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    ================= Begin forwarded message =================

    From: di238@freenet.carleton.ca (Terry Cottam)
    To: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca
    Subject: Final Letter to the Editor
    Date: Tue, 20 May

    
    Ottawa LETS
    c/o Centretown Community Health Centre
    340 MacLaren Street
    Ottawa ON  K2P 0M7
    
                                                          20 May 1997
    
    Ottawa Citizen
    Letters to the Editor
    
    Dear Editor:
    
    We would like to bring your attention to the disturbing candidacy
    of John Turmel in the riding of Ottawa West.  Mr. Turmel is running on a
    platform promoting the Local Employment and Trading System (LETS). However,
    as members and managers of Ottawa LETS and HomemakerLETS, we would like to
    make it very clear that we in NO way support his candidacy. Mr. Turmel is
    not a member of any LETS in our area. In fact, he is considered a
    thorn in the side of the whole global LETS movement.
    
    We urge Mr. Turmel to cease immediately his unsolicited, aggressive
    promotion of LETS at all-candidates meetings. In particular, we ask
    him to publicly apologize to the students at the all-candidates
    meeting on May 15th at J.S. Woodsworth high school, where he
    advocated LETS as a solution to teenage suicide. 
    
    LETS does not need this kind of "hard sell." It is totally against
    our values of caring and community.  Unlike Mr. Turmel, we do not
    claim LETS is a panacea for all our social ills.  What LETS does
    offer is a credible alternative to cash that is much needed during
    these hard times, as our social agency partners will attest.
    
    There are now some 1,000 LETSystems worldwide, with government
    support in several countries. Mr. Turmel is eager to promote this.
    What he doesn't say is that LETS supporters everywhere complain
    about his incessant self-promotional postings all over the
    internet. 
    
    Here in Ottawa, his combative public persona is making a mockery of
    our democratic process, not to mention discouraging prospective
    LETS members.  As committed supporters of the LETS concept, we
    believe enough is enough!
    
    Sincerely,
    
    Bethany Sutton, Terry Cottam, Katie Davidman, Joeli Reardon --
    Ottawa LETS Council (Tel. 236-LETS; "go LETS" on Freenet)
    John Hollingsworth, Administrator, HomemakerLETS
    Russell McOrmond, founder, ott.community.lets Usenet newsgroup