Letters: Giving thanks where it's due

THIS letter is in appreciation of people I encounter on a frequent basis. I am sure the Aramoho bus passengers would agree when I say what a great service we receive from all our drivers, our one lady and all the gentlemen. So friendly, helpful to those who need assistance etc.

Perhaps everyone should have a bus ride at some stage. Then there are the various council staff who also do good things (if they get informed that something needs attention), e.g. the overhanging vegetation along our one footpath on Somme Parade has been cut back, some by council staff and some by private owners once they were aware of the problem.

The bus shelters are receiving both cleaning and painting of the older ones. Some people have asked me why they are all to be black, and it's because any graffiti are much easier to remove from that colour, if any do occur (hopefully not!) they will be repainted in the black and not end up like the wall at the back of the Salvation Army shop with blobs of all sorts of colours (that would be a great wall for a mural).

I have just taken an American couple around our city and its parks and reserves. They were so impressed with the amount of space and number of sports facilities we have that they are coming back next year to see more.

There are also a number of amazing handymen whose services make life a lot easier for those who are not handy; a thank-you to them all.

FIONA DONNE
Aramoho

Looking after their own

I certainly do not condone the assault on the Green Party leader, James Shaw.
However, I am surprised at the public outpouring of anger and grief being expressed by politicians from all parties.

People are assaulted every day in this country, people are murdered, children are abused and killed — but where are the politicians' tears for this? There are certainly no tears shed when they are lining up at the trough to milk every last cent from the public purse for their own good.

There are certainly no tears shed when the NZ Police Force is at insufficient levels to offer our everyday citizens and children the protection we need to ensure our safety and well-being when going about our everyday business.

I hope the politicians look further afield than themselves when reviewing measures to ensure people's safety.

ROBERT ALLEN
Durie Hill

Fear-driven censorship

We all possess a deadly weapon. Our brain.

A brain does not need guns to cause mayhem if it snaps or is driven to madness.
Banning gun ownership and censorship of what we can share on social media are not the solution.

Telling us we face 14 years in jail for sharing a genuine news item is out of proportion to the situations where most people might do this.

We should not be intimidated or frightened into surrendering yet more of our rights to a war on terror in which we have little say.

Critical thinking and statistics tell us we have little to fear from the direct effects of terrorism.

There is a difference between sensible precaution and fear-driven acceptance of censorship and other loss of hard-won rights.

We should all be aware that after we gave up many of our freedoms and rights after 9/11, all the problems this was supposed to solve got worse. Let's not make the same mistake here.

Perhaps we have more to fear from yet more mistakes by our politicians than we do from the appalling actions of a rare individual whose brain we don't yet understand.

ROBIN WAKELING
Karori

Money-spinning doco

I have found the Whanganui Chronicle to be fair and balanced printed press.

I ask that you refrain from inflammatory opinion, as evidenced in the bias presented in the "Now Showing" column, on Monday, March 11, which speaks of "making up our own minds" while clearly showing what side the writer is on.

The maker of Leaving Neverland was a longtime friend of Jackson — and a defence witness at his trial — and was granted repeated opportunities for his own career and invited into the family's inner circle. When finally ousted by the family, he began a series of lawsuits, which were thrown out of court.

Finally, HBO took him on in creating this money-spinning and much-hyped story ...
And Michael Jackson is no longer here to defend himself. May I suggest anyone who supports MJ to play his music on all possible platforms, such as Spotify and YouTube.

CHANNA MIRIAM KNUCKEY
Castlecliff

Send your letters to: The Editor, Whanganui Chronicle, 100 Guyton St, PO Box 433, Whanganui 4500; or email editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz