Holocaust Museum
not fun

I am an avid reader of the Mirror, and I find that the variety of articles provides for a good read. I took issue, however, with your “Alternative Grand Prix Weekend” section [June 22]. For the most part, it was humorous while providing some very viable exciting and fun alternatives to the Grand Prix. The one option that really did not fit was the Holocaust museum, which came after “Spelunking in St-Leonard” and before “Hunt for Hos, Pimps and Johns.”

The Holocaust museum is a memorial to millions of innocent people who were massacred. This is not something that should be taken lightly by any means. The museum should be visited, and people should learn about the atrocities committed, but this is by no means an exciting and fun (or funny) alternative to the Grand Prix. The Holocaust museum must be accorded a higher level of respect. Please consider this next time.

» David Applebaum

Spay cats now

Rhode Island has just passed a law making it mandatory for pet owners to spay or fix their cats, except for those who have a breeder’s license. Pet owners who do not comply with the law would face considerable fines.

Quebec needs to follow Rhode Island’s lead and pass a similar law fast. Such a law would help curb feline overpopulation and drastically reduce the number of impounded cats euthanized at city shelters. As it is, thousands of cats, dogs, iguanas, etc are abandoned every year in Quebec on moving day-far too many cats and dogs are sentenced to death in la belle province for absolutely no fault of their own. Our politicians should be pressured to address this concern expeditiously.

» Manish Patwari

City Hall whitewash

[Re. “Jamaican me cranky,” June 22]: Noel Alexander, president of the Jamaican Association of Montreal, is not truthful when he says of City Council, “I don’t want to call it racism, but they do just as they like.” If he was truthful, he would have said, “Racism is like cancer: you don’t always know you have it.” He should know this if he has been dealing with City Hall for over 40 years.

Alexander comments about the representation for his district at City Hall, saying, “In a neighbourhood like Côte-des-Neiges that’s 40 per cent ethnic, there’s no representation.” He should know that the world’s greatest living jazz pianist was born and raised in Montreal and not acknowledged by City Hall, only Concordia University, with their Oscar Peterson Hall.

Noel Alexander should know that latent and overt racism will always remain at City Hall because, as he found out, it’s not democracy, it’s hypocrisy.

» Bob White

Smokes, let’s go

Thank you for publishing my letter [“Pro-smokers still fuming,” June 15]. There is a point I have to make, however, as to the title. Where did you see anything pertaining to pro-smoking in what I stated in my letter? Being against political manipulation on behalf of the anti-tobacco lobby’s propaganda has nothing to do with being pro-smoking. Being against the means does not necessarily mean one is against the end results. There’s nothing wrong with a smoke-free world, but everything wrong with using unethical, dictatorial and hypocritical ways to obtain it.

» Iro Cyr

While reading the letter from Iro Cyr, I had to hold back the urge to simultaneously vomit and fall down laughing. It saddens me to no end that there are apparently intelligent people out there totally devoid of a clue.

Having worked in advanced pre-clinical inhalation toxicology studies for over a decade, I can say with 100 per cent conviction that the results of all the second-hand smoke and “healthy cigarette” studies—ironically sponsored by the cigarette companies themselves—prove that cigarettes are freakishly dangerous things.

Watching as mice and rats on study fall to all kinds of horrid ailments caused directly by this smoke—the twitching rodents still go in for more—makes you realize the monstrosity of this issue.

More so, based upon the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), accompanying the tobacco product has one wearing a full environment suit and doing a full wash down pre- and post-study work.

Often in this industry, when clients don’t get the “all safe” results from the toxicologist, they just go to another CRO (contract research organization) and repeat the testing.

So, do you still think smoking and second hand smoke is safe? Remember: ignorance is bad for your health.

» Science Guy

Opponents of the indoor smoking ban use the word “choice” a lot. People should have a choice. If I have to breathe cigarette smoke where I work, haven’t they taken away my choice not to smoke?

It doesn’t make sense to say, “Well, you shouldn’t be a waitress then—you can go work in one of those places where smoking isn’t allowed.” What if this is the only job I can find?

How could it be that we don’t deserve the same protections the rest of the workforce already takes for granted? I find that quite elitist.

» Carole

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