Two points must be emphasised. First, it will be sufficient that the person is merely "suspected" of terrorist acts. Second, the assessment need not be made in a court (and after due process). It could be made by a public servant. As if that were not bad enough, it could be done secretly, with the "suspect" having no right of defence. It is not good enough to respond that, to be stripped of citizenship, the person must be a dual national. He or she may have lived in Australia for many years, and have only a tenuous connection with the other country.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation deputy director-general Kerri Hartland is reported as having told the parliamentary committee examining the bill that being able to strip citizenship from a person would be a "useful option".

This is spine-chilling stuff. It sounds like something out of the book 1984 by George Orwell.

"We need to have every tool at our disposal," she reportedly said. "Useful option"? "Every tool"? Heaven help us all. Not only must this provision of the bill not be passed, but it seems as if ASIO needs to be reined in. It is essential that it operate in accordance with the law, and that the law uphold our basic rights and freedoms.

Alvin Hopper, Dickson

In his review on Saturday of Antony Beevor's book about the Battle of the Bulge ("All or nothing", Panorama, August 8, p15), Peter Temple wrote, "America's material contribution to the destruction of the German military machine boggles the mind."

Quite right, but two sentences later he wrote, "How thankful we should be for Japan's decision to bomb Pearl Harbour." That is not only a most unfortunate piece of irony, but it's also wrong.

After the attack on Pearl Harbour, the Americans most certainly declared war on Japan, but they had no reason to declare war on Germany. They went into the European war only because it was Hitler who declared war on them.

For once in his life, the man who had said that treaties were made to be broken was actually faithful to one. Germany and Japan had a pact of alliance. After Pearl Harbour, the Japanese clamoured for the Germans to declare war on America in accordance with it, and Hitler did so. With this act that was so far out of character, Hitler betrayed himself. If he had instead betrayed the Japanese the way he betrayed everyone else who negotiated with him, America would have fought in the Pacific alone, and the Battle of the Bulge would never have happened.

G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains, Qld

It is not likely that Penelope Upward (Letters, August 10) is right to say "the only reason Americans dropped the bomb was to put an end to the war as quickly as possible".

In fact, Japan had been seeking peace for some months before the use of the atom bombs, and a case can be made that, on the contrary, waiting for the Manhattan project's successful detonation of the atom bomb in July meant that the bomb was responsible for all the deaths that occurred in the war from June to August.

Dropping the bomb was very probably a political gesture, to warn the Russians of America's military might. That went disastrously wrong when the Soviets developed a nuclear bomb of their own, and the nuclear arms race started. The story is more complex than can be put in a letter to the editor.

However, the description in the media here of the use of the atom bombs as a war crime was very impressive. I have spent most of my life in Britain, and although there is a strong anti-nuclear movement there, there has not been any talk of a war crime in the mainstream media. This is probably because Britain is one of the few nations that possess nuclear weapons.

Next year there will be a debate in the British parliament whether to renew Britain's nuclear weapon, Trident, and it seems very likely that the vote will be in favour of spending $200 billion on a new system, despite the cuts in social services and pensions that have recently occurred. It has been very pleasant to come to Australia, where the air is unpolluted with nuclear fallout.

Harry Davis, Campbell

In her article "Government resists thinking things through" (Forum, August 8, p2) Judith Ireland outlines a range of parliamentary and committee inquiries into activities raised in Coalition legislation and wider activities.

She could have included the public hearing in Melbourne on August 6 for the Senate legal and constitutional affairs references committee into the impact of the 2014 and 2015 Commonwealth budget decisions on the arts, at which witnesses roundly condemned the Abbott government's attack on the arts.

Not one LNP member of the committee attended the public hearing. This is just another insult to the arts and cultural sector in Australia, which represent 4 per cent of gross domestic product.

Meredith Hinchliffe, O'Connor

To assess the promises of the Coalition with respect to climate change, let's look at their record. Their policy has led to an acceleration in carbon emissions. Based on May and June this year, emissions will be up 1.2 per cent annually.

Should this trend continue to 2030, it will compound to a 25 per cent increase in emissions. Without radical change in Coalition policy, we will become the worst emitters per population on the planet.

Garry Jolley-Rogers, Kaleen

Christopher Pyne is reported to have said Bronwyn Bishop would be remembered as being a great advocate for the causes she believed in ("Bishop felled in most unfair circumstances", August 11, p5). However, he failed to name them: frugality in the conduct of public servants and extravagance in the conduct of her own.

