Opinions
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CARMEN Frelek is surely having a laugh by suggesting The Examiner favours left opinions in the letters page.
Obviously anyone with a lightly different opinion than hers is a leftie which would account for 99 per cent of the population.
Perhaps the editor could give her a weekly column ala Andrew Bolt.
— F. SCOTT, North Hobart.
Health
DR ANNE Brand may not be involved in clinical issues but she might be involved with setting attitudinal directions in the health industry.
Her interest in an alternative-medicine business, tells us something about her worldview.
Alternative activities (they are not medicine) such as reiki, crystal healing and theta therapy, at best present a business opportunity based on the buyer beware principle.
Perhaps some operators of these businesses believe they are providing effective health interventions using alternative techniques.
In this case we should hold grave concerns for their ability to understand basic concepts such as evidence, confirmation bias and placebo.
— M. FYFE, Riverside.
Criminals
WHAT is it with our courts that they continually give repeat criminals suspended sentences?
What earthly use is a suspended sentence, or a good behaviour bond, or community service in giving a guideline to someone who has already committed more than one crime, as to what behaviour is acceptable and what is not?
A slap on the wrist and please don't do it again.
For a first time offender I can see the point, but I see someone charged with two home invasions was given a suspended sentence this last week.
I also recently noted a repeat sex offender being given a suspended sentence.
Sorry, not good enough.
— ANNE BRELSFORD, Legana.
Art
WHY not use the railings on the outside of the City Park, particularly along Brisbane Street, for the display and sale of art by local artists?
This would be a brilliant idea for Saturdays and Sundays.
They do it in Paris and London and probably many other cities around the world, so why not Launceston?
Just a thought. If the rules and regulations people could keep it simple, all the better.
— NIGEL BURFITT, Kelso.
Election
TWO large Liberal adverts appeared in The Examiner spruiking Andrew Nikolic and Eric Hutchinson.
Not to be out done, there is one from Labor Senator Helen Polley as well.
Looks to me like there is truth to the rumour circulating of a snap election in the offing.
— ESTELLE ROSS, Riverside.
Launceston Show
I HOPE that John Denne’s suggestion that the Launceston Show be held at Longford is ‘tongue in cheek’.
As there is already a ‘Launceston’ Holiday park at Legana, we don’t want to confuse the tourists too much.
One should perhaps ask – why was the showground moved from its original site at Elphin to a less suitable site at Invermay in the first place?
Was the land perhaps more valuable for housing?
If so, there are three local golf courses that had better ‘watch their backs’
Wherever the showground is, there will be some heavier than usual traffic congestion, but let us face it this is only once a year for a few days.
If the ground is to be moved to Newnham, it would be nice to have once again purpose built stables, kennels, cattle stables, cat/small animals showing areas, home crafts, CWA tea rooms, manufacturing and retail display areas and a big arena.
What about those who use the market each week?
If UTAS is to be located at Invermay, will this also mean the loss of free parking at the round-house and walking areas for the general public?
I hope that the powers that be can make the correct decisions.
We cannot afford as a city and a state to keep shifting everything around at huge cost.
— T. M. RICHARDSON, Ravenswood.
Geelong Star hypocrisy
THE absolute hysterical hypocrisy of those calling for the Geelong Star to be banned from fishing in Australian waters has been graphically exposed this week.
In south-western Australia a commercial fishing trawler captured and killed a rare shark as part of its usual by-catch.
Instead of doing what 99.9 per cent of all other commercial operators do and shovel it overboard with all the other by-catch it was brought back to port.
The fishermen were then lauded for handing over the dead shark for scientific examination.
On the other hand the Geelong Star accidentally killed some dolphins and seals, something so common to such fishing operations that permits are issued, and the howls of anguish are deafening despite neither seals nor dolphins being rare.
Not a peep was heard about the killing of the rare shark.
Nor is anything said about any other by-catch or recreational fishermen who deliberately kill magnificent species such as a 235 kilogram Broadbill Swordfish.
The stench of hypocrisy is overpowering indeed.
— GEOFF MCLEAN, Launceston.
Letters
IN response to Carmen Frelek (The Examiner, June 26).
I find your claims that The Examiner favours the left to be without foundation.
Firstly, most letters I have read in recent times address issues in the community, not politics, and those that do are reasonably even-weighted.
I am a die-hard lefty, and I see roughly the same amount of letters that agitate me as I do ones that I whole-heartedly agree with. This is the nature of good debate.
The public are the ultimate judges of our politicians and their persuasions and this will be echoed in their letters. We are not divided steadfastly into Left and Right but have the ability to change our minds.
This is the huge percentage of the population known as swing voters, and they are doing what they do best: swinging.
— CODY HANDLEY, Hadspen.
Equality
EQUALITY prevails this morning as I read that like Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Argentina, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Brazil and Spain, the United States Supreme Court has voted 5-4 in favour of same-sex marriage.
So now it's just Australia, and countries like Russia, China, Korea, Indonesia and all those lovely countries in the Middle East that still won't allow gay marriage.
Marriage equality in Australia is inevitable, and the sooner this is recognised by the government the sooner we can catch up with the rest of the world.
— NATASHA FOSTER, Dilston.
Free speech
THE most disturbing aspect emerging from Zaky Mallah’s appearance on Q&A is the appallingly condescending attitude of some politicians and commentators to the general public.
Evidently we, the great unwashed, being unsophisticated and unintelligent, are incapable of making up our own minds as to the calibre of panellists.
As mature adults we resent being told how to think and feel.
Presumably free speech is only legitimate when it follows the government line.
And just in case anybody is worried, I am not thinking of inviting Zaky for tea and biscuits any time soon.
— RALPH MARSHALL, Launceston.
Tram
WITH reference to the article in (The Examiner, June 24) “Tram Off the Rails”, these members, with more than 100 years service to the society, have given of their time to create an icon for the Launceston community.
From humble beginnings almost 20 years ago, they and other members have restored Tram 29 to operational condition, restored Tram 8 to a static display and Tram 1 to almost running condition, plus created a world class museum gallery.
To lock these members out of the facility that they helped create is a huge injustice considering the sacrifice they have made, at times giving of family and personal commitments for the good of the society.
Without the dedication of these members though their workmanship, research and commitment to restore and conserve history, a large part of Launceston’s heritage would have been lost.
— BRIAN BARRETT, Trevallyn.
Corporations
WHAT a week for the spineless federal government, making decisions that make you wonder who's side they are actually on.
Last year a senate committee strongly recommended a royal commission into the way banks and various advisers went about the business of bad if not out right corrupt ways of investing ordinary people's money in various schemes.
This committee saw and heard compelling evidence that serious action needed to be taken.
So this week in the senate they voted against the recommendation once again indicating how corporations control governance of the people by the politicians.
It is another shameful episode by them.
— PETER M. TAYLOR, Midway Point.