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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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X-rated politics

Last fall, when he was still a presidential candidate, Donald Trump said his crass comments referring to women as "pigs" or "slobs" were all in name of "entertainment." When he became President, I remembered this. His behaviour hasn't changed, making it clear that he does not take the presidency seriously.

To keep my sanity, I decided if he was going to treat what he says and does as mere "entertainment," that's how I would treat what he and his administration say and do – as nothing but entertainment. I never expected it to be X-rated "adult entertainment."

Mr. Trump's new communications director Anthony Scaramucci's latest profanity-laced diatribe, lashing out at White House colleagues, reveals just how low the bar is now for acceptable political "entertainment" in the Trump administration's America.

George Olds, Hamilton

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I was going back and forth between the movie Goodfellas and a CNN report on the Scaramucci interview. Back. Forth. Joe Pesci. Anthony Scaramucci. Pesci. Scaramucci. Foul-mouthed psychopath versus foulmouthed …whatever.

After a while, it became hard to differentiate, until I realized – aha! – Mr. Scaramucci's real goal must be to eventually fit into the mafia roles previously portrayed by Mr. Pesci (who is now older and more fragile). Mr. Trump on TV; Mr. Scaramucci in films: Best entertainment since the original Roman Colosseum – and just as deadly to others' "careers."

Gino Nicodemo, London, Ont.

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As a first-generation Irish Canadian, I am proud of my cultural background, and experience the representation of it every March 17. But all the silly hats and antics do not truly represent the reality of my background: Irish culture is more James Joyce and Oscar Wilde than green beer.

That's why I find the cultural appropriation by the vulgar new White House communications director so troubling. His claim that his behaviour is based on straight-shooting Italian American culture is alarming. Italian culture is based on Cicero, da Vinci, even the genius of Enzo Ferrari, not the likes of Tony Soprano.

Italian culture represents sophistication not only in the arts, food and wine, but more importantly in its civility and appreciation of the gracious lifestyle. Mr. Scaramucci is one of those dangerous characters who tries to survive by appropriating a flawed stereotype, then revels in its inauthenticity to mask his own shortcomings and obnoxious personality. Simply put, he is the type of buffoon who I am sure calls a masterful tomato sauce "a good gravy." It's all too distasteful for words.

Jimmy Molloy, Toronto

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Democracy abroad

Your well-written editorial about Turkey, A Nation Descends Into Dictatorship (July 28), is a stark reminder of a trend – or perhaps an avalanche? – descending on republics all over the world today.

One only has to look at Poland, Venezuela and South Africa to see how easily a president can become an oligarch. The situation already exists in much of Africa.

Is it happening now, over our border? Perhaps our parliamentary system is not so bad after all.

Norman Paterson, Thornbury, Ont.

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Re Democracy Is At Stake In Poland. Why Are We Silent? (July 25): Jillian Stirk suggests that Poland "has a legacy of flirting with authoritarian governments." The fact is that for 68 of the 100 years of the 20th century, Poland was under foreign occupation or behind the Iron Curtain – and for most of the remaining 32 years of freedom, Poland was a functioning Western democracy.

Ms. Stirk references Poland's "history of anti-Semitism, which helped pave the way for the horrors of the Holocaust." Poland was once known as paradisus judaeorum, and was home for centuries to the world's largest Jewish population. What "paved the way" for the horrors of the Holocaust was Nazi Germany's brutal invasion, occupation, and implementation of Hitler's final solution.

Dominic Roszak, communications director, Canadian Polish Congress

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Assumptions

Re Canada Can Spend 10 Times More On Child Care, IMF Says (July 27): Why is it that when 150,000 "highly educated women" make the decision to stay home with their children, it is automatically assumed by those in power – which usually means men – that they need to be "prodded" to make a better choice?

Sarah Cherry, Calgary

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Beyond 'consult'

Re The 'Duty To Consult,' And Its Limits (editorial, July 27): The Supreme Court has made it clear that NEB-approved resource projects will not go ahead without proper consultation with Indigenous communities whose rights may be impacted. But what if the communities are properly consulted and feel that not enough is done to address their concerns?

What does this mean for reconciliation efforts? The government's intent to regain public trust through the modernization of the National Energy Board will not be achieved through a "duty to consult" that does not recognize Indigenous peoples' free, prior, and informed consent.

And if the greater good outweighs local interests, what is to be said about the extraction of fuel which when burned contributes to climate change and undermines Canada's commitments in Paris? Reconciliation involves more than rebuilding relationships with Indigenous peoples, but the very earth itself.

Beth Lorimer, ecological justice program co-ordinator, Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

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Gotta go. Now!

For the quarter of a million Canadians living with chronic and incurable inflammatory bowel diseases, the need for accessible washrooms is critical (When You Gotta Go, But There's No Public Toilet In Sight, July 25). Urgent and frequent diarrhea is a common symptom of Crohn's and colitis. During flare-ups, sufferers can feel like they live in the washroom, isolated at home due to the constant fear of not being able to find or access a toilet.

Washroom access is a basic human right. The federal government needs to show leadership and legislate washroom access in the Canadians with Disabilities Act. Crohn's and Colitis Canada is also calling on businesses through the GoHere program to open their washrooms to people in need.

Mina Mawani, CEO, Crohn's and Colitis Canada

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Having me on

Am I the only one who cringes when someone ends an interview with, "Thanks for having me on"? The speaker means to say, "Thanks for having me on your program," but by leaving out a few bits, is expressing thanks for not being taken seriously. Mind you, perhaps a lot of interviews nowadays deserve such a reaction. Thanks for having me on (your editorial page).

Johanna Cutcher, Victoria

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