Your article "Fluffy's reach may widen" (November 8, p1) deals with ACT Health's investigation into residents exposed to potential mesothelioma – a difficult yet worthwhile exercise.
Of equal, and possibly more pertinent, concern are tradesmen – electricians, plumbers, etc – working in loose-fill asbestos within roof and wall cavities of these houses; and also builders using power saws to cut sheets of bonded asbestos. "Fluffy" has left a terrible legacy: to the ones above, and to those, with apparently healthy lives, in previously remediated fluffy houses; yet subsequently forced to evacuate their long-cherished homes.
Colin Samundsett, Farrer
Curb 'butt' epidemic
There is a cigarette butt "epidemic" in Canberra city. Daily, I witness smokers throwing their butts on the ground with absolutely no effort to properly dispose of them. When will authorities take some action to police this.
If these irresponsible and thoughtless people were in Singapore they would be fined $300 for a first offence.
While not promoting such a drastic course of action, I do think some effort could be made to curb this epidemic. After all, leave your motor vehicle five minutes over time at a parking meter and you can bet you'll receive a ticket.
PS Public servants seem to be the worst offenders. Too many coffee breaks, methinks!
Ted Grant, Canberra City
No Tassie queen
I concur with Katherine Berg's dismay (Letters, November 5) regarding royal titles and the wrong use of them by the Australian media. You must be of Dutch origin. I was born in Denmark and get equally annoyed when I read in the media that the lovely Mary will one day be queen of Denmark. No she won't.
Her husband Frederick will one day be the king of Denmark, that is he will be the reigning monarch, and she will get the title of queen. Sorry to disappoint all those monarchists out there, but Miss Mary Donaldson from Tasmania will never be Queen of Denmark!
Anne Willenborg, Royalla, NSW
Huge but mostly desert
Jessica Irvine ("There's nothing to fear in a big Australia: it's the right thing to do", canberratimes.com.au, November 7) declares that Australians are "uniquely gifted with abundant natural resources and a huge land mass".
Yes, we have a huge land mass but over two-thirds is desert.
Our island continent is very ancient with infertile soils and inadequate water supplies. Our river systems are pathetic compared with other countries. We have already degraded our land massively.
Economics degrees should include a mandatory unit on the geography of our country so that decision-makers will be better informed when applying economic theory and reaching grand conclusions about matters that affect our very existence.
Robyn Coghlan, Hawker
Overwhelming love
Seems to me that P. Fitzwarryne (Letters, November 7) is also in part mistaken. Jewish priests could write whatever boosted the morale of their tribe in Old Testament times, simply because of that gift of free will which has as a corollary a no-interference policy.
The one God can be known by (temporary) at-one-ment, with a strong tradition in Hinduism and Sufism. In such a mystical case there is overwhelming love, and more besides.
Rather like being hugged by our Father/Mother.
David Collier, Narrabundah
All gods are Gods
J. Halgren (Letters, November 4) obliges readers by telling us that a capital G in God is the clue that tells us that the God of Israel is being referred to. Without the capital, the god referred to is "useless".
At first I had trouble knowing what to make of this letter. Was it a parody of the blind certainty displayed by some Christians, who have complete disdain for other religions but then take offence when anyone shows disdain for theirs? In my uncertainty, I consulted Mrs H who assured me the letter was not a parody.
Is there a universal convention that capital G God refers to the God of Israel? When an author refers to God or god, we readers have no idea whether they are following that convention. Indeed it is hard to imagine any author admitting that the god they were referring to is one of the "useless" ones. With the possible exception of some religions that have a whole phalanx of gods, believing in any god, carries with it the belief that the god is one who can deliver on his/her promises.
John Hutchison, Coombs
Sharing land at core
Even a cursory reading of the Hebrew Bible and associated texts acknowledging the multitude of non-Jewish tribes living in ancient Israel shows that Paul Fitzwarryne's claim (Letters, November 7) that Judaism and Jews are programmatically genocidal is hogwash. That fact is backed up by archaeology. Zionism (the name of a political movement seeking to exercise the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancient homeland) is not a genocidal movement and from the beginning its leaders accepted the land would be shared with non-Jews.
