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."
Good journalism is founded on critical thinking, on a clear-eyed evaluation of the facts. Unfortunately, what readers got was a lot of "good stories" and a lot of bad journalism.
Paul Benedetti, journalism program co-ordinator, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario
A match made in heaven
Oh what serendipity! In Monday's Globe and Mail, Royal Bank of Canada CEO Gordon Nixon bemoaned the difficulty that banks were having in finding reliable people to lend money to (Banks Struggle To Boost Loans As Demand Ebbs In Weak Rebound - Report on Business, Sept. 6). He was worried that banks, in desperation, would risk ever larger amounts of capital just to stay in the lending business.
In Tuesday's Globe, Dianne Denton of Street Kids International writes from Tanzania about how successful microfinancing has been in lifting people out of poverty (When Microfinance Is Good - letter, Sept. 7). "But finding the cash for loans remains a huge challenge," she says.
Microfinance was pioneered by Bangladesh's Grameen Bank, and its percentage of bad debts was down to a level that most banks can only dream of. Are you listening, Mr. Nixon? Is there a match made in heaven here? Do good and make money. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
Colin Lowe, Nanaimo, B.C.
The shepherd and his flock
I sympathize with Carleton professor Jonathan Malloy (Why Does The Harper Government Do It? Beats Us - Sept. 7); it's not easy to explain the Harper government to students drawing on theories of Canadian politics. Fortunately, we have classical political science: government by the few, by the many and by one individual.
In The Politics (Book IV, Chapter 10), Aristotle writes: "This tyranny is just that arbitrary power of an individual which is responsible to no one, and governs all alike, whether equals or better, with a view to its own advantage, not to that of its subjects, and therefore against their will. No freeman, if he can escape from it, will endure such a government."
Duncan Cameron, Quebec City
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Jonathan Malloy proposes several theories as to why the Harper government acts in such an irrational manner. He left out one: the sheep theory. The Harper government is bereft of strong ministers, with no one to stand up and speak truth to the Prime Minister. So, with ministers putting their jobs (and perks) ahead of principle, they act like sheep. Thus, the PM lacks any kind of restraint or guidance, and the result is out there for all to see. Sheep are only concerned with grazing and, as long as the shepherd provides good grazing, they'll continue to follow.
William O'Meara, Toronto
Pesticides are our friends
Re Hazards Of The Mighty Pesticide Wand (Sept. 7): Most people recognize that pesticides play an important role in helping farmers to supply us with a safe and affordable supply of the healthy foods that contribute to our well-being. Perhaps less well-understood is the role pesticides play in urban settings by protecting green spaces from insect, weed and disease infestations, thereby contributing greatly to the health and well-being of our communities.
Furthermore, every pesticide in Canada must be approved by Health Canada before it's made available for public use. All available scientific evidence is thoroughly assessed to ensure that approved pesticides do not pose any threat to the safety of people, animals or the environment. This means that, unlike the activist groups pushing to ban these highly scientific products, Health Canada can't cherry-pick to achieve the results it wants.
Arbitrary pesticide bans do nothing to protect citizens; they merely create a situation where homeowners and municipalities are unable to use Health Canada-approved products to properly protect their investments in urban landscaping.
Lorne Hepworth, president, CropLife Canada, Ottawa
Orestes and Iraq
Stephen Marche's article on comparisons between the aftermath of the fall of Troy (Aeschylus's Oresteia) and the end of the Iraq war contained interesting parallels (The Battle Is Over. Trouble Begins - Focus, Sept. 4) but may have missed the most important one. At the end of the Oresteia, it's not the gods but the humans of Athens' Areiopagus (high court) who sit in judgment of Orestes, with the goddess Athena breaking a tie that sets him free.
According to Greek classics expert Richmond Lattimore, this final scene is a metaphor for the dawning (and justification) of Athenian democracy. Let's hope the parallel is complete.
Wayne Campbell, Ottawa
Have ye heard this Irish bull?
A true "Irish Bull" memoir from my student days: I was sitting at the bar of O'Connor's Pub in Salthill in Galway, Ireland, when I overheard this conversation between two old Connemara farmers as they sipped their pints of Guinness stout.
"Too bad about Paddy Mick O'Rafferty! Have ye heard?" asked one farmer.
"Aye, I have," the other said. "He's in bad shape in the hospital."
"He's not the man he used to be," said the first farmer.
Long pause as they both quaffed their Guinness.
"But come to think of it, he never was," he said with a deep sigh and took another sip.
Charlie O'Connell, Kitchener, Ont.