Save the magazines!

This is just a note of appreciation to let you know that I loved Chris Barry’s recent interview with Diane Bertrand, the proprietor of Eco-Logic store, who really believes in reusing old things [“Junk’s new life,” Aug. 16]. I am in accord with her philosophy and contribute to this cause in my own way.

I love to take walks in my neighbourhood. On recycling pick-up day, I sometimes walk past green recycling bins filled with great magazines and make it a point to take them out for personal collection or to donate to the waiting room of a hospital or walk-in clinic. Last week, I found 25 recent magazines of Readers Digest in a recycling bin on my street, but since I already possessed those editions, I deposited the magazines in the waiting room of the neighbourhood CLSC.

Two months ago, I found 15 old, but great, fashion magazines in a recycling bin and gifted them to my friend who’s a fashion and food writer for women’s magazines (she collects such magazines for inspiration and reference). I encourage people to reuse old magazines in this way and to retrieve reusable magazines from recycling bins.

>> Al Doonican

Back to Israel

It was good not to be involved in the recent exchanges on the Middle East in the Mirror letters section, but John Dirlik’s vitriol ended that quickly. He lectures us about Israeli ethnic cleansing, laws of return and racism and gets the obligatory “apartheid” word in as well.

First is his accusation of Israeli “ethnic cleansing.” If guilty, they are hopelessly incompetent. Today there are about 1.2 million Arab citizens in the area that was Israel from 1949 to 1967. That is about 20 per cent more than there were on the eve of independence. They vote, have members in the Knesset, and are high court judges and diplomats among other things.

By contrast, there are about 7,000 or so Jews living in Arab countries now plus another 25,000 in Iran. That compares to about 800,000 in 1948. The Israelis had better learn ethnic cleansing methodology from the far more competent Arab governments. Oh yes, when Bethlehem was transferred from Israeli military control to that of the PLO, the Arab population of the city was about 90 per cent Christian. Today, it is about 75 per cent Muslim. It is pretty well free of Jewish residents however.

Then came the “Law of Return” bullshit. All sovereign countries in this world have the right to decide for themselves whom they will admit and whom they will not. There is no law that requires Israel to accept four million hostile Arab prisoners of Arab regimes into its territory, something no other country has ever done. That so-called “Law of Return” is pure fiction, like the tooth fairy. It is propaganda like Hitler’s claim that he attacked Poland in self-defence. The closest you get to it is resolutions by the impeccably anti-Israel UN that there be fair settlement for ALL refugees of that war. That would include the 800,000 Jews and their descendants.

The Israeli “Law of Return” is just a name based on the fact that all Jews are descended from people who once lived there as well as those who always have. As a sovereign state, they have decided to admit all Jews. It is their right to do this. Germany and the U.K. will admit anyone with a grandparent from their country. It is their right to do so. Switzerland will grant citizenship to almost nobody. It is their right not to do so.

Israel has also admitted at least 60 Bosnian Muslim refugees from the former civil war there. That is approximately 60 more than were admitted by Saudi Arabia etc.

And as I write, there are 300 or more illegal refugees from Sudan in Israel. The majority are Muslim, none are Jewish. They escaped first to Egypt, but then to Israel after experiencing the “hospitality” of the former country. It is being debated, but for humanitarian reasons, they are unlikely to be sent back.

Intelligent readers of the Mirror will learn nothing about ethnic cleansing nor laws of return from the writings of Mr. Dirlik. They may learn something about racism however.

>> Ken Frankel

John Dirlik hit the nail on the head. He is absolutely and completely truthful about his facts and realities on the Palestine-Israel conflict. Nobody likes the truth, especially letter-writers K.S. Weinstein, Ari Schecter and Ron Heller. It is obvious they are a group of fanatics who do not want peace and justice for the Palestinians—they will always complain, whine and lie, no matter how attractive and fair a solution you present to them. Gideon Levy and Uri Avenery are both respected Israeli journalists and authors who are two examples of the horrified and disgusted Israeli of today with the present situation in Palestine.

“I am 23-years-old and I never had one happy day in my life.” These are the pathetic words of a Palestinian refugee. Give them a chance, they are intelligent and resourceful people. Stop killing and hating them for no reason!

>> Violette De Simini

WE WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR!