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economist sunsuntribune saturday april 5 2003 suntnbune a metroland community newspaper 34 civic ave stoufmlle on l4a 7z5 publisher ian proudfoot letters to the editor most dont support iraq war an open letter to united states ambassador paul cellucci your recent attack on canada for not endorsing your governments war in iraq is troubling and im concerned my freedom of speech is not threatened as much as is my freedom of conscience even though 85 per cent of our trade is with the us im pleased the federal govern ment didnt behave as a loyal employee of the us the same goes for your historic allies turkey and mexico both could have used the money being informally promised had they joined in the war can the majority of the world populace that doesnt share your war plans be wrong is the support of the prime ministers of spain portugal and england but not that of theif people acceptable can the united nations security council be wrong can democracy be so very wrong i congratulate those americans who sup port their president in this war i would have joined them had the decision been made by the un the us not withdrawn from agree ments such as the international criminal court that could have tried saddam hussein for war crimes mr bush enforced the un resolutions israel continues to defy no matter how distracted we become from our real war on terror the deep wound in the middle east remains the halfcentury plight of the palestinians the sooner this is recognized and honestly tackled the safer the world will be relations between the us and canada are strained and the world is more divided and less safe than ever i look forward to see ing how president bush is going to make things right some 15 years ago i had the opportunity to emigrate to the us or canada with all due respect i couldnt be happier that im writing you from canada mounirsahyoun unionville bill would limit religious freedom are readers aware the canadian parliament is currently considering bill c- 250 sponsored by mp svend robinson under the proposed law any person who publicly expresses a moral view on homosex ual activity could be accused of promoting hatred this bill if passed would fundamentally limit religious freedom many canadian christians and churches could be charged with a hate crime for simply stating or standing behind their beliefs if you like we do believe gods great opinion design for marriage is the union of a man and women then we urge you to write area mps bryon wilfert and john mccallum to express your opposition to this bill mark 8c mary lucas stouffville mayor leaves positive legacy as i left stouffvilles lebovic leisure centre today with my five year old grandson i was overwelmed at how fortunate we are to have a facility like this the parking lot is often full and people of all ages and stages are benefiting from the pool library and gym we have 180 seniors at eastern gate and many use the programs available there as a result we believe they will be healthier and happier then i realized mayor wayne emmerson deserved much of the credit had he been influenced by the opinion of the vocal minor- itywho opposed this we would still be wait ing for a pool it is a rare to find aleader of this calibre i think i speak for hundreds if not thou sands of residents when i say waynes legacy will be that he made stouffville a better place to live and raise families paul cathy hope stouffville community rallied after death i knew when my son jorge martinez died after being hit by a vehicle in the markham community of raymerville last november i would eventually write this as a sign of responsibility for him and as a sign of grati tude to a community stood by us in the face of tragedy telling people what the pain is like would not do any good we know god did not promise us a painfree life without disap pointment and suffering yet in our pain he provides the courage to survive lifes adversi ties and unfairness the god i knew before is not the god i know now i am now able torecognize our limitations and no longer hold him responsi ble for lifes calamities god opposes suffering as much as we do and i no longer blame him for it misfortunes are not part of his designnor are they pun- ishments for misconducft fate is an inevitable consequence of our mortal nature often a product of regrettable circumstances and irresponsible actions yet in the midst of tragedy god manifests his language through people people who help others hurt by life family and friends who come forth to ease the burden and fill the emptiness of those in pain when i look back to jorges death i see him as a source of inspiration for the good ness we all have witnessed i am convinced editor in chief debora kelly business manager robert lazurko director marketing new product deveiopment brenda larson advertising director retail flyer sales nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci jorge served gods purposes not by dying but by revealing the best of us in the reflection of the compassion god feels when he sees suffering life is not fair yet what makes people respond to tragedy with such generosity and compassion if not god in essence i no longer love god for being perfect or for keeping me protected from harm and evil or fear of hirri i love god because he is our creator arid father the source of our hope and strength and because he is the best part of ourselves and our world he is our promise of eternity i think of jorge often and recognize how much i lost and how much i gained through his loss i have learned my love for him and god is now much greater than before maria martinez markham war column showed liberal bias re president bush cant enlist god in us army column by ron csillag march 29 this is a typical liberal rant liberals dislike conservatives and they hate evangelicals this author knows nothing about the conversion of george w bush and like communism thinks religion is the opiate of the people mr bushs lifechanging transformation didnt just help him to conquer the addiction of alcohol it gave his life meaning and pur pose and it bore fruit mr csillag loses all credibility when he attempts to compare the presidents moral and spiritual convictions with those of the terrorists it is an affront to intelligence and doesnt even warrant the dignity of a response i have followed the presidents private and public activities since he became a candidate for president and therefore i wonder if mr csillag is talking about the same person or if he is even on the same planet for that matter as a christian and a conservative i found his article bigotted and offensive and hope other readers could see through it also richard van seters markham nurses doctors deserve applause as everyone is in a panic about severe acute respiratory syndrome and trying to avoid contacting people in public areas especially places where asians used to gath- er whether restaurants or shopping mails a large number of caregivers are risking their health to serve and to help the sick these people our florence nightingales by the bedside should not be left unrnen- tioned they deserve our applause because of their efforts on the frontlines of medical care their work against viruses and disease is like the soldiers now battling on the frontier of iraq we should be grateful for their contri butions and devotions bysshe chung markham letters policy the stouffville tribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and address the tribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space letters to the editor the tribune 9 heritage rd markham on l3p1m3 email letteisqeconsuncom editorial editor jim mason newsroomeconsuncom advertising retail sales manager steve kane skaneymgcom sales manager new business development distribution dawna andrews dandrewsymgcom classified manager ann campbell acampbellymgcom 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