The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 13

LETTERS THE OTTAWA CITIZEN SUNDAY, MAY 11, 1997 A13 Air show: Too military for Mother's Day? indeed, Julia Ward Howe, feminist, peacenik and writer (yes, of The Battle Hymn of the Republic), started Mother's Day 125 years ago in Boston, saying, "Arise all women who have hearts. Say firmly: We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to injure theirs. In the name of womanhood and of humanity I earnestly ask that a general Congress of Women, without limit of nationality, promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace." The National Capital Air Show and air shows like it across the country obstruct the great and general interests of peace by glorifying warplanes. Penny Sanger, Ottawa Too many wars As a former air force pilot, from Second World War days, I might be expected to oppose the views expressed by Richard Sanders. But since 1945 the world has seen too many wars.

Too much blood has been spilt, and too many of our human resources invested in the arms trade, one facilitated by the multi-billion-dollar planes on display this weekend on Mother's Day at Ottawa airport. There's another multi-billion-dollar trade at work in the world today, which also wreaks great havoc and causes immense suffering. It is the trade in heroin and other hard drugs. the vacuum left by ARMX, at least on the aeronautic side. Some of the high-tech equipment undoubtedly finds its way through embassy contacts and military attaches to the 20 or more wars around the world which we rarely think about.

Contacts made at the most innocuous show can always be developed afterwards, for other purposes, but as the military focus of this air show has escalated on the publicity front, we have become even more concerned. We are supporters of Canadian peacekeepers and their sacrifices around the world in the cause of peace, but we do not believe that the National Capital Air Show and Exhibition should be using the opportunity of an annual family aeronautic spectacle to do publicity work for the U.S. Air Force. Nor should it be providing a merchandising conduit for military aircraft to foreign embassies and military attaches particularly in Canada's national capital, where these arms shows have been banned, and particularly on Mother's Day, originally a day of peace. Diana Armour UN Association in Canada National Capital Region Branch Glorifying warplanes Thanks to Richard Sanders's May 8 article, "Mother's Day at the war show," I'll be at the National Capital Air Show this weekend, handing out leaflets about those death-dealing warplanes at the show.

Mother's Day MP must be willing to represent residents A former UN Secretary General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, had this to say about them both: "The arms trade impoverishes the receiver and debases the supplier. There is a striking resemblance to the drug trade." Indeed there is. It is time that the business suppliers of military commodities and the general public acknowledged it. It is time that we kicked the habit. Murray M.

Thomson, Ottawa Out-of-fashion cause The Citizen must sure have a soft spot in its heart for old, out-of-fashion causes. How else to explain the generous space it gave to Richard Sanders for a diatribe against the annual National Capital Air Show? Mr. Sanders's detailed knowledge of the cost, range and payload of various U.S. military aircraft is impressive. I wonder if he also knows how many conflicts may have been averted by the deterrent value of such craft.

It seems he has the gift of seeing only the dark side of every situation, only the lethal potential of every piece of equipment. He makes much one-sided propaganda about the use of such aircraft against Iraq in 1991, and the unfortunate deaths of Iraqi civilians for which he seems to hold the U.S. solely accountable. A pity he was silent on the slaughter of the innocents carried out by Saddam Hussein as soon as the allies had turned their backs, of the fact that Saddam, by locating his command With his (non-)stand on the Cham-plain Bridge issue, I'm sure Mac Harb was no more thrilled to see his electoral boundaries extended into Ottawa West than those of us who live here were to see him as the incumbent. My family lives near Churchill Avenue.

My daily bicycling, running and walking through our neighbourhoods have given me firsthand appreciation of the increase in traffic in recent years on Churchill, Kirkwood, Island Park, Holland, Parkdale and the Ottawa River Parkway. I am among the many in our area who believe that widening the bridge will make matters worse. From Mr. Harb's perspective, this point of view automatically makes me" a supporter of another party. The May 7 front-page article "Local MP loses cool during debate" correctly points out the apparent double standard that seems to exist between the NCC and certain members of the Liberal caucus.

More powerful members of caucus, like Marcel Masse, can tell their constituents that they will work for better access to Ottawa from Aylmer. Then the NCC miraculously comes through with a proposition for a third lane. When residents of Ottawa West oppose the idea via our members of Parliament, we are told that it is not a political issue and that the NCC makes its decisions independently from any political pressure! Liberal governments have long taken Ottawa ridings for granted and relegated our MPs to impotent backbench positions. The beauty proof of God Roger Cain, in his April 19 letter, asks "how can 60 per cent of scientists believe in God unless they can devise an experiment that reveals God?" This is a common fallacy that argues the scientific method of hypothesis and experimentation cannot prove the existence of God, therefore God does not exist. Many other concepts, such as beauty, truth, right or wrong cannot be proven experimentally, yet are known to exist.

