Verdun true
to its roots

[Re: “Gem on Wellington,” Resto, Feb. 12] Your food critic, A.J. Kinik, has proven himself completely ignorant and insensitive in their portrayal of Verdun and its busy Wellington street mall. This place is true to its roots, complete with the working class styles of the early 20th century.

Unlike the Plateau, we don’t try to be cool, or even bother with the effete luxuries of life among the self-anointed creative class. Hell, Wellington is a shitload more comforting and human than “hip” St-Henri’s Notre-Dame drag or most blocks of the Main—haunted by cavernous warehouses, the single dirtiest grocery store in Montreal and Mile-End drifters passing through vintage stores...old dirty crap.

Get that Kleenex box, Mr. Frankel.

>> Mark Sabourin

Why re-enact Battle?

[Re: “The Plains of Abraham Brouhaha,” Insect, News, Feb. 5] If people cannot understand why so many Quebecers objected to the Plains of Abraham spectacle, perhaps they could start by telling us why it was so important to them that this battle be re-enacted.

Forget what Quebecers see in it. What did re-enactors and their supporters want to express by it? Love? Respect? Happiness that we’re here together today? What?

>> C. Horguelin

Spiral of decadence

[Re: “Know your inner you,” People, News, Feb. 12] While it’s true that nobody forces us to read your paper, it’s still widely available, and people who are interested in the arts want a good source of info. That said, your paper continues to descend into a spiral of decadence. While supposedly cautioning your readers on the hazards of HIV, you promote events where sex is the predominant motif, and typically, of a vulgar nature.

Your columnist, Chris Barry, continues to insult women and children. This week, he managed to insert his filthy attitudes into an interview on intuition. Why bother to even mention the murder of children, and feeding of their entrails to homeless people? Is there not enough degradation in this world? Do you really need to keep heaping this upon us?

When you refuse to run serious reportage about sexual assault, human trafficking and the sordid side of the so-called sex trade, it seems that you are promoting the underworld of those who exploit victims of rape and incest. Perhaps your editors might consider the flipside of the issues you continue to allow to be portrayed with cheap humour. Otherwise, the Mirror will continue to be viewed by those of us with taste and a sense of decency as a consistent insult to community standards.

>>J.M. Wolowitz

[Re: “Know your inner you,” People, News, Feb. 12] Thanks for the article, I appreciate it very much. It’s great. Humour and all. You really did a great job quoting me.

>> Julie L. Cusmariu, Intuitive
consultant, life coach

Taqyia fountain?

[Re: “Israel’s false friends,” Letters, Feb. 12] Does Shirley Groves sign your paycheques at the Mirror? She doesn’t have a clue of what’s happening in the Middle East, more specifically, Israel and Gaza, and you allow her to spout lie after lie after lie without one iota of proof. She’s a gushing taqyia fountain who gets her nonsense in print week after week. Does she sign your paycheques? Why don’t you just give her her own page? Better still, pay for her to stay in Gaza for a week and let her hang out with her Hamas brethren.

>>Sol Wiajesko

Keep God off buses

We will soon have an ad campaign with this slogan on city buses: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Perhaps we should change the slogan to read: “There’s probably no Allah...” or substitute “Buddha” or any other deity. I wonder what people of these religions would say? Or do? Burn down buses? Burn trains?

I wonder if our society should permit freedom of speech to the extent of insulting each other’s beliefs. Hasn’t freedom of speech gone a little too far? Remember those cartoons of Mohammed with warheads? Do we want a repeat of the carnage that followed? Do we not have any wise men who will put an end to this folly?

>>Ed Hoyer

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