Naked Hell

Re: “It’s time to get naked,” Letters, Feb. 17-23

The letter writer who advocates a naked Legislature may be making a cleverly disguised case for more transparency in BC politics, but it still irks me.

It may bug me only because I’m too much of a prude to go naked amongst strangers, but its fatalistic view bugs me all the same.

Politics — and indeed most of civil society — is predominantly run by free-enterprise yahoos in this young province. The only party that provides both consistent resistance to deregulation and formidable parliamentary experience (via its roots in labour negotiations) is the BC NDP party.

While the Green Party makes many noble points on their platform, their candidates have nowhere near the collective experience in parliamentary procedure, formal negotiations, budgeting, labour law and Robert’s Rules as their NDP equivalents.

It’s way easier to join a political party and use it to make the changes you want, than to start one from scratch. It barely makes a difference which party you join — if you’re a hardcore anarchist, I beg you to join the BC Liberals, attend their general meetings, expose their flaws, disrobe their emperors — and give ’em some naked hell!

Kenji James Fuse, VictoriaOf Goats & Tarot

I’ve recently enjoyed Monday features on Horoscopes and Tea Leaf Readings, and am looking forward to future articles on Tarot Cards and reading Goat Entrails . . . or not.

Paul McKinnon, Victoria A Fungus to Fear

In September, our dog died of Cryptococcus Disease. Tazz was 18 months old, a young happy girl. The manager of the Cowichan SPCA told me she feels this disease is “epidemic.”

The specialists at the Canada West Veterinary Hospital shuddered that more is not publicized about the issue, especially with the vulnerability of elderly humans.

This fungus is killing people in Washington and Oregon.

It can hit quickly … our dog died within two weeks of her first symptom despite treatment.

 They’re now logging near our house at Shawnigan Lake … logging disturbs the fungus.

Sue Thomas, Shawnigan Lake