, fun and delicious. Anyone interested in trying a vegetarian diet should start with the free, online seven-day Veggie Challenge. Sign up at veggiechallenge.com for one week of daily e-mails with motivation, recipes, nutrition info and more.
Barbi Lazarus, donor and volunteer resources co-ordinator, Toronto Vegetarian Association
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At the coal face
Re The Canary In Europe's Coal Mine (editorial, Feb. 24): So The Globe's economic theory to rescue a country like Greece that gets itself in a financial morass by spending way more than it takes in is to continue spending way more than it takes in? Hmm.
Makes about as much sense to me as the socialist theory that everyone can live at the expense of everyone else.
Viggo Lewis, Oakville, Ont.
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Supreme foolishness
Re Supremely Grateful (letters, Feb. 24): The Charter is not the work of an omniscient god, even if Pierre Trudeau may have thought otherwise. It doesn't matter how perfect or noble it tried to be, it can never be a better basis for governing our little drama here than a democratically elected bunch of "us."
Whenever unelected judges get to overrule elected officials, we have lost our democracy.
Totalitarian rule comes in many forms. Our legal scholars seem to prefer that the lawyers-become-judges run our lives.
Supreme foolishness.
Claude Daley, St. John's
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Time to retire
Re Retire At Age …" (Feb. 24): A letter writer says that at age 66, he has no intention of retiring, that "voluntary poverty and boredom are unappealing."
A recent retiree at 60, after working 12-hour shifts (days and nights) in a petrochemical plant for 38-plus years, I can't imagine why anyone would work past 65 unless it was due to financial necessity.
As far as the boredom goes, I was a marathon runner and road racer for 30 years until I was 55 and injuries did me in.
After two years of doing nothing, I finally got on a bike. With two weeks of record cold here, I can only look with envy to our West Coast residents. It sure would be nice to get back to a three- or four-hour ride.
Mike Sellon, Sarnia, Ont.
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George Foreman hit the nail on the head when he said: The question isn't at what age I want to retire. It's at what income.
Marilyn Nichols, Winnipeg