Spirit
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A TIME to pay tribute but not to celebrate, Mark Baker writes (The Examiner, April 23) “the fighting at Gallipoli has largely been regarded as the crucible in which a nation’s spirit was forged”.
I’d use the term “highlighted” rather than forged.
Our diggers had that “spirit” before they left our shores, we need to focus more on what they did before and after the war rather than what they did or didn’t do during the war.
— A. R. TROUNSON, Needles.
Supertrawler
THE semantics over the size of the super trawler by Senator Richard Colbeck is indicative of a sneaky methodology.
They've cut the size of the ship down that is allowed but it will still be able to decimate entire schools of fish.
Then try to defend the killing of dolphins and seals by being aggressive in parliament as though everyone else is to blame.
— MAX WELLS, Sorell.
World War I
CLAIRE Van Ryn’s religious column might have misled readers into believing that the World War I was a boon for spiritualism as soldiers sought the solace of God to get them through the unadulterated horror of trench warfare.
But historians know better: World War I was an unmitigated disaster for organised religion, which never regained its power in the wake of the horrific events it did so much to excuse and encourage.
In 1919, soldiers and their families realised they had been duped: young men were pressured into signing up and marching off to a war that was presented as an adventure, a crusade for Christian values.
What they got was poison gas, mates blown to smithereens by capricious ill-luck, and those who cracked under the strain often branded cowards or malingerers.
In the 1930s, the churches were again busy raising money and recruits for fascism, as the Spanish military, with Nazi help, crushed an elected secular government.
Today, religious forces perpetuate the insoluble wars that are destroying the Middle East and Africa.
We would all do far better to recognise our common humanity.
— PETER LLOYD, Reedy Marsh.
Lead poisoning
The lead in the drinking water in towns in North-East Tasmania should really come as no surprise to anyone who lives in the area.
A TasWater representative said on Thursday’s 7.30 Report that they have only been testing since 2009.
That means there has been evidence of the critically dangerous levels for six years.
So why hasn’t something been done about fixing the problem during this time?
Obviously the inept local councils would have done nothing while they were in control, so how long have the levels been there?
What about state health authorities, aren’t they supposed to monitor public health issues?
I can guess that there will now be dozens of “meetings” where every department and official will be blaming everyone else; the buck will be passed from desk to desk, and the final conclusion will be that nobody was directly responsible, so nobody can be blamed.
In the meantime the danger won’t just go away.
Telling people to boil their water, how this is supposed to destroy heavy metals is beyond me.
The sooner that Tasmania gets rid of all the local councils the better for everyone.
— COL HAYWARD, Goshen.