Bronis Dudek, Calwell

Environment Minister Simon Corbell is happy to continue to pursue a policy which guarantees electricity price rises through a feel-good measure, namely more wind turbine "power" ("Call for bids to power capital", August 10, p1). He fails to explain that wind turbines are totally reliant on base load power, ie, coal or gas, for their very existence. It is inherently parasitic. This unreliable, hugely expensive and environmentally damaging "power" source is being forced on to the consumer.

When people had a choice to purchase so called "green" power some time ago they voted with their wallets and ran a mile, hence the low take up rate.

Minister Corbell seems determined to ensure that the significant Labor super funds invested in wind turbines are protected. Europe has squandered $100 billion on wind turbines and they still make up only about 1 per cent of supply.

America, Britain, Ireland and all European states have slashed the massive subsidies after waking up to the reality that wind turbines are basically a disaster and are not reducing emissions at all because of their inability to supply power on demand.

Meanwhile, minister Corbell oversees the destruction of thousands of hectares of bush and grasslands to make way for the never-ending Canberra urban spread, and seems happy to allow around 100 B double trucks to export Canberrans' rubbish from the Pialligo tip to the Woodlawn mine site near Tarago, a total of 15,000km a day – every day – causing destruction to roads and depressingly increasing wildlife kills .

How green is that?

William Gray, Bungendore, NSW

It appears that most if not all of these new wind farms will be located outside the ACT.

Why? One thing the ACT does not lack is wind. Also mountains. I suggest that these windmills be located on top of the Brindabella Range. A string of them on top of the ridge line. There is continuous wind all the year round.

They won't be unsightly as they will appear from Canberra as a string of tiny white dots. We will produce 100 per cent of our power requirements, and also sell power to NSW. The project will make a big profit, and the ACT government need not pay anything.

Tim Walshaw, Waramanga

I'm getting more than a little tired of the almost constant rants of John Popplewell (Letters, August 10) and others about their right to peaceful gathering outside the ACT health building. His latest effort, with its reference to Hitler and Stalin, does little to separate him from what he asserts about some of his detractors. And, in any event, if the presence of the vigil and its sign, irrespective of the time of day, isn't designed to intimidate I don't know what it is.

If they believe genuinely in the power of prayer, the locale of the vigil is irrelevant and should never be used as an intimidatory gesture. I don't think their presence there does their cause any good at all.

Ashley Stanley, Kianga, NSW

It seems that John Popplewell is a man of sentiments but not a man of history or facts. The Nazi Germany considered abortion as a crime against the state, because of its nationalistic campaign to promote population growth (Aryan ones, that is).

Is Popplewell suggesting that his views are aligned with the Nazis? Also, not all Catholics are anti-abortion. Catholics for Choice has progressive and sympathetic views towards women's rights to reproductive freedom. Once again we see conservatives using the religion as an exclusive brand for their discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.

Joyce Wu, Lyneham

My previously published letter commented on the unfairness of charging rates based upon unimproved capital value, which is no reflection of a ratepayer's current wealth or capacity to pay. For this reason I am against the switch from stamp duty to increased rates.

However, I would like to suggest an alternative, namely that stamp duty be levied on the seller, since they are realising the benefit of rising land value which they have not themselves generated. In the case of the government being the seller, there is of course no justification for imposing it on either party, since they have already benefited from the sale price.

Chris Mobbs, Torrens

So, several years of NAPLAN test results essentially show we're making no progress on kids' basic numeracy/literacy.

Some commentators ("Time to regain balance if we are to save our screen-agers", Times2, August 10, p4) are not blaming teaching; they're blaming parents letting kids use computers.

Teacher unions warned us. They knew NAPLAN would only make their members, us and our kids feel bad. So much better if we all just live in happy ignorance of Australia's unimpressive standards.

They also said NAPLAN testing should be banned because their (unprofessional) members would likely teach-to-the-test and manipulate test participation by low scorers.

Fat lot of good that did them.

Imagine what NAPLAN results would look like had they not!

Manson MacGregor, Amaroo

Regarding the ABC Flats replacement, Simon Corbell said the building heights had been scaled back from a planned 15 storeys to 12 ("Demolition of Currong flats set for September", August 6, p2).

He said: "The bulk and scale of buildings should not have a negative impact on nearby residents."

