So, what exactly has this war been about?
Should New Zealand sever ties with Israel and the US because of the invasion of Iran?
International law decrees the invasion as illegal. My gut says yes, but the bigger question is why Israel and the US are so concerned about Islam and primarily Iran? Do they see a threat to the Western predominantly Christian democratic nationalist state system of governance by the economic and military integration of non-democratic states such as China, Iran and Russia?
If they do, does that give them the right to "first strike" to secure the Western way of life?
The Islamic Middle Eastern states that are more aligned with Western democracy certainly need to increase their ability to secure their region with less help from the US, as does Europe to secure itself from Russian aggression.
Help the aged
Retiring from work at age 75, I am now 89 years old. Over those 14 years I estimate that living costs have risen 10-20%. The benefit, however, has risen incrementally. As a result, ageing beneficiaries are, in relative terms, getting poorer and poorer.
In that time organisations such as the Otago Regional Council’s charges have increased by 100% per year — in my case from $42 to $432 over a period of 10 years.
Please Mr Luxon. have some consideration for the elderly.
Power down
Thank you David Blair for your letter (7.45.26).
We sold off our power companies to mum and dad investors some time ago and I would be interested to know just who those investors are now who are profiting from the huge mark-up in power from those distant days when I sat on the street outside the library in Oamaru and collected signatures in protest to the sale of Meridian Energy.
We were ignored by the government. It was interesting to note who were eager to sign — not the well-heeled, but people with scruffy sneakers and often in need to dental care which they could and still cannot afford,
They are the ones who still cannot afford adequate heating in their homes.
Was prince’s past comment a front-page story?
Well, I am surprised at the ODT. The article headed "Pilot had to be held back from ex-prince" (9.4.26) was hardly warranted, with all the frightening things going on in the world at present: a front-page heading and photos for a remark made by the former prince Andrew many years ago, and a photo of him taken in 2001.
From the content of the article, and the event mentioned, it may be that the former prince said the remark in some jest, emphasising perhaps that he was just being “one of the boys” travelling in the front of the plane that day, rather than as HRH Prince Andrew travelling separately in the back of the plane.
Whatever he meant or did not mean all those years ago, he is certainly paying a very high price at present, literally and personally, for his past life, and I personally hate to see anyone being attacked further when they are already down.
And imagine what his daughters are feeling just now.
Perhaps at this holy season of Easter we should all remember what Christ himself said: “Let he who is perfect cast the first stone”.
And I certainly did not think the story warranted front-page coverage.
Tongue in cheek quip not funny
I really wonder about some of our city councillors’ IQ sometimes, especially after reading Cr Steve Walker’s very unfortunate comments as reported on 8.4.26, when he stated that he was thanking Donald Trump for a supposed increase in e-bike sales.
I think Cr Walker needs to engage his brain before he opens his mouth.
It might have escaped his attention but tens of thousands of innocent people including children have died, many in horrific and prolonged circumstances all because of Trump’s illegal war against Iran.
Seemingly this is of no concern to Cr Walker though because e-bike sales are up. And as a result there will be less global greenhouse emissions. Really?
Has it also not occurred to Cr Walker that global emissions will have skyrocketed in the last month or so because of this war with all the missiles and bombs destroying petrol and gas plants all around the Gulf.
Also, what about the emissions from those huge aircraft carriers and destroyers and troop ships that had to travel from their Pacific bases?
Then we have these "green-washing" councillors lamenting the fact that Dunedin will not be carbon-free by 2050 yet they are not happy with Air New Zealand cutting back flights to the city.
Experts are predicting that by 2030 emissions from air travel will account for 30% of global greenhouse gases. Their hypocrisy is breathtaking!
Hope springs eternal
Hopefully the appointment of a new tertiary education minister will create the opportunity for a circuit-breaker that will kill off the Waikato medical school. This unnecessary and fiscally disastrous project seems to have arisen from political cronyism rather than an objective cost-benefit analysis. Otago and Auckland have already signalled that they can easily accommodate the desired increase in students at a fraction of the cost, so let them do so.
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: letters@odt.co.nz
