Free heroin worth a shot

I don't think you guys should print letters written by directors of institutes named after themselves anymore. Claire Waismann, director of the Waismann Institute in Beverly Hills completely misses the mark about the NAOMI project ["Free Heroin no healer," Letters, April 14].

Maybe if she had actually spent the time to learn anything about this free heroin project, she would have realized that one of its main goals is to try to help treatment resistant addicts to get off of drugs or at least to try and help them lead functional lives. Or maybe private drug treatment programs have become so lucrative that she feels the need to try to slander an idea that might put hers out of business.

The most dangerous thing about medically administered opiates is that they are addictive. So what is the harm in trying this project on some hardcore addicts? It seems to me that some people are scared that it may actually work, thus depriving them of street people they can spit on when they go downtown.

» Tyson Campbell

Good riddims

Great story by Erin MacLeod on reggae in Montreal ["Ring the alarm," April 28]. She's a great writer, definitely in touch with the subject covered. I would like to see more articles about reggae (and soca/calypso) in Montreal. Despite popular belief, there is a market in the city, and there are enough interesting events taking place on a monthly basis.

» Prymtym

FOWs and SNAGs

Kristian Gravenor's "Summer tips" column [Kristian Perspective, April 14] might give a male reader the impression that Gravenor is a progressive FOW (Friend of Women), trying to win promiscuous women the respect they deserve and giving them as much right to sleep around as men seem to have. While he makes a good point about the fact that women are too often judged and labelled sluts if they don't feel the need to be in a relationship with a man in order to sleep with him, he goes about it all wrong.

As a woman, the first thing that jumped to my attention, and frankly frustrated the hell out of me, was his use of the term "generous" to describe promiscuous women. I wonder how many men reading this will understand why this is, to say the least, an inappropriate term. What it implies is that a woman who sleeps with a man is doing him a favour. Has it ever occurred to Mr. Gravenor that if a woman sleeps with a man, it might be for the same selfish reasons the man is doing it? One-night stands are about personal gratification (on whatever level), not about giving pleasure in a completely self-sacrificing way. Yes, women are sexual beings and actually desire men (though right now, I can't see why). I'm sorry if The Stone Angel misled him.

I wish that was my only beef with this article, but unfortunately, Gravenor insisted on referring to "less adventurous women" feeling "their more generous sisters undermine the sex cartel that leads guys to pick up the dinner tabs." Sex cartel? I find it ironic that this line is followed by the author's criticism of the fact that some men speak ill of promiscuous women. Didn't Gravenor just call us whores?

I think it's high time that these Sensitive New Age Guys (SNAGs) take a deeper look into their own attitude toward women and realize that they're not as feminist as they like to think.

» Kate Alvo

Eco advice

I was glad you put in the brief news article "Hug your local Earth" [The Front, April 21] to commemorate World Earth Day on April 22.

Some people rightly say World Earth Day is not being celebrated as widely as it ought to be. There is too much cynicism in the world, and one person cannot change the world alone. But by adopting simple changes like reducing or eliminating meat consumption, planting a few trees, recycling more and reducing car dependence, people can help the environment significantly at an individual level. Not everyone needs to be a martyr or a full-time activist to help effect worthwhile positive ecological changes.

Remember the Edmund Burke quote, "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

» Manish Patwari

Mirror analyzed

Many great stories are reported. As an underground lifestyle person, the opinions are interesting. As for rants, people say how they view the Montreal life. Sometimes vulgar, but outspoken. Party on.

» Rob Sinnett

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