THE FORUM
American Atzucac. There is no easy answer to the problem of guns and weapons in America (“Fury as Lost Innocent Lives,” The Age, 26/5). There is an extremely strong bias in maintaining “the right to bear arms.” Why it includes semi-automatic military weapons is baffling. The culture of weapons is inbreeding; many supermarkets and large retail chains sell ammunition and weapons. U.S. politicians and legal experts would take many years to change laws, and the changes would be minimal. Surely there will be more senseless mass murders and the same rhetoric will occur. This is America! Nigel Beresford, Drouin
Dragging Your Heels If, as the Texas governor says, it’s not a gun issue, it’s a mental health issue, why Second Amendment supporters don’t support the demand that those who want to buy guns, especially military assault weapons, do they require serious? mental health checks? Graham Reynolds, Soldiers Hill
National boycott If the (un) United States does nothing with its gun laws, perhaps countries like Australia should encourage them to reconsider. As a first step, we could update our travel warning to reflect the increasing threat of random individual and mass shootings. Australians should avoid the US as a tourist destination and let them know why. Michael Harrison, Blackburn
Freedom to hate Americans pay a high price for their freedoms. This time, the freedom to arm oneself with powerful weapons cost the lives of many children and teachers. The cost of racial hatred freedom and incitement to riot speech is also high. That is, the freedoms of those you hate and Americans who are upset to perpetrate and incite hatred and violence are more important than the freedoms of life of their citizens. Henry Herzog, St Kilda East
Theory of the Middle Ages I was dismayed by the comments of some American politicians that this was an “evil” that had occurred. Labeling what will inevitably be found as a psychosocial or psychological aberration is similar to the practices of the Middle Ages. Surely we know enough about mental illness to have a more pragmatic view and address the causes before repeating this total waste of life, both for the victims and for the individual affected.Ron Micallef, Berwick
The lobby wins again So many more sabers ringing, crying and praying “never again” … until next time. How many more massacres will it take before the gun lobby is defeated? Marie Nash, Balwyn
Inherited Issues For once, Peter Dutton has made an accurate prediction when he warns that “things will be difficult with work: higher interest rates, cost of living, inflation and electricity prices.” mandate, although they somehow overlooked mentioning the rise in the price of electricity during the election campaign. If this level of hypocrisy is being demonstrated before Dutton’s rise to opposition leadership is not a good omen for the quality and integrity of his role. John Togno, Mandurang
Poisoned Chalice On election night, when asked who would lead the Liberal Party after Scott Morrison, Christopher Pyne summed it up by saying, “I hope someone wants the job,” and commented that never in party history has anyone taken the job after a defeat and become prime minister. From a Liberal Party perspective, Peter Dutton could be the perfect candidate. Mike Fajdiga, Beaumaris
Qualified opinion I ask Peter Dutton the same question his party asked Anthony Anthony: is he qualified to be prime minister? Dutton has never been treasurer, deputy prime minister or even deputy vice president of his party. Andrew Dods, Apollo Bay
Electoral Injustice There is no justice in this world, especially in election time, when dishonorable former Education Minister Alan Tudge retains his Ashton seat, but universally respected ex-treasurer Josh Frydenberg did not . Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Crossing the Line I have always admired Tanya Plibersek as an articulate and progressive woman, enjoying her numerous appearances on media programs. I’m not a fan of Peter Dutton, but his comments on his appearance (“‘I shouldn’t have said’: Albanese condemns Plibersek for comparing Dutton to Voldemort ‘”, 26/5) are completely unacceptable and do not service neither to her nor to the Labor Party. . I will never think of her the same way again. Margaret Loadman, Mt Eliza
Positive Elections A Decent Politician Who Didn’t Dismiss His Leader: Thanks, Josh Frydenberg (“Libs talked about leaving Morrison last year,” 5/25). An affable Prime Minister who seeks to unite and not divide – thank you, Anthony Albanese. Amazing women looking for real change – thank you, green blades. It is these different tones that make Australia a great nation. We all work together to make it even bigger. Rajiv Khanna, Canterbury
