FEBRUARY 22, 2005

but I do not get freaked out when non- believers do not, indeed the journalist that took you to task for printing the cartoons continuously makes fun of

the believes of Christians who are’

members of our government. The aspect of any belief is the ability to rise above that provocation and to accept it for what it is. Unfortunately, the Middle East is still stuck in the Middle Ages.

D. Fraser

Congratulations-on your courageous and exemplary defense of the right to freedom of speech in Canada through publication of the cartoons.

The President of UPEI, who ordered copies to be removed from campus alleging “We run the place”, needs to hone his clearly inadequate knowledge of our Charter of Rights, and of his role as a promoter of independent and creative thought.

Well done, ladies and gentlemen of UPEI. This Canadian is very proud of you, and wishes you and your fellow students every success in your studies, and burgeoning careers as staunch defenders of “la liberté d’expression”’.

Don’t ever give up!! Guy de Puyjalon Iroquois, Ontario

No doubt you’ve had a small deluge of correspondence regarding the Cadre’s decision vis the infamous Danish cartoons. Nonetheless, I felt I should add my name to the list.

What I have to say is very simple: thank you. Thank you for trying to do what the Globe and Mail, CNN, and a host of other (inter)national media refused to do. Free speech is one of the most treasured rights we have in a free society, and it’s a shame when we see it sacrificed on behalf of all by squeamish individuals to whom the opinion of totalitarians is paramount.

Thank you for doing your bit. My highest praise goes to your thwarted efforts. Perhaps it’s the university I’m attending (Victoria), but I never would’ve expected from a student newspaper such a principled stand in favor of freedom.

Jarrett Plonka, UVic

Ray: Hang in there!!! You are a brave soldier for democracy. Do not give in. Thank you for being the first to

recognize the extreme importance of free speech. Those who care about free speech should all be publishing those cartoons, over and over. We must stare down the enemies of democracy.

Thank you. Jane E. Lemke Vancouver *

I am a staunch supporter of freedom of the press and academic freedom. But I do not respect your decision to print the cartoons that appeared in a Danish newspaper, provoking outrage from some members of the Muslim community. There are a couple of reasons I do not respect your decision:

First and foremost, there are no absolutes in this world - Context is Everything. And the context here was that the cartoons had already provoked outrage and accompanying mindless violence. The reaction to this is therefore predictable - this will add fuel to the fire. There are times when it is important, even imperative to take a stand and make a statement. I ask you to thoughtfully consider whether this was such a time. You have taken a risk of causing pain and provoking violence - but were you really defending a right that was under any threat. I think not - freedom of speech and freedom of the press are healthily expressed in Canada just now - the real

threat probably comes from the.

concentration of the media in the hands of a handful of corporations - that would be something worth writing about.

When I view your actions, I view it in the context of those who have gone before - a student newspaper at Queen’s “Golden Words” routinely used freedom of the press as an excuse to print material whose only purpose was to provoke - not to provoke thought, but to provoke hatred and violence.

In the case of “Golden Words” it was hatred of women and racial minorities. They may have been free to print the material - but at what cost? I am not accusing you or your editorial staff of racism or religious intolerance, but I do think you have acted without looking at the context of your actions - which may cause much pain. Would you have printed cartoons that were equally offensive to other religious or ethnic groups, just for the sake of making a statement? I find myself in the extremely unusual position of agreeing with a member of the conservative government (yikes!) who has said that rights come

with responsibility - in this case I believe you have acted in the interests of sensationalism rather than responsibly address the issue of violence and religious intolerance.

| Jill Irwin, Ph.D. C.Psych

Adjunct Assistant Professor Department of Psychology

Academic freedom? Freedom of the press? Freedom of religion? Nice sellout, losers! ’'m now ashamed to admit that I was once a student of UPEI.

John Neish

I am dismayed at your decision to print the cartoons that have offended and outraged so many people. You said to CTV Newsnet that you decided to publish the cartoons so that your readers could decide for themselves whether the cartoons are offensive.

Mr. Keating, it truly does not matter whether or not your readers find the cartoons offensive. The fact of the matter is that many thousands of people DO find them extremely offensive, so much so that riots have escalated to the point where we have already seen several deaths.

It makes no sense whatsoever to do anything to risk fanning the flames in this situation. I believe your decision to publish the cartoons was based on very poor judgment. You owe an apology to all who have been offended and hurt by this move.

Vaughan Marshall

Regarding your direction’s decision to remove all copies of your student newspaper, you should be ashamed of your censorship. Isn’t free speech the pillar of academia? What a disgrace. My congratulations to The Cadre’s staff for standing proud in front of the barbarism, intolerance and violent intimidation from a part of the Muslim world.

Mathieu M. Bolduc Université de Sherbrooke

I am writing to express my support for your decision to print the cartoons that ate so much in the news these days. They are,.as you said in an interview I heard on CFRA here in Ottawa, offensive. But, the proper point is “So what?” Being offensive is not against the law. Being offensive is part of

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democracy. And, you are absolutely correct to ask, “Why have the major media outlets in Canada and the United States been so reluctant to demonstrate their support for free speech.”

The argument on the other side seems to be that if members of the Muslim faith are offended because non-Muslims fail to follow the rules of Islam, then, somehow, the non- Muslims have violated a rule. But, said “rule” does not exist outside of a Muslim state, which, as far as I am aware, we are not.

There are those who would

argue that such cartoons are “hate speech” and are akin to cross burnings by the KKK. Such an argument shows a great ignorance of the KKK and the purpose of cross burnings — which was to intimidate ex-slaves, to prevent them from exercising the rights granted to them by the Amendments to the Constitution that grew out of the American Civil War. Cross burnings were used to gather the Klan together before lynchings. In the 1920s, cross burnings were also used to intimidate Jews. Publishing offensive cartoons is, well, publishing offensive cartoons. If a person were to burn a Koran in a mosque, that would be illegal — according to our criminal and civil law. We would, properly, seek to prosecute said person (or sue him/her in civil court for damages) in the courts established under the Canadian Constitution — not under a religious code; ditto for those who desecrate churches and temples.

In closing, let me again commend you for your stand.

Dr. Nathan M. Greenfield Gloucester, Ontario

Since our troops are being attacked by Muslims, it would be nice to know what in hell the fuss is about. This is our country and we can do what we want. Print as many cartoon photos — as you like, and if possible send me a copy so I can get it enlarged and walk around town with it. Stand fast Cadre, Keep up the good work.

Neil Flemming, Charlottetown

Dear Misters MacLauchlan, Dodds and Bridges, I was very disappointed to learn of your administrations’ decisions to use censorship in response to the recent appearance of controversial cartoons on the UPEI