If this intolerance means I am a bigot, then so be it.
I am also intolerant of those elected to council who fail to attend council meetings. Councillor Bennett is one who has turned up late, left early and has failed to attend. His dismal attendance record was highlighted recently in this newspaper.
Councillor Bennett is a fine, upstanding citizen, a person who has helped many others, a successful businessman and fervent servant to his religious faith, but this does not necessarily make him a good councillor.
He stood for council to stop the new wastewater treatment plant going ahead. He failed to do that.
STEVE BARON, Whanganui
Racial profiling
Successful film director Taika Waititi says New Zealand is racist as, but his take is not my take.
If you group people by race, then any discussion of another race can be called racist and also profiling.
People seem to think profiling is wrong, but it is an instinct important to survival - like fight or flight - developed for very good reasons.
If someone walks into a dairy they are profiled. We profile people of our own race and different races everyday, some we recognise as we would like to know them and some we know we should steer clear of - we can't control our instincts.
What I do notice that has crept into pakeha circles are grievance building discussions as Maori have become more demanding of a special place in our society to be occupied just by them with powers denied the rest of us. But discussions stop if a Maori enters the circle, and I believe there are discussions within Maori that stop if pakeha enter the circle.
G R SCOWN, Whanganui
Separatist privileges
One has to admire the manoeuvrings of the Maori Renaissance Movement. While crying "racism" on one hand, they are busy cementing in place undeniably separatist privileges on the other.
Examples include public funding for Maori-only initiatives such as education/scholarships, housing projects, health and welfare facilities, prisoner programmes, positions on government agencies, Resource Management Act consultation rights, co-management of parks/rivers/lakes and the coastline, te reo promotion, radio and TV channels, appointments on to local government committees/statutory boards, seats in Parliament, tribal charitable status and a special Maori authority tax rate of 17.5 per cent.
We are funding lawyers for about 580 overlapping tribal claims to our coastline and a local government push to entrench Maori seats on all councils.
It's laughable when the compliant media promote grandstanding comments from people like Taika Waititi, Susan Devoy and Lizzie Marvelly, who scream racism while embracing "separatism with privileges" as listed above.
New Zealand is fundamentally a healthy, multicultural society but it will only be at peace when all mention of race is taken out of legislation.
GEOFF PARKER, Whangarei
Higher ground
Steve Baron (Chronicle; April 20) - you got it all wrong; your letter about Israel Folau is based on absolutes. Absolutes only stem from the uncreated. Israel Folau is infallibly wrong.
Mr Baron is matching himself with the Roman Catholic Church. I would like to have a look at his CV.
Writers who declare the value of rights (as an absolute) would need to, in turn, allow the rights of a paedophile priest.
This man is an atheist who claims intellectual superiority by default. This is not good enough - he hasn't provided scientific proof God doesn't exist.
Make an effort, please, Mr Baron, before you make categorical statements claiming the higher ground.
As an aside, there is a groundswell in Europe and America that is sweeping the theory of evolution out the back door.
I would like to make a categorical statement: The theory of evolution will be equated with the flat earth concept within 50 years. Our children and grandchildren will look back on Darwinian theory with incredulity.
F R HALPIN, Gonville
Sins and repentance
Israel Folau is to be commended for reminding us we are all sinners and, at our death, we shall appear before the judgement seat of God.
Those who have repented of their sins will be welcomed into heaven and those who do not will be banished to hell.
Are those who claim Israel was speaking hate speech suggesting homosexuals are exempt from God's judgement?
Israel is entitled to believe sodomy is intrinsically evil and offensive to God. We have a duty to treat homosexuals with respect however, we have no duty to accept sodomy as virtuous and acceptable.
It will be a great concern to parents of boys playing rugby if the Rugby Union, in celebrating the big tick for accepting homosexuals, is also accepting sodomy.
KEN ORR, Right To Life, Christchurch
