Railway nationalization, plus other letters, Sept. 1: ‘One reason to bring back public ownership would be to provide affordable travel for all and reduce air travel'

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Hiding the problem

Re “Supervised drug-consumption sites” (Letters, Aug. 23): Respectfully, I must disagree with letter-writer Ron Beram, my dad. By presenting the horrifying number of deaths caused by a toxic and unregulated drug supply as a problem that needs to be dealt with behind closed doors, he’s fallen victim to an argument that does little more than fuel the fires of dehumanization.

Would one ever propose making access to life-saving diabetes medications similarly conditional? Or cardiac treatment? As a registered nurse serving a community constantly targeted by this rhetoric, it is disheartening to see that despite years of incredible community work, countless peer-reviewed articles and successful projects that prove the opposite, my dad, and too many others, holds fast to a notion that committal, voluntary or otherwise, is the only thing that can be done to save the lives of Canadians.

Torie Beram Prince George, B.C.

Railway journey through time

Re “Wrong track” (Letters, Aug. 27): Letter-writers scorning publicly funded and publicly run trains bring me back to my childhood when my dad worked for Canadian National Railway. Back in the day, passenger service was deemed necessary and was affordable, serving every small community across Canada.

There were four passenger trains each day in my area. Two going east, two going west. Now the emphasis is on goods, not passenger services. There are now two trains a week. These trains are not for ordinary people; the cost is prohibitive.

One reason to bring back public ownership would be to provide affordable travel for all and reduce air travel, which would be one big step toward addressing the climate crisis.

Marianne Freeman Vancouver

Conspiracy of silence?

Re “That’s not who we are” (Letters, Aug. 26): As someone who, in 1968, had experienced government-fomented antisemitism in then-communist Poland, l feel compelled to respond to the letter-writer who wrote: “I disagree that antisemitism is entrenched in our society at large; most people I speak with are shaken by the menace facing our Jewish citizens. Our political leadership is not accurately representing us on this issue.”

Are the above mentioned people, like the majority of our society, so shaken by the menace facing Canadian Jews as to be rendered silent on this matter? And, sadly, with its own silence, our political leadership does accurately represent the apparent majority of our citizens.

Robert Lubinski Uxbridge, Ont.

Spanish voices

Re “Missing Latinos” (Letters, Aug. 27): A letter-writer says that because “there was hardly a Latino speaker on the podium” at the recent Democratic National Convention, the Democrats risk losing the U.S. election in November.

I didn’t watch the whole convention but I did take notice of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ana Navarro, Carlos Eduardo Espina, Alex Padilla, Maria Teresa Kumar, Ruben Gallego, Veronica Escobar, Pete Aguilar and Eva Longoria when they spoke from the podium, occasionally using at least a few words of Spanish.

So hardly “hardly a Latino speaker.”

Frank Gavin Toronto

Comic book heroes

Re “Biggles flies again!” (Letters, Aug. 23): A letter-writer wonders how many Globe and Mail readers will know of Biggles, the First World War Spitfire pilot and hero of the books by Captain W. E. Johns. I’ll wager there are more than he thinks, certainly among octogenarians like myself.

I have often talked about Biggles with other friends of my age and also Capt. Johns’s other heroic characters – Gimlet, a dashing British commando officer, and Worrals, a brave young Women’s Auxiliary Air Force flight officer.

But Biggles was always my favourite because he reminded me of my uncle Ronald, a Spitfire pilot who was shot down over Sicily at 19, got the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, and was a member of the famous Caterpillar Club for pilots who had parachuted out of a disabled aircraft. He later recalled that he had been wearing a borrowed parachute that was too tight and cut painfully into his groin, taking his mind completely off the predicament that he found himself in. A special breed, indeed.

Charles Magill Ottawa

Thanks to the letter-writer who pointed me in the direction of David Parkins’ delightful but apposite cartoon featuring the flying ace Biggles. I haven’t stop chuckling since.

As a young girl growing up in postwar Britain, Biggles was my hero and I looked forward avidly to reading his new adventures. I’ve been a Globe reader for 45 years and no doubt there were others out there who appreciated this trip down memory lane.

Caroline Fancott St. Catharines, Ont.

I suspect many Globe readers, myself included, may have heard of Biggles and read the books, but whether they will admit to it is another matter.

Elizabeth Graham Waterloo, Ont.

Re “Biggles Brings Me Back“ (Letters, Aug. 26): I am with the letter-writer who remembers Desperate Dan, which also brought to mind Dennis the Menace and their female comrade Beryl.

Such reminiscences also revived memories of hand-held publications such as Rover and Hotspur, which had a higher literary content, in days before juvenile hands held super phones.

I do recall Biggles. He had such an enduring career as a pilot I suspect he may still be flying somewhere; Captain W.E. Johns is probably still scribbling.

How about G.A. Henty? Is he still lauding the days of empire?

The letter-writer and I are survivors of a disappearing empire who have the good fortune to be able to recall its literary artefacts.

What became of H. Rider Haggard?

Ian Guthrie Ottawa

Here’s another reader who remembers Desperate Dan (meh) and Biggles (my hero). But does nobody else remember my other, even more charismatic hero: Worrals of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force? Flight Officer Joan Worralson? Christmas and birthdays wouldn’t have been the same without her.

Isobel Grundy Edmonton

Ending on a high note

Re “Rock on” (Letters, Aug. 27): The pinnacle of humour is that which generates an image of such complete hilarity that it resonates in perpetuity. I had thought that Woody Allen’s story of how his grandfather, on his deathbed, sold him a watch was the funniest line I had ever heard until a letter-writer knocked one out of the park.

The letter-writer, who’s 73, suggested that he would have competed in the recent Air Guitar World Championships (won by a Canadian) if there were a category for classical air guitar. The image of such a contest is truly hilarious. Very well done.

Michael Cook London, Ont.

Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Keep letters to 150 words or fewer. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com