The original master plan showed a height limit of 10 storeys and, after consultations where neighbourhood meetings asked for eight storeys, the government unbelievably increased the height to 15 storeys.

At hearings of the planning and environment committee, there were 137 written submissions of which 135 were against the bulk and height of the redevelopment.

The committee decided to go with the two submissions in favour of high-rise and retained the 15 storeys, in a surrounding residential area that is only three storeys.

We were thankful that the minister intervened and reduced the height to 12 storeys but neighbours are still hopeful that the eventual developer will decide on the benefits of a human-scale height.

Perhaps the ACT should adopt the planning rules in Washington DC where the mixed-use height limit is 27 metres or the width of the fronting road reserve, whichever is the smaller.

Chris Emery, Reid

Thanks for your "hilarious" item on water divining ("Aboretum's prayer answered by diviner intervention", August 10, p3). The setting for the accompanying photos were most credulously apposite. I was unaware that April Fool's day had been moved. As far back as July 1980 the Australian Skeptics (see website for details) conducted a definitive test that totally debunked this tomfoolery. It is most concerning that a "water consultant" was involved. Slow news day?

Bernard Walsh, Dunlop

I thought The Canberra Times's human interest stories had achieved peak banality with the woman who said public servants wear cardigans too often ("Canberra really a city of cardigan-wearers", July 27, p5), but you have outdone yourselves with the non-story of the "water consultant" who hired a dowser to "find" water at the arboretum. The only newsworthy detail in the piece is that other "water consultants" are using dowsers, marking them as either rubes or charlatans. Perhaps a future article could expose those who claim magical powers in order to exploit the gullible and vulnerable for profit.

Bill Browne, Dickson

The rights of individuals, mainly Christians, to make known their beliefs against abortion are not being taken away Nazi-style, John Popplewell (Letters, August 10). Overlooking the argument being lost through Godwin's law, I distinctly recall Shane Rattenbury publicly encouraging anti-abortionists to hold their prayer meetings outside the Assembly and direct their concerns to the law-makers.

Holding vigils outside a health clinic can only be a passive-aggressive attempt to intimidate women at what may be a deeply emotional time.

Tim Herne, Calwell

TO THE POINT

The Canberra Times wants to hear from you in short bursts. Email views in 50 words or fewer to

letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au

P.M. RUNNING SCARED

Why is the PM not letting the Coalition have a conscience vote on same sex marriage? What is he scared of? If he was a true conservative he would see that there is a mood for change amongst many in the community and he should test that mood by allowing a free vote.

Graeme Rankin, Holder

Thank you, Tony Abbott, for your Christian beliefs. We may now get a democratic vote on gay marriage. Not all of the common people approve of the thinking of this new age. In fact, I am sure the majority disapprove.

Graeme Gibson, Caringbah, NSW

There is no one more interested in maintaining the status quo than our unrealistic PM, who can't see the wood for the trees, yet again.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

HIGHER VALUE GARB

I propose the Raiders wear their away jersey in the remaining games. They appear to value it more highly.

John Twohill, Duffy

PRAYER MEETING

John Popplewell (Letters, August 10) justifies his group praying outside the abortion clinic by stating that they are in the main Catholics. I wonder if he would care to join my group in praying outside the cathedral for the souls of departed paedophile priests?

C. J. Johnston, Duffy

SHOW SOME LOYALTY

Tony Abbott should show his first loyalty is to Australia by publishing all the details of the proposed Trade Pacific Partnership deal. Then, in conjunction with all other politicians, fully and openly assess this "deal", explaining to Australians why, if at all, we should agree to be part of this. Secret deals are usually dodgy deals.

Martin Ryan, Duffy

ETHICAL DILEMMAS

The ethics adviser referred to in Ernest Willheim's excellent letter (August 11) sounds similar to an adviser/lawyer I knew some years ago: he couldn't tell an ethic from an artichoke.

Peter Moran, Watson

POPE 'WONDERFUL'

How sad that Ted Richards (Letters August 11) is unable to unravel the intricacies of David Pope's wonderful editorial cartoons. We find them insightful, witty, and contemporary. What's more, they are beautifully drawn and we love the little extras in the backgrounds.

Joanna and John Daly, Lyons

MANNERS, BRONWYN

Churlish, Bronwyn, churlish ("Thundercloud hangs over Speaker's day in the sun", August 11, p1).

David Mann, Kambah

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

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