From modern-day Israel's founding, freedom of religion has been a central tenet and a reality for Muslims, Christians and other faiths such as the Druze.
And so far as the Biblical history of the Israelites expansion through the region, the Bible does not, as Fitzwarryne states, report "murderous religious fanaticism". It reports a history of conquest and assimilation, with the defeated living on equal terms with the conquerors.
I am concerned that Fitzwarryne seems to infer that Jews are uniquely and historically evil.
Athol Morris, Forde
Indonesian PM needs to reflect on true meaning on friendly diplomacy
President Joko Widodo is no longer visiting Australia.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has cancelled his scheduled visit to Australia due to unrest in Jakarta. A little over 18 months ago, Jokowi commuted the death sentences of three convicted murderers to life imprisonment. These three individuals were found to have brutally killed their victims, robbing them of vehicles, phones, and cash. The commuting of their sentences coincided with many appeals, not the least of which included those of senior levels of government across the globe, against the death sentences handed out to Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan for drug trafficking – appeals that sadly proved to be of no avail.
Now the President says he wants Indonesia to abolish the death penalty.
I commend President Widodo for cancelling his visit, and entreat him to reflect upon the true meaning of friendly diplomacy.
Greg Simmons, Lyons
Appearances lie
In the provincial town of Tegal, Indonesia, about the only type of apple you can buy is a variety called Red Delicious. Each apple has one of those nasty stickers on it (why aren't sticky stickers on fruit banned?).
Each sticker proudly proclaims "USA".
(I'm told the fruit is actually imported from Malaysia, and the Indonesian importer sticks the stickers on the apples, but that is by the way).
The Red Delicious apple originated in Peru, Iowa. It looks luscious shiny red on the outside, but bite into it and it is a disgusting-tasting mealy brown on the inside. The Red Delicious apple is a perfect mirror of the United States. Perfect, shiny, on the outside, rotten to the core on the inside.
Kenneth Griffiths, Cheshire, England
Right vs left
In discussing Hillary Clinton's email woes Frank Scargill (Letters, November 5) urges us to watch US Fox News. I do occasionally for the laughs but after a little while have to turn off from its insanity, reaction and rightwing nutjob conspiracy theories.
Scargill goes on to describe mainstream media in the US and our own Fairfax newspapers as being of the left. Oh how I laughed. Next we will find out no doubt that military hawk and neoliberal Hillary Clinton is a communist.
John Passant, Kambah
Truth is out there
Deborah Snow ("It's safe to assume a Clinton win", November 5, p14) says that "few Australians know the United States and its intricate political system better than Kim Beazley". Beazley appears anti-Trump, and pro-Clinton. He is part of "the establishment" and doesn't understand what's going on.
Trump supporters are not all angry white men, but people are angry. Elites drove the US into the ground, and 46 million Americans are on food stamps.
Barack Obama (Mr Hope and Change) created more wars and lowered America's world standing further than G.W. Bush. Clinton's foreign policy is dangerous. She said of Gaddafi, who was no threat to the US, "We came, we saw, he died."
Obama and Clinton partied while ambassador Stevens and three brave Americans died in Benghazi. Beazley, out of touch with reality, ties Trump to Putin, ignoring Clinton's tighter Putin connections.
Beazley doesn't mention "Women for Trump", "Gays for Trump", "Blacks for Trump", Latinos for Trump", or "Latinas for Trump". Obama and Clinton did nothing for blacks or Hispanics. Democrats only need them at election time, and they finally woke up to that fact.
Australians would know this story if US mainstream media were doing their job properly instead of supporting Hillary Clinton.
Deborah Snow won't ever get to the heart of the story of Trump v Clinton by talking to an establishment figure like Beazley.
