Death Penalty

Re Douglas Mackenzie’s letter (CW, 23 May). The opponents of the death penalty have a paranoid mania about executions of innocent people. To listen to them, you would think that this happened every day of the week. The fact is that there is only one case in Australian history where an executed person has been exonerated by a proper judicial inquiry – that of Colin Ross in Melbourne in 1922. If this is all that the opponents of the death penalty can find, it shows how threadbare their case is. Furthermore, how is it that no conscience-stricken person ever came forward and told the authorities: “You’ve executed the wrong person – I’m the culprit”? How is it that this vast army of culprits mysteriously disappeared; that they never owned up or were caught out; and that they never even hinted to anyone that they were guilty?

– Malcolm Brandon, Merumbula

Response to Frankie Seymour’s letter about roos

Re letter from Frankie Seymour (CW 23 May). Frankie references my letter (CW 9 May) in which I was supporting a previous letter writer. I have to disagree with him in regard to Kangaroos. I do not want to see them killed, but contrary to what Frankie said, there are a lot in and around Canberra and this is why they are culling them. Foxes apparently, generally only go for the smaller animals and joeys. Also, would Frankie rather animals suffer being eaten alive rather than being shot? It does not matter which roads and where, whether near the Nature Park or elsewhere, some people do drive like lunatics and courtesy of Kangaroos, there have been many accidents. As to the vegetated overpasses, how does he intend to make sure the animals only use them and not cross the roads? And do they get put all over Australia, because the roos cross the roads all over Australia? I do not believe for one moment they could or would be classed as a world-class tourist attraction. I also do not believe any developer would be prepared to build overpasses unless they were paid up-front or guaranteed the money on completion. Tourists spend their money in shops, hotels, transport, how on earth would the developer get paid?

– Vi Evans, MacGregor

Moran makes no sense

I keep reading Alan Moran’s articles in Canberra Weekly in the hope that he will write something that makes sense but haven’t found such a piece yet. In his latest comments about electricity production he argues that Australia should continue to meet these needs from coal as we are only a small user. That is like a speeding driver saying that he/she shouldn’t slow down as someone else will speed and potentially cause an accident! In previous articles he has criticised the current Government for not moving to nuclear power. This is despite many experts in this field demonstrating how expensive this would be and how long it would take to do.

– David Hobson, Spence

Nuclear power

Any politician supporting nuclear power should be forced to go to the election publicly supporting their own electorate as a location for the first reactor.

– Doug Steley

Ultra-far-left bias

Douglas MacKenzie (CW, 23 May) bemoans the fact that most people agree with some of my views, as evident by recent letters supporting my views. If Douglas thinks that because he has recently come out and criticised the local far left local government in Canberra after 20 plus years of misery is some kind of balance, I will hold my breathe until he comes out and criticises the current far-left federal government with all their broken promises and lies. I won’t write them down as there is not enough room. To call my views ultra-conservative and far-right is laughable as it is in step with a lot of other people who follow this publication. I haven’t seen too many people supporting Douglas’s far-left utopia, in fact, quite the opposite. I know this must disappoint people like Douglas who have free reign in our local, lefty ragtag newspaper. By the way, I think you would find many people would support the death penalty for murder with all the technology available today with DNA evidence proving 100 per cent reliability.

– Ian Pilsner, Weston

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