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

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Regard with respect?

Re 'Believe The Victim' Has No Place In Courts, Judge Says In Ruling (Aug. 10): As police officers, one might expect those good Samaritans would ensure that a woman, in such an intoxicated condition, would be housed safely for the night. But of course, these are not police officers behaving as we have a right to expect them to behave. They bring shame and disgrace to an occupation at one time regarded with pride and respect.

The victim had the courage to come forward, and whether or not she drunkenly consented to the acts carried out by those pathetic individuals, and regardless of the not-unexpected verdict (unfortunately, too often the case in so many charges where police officers are involved), the "good old boys down at the station" are probably preparing one helluva party to celebrate the vindication of three wretched co-workers.

I hope, for the sake of thousands of decent police officers in this province, that I am wrong, and that the aforementioned trio are removed from the service.

Brian Morrison, Guelph, Ont.

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So it's legally okay for three drunk male policemen to have sex with a drunk woman? One suspects, as they say, that there ought to be a law. And it isn't this one.

Geoff Smith, Kingston

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It is the job of the court to test all statements by both complainant and accused and find out where the best truth lies. The court's job was not made any easier in this case by the apparent state of intoxication of all parties.

Michael Moore, Toronto

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Frankly, I don't think consent is the issue here. The issue is the behaviour of three police officers who, when off duty, behaved just like other entitled males who think it is their right to bring one woman to their room when all have been drinking, a woman with much less power than they have physically and socially, and proceed to have sex with her.

And why did only one officer testify? Why didn't all three of these men, whom we are supposed to regard with respect, testify? Does anyone have respect for police officers who think this is an acceptable way to spend their off-duty hours?

Linda Sheppard, Toronto

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Threat assessment

The U.S. "intelligence community" is warning that North Korea has nuclear weapons for ballistic missile delivery (U.S., North Korea Trade Threats Of Attack, Aug. 9). Would that be the same "intelligence community" that claimed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction?

Patricia Clarke, Toronto

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Indigenous inquiry

Re Let Indigenous Canadians Run It (editorial, Aug. 9): I see a benefit in having Indigenous people run the inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. However, suggesting that Ottawa set a defined amount of funding and expecting politicians to stick to it is folly. What government would risk re-election by cutting off funding when delays (and there will be many), extensive testimony, travel costs, and a host of other factors cause the inquiry to go on forever?

Barry Heath, Saskatoon

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Why does this inquiry exist?

It assuages our national guilt for an intractable problem. It isn't the first and it won't be the last: 1969: White paper on Indian Policy; 1975: Indian-government relations paper; 1979: Indian health policy; 1980: Berger report on Indian and Inuit health; 1983: Penner report on Indian self-government; 1992-96: Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

Patrick Skuce, Caledon, Ont.

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Gender, race, tech

Re Tech Leaders Must Stop Treating Humanity Like Computer Code (Aug. 10): I am an industry insider who has worked in software development and information systems for more than 25 years. Gender or race was never an issue; our work was to design and build systems.

The technical underpinnings of engineering and computer science are based on mathematics. The truth, which seems to be incidental in the social arguments, is that competency in computer programming is strongly correlated with competency in two branches of mathematics: logic and algebra. No amount of arguing or political posturing about gender or race will change that.

It is not without irony that most software engineering and computer programming positions will be replaced by artificial intelligence agents within a few years, specifically because mathematical reasoning is the low-hanging fruit of machine learning.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon and others currently have voice-activated artificial intelligence agents that will cobble together code into working systems, eliminating several steps in the chain – and therefore, several jobs in the chain. The future is now; the competency of these intelligent coding agents will only improve.

Frank Krzyzewski, Ottawa

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Researchers should look at the former Soviet Union, where women engineers were commonplace.

Tamara Bukhanov, Toronto

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I read fired Google employee James Damore's memo, including the part titled Personality Differences. I also read Debra Soh's article, No, The Google Manifesto Isn't Sexist. It's Science (Aug. 9).

Applying statements about "women, on average" to women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is as illogical as applying statements about "people, on average" to the people working in STEM. All people working in STEM have an interest in ideas and things. That's why they are in STEM. The controversy around this memo is a reminder why equity and inclusion policies are still needed in the workplace.

Tatyana Barron, London, Ont.

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In the face of evil

Re Documents Unveil Canadian As A Holocaust Hero (Aug. 8): In the excellent article about Julius Kuhl, a little-known Holocaust hero, reference is made to Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg, famous for saving many Jews from the Nazis. Another such hero is Chiune Sugihara, who saved some 6,000 Jews.

He was the consul general of Japan in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1940 when, against advice from his superiors in Japan, he risked his career and livelihood to provide thousands of Japanese transit visas, enabling these Jews to travel through Siberia to Japan and subsequently Shanghai, the United States and Canada. After the war, he was dismissed from the Japanese diplomatic service, ostensibly for insubordination.

He, too, has been recognized by Israel as a "Righteous Gentile."

Morley Lertzman, North Vancouver

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Hmm ...

Re Putting The Bee In Burglary (Folio, Aug. 9): Stolen bee hives?

The police should set up a sting operation – sponsored by BuzzFeed.

Alison Cooper, Toronto

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