I hit the library books to research – in some detail, mind you – how atomic bombs are constructed. It became a source of some pride that I figured it out at a semi-technical level.

The curious nerd that I was 45 years ago would now be researching all this on the internet.

The nerd in 2018 could be looking at arrest, interrogation and potentially a serious charge relating to "instruction material". I was not apprehended all those years ago, but I did become a science teacher.

As politicians and their proliferating security tsars set ever more "trip wires" in both cyberspace and in the community, both young and old will develop a (well-founded) fear of venturing "beyond the flags" to satisfy their technical and sociological curiosity.

"Keeping us safe" is the double-talk for black-clad and masked paramilitary with machineguns, waves of highly publicised and violent, state-sanctioned home invasions (horrifyingly, sometimes in error), facial recognition backed by "brute force" computing power, wholesale data retention, and the "thought police".

This is not progress.

At best, this kind of security state is a "zero sum" proposition; security paid for in freedom and in trauma and in the progressive loss of the Australia of the 20th century.

At worst, this is the progressive rollout of ignorance and the "thug state".

Ross Kelly, Monash

Ross Gittins extols the benefits of globalisation and technological change ("Instinctive tribalism fights lure of globalisation", October 2, p19).

Those benefits do exist; unfortunately arriving too frequently like the curate's egg: both good and objectionable shelled-up together.

Globalisation drifted to Australia prior to European arrival, as mentioned by Josephine Flood in her The Original Australians, notably via the entry of smallpox, packaged with the dingo and tamarind trees. Since, over some 200 years, it has picked up speed, encapsulating a mixture almost as biblical as Joseph's multicoloured dream coat.

Arriving on and beyond our doorstep: the Trojan horse of Multilateral Agreement on Investment/Fair and free trade arrangements; influenza/aircraft travel; spiritual antipathy/scientific and artistic co-operation; Marie Stopes International/religious-cultural prevention of women's rights to control their own fertility.

And so it goes on; benefits and disasters, with too little scrutiny for the latter.

Gittins looks for "the best way to strengthen cosmopolitan values". Do all need strengthening? Is refusal to accept them in toto "being xenophobic"?

Colin Samundsett, Farrer

John Galvin's assertion (Letters, October 6) that blank verse is a "much more difficult and ... classical craft" than rhymed verse reminded me of a famous exchange between the great American poets Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg.

As old men the two poets sometimes engaged in teasing banter with each other.

After Sandburg chided Frost by asking if "he had found a comb yet" for his unruly white hair, Frost is said to have told Sandburg that "writing blank verse is like playing tennis with the net down".

Still, it does an old English teacher's heart good to see poetry discussed on the letters page!

Steve Ellis, Hackett

Philip Benwell (Letters, September 29) has done us all a great favour.

We so rarely hear of or from the Australian Monarchist League that it can become difficult to remember what in fact they standfor.

Thankfully, Philip made it clear in his letter: a grab bag of conflicting and out of date notions. According to Benwell's letter, a republic will never be accepted by the Australian people because they will be dazzled by the coronation of a future King Charles, And be bamboozled by the complexity of constitutional change.

Benwell also makes the case that celebrity concerns will also be an important factor: "The prospect of a president has no celebrity factor."

None of these offerings constitutes an argument to retain the monarchy. If these are the best cases that organised and ideological monarchists can muster, than it is no wonder that public support for an Australian republic is growing in strength.

Monarchists are struggling to meet the growing challenge of a republic.

The greatest challenge to the achievement of a republic is not organised monarchism but a crowded public agenda.

Brendan Forde, Gundaroo

We, the public, are being asked, yet again, to give up a little more of our privacy for the sake of added security.

How long will it be before there is no more privacy left to give up?

I am not a terrorist or paedophile, yet am increasingly feeling like a rat in a maze, being watched over and measured by people who should be spending their time doing better things.

Instead of spying on me, how about they go out and actually chase the bad guys?

Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States once said that those who are willing to give up freedom for security deserve neither.

Karl Goiser, Griffith

Recent polling suggests three quarters of eligible citizens have returned their same-sex marriage survey forms.

Yet there is still another month to go during which people can post their completed forms. Can someone explain why this survey was planned to take so long?

Was it to allow "polite and respectful" debate to continue over such a drawn-out period? Most people must be getting very tired of, and upset by, this ill-advised scheme, and simply want a result.

Tim Hardy, Florey

I recently returned from some months away from Canberra. On my return trip, I was busting to get back to see the Great Fence of Parliament House.

The Fence seems still to be a work in progress, but the workers are certainly doing a massive demolition job on the grass hills, felling mature trees, digging trenches and installing some of the planned 2.6-metre-high vertical metal fence.

Surely an overreaction to a few half-baked students climbing a parapet and hanging up a protest sign.

However, even if we accept the need for additional measures in our current security environment, it seems very strange that you can still drive to Parliament House, as I did on my return and, just like it has always been, drive deeply under the forecourt (potentially with a vehicle laden with explosives), or just camping gear and dirty washing in my case.

No security. No checks. Even two hours' free parking, or more paid if you need it.

