Readers' letters from Monday 31 Mar 2008

Pathetic view on guns

 I ALMOST laughed when I read Lucinda Lavelle’s comments on gun crime and sentencing (Postbag, March 27). She believes that calls for heavy sentencing ignore the reasons why youths have guns. She also stated that there is an ‘assumption’ that those in posession of guns are ‘all criminals with plans to use them in armed robbery or murder’.As gun possession is illegal in itself, these young men are already criminals, simply by possessing a firearm. Her attempts to excuse these men by describing them as ‘angry and lost’ and blaming the influence of American culture is pathetic and sadly typical of the approach taken by the liberal intelligentsia. In seeking to lay the blame for gun crime – which she blandly refers to as ‘terrible tragedies’ – at the door of everybody but the perpetrator, she is trendily attempting to portray the criminals themselves as victims of society and circumstance, as if TV or too much time listening to rap music somehow excuses their actions. Her final comments, drawing a parallel between our government’s support for the war in Iraq with our young men’s fondness for American gangster culture, would have been humorous if they weren’t so obviously intended to be serious. Ms Lavelle not only insulted victims of gun crime and those who have lost friends and family in gun-related incidents, she also managed to insult our armed forces and common sense in general. With politicans like these, is it any wonder there is a belief that lunatics are running the asylum?  

Salford resident

Shocking facts

THE hard-hitting HSE asbestos campaign advert featured in the MEN (March 27), warning of the dangers of asbestos facing maintenance workers today, coincides with a dramatic rise in the number of newly diagnosed mesothelioma sufferers in Greater Manchester. Our records show the number of people diagnosed with this fatal asbestos cancer has more then doubled in the first three months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. More people in Greater Manchester are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year than are killed in road accidents. As is graphically depicted in the HSE advert, six electricians die every week from mesothelioma, all related to past exposure to asbestos. Nothing can be done to prevent mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposure, which are predicted to increase year on year for another 10 years before slowly declining. But will the terrible legacy of past asbestos exposure be sufficient to prevent more deaths due to asbestos exposure today and tomorrow? Tragically, the answer is no, unless attitudes change dramatically. A recent study has shown that only one in eight workers questioned knows that asbestos is dangerous and 75 per cent had no training in dealing with asbestos. There are 2.2 million tonnes of asbestos in half a million commercial buildings. If those responsible for buildings fail to comply with regulations requiring them to manage asbestos in their premises, and if workers are not adequately trained and given appropriate protection we will see the mesothelioma epidemic continue, affecting future generations. If you are likely to encounter asbestos in buildings, for your own sake, and for that of your family, contact the HSE for information on 0845 345 0055.If you have been affected by asbestos disease and you want support and advice contact us on 0161 636 7555.

Tony Whitston (Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group)

Save JB

IF they close Jodrell Bank, a lot of people will be upset, like me. I visited Jodrell Bank last year with my family and it was very interesting, especially the 3D theatre and I enjoyed seeing the dish.I spend all my pocket money on weekly space books and magazines, also Sky at Night and Astronomy Now. On my last birthday my mother and dad bought me a larger telescope and it is interesting to watch stars and particles of the moon.Please do not close JB. Keep open.

James Garside (aged 11), Heaton Chapel

Simple solution

I TRAVEL to Leeds quite often on the train (Barriers to travellers, Postbag, March 17) and they simply have four booths near the doors where you show your tickets both in and out. No ticket – no way through – simple.

Sue Baxter

Put Iraq, first not sects

MOHAMMED Shafiq (Postbag, March 24) is perpetuating the argument blaming the present state of Iraq on a war which ended in 2003. That war was waged on the perception, encouraged by Saddam’s actions, that he had and was working on WMD. He ignores the fact that the current violence is instigated by other outside groups, including Al Qaeda. It is also being carried out by Iraqi sectarian groups, some formerly loyal to Saddam.Moqtada Al Sadr has reined in his militias and that has helped, but others remain. As for the statement about ‘occupation’, since Iraq has a freely-elected government including all parties, with its own police and army being trained with the assistance of coalition forces, it’s hardly an ‘occupation’.As to the coalition forces ‘oppressing’ the ordinary people, that is simply not true. If anything, the oppression is coming from those using suicide bombers, roadside bombs or attackers masquerading as police.They are responsible for most of the deaths since 2003. They destroyed the Golden Shrine and are preventing rebuilding. Too many in Iraq have double loyalties. Some wear a uniform, yet support one of the militias. The militias and other insurgents are the prime reason why water, power, gas, sewerage etc are not being restored quickly in parts of the country. It is noticeable that where the insurgents are NOT active, as in the Kurdish autonomous region, more progress HAS been made. If the insurgents had not been active, perpetuating the occupation argument, the majority of the coalition troops would have gone by now. The people in Iraq need to see themselves as Iraqi first and foremost, not as Shia, Sunni, Kurd or other sects first. We should also recall that Iraq is an artificial country, as are all the others in that region.

Trilobite, Middleton