Whether concepts, which are not within the realm of science, can be proven by science does not indicate whether or not they are real. Science does discover and describe the beauty of the laws governing the universe. stations in civilian areas of Baghdad, knowingly made targets of his own people, or the malicious damage to the environment caused by Saddam's torching of some 700 oil wells in Kuwait when his illegal invasion was turned back. As for the allegation that "hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Canadian military hardware is sold every year to some of the world's most violent and oppressive regimes," I suggest that this is very misleading. Ernie Regehr of Project Ploughshares, in his book Arms Canada, revealed that Canada is a small player in this trade, ranking 25th in a field of about 27.

Further, the Sanders article fails to mention that much of the material sold abroad consists of military clothing. Wouldn't it be nice if Mr. Sanders could turn his obvious talents to something constructive, such as explaining why Canada needs replacement submarines for the continued patrols of the longest coastline in the world, why Canada needs well-trained, well-equipped army troops that can double as flood-control resources in time of need, and why Canada needs well-equipped and trained air forces that can also double as search-and-rescue resources? Peace is not the sole property of those who would deny a country the means of defending and policing itself. And an air show that self-righteously excluded military aircraft would be a dull show indeed. David E.

Code, Naval Officers' Association of Canada, Ottawa But even in these diminished roles, MPs like Mr. Harb must be willing to represent our views and wishes, even if it means "incurring the wrath" of Mr. Masse. If he is not, we must ask ourselves what is the more effective representation, an impotent MP who is cowed by his party leaders, or a more vocal member of the opposition? Stephen James, Ottawa Unfortunate insult It was unfortunate that the Liberal candidate in Ottawa Centre chose fo insult the questioner (and a supporter) regarding the Champlain Bridge. Is he trying to be a Chretien? He talks a big song (gas prices) but what has he done for us lately? Out with the old.

In with the new. Michael Fitzsimmons, Ottawa Political expediency Well, well. Perhaps Mac Harb may begin to understand the old cliche, "What goes around comes around." You will recall Mr. Harb's infamous intervention behind closed doors in his effort to ensure Nancy Smith and her socialist views would be defeated in the 1991 mayoralty race (Citizen, Dec. 7, 1991).

Once again, his apparent projections of citizen wrong-doing reveal his own lack of principle and adherence to political expediency. No repentance here. When will he or his party learn? Oh well, what else is new in the world of politics? J.R. Wright, Ottawa of creation for scientists Many scientists believe the beauty of these laws, and of creation itself, demonstrates that the possibility of the world being here by chance is in-finitesimally small and that the only rational explanation is that there is a supreme intelligence that established these laws. Has anyone ever heard a scientist say: The laws of quantum mechanics are quite nice but if only the equations were changed slightly they would be so much better? The fact that scientists never suggest improvements to the laws governing the universe would indicate that the laws are not here by chance but are the result of a grand design by a supreme intelligence.

William Craig, Ottawa 11 1 a The National Capital Air Show, which is organized this year for the Mother's Day weekend, has taken a turn to becoming a predominantly military aircraft extravaganza, with family entertainment as side show. One would have hoped that the main performers would be Bombardier's new 50- and 70-seater civilian aircraft, but more likely the stars will be the B-2 stealth bomber ($2.2 billion U.S. each) and the F-117 fighter ($45 million U.S.), both capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The latter was used with horrendous effect in the GulfWar. Significantly, the air show is now officially advertised (from the NCAS Internet homepage) as a prominent contribution to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the United States Air Force.

At an increasing rate, the high-tech arms industry in a time of pressure to downsize military budgets is reaching out for new methods of meeting purchasers. Several years ago the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT), based here in Ottawa, aroused the public conscience over the big biennial arms show ARMX, and raised opposition to it to such levels that it was not able to continue. In 1989 ARMX was banned from using municipal property (Lansdowne Park), and attempts to move the show to nearby Carp failed. From all appearances the trade show "behind" the National Capital Air Show (described as an aerospacehigh techindustry exposition) fUls part of IN A FEW WORDS Stereotypical mom Looking at the ad at the bottom of last week's TV Times front cover, I was appalled to read: "This Mother's Day, give Mom the night off." Without making any comment about the culinary value of such a meal, it seems that an ad of that type was written by Col. Sanders in his youth when most women's sole "career" opportunity was to stay in the kitchen.

Such a stereotype should no longer be used by an advertiser. Such a statement is equally offensive to male homemakers, like myself, who cook balanced family meals without dishing up TV dinners or rushing out to the nearest fast-food joint. Anyhow, happy Mother's Day to all with or without Col. Sanders's blessings! Jean-Louis Anquetil, Nepean Too much time Re: "Caught in the act," May 9, about the double-crossing garbage man, and the front page photo. Caryn Bursch must have too much time on her hands.

Get a life, woman. Anna Maria Solinas, Kanata Controlling cats I support John Hughes in proposing municipal regulations to control cats should force owners to control cats," May 6). There are four cats trespassing on my property night and day. I often catch one sleeping on my front porch. In summer, they dig all over the garden and uproot my plants.

