Satan not a nice guy

Recently, the tag lines under the Mirror's logo have moved from being hip, whimsical and ironic to downright nasty and, now, offensive. Consider, for instance, your startling use of Gianni Versace's brutal murder as the starting point for a cheap joke ["Versace knockoffs on sale at reception," July 17]. Granted, the pun involved in "knockoff" must have been mighty inviting to whoever dreams these things up, but surely, a dose of consideration might have been applied to the circumstances surrounding Versace's death. To wit, Versace was a positive role model for the gay and artistic communities--two of the Mirror's target audiences, by the way. Would you have made a similar comment trivializing the death of a gay AIDS activist? Merely because someone is a celebrity does not mean his or her suffering should be fair game for convenient media manipulation--a real person was shot twice in the head, not simply a flamboyant cartoon icon.

Similarly, your July 24 cover story on Marilyn Manson features the less-than-thoughtful "Satan's favourite weekly." This is a bit much. Exciting in his/her transgressions as Marilyn Manson may be, there can be no good reason for playfully aligning your paper with Satan. Satan is not a nice guy. To your Christian readers, Satan is an emblem no less troubling than the swastika is to your Jewish readers. I understand that Christians are the unending targets of all free-thinking urban hipsters, as they represent the worst of Eisenhower-era American values writ large. However, the Mirror should show a modicum of respect for the inclusive rights of all religions and their mores. I do not think you would print "Stalin's favourite weekly" or "The IRA's favourite weekly." I assume you consider Satan to be a mythical cartoon figure, similar to Versace: flamboyant and funny to mention.

Satan, by the way, would not appreciate the political conscience and gender equality preached in your editorials, but would more probably subscribe to The Wall Street Journal. Then again, even the devil must enjoy the fact that the Mirror is free, and when you've finished reading it, your hands are black and sooty from the ink.

Todd Swift, Friend of Versace and Jesus

Your bias showing

I don't get it. When someone tells the truth during a polluter's trial ["I spy with my little Omai," July 24], news editor Philip Preville is all over the scumbag. But when another man lies to protect an even deadlier company ["Ayatollahs assaholas," Dog bites, July 24], Preville insults those who denounce the lovable goof.

Granted, the first man is employed by Cambior, whose mine spilled cyanide-laced effluents into the Omai River--certainly no one supports that. The liar, on the other hand, works hand in hand with the makers of Craven A cigarettes, which release the exact same cyanide compound into the air and kill a lot of people, every year, right here in Quebec.

Allow me to ask: who is the bigger culprit? Okay, okay, we all know that tobacco is lethal, so what else is new? Just that the Mirror's bias is showing. Cambior stinks, but those who attack the comedy festival's ruthless sponsor are assholes.

Apparently, a 10-year-old pun was just too good to pass up. Could this have anything to do with those big ads that Just for Laughs and tobacco companies buy in the Mirror? Maybe you guys should investigate your own backyard before you start hunting for cover-ups.

Stephen Moran

Bouchard is Prime Minister

This letter is in response to Boris Anthony's letter entitled "Office now open" [(e)Mail, July 24]. Mr. Anthony informs us that he will be opening the ELO (English Language Office) and that his first case will be the mistranslation on the part of Lucien Bouchard, who calls himself "the prime minister of Quebec." As a child in Ontario during the heyday of successive Conservative governments, I distinctly recall that the huge billboards announcing Ontario public works projects (usually seen in the medians of the 401) termed the then-premier as "the honourable John Robarts, prime minister of Ontario." My history teacher at the time informed me and the rest of the class that it was correct and that premier was a convention in Canadian politics to differentiate between the federal leader and his provincial counterparts. Upon seeing Mr. Anthony's letter, I thought it would be best to consult a dictionary. If we can trust Webster's, we find the following entry: "premier, n. [F, fr. premier, first, chief] 1: prime minister." So, it would seem that both my history teacher and Lucien Bouchard are correct.

Incidentally, while perusing the dictionary I took the time to look up the word "linguicism" which Mr. Anthony employs, and found it not.

J.M.Patrick

English girl digs Montreal boys

I just attended the Warped Tour '97 in Montreal and I must say it rocked. I'm a girl from England and we know nothing about punk over here, so I didn't know what to expect, but it was amazing--especially the hairstyles. Everyone in England is conformist, so it was brilliant to see people dressed so outrageously and no one cared.

I've left Montreal now but would like to say your nightlife is the dog's bollocks (common English saying for "better than excellent"). Your people are brilliant too, and the men/boys are very sexy, especially the lad who airbrushed my back last Saturday at Superock--you're a right shag (another popular English saying for very hot--I think that's what you Canadians say).

Lindsey Howard, Sheffield, England