We just needed to toss out the elected officials who though the city could develop property on its own. And we did just that. After that, what more can we do?

If anything, it reveals the deep anger that has bubbled through the city regarding the 2010 stuff. Specially after the big bailout blow-up. Oh, boy.

I guess what I object to most is that the stereotype is correct. It offends me when people reinforce stereotypes. I love the WWF because they’re awesome. They’re crazy environmentalists who regulary outfox large corporations and kick government ass. They totally buck the stereotype of the guys who believes that if they chain themselves to a tree the environment will magically fix itself.

These guys, however, slot nicely into the stereotype of the rabid protestors who doesn’t really understand the issues that they’re so against.

What it comes down to in this case, is that you believe these people have the incorrect opinion. Because their position is incorrect, they deserve no platform… I’m not sure that’s how I’d like communication to work in our little democracy. I’d prefer everyone to be able to get their position out there… and then, you know, eviscerated, if their position makes no goddamn sense.

It’s not as though the Open Letter is libelous. It’s not slandering anyone. On any day, you should be able to find at least one Op Ed piece in one of the major papers that’s more hateful than this, and just as wrong-headed. And an Op Ed piece clearly represents a greater responsibility for a paper — the Open Letter is clearly not from the paper’s own employee.

Basically, some people got together, and said, in their worldview, pulling out of the Olympics is more attractive than staying in it. They asked for others to weigh the pros and cons. And, oddly, when most sensible people think about the pros and cons… hell, I have absolutely no interest in the Olympics, and find myself just a hair shy of saying that I hate them outright, not just in Vancouver, but anywhere, and even I couldn’t imagine a way in which pulling out of the Olympics with anything short of a Time Machine would be anything less than a complete effing nightmare for this City.

Also: Why does social housing require the destruction of the Olympics? I get that, you know, the Village is already halfway there… but… why not launch a campaign for correcting this city’s housing problem that doesn’t also fuck something up for everyone else?

@Andy. But usually it’s informed horseshit. A mere TWO SECONDS of thought exposes how crazy this letter is. Though I love the Straight, it doesn’t have the best of reputations… and this is part of the reason why.

You seem capable enough of poking holes in the letter writer’s reasoning, so why are you upset that it wasn’t pre-censored for you?

Also, I can’t imagine this will damage the reputation of The Straight… especially considering the letter was published a couple of months ago, and nothing much seems to have come of it.