Smoking
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IN ATTEMPTING to ban smoking at Festivale and other council venues the Launceston City Council is once again exceeding its authority in full knowledge that they have no legal grounds to base this decision on.
It was tried before with the Brisbane Street Mall and other areas and council had to back off until until state legislation was enacted.
— RON BAINES, Kings Meadows.
Leave
THE question has to be asked of Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews, when they are being paid big bucks for talking to fellow right wing crusaders in the US on the speaking tours, that they are doing so on leave without pay from the Australian Parliament and taxpayer.
Or is this another nicely paid little rort?
— PETER TAYLOR, Midway Point.
Pride
NO ONE should dispute the right of Dr Bob Brown or other conservationists to protest whenever they feel they must, but what really gets up the noses of many people is that they have no qualms about running down our state to achieve their aims.
To many of us it seems that the only things that they see as worthwhile are the wilderness and natural wonders of our state.
It seems that pride and loyalty to the people of this state and what they have achieved means very little to them, and if they have to overturn the whole structure of our society to achieve their aims then so be it.
By all means fight for what you believe, but not to the extent of taking away the pride and respect for the good things we have achieved or trying to disable the parts of our economy that still work well.
— MALCOLM MCCULLOCH, Pipers River.
An Election Year
AN ELECTION year intensifies the bizarre ongoing political activity of ‘mud slinging’.
This somewhat infantile process involves all political parties and a compliant media.
When I was a younger person, I imagined that the political activity of ‘promoting policies’ would be like a weekend marketplace, where the political ‘stalls’ displayed their wares/policies for the customer to consider.
In reality, the customers are confronted with an aggressive display of infighting amongst stall holders.
The stall folders face each other (showing little regard for their customers) and in a continuous selfish flurry of pie throwing, water bombing and paper flicking, they historically hope to count more hits on the other stall holders than are made upon them.
The media somehow considers the selfish flurry to be ‘newsworthy’.
I consider they (the media) are as infantile as the political parties.
The media should be a little more mature and refuse to base their stories around the ‘fight’ while insisting their questions (on our behalf) about policies be answered directly without any sign of projectiles directed at another stall holder.
It is wishful thinking by the customers that the infantile behaviour by all parties is effectively eliminated and that a policy or two can be obtained in an environment of civility?
— GEOFF GRIMES, West Launceston.
Spit Sport
HARDLY a football match on TV goes past without viewing at least one image of players spitting.
Why is it that footballers are the sportspeople who find it necessary to do this?
Women sports people don’t, tennis players don’t, swimmers don’t.
Surely it is not because they are all such Christians who recall how Jesus cured some afflicted people by rubbing his spit on their eyes or mouths?
Or, are they following the old belief that spitting brings good luck and winners?
Or, is it more indicative of their lack of control and plain bad manners?
Do they like rolling around in the spit left on the playing surfaces?
— BILL CARNEY, Riverside.
Treason
MANY of our laws and actions seem to have no punishments attached.
Adultery and treason being in that group.
Our politicians have sworn allegiance with the Queen of Australian, Elizabeth II.
Now a short time after being elected, and appointed to their parliamentary positions, the premiers are rushing to sign up for a republic.
What hypocrites.
The late Michael Hodgman would be turning in his grave at his son's disloyal actions.
Surely they should resign their positions due to their disloyal behaviours.
What do other readers think?
I think the majority of Tasmanians still want the present arrangements with the monarch to remain.
— JIM CAMPBELL, Ulverstone.