Torch replay

The Canadian Olympic Committee claims trademark protection from the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance's logo: an upside-down heart burning in a hand-held torch (Heart Group's Torch Symbol Burns Canadian Olympic Committee – Jan. 22).

The modern Olympics ostensibly derive from the Greek victory over Persia at Marathon, from where the soldier Pheidippides ran the 26 miles to Athens to proclaim the victory, whereupon he collapsed and died. Since his demise could well have been from cardiac arrest, the COC's grievance against the CCHA seems – well, heartless.

James Black, Calgary

I guess it takes one to know one. Corporate bully for years, its incompetent senior management not content just to be one of the biggest failures in the manufacturing industry in all time, after huge Government bailout with our money, General Motors Canada has sponsored another great big bully government-funded loser just like itself namely, the Canadian Olympic Committee. You would think they had learned their lesson after the moral-loser that they funded on the golf course.

And what is this Committee doing with this money, which could easily have come out of our pockets? It is picking on a tiny little volunteer association called the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance because the group's "broken heart-on-a-stick" logo looks vaguely like a flaming torch. Since when were f(lam)ing torches the exclusive property of a fat cat organization like the Canadian Olympic Committee with its huge administrative expenses and salaries.

The Canadian Congenital Cardiac Alliance is hardly a competitor trying to cash in on the Olympics with the intent of commercial gain by offering some unauthorized product or service. Its members have severe heart disorders from birth. Everyday for these people is like an Olympic event and there will not be any gold or fame for them – their prize is being alive the day after, and hopefully the day after that. And these people do not have self-inflicted lifestyle heart disease. They haven't indulged themselves in smoking, excessive alcohol, calories, fat, sugar and salt or illegal performance enhancing drugs. They do not have expensive (and unhealthy) banquets like the Canadian Olympic Committee. But apparently they are a threat to the Canadian Olympic Committee because it is opposing the registration of their logo that they have had and used for six years so far.

And look at the other big losers that are funding this gang of bullies. Other corporate bullies like the Royal Bank, and losers like Bell Canada (look at how much money they have lost over the years on Montreal Trust, Daon Developments, deals with Verizon and the biggest of them all Northern Telecom – but they still got paid - and great big bonuses too.

Congratulations General Motors – you continue to try to throw your weight around by funding your friend's efforts to gang up on a tiny little group of Canadians with severely impaired cardiac function. It breaks my heart. You fully deserve to be the second-rate

company that you have become. 

Bob Lowrie

Desperately looking for a venue where they can actually win something, the Canadian Olympic Committee is contesting the right of a tiny little volunteer organization that supports Canadians with congenital heart disease (i.e. they were born with it) to register their logo because they claim that the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance's  "heart-on-a stick" emblem resembles that of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Apparently, if you are big enough and have enough money you can lay claim to anything that looks like a stick or a flame.  And, how are these people trying to cash-in on the Olympics? It is this big group of administrative losers that is cashing in on the Olympics!

Come on, how small-mindedly ridiculous can you get. A wealthy, fat cat, heavily sponsored, tax-payer subsidized organization feels threatened by a tiny little group of cardiac cripples, people who have had major heart problems all their lives, people who are exhausted just by the normal activities of daily living. These are not careless people who suffer from self-inflicted heart disease because of over-indulgence in smoking, calories, fat, sugar and salt – these are people born with severe heart disorders that they could do nothing to prevent. But still, the great big bully Canadian Olympic Committee, representing the only country in the world that has never won a gold medal at its own Olympics, is beating up on this little group of mostly young people with severely damaged and/or partially repaired hearts. Maybe a little team of cardiac disabled Canadians is all they are good enough to beat.

Shame on you Canadian Olympic Committee, and shame on VISA, CTV, General Motors, Royal Bank, the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada and all the other corporations that have encouraged these spoiled egotistical has-been so-called "sportsman" by giving them huge amounts of money. This is what you get. Congratulations. All of you, please line up to receive your medal – the Toxic Heavy Metal medal for winning the competition for the most offensive act ever committed in the name of the Olympic Movement anywhere in the world.

Beat up on someone your own size you pack of bullies. We do not just have a problem of violence in hockey – we have a problem of violence in our sports administration. Who are you going to bully next – premature babies, or old people because their walking sticks look like a flaming torch, but upside down? Why not take on the Maple Leafs – there's another group of overpaid losers and bullies. At least you would be playing in your own financial league.

Visit the web site of this courageous little group at www.cchaforlife.org  and try not to throw up when you read the article about the actions of the great big Canadian Olympic Committee which is more concerned with self-aggrandizement and multi-millionaire professionals than anything else.

Bob Lowrie