Further fur fury

I'm not quite sure what kind of reality JH Filion lives in, but it surely isn't mine [Letters, Dec. 2 & 23]. In my reality, people have evolved from the Neanderthal age, where we had to kill to survive.

He calls fur a "natural, very durable and biodegradable product." How does he define natural, exactly? If he defines it as cruel, gruesome and bloody slaughter of innocent animals, then, sure, fur is "natural" indeed.

Name me one animal that goes out to torture and kill for the sheer joy of wearing something "fashionable." In fact, just name me one animal that tortures another animal, and kills another animal for any other reason than food! We humans seem to hold a monopoly on cruelty.

It's funny that we need to reiterate again and again how "humane" we humans are. I can only laugh about this pathetic attempt to make ourselves feel better through language!

I wish Mr. Filion could also inform me why fighting against cruelty towards animals should cancel out the "fighting" for peace? I'm pretty sure he'd be hard-stretched to find more than a handful of vegans who support war.

And with regards to "people first": animal testing is a redundant form of medical research that fails to give any conclusive evidence of any value to the human race. There are much more accurate means of medical testing, such as stem-cell research or even computer-based methods.

Apart from this, why should humans come first? We share a planet with many other creatures, and Filion's (Social-) Darwinist point-of-view is rather terrifying. So if someone were to suggest the use of the mentally handicapped in medical research because it would give even more conclusive evidence than animal research, could he justify that?

JH Filion should consider informing himself before launching into another unintelligent attack on those of us who care.

One last note: eating animals and animal by-products is the number one cause for high cholesterol levels in humans. Humans have evolved from primates, who are 99 per cent herbivore. Many cancers in humans are a result of us eating animal-derived products. We are the only species who drink the breast milk of another species.

» Alexandra Kraemer

Conveniently, in his letters rationalizing fur, JH Filion did not identify his northern village and did not elaborate how trapping is helping his community. First Nations still have the notion that their ways of life, which were tolerated for centuries, cannot be changed today. They would gain a lot of advantages by adopting a few North American goodies.

It might come as a shock, but the images that come through the media of Inuit life in the North aren't quite what he describes. No journalist portrays Inuit or Métis living off the land. Instead, they show us drunk motorists abandoning their brand-new snowmobiles in the tundra simply because they ran out of gas.

And who do you think is paying for those snowmobiles? And the booze? We Montrealers. After seeing what is left of my paycheque, I look at it very differently. First Nations got at least $615-million last year for a handful of them, more than Québécois welfare cheques, and that is in addition to all the other subsidies that we don't know about. Our return on this investment is a letter like JH Fillion's and a general lack of respect and cruelty to animals living on "their" land.

There is no excuse for torturing living creatures in the North simply because they are there. You are not hunting anymore but living on Canadians' money.

It is time you clean up your act and start behaving like responsible Canadians by protecting the northern environment and its fauna for future generations. Lifestyles have changed, and trapping is as out of date and unnecessary as lab experiments.

» Catherine Bégin, Researcher, Lost and Found Pet Network

Local eccentric rationalized

I opened the Dec. 16 Mirror and there it was, the answer to a question I had been asking myself for two weeks: why was that man sloshing through the frigid slush on a lonely sidewalk in NDG wearing sandals, no socks and shorts [People, "Bare-legged and brilliant," Dec. 16]?

It was freezing as shit outside! All I needed was an explanation. I knew there had to be one. I admit, I was mad at this guy for being so stupid. But that was before I realized that the whole sandals-no socks-shorts-long beard thing was an integral part of who he is.

» Tom Peacock

Local weirdo localized

Regarding your Year in Review quotes article ["Worth repeating?!" Dec. 23], it's nice to know that after not being in Montreal for almost a year and a half my name and legend lives on.

I guess it's not worth mentioning that when you ran that article, you left out the part about me trying to help [aspiring Montreal porn starlet] Lara Roxxx. I'm sure it was better for your story to make me out to be one of Satan's helpers!

If you're interested, I am now enjoying myself living in Third World countries setting up outsourcing companies to help move jobs out of the U.S. and Canada. It's perfect. The cost of labour here is cheap and it's very easy to take advantage of the local people.

Stay warm, Montreal.

Your adopted bastard stepchild,

» Dugmor

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