John Mungoven, Stirling

Currently, people who wish to start home educating in the ACT have a provisional period of six months.

This gives them time to work out how home education works and if it is right for their family.

It also means that a child can be removed quickly from school rather than waiting until a full registration can be arranged. The proposed change, as suggested by the ACT Education Directorate, is meant to streamline the home education process by removing the six-month provisional registration.

This may mean that a child, who is having difficulty at school for a variety of reasons, must remain in school until full registration can be arranged even though this could be detrimental to their wellbeing.

Some, but not all, home education groups have been notified directly by the ACT Education Directorate about the proposed changes to legislation for home education.

The time frame of one week given to respond to the proposed changes has been inadequate and the department is not willing to allow further time for response.

This lack of consultation and time for people who home educate to respond is wrong and disappointing.

It makes me wonder if there is an ulterior motive to the change. It also makes me wonder how soon more changes will be implemented without consulting those who will be affected by it.

This kind of behaviour shows a lack of care and respect for people who choose to home educate.

Michele Allen, Canberra

To me, as an elderly, grumpy, white, heterosexual male, it is unclear what valid "religious freedoms" the Coalition for Marriage Inequality fears will be at risk from a "yes" outcome.

There is no risk that anyone will be forced to participate in a same-sex union, either as a participant, celebrant or wedding guest.

Those whose imaginary friend requires discrimination because of innate sexuality may not be permitted to conduct any marriages for the purposes of civil law. But nothing will prevent them from conducting such private rites as their beliefs require – within reasonable limits – and even calling it "marriage" if they wish.

It may just not be a legal civil law marriage. Or are we faced with a fundamentalist push to restore the age-old traditions of marriage: child marriages, women as male property, rape within marriage, murder of non-virginal brides?

If not, and these properly discarded relics of time immemorial are dispensable, then why is the requirement for heterosexuality not also as dispensable in this more enlightened age as was the supposedly religious requirement for racial homogeneity in the relatively recent past?

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

I know of a church where most of the congregation are quite old now.

They have gathered in it since their families were beginning and now they share stories about their great-grandchildren.

They appreciate that they are not going to be able to persuade the coming generations to attend church in the way they have done, but they have faith that their offspring will find their own way to aspire to the greater good. As evidence they have placed a notice at the front of their little, old stone church which reads, "We believe in love, equality and inclusion."

I just thought we should note that it is not only our younger voters who can open their hearts in this way.

Jill Sutton, Watson

Why do we have compulsory voting in Australian elections? We have never had political violence in this country, as with compulsory voting even the losers can accept the result as being what the majority wanted.

Some examples around the world will tell you why it is a good idea.

Brexit: the majority of those who voted, voted to leave but apparently the actual majority, had everyone voted, would have had the opposite result.

Trump: apparently if everyone who was eligible to vote had have actually turned out and cast their vote, Hillary Clinton (or perhaps even Bernie Sanders) would now be President.

The independence vote in Catalonia: overwhelmingly voted for independence as the majority of the naysayers boycotted the vote.

Marriage Equality plebiscite: only 60 per cent of eligible votes have been returned and pundits are saying that is a good result. Regardless of whether you vote yes or no,if you don't vote at all then you will have no right to complain that "the silent majority" wished for a different outcome.

Michael C. Stevenson, Narrabundah

A succession of grossly incompetent federal and state governments from both sides of politics have, by way of privatisation, deregulating gas exports and not halting population growth, ensured we pay more for energy than ever.

I urge the ACT Labor/Green government to allow suburban house owners to install wind generators. Solar is great, but because the sun does not always shine we cannot afford to waste the breeze when it blows.

Nancy Tidfy, Chisholm

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Ted Tregillgas (Letters, October 5) suggests that, at the start of parliamentary sessions, politicians should audibly remind themselves of Sir Walter Scott's couplet: "O what a tangled web we weave,/When first we practise to deceive."

I recall that, very many years ago, a contributor to the English satirical weekly Punch added another couplet: "But when we've practised for a while,/ How vastly we improve our style."

Maurice Devèze, Red Hill

SHAMELESS STANDARDS

Whenever there is a terror attack by a "Muslim" I am always asked, "Where are the moderate Muslims, where is the Muslim leadership, why didn't the Muslim community report him?"

Why isn't that being asked right now? Instead there are headlines about how this Las Vegas shooter loved country music and was a quiet reserved person. The double standards are shameless.

Ata Ul Hadi, Berwick, Vic

OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

So Chinese dollars have come to Canberra. Is even the Mint outsourcing now?

M. Moore, Bonython

THANKS FOR SMILES

What a delight to read the heart-warming story (by Han Nguyen), and see the photos (by Karleen Minney), of postie John Kanard with his friendly magpies.

After the depressing news of the massacre in Las Vegas it was a relief to actually smile when I opened the CT.

Sandra Smith, Macgregor, ACT

FIGHT THE POWER

It's amazing how quickly our leaders junk civil rights when it suits them. Good work, Andrew Barr, for standing firm.

N. Ellis, Belconnen

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.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).