Never dare a terrorist

I just read Philip Preville's interview with Raymond Villeneuve ["Terror comes of age," Oct. 30] and, unlike Mr. Preville, I do feel personally threatened by Villeneuve's statement that the Mirror offices may become a primary target. I live just across the street.

Preville telling Villeneuve that he hasn't made him feel personally threatened sounded like a dare to me. If Mr. Preville is like most journalists, he's probably rarely at the office and does most of his work from home. No kidding he's not threatened!

I would appreciate either the Mirror move their headquarters or, instead, Mr. Villeneuve might choose to consider the [name of staff's favourite watering hole withheld] as a primary target. There he'll have a much better chance of wiping out most of the Mirror staff with one good hit.

­Jeff Sokalski

I once talked to Raymond Villeneuve for two hours, out of an admittedly perverse sense of curiosity. Personally, I did not feel like I was talking to a hate-filled fanatic. However, even if one admits that wars of collective liberation are unfortunately sometimes necessary, it's hard to understand how anyone can get so worked up about Quebec sovereignty.

Personally, I think the partitionists are an even greater threat to social stability than the Villeneuves of the world, because they rationalize their violent impulses under a cloak of middle-class respectability. I once attended one of their rallies, and the worst of the bunch was McGill law "professor" Stephen Scott. Here was this humourless, austere lawyer alluding to the most violent scenarios while being applauded by the Côte-St-Luc suburbanites. He talked of "political will" and what he meant was violent intervention by the Canadian army in the event of a "revolutionary" Unilateral Declaration of Independence. What? Lucien Bouchard as Che Guevara? I was revolted by the hypocrisy, and by the use of reason to justify the preservation of this monstrosity called "Canada," a place where only the Stephen Scotts of this world get to thrive.

­Marco Ermacora

Hymn of praise for The Temple

As an avid reader of the Mirror, I feel the need to write this letter concerning Mireille Silcott's review of opening night at the new club Temple on de la Montagne ["Temple burns," 3 a.m. Eternal, Oct. 23]. I was rather offended with her criticism that "the opening of Temple sucked." I think her statement was unjustified.

With any opening of any establishment, whether it's a nightclub, restaurant or whatever, you have to give it a fair chance to take root. With our economy today, you would think we, as Montrealers, would support new businesses instead of sabotaging them before they have a chance to grow.

Since the opening, I have frequented Temple and have enjoyed the atmosphere, clientele and staff--not to mention the free buffet. I myself would encourage people to go and enjoy the new establishment and be as satisfied as I was.

­Jackie Sumner

City fag, country fag

I am spokesperson for a group who organized a march for the recognition of gay and lesbian rights in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region this past October 4. My letter concerns an article written by Claudine Metcalfe, editor-in-chief of the Montreal-based publication Gazelle. Ms. Metcalfe ridicules the region (her report is littered with condescending references to the regional dialect) and understates the efforts of a small group of people to make life easier for gays and lesbians who choose not to flee to the city in search of freedom from discrimination.

In her report, Ms. Metclafe claims to have been present at the event; however, she seems to have used the Sunday local paper, the Progrès-dimanche, as her main source of information. At least two errors from that paper were repeated in her article. The first is her claim that provincial member of Parliament Jeanne Blackburn was to be present at the event. The second was that a variety community groups walked to "show their colours," when in fact the majority of participants were heterosexual and their goal, as it was ours, was to show their support for a minority.

Claudine Metcalfe's lack of objectivity is present throughout her report and I would qualify her own personal efforts as impertinent to gay and lesbian solidarity. It may be her right as editor of a magazine to print her opinion that our actions weren't "sensational, shocking, or provocative," but her negativity only encourages gays and lesbians outside Montreal to continue to live in fear.

On October 4, 1997, an organized group of 75 heterosexuals, gays, lesbians and bisexuals occupied the streets of Chicoutimi and said out loud that it is possible to live freely and openly in your hometown regardless of your sexual orientation. Montrealers who are interested should read the brief and accurate report in the November issue of Fugues magazine.

­Steve Lescault