Waterford on Afghanistan deployment exaggerated and negative

Mr Waterford's highly negative rhetoric exaggerates what was a difficult war commitment, and one possibly with a naive democracy-building objective in a country that didn't want democracy.

But it was not a "disaster". The allied deployment did serve an urgent and enduring need to neutralise a then growing terrorist base threat. We will never know how many international terrorist attacks were foiled over the decades since. But sensible people know that has happened.

Secondly, the article is just another "woke" pile-on regarding the treatment of our veterans. The highly emotive banner gives the exaggerated impression that the "peace loving" Afghans were under the jack-boot of a murderous Australian force. If the allegations out of Brereton turn out to be proven, then a handful of Afghans - it seems many of whom were actively in the field and party to terrible deeds too - will have been victims to killings in contested and confused circumstances.

If the allegations are true, then justice will be exercised. But to pile on and exaggerate the situation, which tars all veterans and troops, is unacceptable. Woke journalists and the ABC need to step back, get off veterans' backs and let the investigations quietly take their course.

I was appalled at Monday's editorial cartoon (canberratimes.com.au, April 19) which demeans the Duchess of Sussex. It is this mean sniping which hurts.

Reading the description of the Sussex's floral tribute showed it included colourful flowers full of meaning and love.

They specifically asked for acanthus mollis, the national flower of Greece, to represent Prince Philip's heritage, eryngium to represent the Royal Marines, campanula to represent gratitude and everlasting love, rosemary to signify remembrance, lavender for devotion, and roses for June, Philip's birth month.

The floral tribute was not large, smaller than those alongside.

Furthermore the cartoon was disrespectful of the royal family and of the occasion.

I wholeheartedly agree with pedantic Douglas MacKenzie's stressing "the importance of the rules of English grammar" (Letters, April 18). Clear speech is essential for understanding.

Sad then that our ever-intriguing Ian Warden should write "Social media ripples..." in the same issue. "Media" is the plural of "medium"; precise writing would be "Social media ripple".

Ian, preserve your originality and don't slip down among the hoi polloi.

I fully respect Anne Prendergast's right to believe that "only God has the right to choose when people die" (Letters, April 19). But she doesn't have the right to impose her unprovable beliefs, however sincerely held, on those who disagree - including the many followers of the deist interpretation of Christianity, that is, that God created humans and then, in essence, left it up to them to determine the paths they choose.

Both deism and theism (belief in God's constant role in the universe) are fraught with lack of logic.

I assume Anne is a theist, so how does she explain God's many decisions to create catastrophes that kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people (including many devout believers)? Besides, if God is omnipresent as well as omnipotent, did his "grand plan" actually include all these horrific events, or does he just make it up as he goes along?

Observing many such terrible events (on individual as well as mass levels) in just my own time, I'm left wondering how the devout can claim a "loving God" is responsible for all the "good things" but brush off the awful with no more than a dismissive "It's God's will".

Sadly Anne Prendergast (Letters, April 19) does not seem to appreciate the need to allow access to voluntary assisted dying for people suffering at the end of their life.

Voluntary assisted dying is not the euthanasia Anne opposes. It does not allow people to die without their consent or wishes.

It provides the means for the person to end their own life as peacefully and in as dignified a manner as possible. It is to enable terminally ill people to choose not to suffer uselessly.

Anne poses questions about future scenarios, asking where such laws will lead.

No one knows what will happen 10 years down the track, but I know that people today are suffering needlessly because of the uninformed views of people like Anne.

The way the verging-on-criminal housing "market" is set up, it's now certain that many prospective buyers will never get a look in ("Here's why home prices are really climbing", Peter Martin, April 14, p21).

Radical sweeping reform is needed to fix that, and balance the overall national economic profile; even if there is some short-term pain.

Society needs legislation to make well-supplied blocks of land in new estates on government land available to bona fide committed occupiers only (not to project or spec builders or developers), no more than one block each, at the openly liquidated and ascertained competitive cost to produce, plus say, 10 per cent.

Plot sizes need to be increased to enable healthy family life and environmental and energy conservation, through readily available creative subdivision redesigns.

