Support anti-sealing

As an animal rights researcher and a part-time activist myself, I commiserate with Lisa Shalom, the Montrealer who was arrested last March 31 for anti-sealing activity and faces a criminal trial [“Anti-sealer on trial,” The Front, Dec. 15].

It is high time that the courts started taking the side of animal rights activists in such cases. The seal hunt must be banned itself because it is barbaric and at best creates very few jobs—all of them short-term. The seal hunt is known to give Canada a black eye on the international stage.

The mainstream media focuses far too often, in a callous attempt to discredit animal rights activists, on the tactics of the activists rather than the horrific cruelty itself that defenseless seals or other animals face. The common attitude in the public seems to be that because human beings have enough problems of their own, we should not care about animal rights. But it is well-known that people who support or commit cruelty towards animals are much more likely to support or commit cruelty towards humans.

As 19th-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham once said, “The question is not ‘can they reason?’ nor ‘can they talk?’ but rather ‘can they suffer?’” If people do not care about animal suffering because animals are deemed dumb, then by extension of that heartless logic, they should not care about people who are handicapped, mentally retarded or otherwise deemed inferior. Think about it.

» Manish Patwari

Clinton kiss-up

It was amazing to see you [Canadians] sucking up to Bill Clinton last week, when he didn’t sign Kyoto either. Lucky for you though, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Delaware all signed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Also, 192 cities in the United States that include 40 million citizens support Kyoto.

Bush only listens to the sleazy, multi-national CEOs who own him. They also own most of the top polluting companies in the U.S. Given the fact that most of you smoke, drive cars and consume like good capitalists, they are your gods too.

» Susan Travis, New York

Ja ja ja...

In response to all the snobs who denigrate the Quebec language and culture, it all started when a half-baked Mirror journalist wrote about Berlin, Munich and Germany in general [“Les filles du roi vs. homely hausefrauen,” Disko Akimbo, Nov. 10].

He so classily discovered that “latte” means a hard-on, wines about no Halloween in Deutschland (should go there during Karnaval stupid) and, yes, no poutine. Sorry, but this is bad journalism altogether—du kulturbanause. Then some guy in China puts down the Quebec language. Another who follows includes putting down Australian slang and glorifies Paris and London. Both probably have never been to London or Paris (worst language I ever heard was from cockney or a vulgar Parisian using his patois).

For your information, Louis XIV said, “L’état c’est moi,” and Québécois is Old French and very rich in expression—I wouldn’t change it for an artificial Parisian accent. The Australian or Kiwi slang guarantees you an excellent reception in most countries, as does Quebec French. Nobody likes arrogant Parisians, ignorant Yanks or the snobbish Limies? Max [“Bad French, belles filles, Letters, Dec. 8], looking back to his aristocratic roots, will discover that they all started out as thieves, cut-throats, prostitutes and bastards.

Speaking about languages, I for my part have absolutely no problem imitating a Parisian accent, to ape Queen’s English or to speak perfektes Hochdeutsch, but I prefer Quebec French or English any day because they are both real and have heart.

No congratulations to the Mirror Letters staff. You guys really succeed in consistently choosing the most stupid and negative letters possible. No congratulations to the journalist who wrote about Germany, Raf Katigbak, who created about the most boring column about a very interesting country possible. What a waste of paper altogether. You Mirror guys want to be cool, but hell, you guys really stink. Get some education, learn foreign languages, travel, get a life. Even Kristian Gravenor muses about the French hospital staff who tried to speak English to him.

I think really that you guys sound like a bunch of sorry pseudo-intellectuals. Qui, comme des enfants gâtés, critiquent tous et tout le monde. Erwachsenwerden hat nichts mit kuenstlicher Intelligenz zu tun und kann nicht am Internet gelernt werden.

» Jurg Bangerter

Simcha’s streets

Regarding your Dec. 8 Angel, “The Leiboviches”: The Leiboviches (owners of Simcha’s Fruit Market) had not been at their 3953 St-Laurent location since 1947, as reported. Previously, they were located at the Saint-Jean Baptiste market on the north-east corner of St-Laurent and Rachel. They moved to 3953 only after the market closed during the late 1950s. During the 1940s, Jack’s Horse Shoe Restaurant was located at the present location of 3953.

» Leslie Lutsky

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