Drunk Driving
EACH and every one of us can purchase (over the counter) breathalysers, these days cheaply, and I being very closely associated with this issue suggest that all cars offered for sale should be fitted with similar devices wired into the system, effectively stopping the car from being started until using the device, taking but a second or so .
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Deaths and injuries caused by drunk driving could drop by a minimum of 75 per cent overnight, dropping to almost zero within 10 years, when most of the present vehicles have passed their use by date and if government’s (federal and state of the day refuse) I‘d like to know on what basis. I see absolutely nothing negative in regards to its implementation. Now that we import all cars, the makers of same would comply, so as to sell their product in this county. It would also create huge savings in the non-hospitalisation of victims.
We did it with seatbelts, so let’s put an end to the main problem associated with the most dangerous drug of all.
Don Davey, Launceston.
Doing Good
‘BLEEDING heart do-gooder’. Is there a phrase more condescending, more sneeringly uttered than this (The Examiner, November 26)?
If you are one of them well - say no more. Hopeless, misguided and just plain foolish. The utterer? Savvy, smart and way ahead of the game - one assumes.
Compassion for another's suffering and wanting do what is in our power to alleviate it - is what makes us human.
What makes us inhuman is doing everything we can to make people look undeserving. Hence the labels queue jumpers, illegal immigrants etc.
At the heart of this ugly blight on our national character is base politics. After all who wants to be labelled a do-gooder?
This is a shameful time for Australia.
Tony Newport, Hillwood.
State Election
WHY on earth, or rather, water, is the Liberal party going to waste its very limited political oxygen on resurrecting the TasWater takeover at the next state election?
There was a Select Committee that found no benefit and it was very soundly defeated in the Legislative Council and would almost certainly be so again, to use Tony Abbott’s expression: “it is dead, buried and cremated”. The Liberal strategy failed hopelessly in the Pembroke byelection and it must get its act together pronto. What Tasmania needs is new policies and pledges that will get through the Legislative Council.
The Liberal Party in Tasmania, and also federally, has the “lemming instinct” leaping over the political cliff into opposition.
Malcolm Scott, Newstead.
War games
AUSTRALIA has had many war games with Indonesia training their military.
We have given Indonesians many donations from our government most under the Rudd/Gillard governments in hundreds of millions each year.
Yet while we were funding Indonesia, they spent many Billions of dollars modernising their military.
Australia once rated as 14th in global warfare, Indonesia 15th. Australia has now slipped to 24th.
Indonesia with their TNI forces has been killing from East Timor invasion, and the Bali Five we must not forget.
Australian, NZ and English reporters butchered. Indonesia's illegal takeover of PNG as many as 500,000 or much higher have died, butchered, raped, killed.
If you search their forces include TNI in the search term as you will not find as much otherwise.
Search their navy, army and airforce will show how modern they are, and we sent boats to pick up refugees, where Indonesia should have taken them.
Worst is the amount of military, airforce and Navy based on our doorstep. Training them has shown what defences we have, stupidity.
Walter Christy, Shearwater.
Horror Movies
WHO can remember the old black and white horror movies hosted by Deadly Ernest, who had a hand-puppet named Claw and a (never visible) pet monster in the background in a smoke-filled cage named Igor, who would eat the fan-mail then do a big burp?
I’m not sure of the host’s real name but he looked just a tad like Alice Cooper in the early 1970s?
A.R. Trounson, Needles.
Bodyline Series
DURING the Bodyline series an Australian official said “there are two sides out there, but only one side is playing cricket”.
If he were to see the behaviour of the Australian and English teams over the last few days I am sure he would say “there are two sides out there and neither is playing cricket”.