Cleanliness In considering who I will vote for in the next election, I am taking note of the speed with which candidates are taking their flutes out. It may seem like a trivial matter, but I think this action is very revealing. Quick elimination shows good organization and teamwork, attention to detail, respect for the environment, and the ability to move on when things go wrong. Beatrice Barnett, Ainslie, ACT
Selfish motives The intransigence of the “not in my backyard” middle-class brigade in Darebin over the development of four residential towers on the site of Northcote Plaza should be called “Northcote social housing attracts anger.” Age, 26/5). ) .These towers, wherever they are built, offer rental and owned housing not only to socially disadvantaged people, but to many single-income families. The fact that few apartments are intended for social housing is a red line. The objections are based on fears that the towers will become ghettos for low-income people, single mothers, pensioners and other beneficiaries of social assistance, some of them refugees and drug recoverers. addicts, and negatively affect the values of the neighboring property. The approval of the development proposal by VCAT was exactly the right decision. Brian Sanaghan, West Preston
Why are you waiting for him? Six months ago, health authorities issued a third vaccine against COVID-19 to all health workers. This was a sensible decision for those who worked in coal. Now six months later, these vaccines have exceeded their maximum effectiveness and, unless the workers are over 65, are not eligible for a fourth time. My wife, a 62-year-old nurse, contracted COVID-19 and was unable to work. Where was the fourth time for my wife and co-workers when needed? Dave Barter, Hawthorn
Building Confidence I doubt that your correspondents’ concerns are so important in the disturbing decline in attendance at AFL matches this season (Letters, 25/5). While I’m not too in love with flashing lights, etc., they won’t stop me. to go to MCG to follow my team. The English Premier League season has attracted an audience record. So the AFL is probably wondering what went wrong. Britain came out of the blockade long before us. Therefore, it may only take some time for our confidence to return. Ivan Glynn, Vermont
It makes noise here. Greg Baum (“Looking Briefly: Has Footy Become a Home Match?”, The Age, 26/5) has been sitting in the stands lately? You can’t hear yourself thinking, with all the noise and publicity. The only time you can talk is when the game is running. Press the mute button, AFL, let’s enjoy the foot as before. Phillip Ford, Pootilla
Limit Alcohol As a 17-year-old female soccer fan, going to AFL has been a constant activity for my family and friends. After 50 members of the crowd were evicted from Saturday night’s game between Richmond and Essendon mainly due to alcohol consumption, my views on going to football are no longer so strong. Watching football should be a safe environment for young people and young parents with minors. children. The MCG may not be able to control the behavior of each individual in the crowd, but it should put a limit on alcohol consumption to prevent violence. Eliza Fry, Ormond
Spending Priorities My son goes to a public school and has to deal with unheated classrooms in the winter, while the three nearby private schools have year-round heated pools. I suggest that the new government re-allocate education spending by reducing private school payments in the amount received at JobKeeper, especially where schools made a profit. offer functional classrooms? L. Ayre, East Burwood
Cruel Crossword The description of introverts as “self-centered” (Quick Crosswords, 5/25) is misinformed and insulting. Introverts are silent not because they are self-centered, but because they are very reactive to their environment and exhausted. by stimulation. To avoid this, they simply choose a quieter life. Extroverts would be offered if they were described as “lacking in self-awareness” because of their greater ability and willingness to interact with their environment. Chris Wilson, Poowong
And one more thing
Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:
Pacific Relations How good it is to see that Australia is resuming its coexistence with our Pacific neighbors, which are sadly lacking during Morrison’s rule. A major effort needs to be made in Papua New Guinea. Indonesia is a major target for China’s expansion, and much better efforts must be made in western New Guinea to ensure that the Solomon Fiasco is not repeated. Doris LeRoy, Altona
It is about 20 years before Peter Dutton is elected Prime Minister. Then we will have our nuclear submarines and he will be able to attack China. In the meantime, treat them well. John Rome, Mt Lawley, WA
Logging Protest Laws The Victorian government should learn that nature needs protection, and native logging should end early next year with new jobs for VicForests workers (“Protests of native logging could lead to jail “, …