Letter of the week: Anthony Browne, Birkdale
I completely agree with Simon Wilson's belief (Weekend Herald, November 13) of the insidious nature of the American brand of conspiracy garbage.
I think Simon and I are of similar age and find this invasion of mistruths abhorrent. He is correct in needing to gently
talk to those people (friends and/or strangers) who have slipped away into the rabbit holes of dangerous theories.
I too am really disappointed to see people of apparently sound and sane mind being dragged into that sea of stupidity.
I don't like using the sea in a negative way, being a long time yachtsman but, in this case, it is necessary.
With constant reason and sense we all may be able to "adjust our sets" to the greater good.
Killer's photo
On the face of it, the decision by the Chief Ombudsman ordering the Department of Corrections to show two members of a bereaved family a recent photo of a man who murdered their parents, (Weekend Herald, November 13) seems fair.
But the fact that only they can view the picture makes it woefully short of being useful.
For it to be of any practical use, the picture of what the murderer looks like now should also be shown to members of their family, their friends, and staff where they fuel up their car, buy their groceries, use the library, and - if they are churchgoers - worship.
To argue that Gresham Kirsten Leith Marsh or David Jones, as he now wishes to be referred to, has any right to privacy is nonsense.
He lost that right on the night of June 1, 1994.
Tony Potter, Remuera.
Departing from science
As a professor of public health, Grant Schofield (Weekend Herald, November 13) should take responsibility not to undermine public health measures.
He lists several professions of "real" people whom he alleges will lose their jobs because of mandates. No, it is not the mandate that loses them their jobs, it is their pig-headed anti-vaxxing attitudes.
No one should represent these professions who cannot follow the science. He says that they were not "lunatic fringe anti-vaxxers" but "people often making their own rational decision." Their vaccination resistance is not rational, and it is harmful. He says that he is fully vaccinated; does that mean that he (in the context of his line of reasoning) is irrational? I believe that the answer is yes.
Hugh Webb, Huntington
Double oh, yes
Goodness me, Greg Bruce (Canvas, November 13), give me a break regarding James Bond. Some of us enjoy it because of the rare lack of offensive language and no explicit sex scenes.
We enjoy the expansive and often breathtaking sceneries, fast action and good over evil. It's entertainment and I say bring Bond back, whether white, black or brown - but it's got to be a guy.
If you want a woman Bond give her a different 00 number
R Cluley, Mt Roskill.
Current thinking
Marc England, the chief executive of Genesis Energy, claiming that the electricity market is not broken, is rather rich, considering we pay about three times what Chinese and Indian customers pay.
He absolutely fails the Mandy Rice-Davies veracity test: "Well, he would say that, wouldn't he!"
Neville Cameron, Coromandel.