Clearly, enhanced social housing programs, and the abolition of unfair (and inflationary) investment benefits and some grants, would also all still be required.

These actions can restore housing affordability, correct the insane housing market across the board, redistribute the wealth in the economy more equitably and halt the decline in population health and well-being.

As our population grows, I support additional cemetery/crematorium facilities for Canberra. I'll leave it to others to comment on the new large facility planned for Hume.

Meanwhile, why not create a mini-facility in the dead centre of the Molonglo Valley? I refer to Coombs Community Shopping Centre (the "non-shops").

This building could be repurposed for those desiring above-ground choice. Cremated remains (in urns) could be accommodated in columbarium-shelved style. The individual retail spaces could cater for varying religious requirements.

The large supermarket space would be ideal for vertically integrated casket storage.

An ideal, secure location in a growing residential area, plenty of parking, nearby public transport, spotless and free of any odour or rubbish issues like Hume.

Some of your letter writers, beginning with John Cashman (Letters, April 3), seem to think Kevin Rudd should have negotiated with the Greens on his emissions trading scheme after the 2007 election, rather than the Coalition.

In fact Rudd had no option on this, because throughout his period in government 2007-10 Labor and the Greens never had a majority in the Senate.

The only scheme that was ever going to pass was one agreed to by the Liberals. The views of the Greens were essentially irrelevant. Once the Liberals dropped their 2007 election policy for an emissions trading scheme, the Rudd government's scheme, unavoidably developed with the Liberals, was doomed. It was very different when, from July 1, 2011, the Gillard government and the Greens had a majority in the Senate.

Mario Stivala (Letters, April 16) said Ms Holgate's gift of watches worth $20,000 wouldn't pass the "pub test" as it was not a proper use of public money. I believe the money came from Australia Post profits, not from public money. The profits do eventually go to the single shareholder, the Australian government, and become public money.

I wonder what "proper" use the government would have put the $20,000 to? More grants, performance bonuses for public servants and tax returns for people who do not pay tax are just some of the possibilities.

The unfortunate departure of Christine Holgate from Australia Post, resulting in our PM drawing a line in the sand on the proper use of taxpayers' money, may bring about some pleasing results for said taxpayers.

Perhaps it may bring to an end unnecessary and junketeering travel by public servants and "jobs for the boys" with under-performing and retiring parliamentarians being posted to plum jobs overseas, thus depriving career diplomats a shot at the top jobs.

Last year Jonathan Swan interviewed Trump on COVID-19, and completely exposed the American mess. All being well, the ongoing scrutiny by his old man Dr Norman will do the same in Australia (Q+A, April 15).

I reckon the Cronulla Sharks rugby league club has been taking management lessons from its number one supporter. Either that, or John Morris has bought someone a watch.

Re Maria Greene (Letters, April 16). Perhaps we could ask God to grant us another miracle and give us a Labor government at the next election? I'm sending thoughts and prayers.

Rajend Naidu (Letters, April 16) asks what has been achieved by the war in Afghanistan. The answer is simple: billions of dollars of profit for the military-industrial complex.

With relatively few people having been administered the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia, compared with Europe, the likelihood of it causing blood clots appears higher than the oft-mentioned one in 4 million doses. Australia was wise to stop administering it to people under 50.

Well may a fully-vaccinated-with-Pfizer PM advocate opening up the borders. I am 74 and haven't had the first jab yet. I hope the premiers reject the proposition at this time. Wedged or not.

Douglas Mackenzie (Letters, April 18) got it right about ambiguity being a sin in scientific writing. Our community's problem is that those from marketing strive for ambiguity.

Note to Anne Prendergast (Letters April 19): if "only God has the right to choose when people die" he is surely in desperate need of empathy training.

Just as Trump tried to normalise what is not right, Married at First Sight tries to redefine society's principles. The so-called experts use trial and error to create drama and more ratings.

I'm guessing the extra Pfizer ordered by this government will not go into at-risk Australians under 50. The odds are it will go to the athletes and the support staff. Go for Gold.

The NSW and federal governments being what they are, we'll have to keep an eye on whether a connection to the Liberal Party, and/or the chance for cheap populism, have become sufficient reasons for a state funeral. The bar used to be high.

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