Alan Gray, Jerrabomberra, NSW
PM needs a rev-up
I am writing this on the fifth of November. Only a few decades ago we used to follow the English and celebrate this day as Guy Fawkes Day. A guy would be made by stuffing a set of old clothes with straw or sticks, put up on a pole above a pyre of scrap wood, and the lot would be burnt to the accompaniment of fireworks. Alas, some bright spark decided this was not a good idea in Australian conditions.
Can someone please test my theory that the Malcolm Turnbull we thought we knew and cautiously liked, pre-election, has been stolen and replaced by a guy? Even if the original Malcolm is still hidden in there, lighting a little fire under him would do no harm at all.
Brian Stone, Weetangera
Turnbull a fizzer
The posturing by the far right and the malarky from Malcolm Turnbull on "free speech" and 18C shows little else other than that neither has bothered to check 18D, which as we know permits all manner of useful, hard-hitting debate and commentary.
Oh, and the fact that Malcolm Turnbull's re-education and rebirth as a true neo-conservative is nearing completion. The final stamp on his card will be if he supports the stupid, cruel and unconscionable law to prevent marine asylum seekers from visiting this country at any time, in any capacity.
What a complete fizzer Turnbull has turned out to be.
Jon Stirzaker, Latham
No public service
It is hard to imagine anyone less qualified for the position they occupy than Public Service Commissioner, John Lloyd.
The main item on his agenda is promulgating private sector practices throughout the public service. He just doesn't get it that many (probably most) of these practices are not suited to the public sector where the dollar bottom line is not the dominant KPI.
The only other item on his agenda is (in partnership with the federal misgovernment) driving down the pay and conditions of employment of public servants.
This objective will not be discouraged by having most of the APS engaged in disputation for more than two years. Then they have the cheek to actually talk about improving productivity.
Quite simply, public service is the last thing on this joker's mind.
T.J. Marks, Holt
PEACE BE WITH US
Let us hope that the trumpeters trumpeting Trump are finally silenced on Wednesday.
John Rodriguez, Florey
Recent analysis by various pundits in America is flawed by their assumption that Latinos vote Democrat. In fact, the opposite is true. Spanish-speaking American citizens vote GOP traditionally, especially in Florida and Texas. They despise illegal Mexican immigrants. So, unless the Democrats plan to stuff ballot boxes with illegals' votes for which the jackass party has form, Hillary won't get the Hispanic vote.
Gerry Murphy, Braddon
DRIVERLESS VEHICLES
Mark Boscawen (Letters, November er 6) should at least read our letters (Bradly, Fitch and Smith, October 31) before firing off about the parking of driverless vehicles. They will be public transport, mostly shared ride. They will not be parked while there is demand.
A. Smith, Farrer
END OF MATTER
I disagree with Andrew Rowe's assessment of Steve Smith's dismissal (Letters, November 7). The referral of the LBW decision to DRS revealed that the ball would have hit the leg stump, and left it with the umpire to make the final call. Aleem Dar stuck to his original decision. The matter ended there.
Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt
NO SLIGHTS FOR SOME
Bill Deane (Letters, November 7) implies that racial insults are merely part of "the normal slights and disagreements of daily life". Sadly, while racial slurs may be a common experience for some in our community, I doubt whether Mr Dean, a privileged white male, ever has to deal with demeaning racial insults.
Patricia Saunders, Chapman
IINET WORKS FOR ME
I'm feeling a bit left out. I've had an iiNet home internet connection and telephone since I retired in 2006. Billing has been timely and except for a brief DSLAM (I had to look that up) problem with the Telstra exchange in 2007, the service has been just fine.
Peter Moran, Watson
COMING TO TERMS
Bryan Lobascher (Letters, November 7) expresses concerns about "many old, disabled, or pregnant women [condemned] to an extra time-wasting journey ... to catch the tram". It would certainly be much more appropriate for him to use instead the terms "elderly", and "people with disabilities". I fulfil two of these requirements, but I'm definitely not pregnant!
Heather McMillan, Greenway
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