I'm dismayed by your bit of emotional discharge entitled "Railroaded". It trivializes the experience of actual political prisoners, and gives a pretty good idea of why some public service workers become thick skinned ("appropriately" --- boos, jeers, etc? Give me a break. What about civility? Perhaps you might have learned a bit more about what the problem was if the atmosphere was a bit more polite).

It sounds like your expectation is for servants, not for service --- that doesn't sound like good grounds for a "freedom" party to take! Although I live south of the border, I ride Via at every opportunity (about 10,000 miles in the past year) and find the staff civil and professional (and particularly good with kids). Most trains arrive promptly, even ahead of schedule seems to be the norm on the eastern corridor. So, what's up? Think a bit about what you mean by freedom before writing this stuff.

- Jennifer Sarah Tiffany, RN, MRP, jst5@cornell.edu, January 1997

Thanks for taking the time to send along your comments about our December 1989 essay, 'Railroaded' by Marc Emery. Rest assured that we DO take freedom seriously. However, that won't stop us from taking a lighthearted or humorous approach to the issues.

We're pleased to hear that VIA Rail has improved its service since that article was written. Perhaps the improvements in service were in some way a result of all the criticism levied against VIA at that time. That would mean that you are now benefitting from past actions, and that pleases us greatly.

The fact that you have had one particular experience with VIA does not in any way negate the experience of any other individual. One may find oneself in great disagreement with many people when displaying such an attitude toward the experiences of others.

Mr. Emery's experience with VIA Rail was not unique. Around the same time that 'Railroaded' was written, Fp president Robert Metz reported an experience with VIA which was far more uncomfortable than anything Mr. Emery related --- a veritable page out of Atlas Shrugged.

However, that was not the point of the article. Rail consumers lack choice in Ontario. True competition in rail service is still not permitted in Canada and that's unfortunate. There have been reports of private rail services from around the world bidding to bring their high-speed 21st-century rail technology to our part of the world, but who are experiencing bureaucratic delays and rejections.

Even if marginally improved, Canadians still do not have freedom of choice in this basic service. Via Rail should still be privatized, and open competition should be the rule of the rail.

Those who browse through Freedom Party's web site or newsletters will generally discover articles of every caliber and tone: Serious. Humorous. Angry. Sad. Happy. Funny. Simple. Complex. Emotional. Reasoned.

But all are about the theme of individual freedom, and written by people who deeply care about, and have a passion for, freedom.

We hope you take the time to check out some of our other essays (bearing in mind their originally published dates), and see for yourself whether or not what we've just told you holds up to scrutiny.