Here we are, two months until the end of another COVID-ravaged school year.
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According to The Canberra Times ("Charnwood-Dunlop School principal Rob Lans stands aside after speaking out against vaccine mandate", canberratimes.com.au, October 21) 79 local school teachers and the like, including at least one principal, are protesting a government directive to vaccinate against COVID-19.
They risk their jobs and careers by not complying, leaving the ACT deficient of their experience and expertise.
Of course, those most at risk are their students, both academically and medically with their colleagues, themselves and their families also susceptible.
It seems their lack of passion is now on display. Although the adage states the first casualty of war is the truth, the lead article must be accurate.
No one could make this stuff up.
Anthony Bruce, Gordon
Woden's pool crisis
It's a scandal the Woden pool was transferred into private hands without guarantees for its future. And now the owner says he can't keep up with the maintenance, leading to its closure.
Yet another sporting facility lost to the Woden Valley's 35,000 people.
Richard Bush, Curtin
And the US?
Peter Hughes (Letters, October 21) wrote: ''The EU ambassador to Australia transmits the EU threat to impose carbon tariffs on Australian imports into the EU. I have seen no similar threat to China, which is not promising net zero emissions before 2060''.
Why China, whose per capita pollution even in 2021 is about half that of Australia or the US?
More importantly, why not the US whose total emissions are about 12 times those of Australia? I suspect the EU is too cowardly to threaten the US and China, but delights in bullying puny Australia.
There is another reason not to threaten China.
Global warming is due to cumulative pollution and here China shines.
In 1980 China's pollution tonnage was only about 30 per cent that of the US, in 2000 only about 70 per cent, and in 2005 about the same.
For a per capita comparison, these figures need to be divided by four (8 per cent, 18 per cent, 25 per cent).
Therefore the US needs to dramatically reduce its pollution to compensate for its previous sins.
I think the US, Australia and even the EU, should be willing to permit China to take until 2060 to reach net zero emissions, and that Australia and the US should themselves attempt to reach that figure by 2030.
Bob Salmond, Melba
Not a good idea
David Jeffrey (Letters, October 20) suggests we should have special powers to put the federal government in charge during a pandemic. The feds were in charge of quarantine and handed it over to the states.
Failures by the feds in not setting up dedicated quarantine facilities is what led to the outbreaks that shut down NSW, Victoria and the ACT.
The feds were in charge of the "it's not a race" vaccination program.
That meant we had to go into lockdown because there were not enough doses available early on, especially for the young, to protect the community and stop the hospital system being overloaded by seriously ill patients.
Barry Pogson, Aranda
Mind your own business
Anne Prendergast (Letters October 21) and Senator Zed Seselja are free to choose not to have abortions or to even be voluntarily euthanised.
But who the hell are they to have their ancient religious beliefs imposed on more enlightened people?
Don Batcheli, Fisher
The Taiwan syndrome
The problem with Bill Stefaniak's view (Letters, October 15) is that we've bought the subs to protect Taiwan, not ourselves.
It's a quarter of the planet away.
By the way, could Bill tell us how the fall of Taiwan would ruin our childrens' education?
