Letters: Police pursuit 'dangerous'

DENISE Lockett's letter (May 20) regarding the police pursuit in Castlecliff has prompted me to add my voice. I saw part of this dangerous exercise and had been thinking about how to best express my concerns.

I saw multiple police cars travelling very fast heading up Longbeach Drive.
This is a no-exit street. I'm not sure if the police realised this. If they did, what was the point of chasing a car at high speed up this road?

Very shortly afterwards, a vehicle drove out of this road, again at high speed on tight corners, followed again by multiple police cars. The offender had driven on to the grass, avoiding police.

Could the road not have been shut off at the start, out of sight of the vehicle being chased?

Why was it necessary to drive very fast with sirens on when there was nowhere for the car being chased to go, except out the way he came in?

Where was the tactical thinking? Drowned in adrenaline?

This whole situation so easily could have caused death or serious injury.

I hope there has been a calm evaluation by senior police staff of this incident and lessons learnt.

Particularly as it appeared that the suspect eluded police after crashing his car anyway.

ROBIN SMITH
Wanganui

Scrapes test players

I love my rugby and watched all games last weekend (May 8-9). The scrapes in some games really got heated as the players went hit for hit.

I love it. I think these scrapes bring the best out in a player, as they are so motivated, and it keeps the referee on his game.

And the rugby was to a very high standard. May it continue.

GARY STEWART
Foxton Beach

Don't read the column

I am not sure why H. Norton (letters, May 13) should be surprised that the Chronicle, as a secular newspaper, should publish Thought for today.

Surely, they are showing maturity in the content of the paper, leaving their readers to read what interests them. If the "bully pulpit" tactics of the Thought for today annoy you so much, H. Norton, the remedy is simple — don't read it.

I am not interested in either the financial reports or the racing results, so I bypass them and leave them for others who do. Can you not do the same with Thought for today?

It must be very difficult for the editorial team to please their readers when so many are biased and I, for one, am pleased that they still include Thought for today.

VALERIE BING
Aramoho

Euthanasia statistics

Esther Richards should realise the continual repetition of the same unsubstantiated misinformation does not make it truth. The case for legalised euthanasia has always been built on scaremongering around dying, and is designed to panic New Zealanders into supporting what has been called "the nuclear option".

When David Seymour introduced his bill at first reading, he spoke of "the 3 or 4 per cent" who would suffer so greatly that they would welcome their doctor killing them. Since then the figure has been doubled to 6 per cent, but that is not enough for Ms Richards, who now wants to up it to 10 per cent — although she does not bother to reference her source for this claim.

I invite her to study the affidavits of palliative care specialists from both sides of the Seales case. These show that physical pain can be adequately dealt with by current end-of-life care, which includes the option of fully reversible palliative sedation for extremely rare cases.

Ms Richards and other euthanasia enthusiasts should take their heads out of the sand and stop repeating wrongful information in an attempt to sway the public towards a very dangerous policy.

K. McLAUCHLAN
Mairangi Bay

Religious suppression

B.W. Steyn quotes George Carlin ... "More people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason."

Like you, I find it strange that the Rev Graham Juden sees dragging a cross through Whanganui East as laudable. I have heard he gives empathetic support to others and have no prejudice against him.

A little known fact — it is believed the Roman Empire crucified approximately one million men, women and children in the pursuit of raw, total power over others. It was mainly for non-religious reasons, although many were killed for religious suppression as well as state and church, as it were, were one. Bowing the knee showed they dominated.

CUSHELA C. ROBSON
Whanganui

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