Dear Editor

Your full page advertisement on November 10 for special deals on violent video war games on November 11, Remembrance Day only, underscores a remarkably cynical collusion between your newspaper and the corporate merchants who would have us amusing ourselves to death as they reap their profits from violent entertainment. Honouring those soldiers who have fallen in previous wars on our collective behalf to safeguard our liberties by urging youth and their parents to rush to the nearest video outlet for a DVD of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Gears of War 2 or Call of Duty: World at War" is, an oxymoron to say the least. It makes light of sacrifices from a previous era and encourages war in perpetuity.

It also trivializes the tragic death of 15-year-old Brandon Crisp whose addiction to a violent video war game caused him to run away from home. You quote Emily Noble, president of the Canadian Teachers' Federation who says the union will be lobbying politicains at all levels to fund more education about the safe use of technology. It is time the education community demonstrated more backbone on the issue of harmful effects of violent video games and called for a boycott of retail outlets who sell these games instead of more education on the subject. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Submitted by: Rose Anne Dyson Ed.D. Consultant in Media Education Chair: Science for Peace (Media Working Group), University of Toronto President: Canadians Concerned about Violence in Entertainment http://www.c-cave.com