THE RECENT heated debate over the wording on a Van-
couver monument to all women murdered by men confirms
at ivast one thing: these are still difficult, transitional times

in the male-female dialogue.

As some male columnists, and
perhaps some readers, see it, an
inscription that includes ‘*...for all
women murdered by men"’ is a
condemnation of affmen, a hostile
gesture that will work against
bringing caring, non-violent men
on side.

Many women (this one includ-
ed) feel that the inscription ac-
knowledges thousands of victims
in a sensitive way anc!, probably
just as importantly, brings what
has been a private, isolating hor-
ror for women out in the open,
asking people to think about it.

The entire inscription reads:

In memory, and in grief

for all the women murdered by

men,

for women of all couritries, all

classes, all ages, all colors.

We, their sisters and brothers,

remember,

and work for a better world.
Some people are not only ques-

‘Obscene’

Catherine
Atyeo.

JUST ADD WATE

tioning the sensitivity of the
monument’s inscription, but
whether a statement in stone
should be made at all.

grab a bar of soap
and start scrubbing

- Dear Editor:

Anita. Hagen should wash her.

mouth: out with soap for voicing
the dirty words of Bill 33 before
the B.C. Legislature. The recent
uproar over the bill should be
escalated by the public until the
proponents of this 1984-style sup-
pression get the message: we, the
. people of B.C., value our right to
freedom of speech and_ are
-prepared to fight for it.

. The NDP has dared to remove
the ‘provision. of the Human
‘Rights Act that states, ‘‘a person
may, by. speech or writing, freely
express his opinion on a subject,”
and have added in a new wide-
ranging prohibition against
speaking out’ on issues, even where
» we'may. feel morally bound !to do
so. . ~ ‘

. We are to think and voice only
“a grey soup of non-controversial
. ideas.

While the federal government

‘Perpetuating

Dear Editor:

Prime Minister Kim Campbell
continues Mulroney’s devious
scheme of perpetuating the myth
that Canada is a French nation.
How contemptible!

She. chose to commence - her
oath of office at the swearing-in
ceremonies in Ottawa in- French
first! . : .

'. The massive majority of Cana-
dians (over 75%) communicate in
the English language.

Why is it that a particular mi-

already has jurisdiction over
criminal offences regarding pro-
motion of hatred, this bill opens
up the possibility of tying many
influential people up in cases with
the Human Rights Council.

They could be charged unlimi-
ted fines and their sole recourse
would be expensive appeals in the
courts.

If this happens,. | believe we'll
all ‘rally around them with moral
and financial support.

tam sending a copy of this let-
ter to the minister, along with a
bar of soap, with the recommen-
dation that she wash her mouth

out for introducing this obscene -

bill.

| urge others (especially those in
the media) to do the same; grab a
bar and send it to Victoria.

It’s going to take of lot of
scrubbing to clean up this mess!

* Kathryn Morfopoulos

North Vancouver

French myth

nority language (French) continues
to take precedence over the ma-
jority language?

It surely is time for Canadians
to quell this govern-
ment-promoted, horrendously ex-
pensive, vote-getting myth!

Kim Campbell, you are now in
a position to end this perpetual
lie. Besides trying to deceive Ca-
nadians, you are deceiving the rest
of the world!

Dag Campbell
Barrie, Ontario

Crist most assertive councillor

Dear Editor: :

The district council has been
passive on ‘‘people issues.””
-: The most assertive councillor
‘has been Ernie Crist.

Crist comes. across on TV, in
the North Shore News and town
meetings on behalf of ‘‘people

issues’ in a very assertive manner.

I hope he continues, as the
issues are more plentiful than
ever. May he keep bringing atten-
tion to them. :

Ron Sostad
North Vancouver

The argument goes that the
monument isn't going to do any-
thing to end the appalling level of
violence documented in the
recently released report of the Ca-
nadian Panel on Violence Against
Women.

Of course a block of carved
stone isn't going to end a problern
that’s as old as the two sexes.

And it certainly won't make a
major contribution to the realiza-
tion of the panel's clearly
unrealistic goal of an end to vio-
lence by the year 2000,

But the monument will remind
people that, though they didn’t die
at Flanders or Dieppe, thousands
of women have died in what were
supposed to be safe circumstances.

Yes, | believe we need a monu-
ment that puts these ‘‘fallen
women’' on the same tragic plain
as men who died for their coun-
try.

When you think of the wasted
lives and the effects on children,
the loss over time is of the same
magnitude.

We necd strong statements like
this monument because many

aren’t aware of the extent of the
violence,

Ter, maybe even five years ago,
I was one of the unaware.

Qh, sure, | acknowledged there
were wife abusers, but | hadn't
heard, thought about or begun to
count all the stories of violence
from family, friends and ac-
quaintances.

In the range of women | know
who have suffered psychological
or physical violence from men,
[I'm sure I'm absolutely typical,

My mother's stepfather had
such uncontrallable and terrifying
fits of rage that my mother left
home at 15 (o escape them.

About 10 years ago a former
roommate was just beginning to
deal with the realization that an
uncle had sexually abused her as a
child. :

A couple of years ago a friend
had to ask a partner to pack up
and leave because of a violent
temper that was patterned right
after the one his father used to
terrorize him.

And there are more, :

1 wonder how many men‘truly

1 dont
Why they

Freedom thanks to leaders

Dear Editor:

.Re: ‘Sound off,’ by Taleed
NoorMohamed, Friday, July
23: .

This young writer is very free
in his unrestrained criticism of
United States leaders, and in
Stating his suppositions about
the CIA, the [raqi-Kuwaiti in-
cident (among others), as if all
were undisputed facts.

- 1 would remind our young
. people that Canadians and
Americans have enjoyed one of
the longest peaceful border
relationships in the world.

To accomplish this we gener-
ally attempt to live in peace
and work together to solve
problems.

While we all have our opi-
nions about Canadian and
American leaders, it would be
well for young writers such as
this one to remember that these
leaders have been democrat-
ically elected to their positions.

Emotive, slanted writing in-
dicates failure to present any-
thing more than personal bias.

Were it not for the very
American presidents mentioned
in this article, Canada as it is
today, and the very freedom of
speech which he is using, might
not exist.

E. Sherbaniuk
North Vancouver

realize how degrading it is to walk
down a street and have a group of
men comment loudly on certain of
your body parts.

When I read that-the panel
found that one in (wo women
have been victims of rape or at-
tempted rape, | was taken aback.

Then L thought about my own
fife and remembered that at 16 an
older man backed me against the
wall of a swimming pool and at-
tempted to initiate intercourse.

i managed to swim away and
submerge the experience,

This experience is next to
nothing compared to the horror
stories panel members heard and
included in their report.

Like the one from the woman
whose husband killed their first
child by kicking the four-month.
old fetus out of her,

When I read that story, and
think about other victims, !
wonder why pcopie are threatened
by the simple truth in the monu-
ment’s inscription.

And why they don't see an ac-
knowledgensent as the first step in
a long healing process.

Understand :
dont |ike'us

We hope you
choke on it

Dear Editor: : .
To the creep who stole our basil,
three heads of cabbage and
gladioli on or about July 28 from
the Argyle Village Gardens in
West Vancouver, | hope you
choke on it.

You not only damaged our
garden, you left a sad hole in my
daughter’s heart.

Any decent human being would
have asked and we would have
been more than glad to give the
cabbage, basil and flowers to you.

You see, it wasn’t just the pro-
duce you took, you took a little .
bit of our trust in mankind.

Don Fie:aing & daughter Rhonda
West Vancouver