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Are you kidding me with this? Your March 29 cover story, “Trash-Talk Express,” by Johnson Cummins on the Toronto Bites! Festival had me scratching my head.
Is Johnson Cummins in grade school? Will anyone deliberately not like a band because they are from Toronto? I’ll bet anyone $100 that no one in Toronto even cares whether a band is from Montreal or not. Sure, they’re probably too busy trying to look like they’re from New York City and reading Pitchfork Media to care anyway, but must we feed their ego by allowing Johnson Cummins to openly hate them and betray his longing for (the annoyingly nicknamed) T Dot?
The funniest thing about this story is actually Lorraine’s Carpenter’s blurb in the same issue on Newmarket/Toronto band, Tokyo Police Club, proving before the Toronto Bites! Festival even begins, Toronto has won the after-school playground fight. Maybe the music writing team of the Montreal Mirror should organize staff meetings and confer with one another to avoid embarrassing blunders like this in the future.
>> Duane Yow
Weapons, racism
and inside jobs
In his letter of March 29 [“Arabs, Islam and injustice”], Jeff Burke extols the essence of good writing: “Say what you gotta say with as few words as possible, espousing simplicity yet levity and minimizing the use to the first person”. Colourfully written, yet outrageously vehement, Mr. Burke instills hate, offers no comparisons and thus assures us that there’s only us good guys and them bad guys.
His slander against Islam actually is focused on weaponry. Us good guys utilize modern technology to kill—like F-16s and guided missiles, where the operator is insulated from violence and suffering—while the other guys are desperate and so are left with suicide bombers, hijacked aircraft and crude rockets, the most despicable of weapons! Hence, they are the terrorists while we use “defensive measures” and “surgical strikes.” Yet, the killing is done at the wholesale level. These bad guys should go back to school and learn how to kill in a more fashionable, accepted way.
The U.S., U.K., Israel, France and Russia’s weapon arsenals outclass anything that Allah possesses. Killings and sufferings are likewise outside of comparisons. Mr. Burke, lend a little perspective, please!
>> Edward Abramic
In his rage-filled diatribe against Muslims, Jeff Burke hysterically screeches that, “9/11 is Islam, Madrid bombing is Islam, London bombing is Islam.” Similarly, fanatical Muslims probably proclaim that, “Abu Ghraib is Christianity, Oklahoma bombing is Christianity, Hiroshima is Christianity.”
Such sick rants by whack jobs on both sides testify not only to the appalling ignorance, but also to the venomous hatred and odious racism that exists in this world.
>> Shirley Groves
This has got to be one of the more ignorant letters pumped out into the mainstream media filth. To bring you a little closer to reality, more than 65 per cent of Americans now believe 911 was an inside job. Documentaries like Loose Change and Terrorstorm have not only debunked the official theory of 911, but exposed a history of false-flag ops.
If the Mirror decides to tell the truth, starting with WTC 7 footage would be a wise move. Break the silence on this critical issue. A building with scattered fires cannot collapse onto its own footprint at the speed of gravity. People are waking up. Read Rosie O’Donnell’s blog, listen to Charlie Sheen and Alex Jones and the Scholars For 9/11 Truth.
>> ZS
Ban shark fin soup
Regarding your March 22 film review, “Biting commentary”: I hope the superb new documentary Sharkwater wins an Oscar, and that it sensitizes people to the dangers humans pose to sharks.
Every year, far more people around the world die from bee stings or from lightning than from shark attacks. Human beings are driving numerous shark species to extinction with their insatiable demand for shark fin soup. Every month, more than a million sharks are killed just for their fins, which are used to make shark fin soup, considered a highly prized delicacy, especially in Asia.
North American restaurants must ban the sale of shark fin soup to discourage this brutal trade. With public awareness, progressive legislation can be brought about. To illustrate this point, look at American celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who has a huge international following. Last month, he banned the sale of foie gras in his 14 fine-dining restaurants, 43 catering venues and 80 fast-casual eateries. He realized that the brutal force-feeding of ducks involved in making foie gras was simply inhumane and unacceptable.
It is worthwhile lobbying for a ban on the sale of shark fin soup. The Mirror, for its part, could help this worthy cause by not reviewing any restaurant that features shark fin soup on its menu.
>> Manish Patwari
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