Prairie Dog’s letter page rides a “hate-filled” wave
A few issues back, Prairie Dog published a story by Patricia Elliott lamenting the destruction of Regina’s indoor skatepark to make way for the new $278 million stadium. Prairie Dog reader Jo Katera wrote a letter criticizing the article, which in turn led to subsequent letters about skateparks, stadiums, disenfranchisement, uh, God, abortion and creationism. The fun continues this issue! /Stephen Whitworth
[hr]
REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIANITY’S EVER-EVOLVING INTELLECTUAL TRADITIONS
Move over St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas! your eloquent and logical arguments for the existence of God have been usurped. Jo Katera’s “Kool-Aid creationism” [Letters, June 27-July 10] has become the gold standard. Of course back in 1968 we had Tom Wolfe’s Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, but that involved LSD. Hey! Wait a minute.
Michael Forbes, Regina
[hr]
THE WORLD HAS MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE, GERALD
Re: Jo Katera’s letter last issue: seriously? Prayer is powerful? Everyone knows God exists? Bwahhahaha! I’m not even sure Jo K. exists — I think she’s a product of the editor’s fevered imagining of what a right-wing wingnut would sound like. No one’s actually that deluded, are they?
Gerald Faucher, Regina
Editor’s note: Thanks for the letter, Gerald. As far as I know, Jo Katera’s a real person. If Jo’s a fiction, she isn’t mine. /SW
[hr]
HEY, YO, I’M WITH JO
Jo Katera sent a letter in and apparently received much hate mail after it. For the life of me, I cannot understand why. There’s nothing Katera wrote that was rude or offensive. The points in the letter were all accurate and true, and presented intelligently and thoughtfully. There was no name-calling or nasty remarks. I hardly think she deserved the flurry of insults and manic anger that followed. These readers who wrote in to attack Katera didn’t even seem to respond to what she wrote. They just seemed to be rambling about their own opinions and using Katera as the scapegoat on which to unload contempt and disdain.
I fully support everything Katera wrote. Mosaic Stadium is past her expiration date and the city is moving on. Job creation and progress are good things. So is creating much needed new housing.
There is an old saying that says something like “If you aren‘t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.“ There is another saying “Living in the past is a fool‘s paradise.“ It’s easy to sit around and bitch and blame others. If people want a new indoor skate plaza, go out and make it happen! Raise the money, and get it built. Or easier… find a way to turn one of the empty buildings downtown into a skate facility. That would be a positive! Don‘t lament over a dilapidated building that is being demolished. Skateboarders deserve better!
Ashlee Hamilton, Regina
[hr]
KATERA RESPONDS, AGAIN
I’m very glad my letter caused such a maelstrom of activity. I’d like to respond to all of my apparent detractors.
To Natalie who wrote the first letter: she came at me like I was saying skateboarders should be shot and killed on site. I recall in writing, “I am all for skateboarders! It’s their recreation, their fun and their livelihood.” Perhaps I should have prefaced that by saying that I feel they deserve a building that is not past condemnation! I would love for Regina to have a new, state of the art facility for skateboarders!
To Marc Spooner. Not much to argue there. Um, taxes. Ya. This Marc is obviously opposed to jobs and progress and such. I don‘t even understand his argument.
To Dawn Thomas: Yes, the land on the former Taylor Field site is going to be for housing. May it take a long time? Yes. The alternative? No housing there. And she takes issue that it will create jobs? Does she have any idea of how many people it takes to run a facility like that? Food service, customer service, construction, maintenance, groundskeepers… Casino Regina is a fraction of the size and it employs 800-plus people.
Finally, to Trish Elliott, author of the original piece about the skatepark: she wrote the shortest and most offensive reply to me. She accused me of lacking a heart, a soul, and compassion. Those are powerful, hateful, and ignorant words. I support skateboarding and I also support economic development in my city. Regina lost a very lucrative annual event, the Royal Red Arabian Horse Show, due to inadequate facilities. Elliott encouraged me to enjoy my football game while I cackle maniacally in my evil nature.
Those old condemned disgusting facilities were a blight and an embarrassment on this city‘s profile. This stadium is much more than a stadium. It is a multi-purpose facility that, if done right, can house any number of recreational opportunities. Why can’t they include a skate park inside? Or a wave pool? Or a movie theatre?
I sincerely wish that people would actually READ what I wrote rather than whipping off nonsensical, angry hate-filled rants against me for no reason.
But they will, and that‘s what Prairie Dog thrives on, apparently. I hope Prairie Dog prints this so I can enjoy the next wave of hate-filled rants!
Jo Katera, Regina
[hr]
Send letters by e-mail to feedback@prairiedogmag.com or snail mail to #201-1836 Scarth St., Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 2G3. Letters will be edited for grammar, spelling, style and length (300 words maximum). Please include your full name, city of residence and a daytime phone number. This page isn’t an open forum — we only print signed letters about Prairie Dog articles and other editorial content (if you have an enlightening anonymous rant, send it to Queen City Confidential). Letters sent to Prairie Dog may also be printed in Planet S, our sister publication in Saskatoon. Next letters deadline is Wednesday, July 17.