Owners should be forced to keep their pets on a leash and on their property. Andree Gendron, Gloucester Reason to fear Saundra Glynn and her entourage have every reason to be afraid in the Catholic Church Church 'fraught with fear'," May 5). If you were working for General Motors and using its facilities to increase Ford sales and decrease GM sales, would you be at peace? Every Sunday Catholics are told that the Church is one of love and peace. Have Saundra and her fearful friends not found this love and peace? All Catholics I know are very grateful for the peace they receive through the Church. Diane Sauve, Aylmer Vote for change Knock, knock.

Who's there? "Hi, it's me. I'm running for the Metamorphosis Party of Canada. Give me your vote, then I'll change into something completely different. Here, read all about me in my Crook Book. For a real change vote METAMORPHOSIS.

Have a mediocre day." Terry Toll, Nepean Letters to the Editor We welcome letters, which must include full name, an address and phone number for verification. We condense and edit for style. Cite page and date for articles mentioned. Mail: Letters to the Editor, Ottawa Citizen 1101 Baxter Road, Ottawa, K2C 3M4 E-mail: lettersthecitizen.southam.ca Touchline: A recorded guide to writing letters to the editor is available on Touchline. Using a Touch-Tone phone, dial 721-1990 and enter code 2422.

The Citizen Online: www.ottawacitizen.com Letters Editor: Brian Sarjeant, 596-3785 Liberal MP Mac Harb is criticized for his handling of the Champlain Bridge issue in his Ottawa Centre riding. Where are our leaders in our darkest hour? THE OTTAWA CITIZEN harden on both sides of the national unity issue, anti-French sentiment in the West and the cynical and duplici-tous rhetoric from separatists, I wonder where the leaders who represent my views are. While one proposes lowering taxes, another talks about the deficit; while one parades a tired cliche about social justice as vision, another offers a bleak message of prejudice and suspicion. Where are the bold men and women with a love for this country who can inspire us with their hope and enthusiasm for the new millennium? Where are the leaders? Our country is in dire need. It's our darkest hour and our politicians are tuning their violins.

John R. Mitchell, Ottawa cetaceans on a worldwide basis. It has no relationship to the AIDS virus at all. Although there are viruses that cause immunodeficiency in animals other than man, an immunodeficiency in Arabian foals caused by a virus is a well studied example, the genus Morbillivirus has no relationship whatsoever to such viruses, either in its appearance in the electron microscope or in its nucleic acid makeup (except that they have ribonucleic acid as their essential nucleic acid). However I have been wrong before, and probably will be again.

Perhaps there is a "mobilli" virus; if Mr. South-worth has any further information I would be very grateful to receive it. Although I am not prepared to dis- 7 1 i Though not a great fan of the current crop of Citizen columnists, particularly when they deal with the Quebec issue, I was prompted to respond to Susan Riley's impassioned plea for vision and leadership of Quebec haunts the election campaign," May 9). I have never been more frustrated in the political leadership of this country than I am today. I am seriously considering not voting this time around.

As a Canadian with a dual lineage, Irish and French-Canadian, I have always been proud of my heritage and proud of a country that, despite its problems, demonstrated tolerance and fairness to all. As I witness the hard-line positions Flipper's killer virus has no relationship to AIDS cuss the conditions under which cetaceans are kept in captivity, my curiosity is peaked by the very old age of the dolphin and why it would succumb to a virus infection. Perhaps the immune system did break down because of old age, allowing the virus to replicate and cause a fatal infection. After all there was a saying once that "pneumonia is the comforter of the aged." It would seem to me that with all of Flipper's travels she would have come into contact with the virus and would have developed an immunity to it, an immunity that prevented infection until old age broke down her immune defences. This kind of thing used to be prevalent in old dogs who developed a recrudescence of canine distemper in I would like to add to Alison Beal's letter regarding the May 5 piece by Andrew Southworth, "Flipper dies of AlDS-related disease." Putting on my hat as a veterinary virologist I am unaware of a virus called "mobilli." I am well aware of a disease in seals and other cetaceans (including porpoises), caused by a member of the Morbil-livirus genus in the family Paramyx-oviridae.

Members of this genus cause measles in man, rinderpest in cattle, distemper in dogs and "peste des pe-tits ruminants" in goats. The cetacean member caused an epizootic (that is, an outbreak) among seals in the Baltic and North seas in 1988, resulting in the deaths of many of these animals. It is likely widely distributed among their old age and died from "old-dog encephalitis." This is rarely seen now because of the intensive vaccination program against this killer virus of dogs. Perhaps Mr. Southworth would share his reference source(s) for "mobilli" virus, along with those relating it to the viruses associated with immunodeficiency syndromes, particularly AIDS.

I am sure the comparative virologists, workers in the field of AIDS and pharmaceutical companies would go gah-gah with such information. I am looking forward to Mr. South-worth's answer to my questions as well as your answer to the shame heaped upon him and the editor by Alison Beal. John Ditchfield, DVM, Ottawa.