Praise misplaced
SOMETIMES one wonders if rational thought has been suspended.
During the period Australian troops served in Vietnam, elements of society blamed the soldiers as if they were the makers of Government policy. A senior defence officer subsequently stated that ''we probably should not have gone''. The suggestion is that the soldiers had a choice whether or not to obey the orders they were given.
More recently, someone who felt Government policy was wrong in terms of Afghanistan stated Australian forces should be withdrawn because soldiers' lives had been lost. Roger Dace (Letters, March20, p12) countered by saying that the possibility of casualties was part of the honour bestowed by a nation on its armed forces.
Idealistically, soldiers who serve on active duty are the servants of their nation's people, rather than their nation's Government. Those who feel Australia's policy in Afghanistan is wrong should criticise the Government.
The fact that soldiers have died is not, in itself, justification for withdrawal. It is, however, justification to praise the continued courage and dedication of our nation's service personnel.
Bruce Cameron, Campbell
A top-down approach
I READ the piece on Australian Bureau of Statistics staffing (''Executive stress as 180 ABS jobs to go'', March 21, p1) with interest, particularly with regard to culling middle-management positions.
The rationale offered by the bureau (that it had listened to its junior staff) is laughable to the point of inanity.
How, then, did the bureau's staffing profile come to be so far out of kilter to start with? Whose responsibility was that to manage and for how long? And whose job was it to manage the budget and work program for quality data?
And why, for years, did the bureau do its bullying best to pay those same junior staff at some of the lowest base rates in the public service, while offering senior staff ''performance pay'' at some of the highest rates? Clearly, bureau senior management thinks this repeated pattern of failure is somebody else's fault.
Perhaps they were too busy counting their performance pay to notice that so much of the bureau's operation has been cast so terminally adrift. By all means sack a swathe of managers. Starting from the top down.
Don Clark , Latham
Not infallible
A MAN who believes in papal infallibility (''No more condom comments from Pope'', March 21, p16) lives in pampered luxury amid priceless art treasures in Rome.
He flies to Africa and warns the poorest people on Earth ''not to succumb to materialism'' while dressed in a dazzling white frock.
Pope Benedict reminds me of Moses. Every time he opens his mouth, the bull rushes.
Graham Macafee, Latham
Words of wisdom?
WE LIVE in strange times. And here's the latest from the Catholic Church apparently, there are better ways to combat AIDS than with condoms, the Pope assured us on his recent trip to Africa. (Perhaps prayer really does work.)
With his usual penetrating insight, he says the solution lies in friendship for those who suffer, although some would say that it was too much condom-free friendship that created the problem in the first place.
One suspects that the sight of a strangely dressed white man showing up to help fast-track the latest genocide must be a great comfort to the citizens of Cameroon. Especially those who haven't died yet.
We live in a strange world where we take advice about life's big issues from a man whose main claim to power rests on his personal inexperience with, well, just about everything.
Still, things worked out just fine with George Bush Jr at the helm and I'm sure the good folks at the Vatican have a bonza plan up their red sleeves to make people not want to have sex any more. It's good to know they're there.
Lindsey Anderson, Wagaman, NT
A harsh penalty
MARCUS Einfeld's sentencing for perjury begs the question what offences deserve jail?
Notwithstanding the seriousness of a senior legal figure lying to a court, Einfeld's imprisonment would seem to be a simplistic and overly punitive over-reaction by the legal system.
He is not a threat to anyone's life, health or property so a far more reasonable approach would have been to strip him of his status as a lawyer and any titles he has gained in recognition of his skills and community standing (some of which has already happened) and take away his right to drive for a significant period.
A substantial fine would also have been appropriate. However, to throw him in jail is ridiculous.
Our legal system needs to be more creative about the way in which it deals with many offences. Jail should be the last resort for all but the worst criminal offences.
Mark Slater, Melba
Funding unfair
YOUR NATIONAL Affairs Correspondent Philip Dorling (''Review exposes DFAT deficits'', March 18, p1) highlights that while Defence's annual budget exceeds $22billion, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade struggles by with about $1.2billion.
If we really do believe applying military force should be a last resort applied only after diplomatic efforts have failed we should be putting more resources into the front end of international relationships. Perhaps we link the two expenditure areas and give foreign affairs an amount equal to 10 per cent of that given to Defence?
Roger Dace, Googong, NSW
Technology let down?
WHILE lauding the undoubted bravery of the soldier just killed in Afghanistan, my question upon hearing he was defusing a roadside bomb is: where was the robot? We seem to have them in great numbers in Australia being trotted out with some fanfare to dispose of bombs and improvised explosive devices in counter-terror and other exercises. Be nice to have some where they are actually needed.
Vic Adams, Reid
Every little bit helps
THE STORY of the power of a small loan to a destitute person (''Micro steps to end slum poverty'', Forum, March 14, p9) was a great read.
I hope our Members of Parliament in Canberra have read it too. Because although Australia's foreign aid budget contributes to micro-loan schemes, it's less than $10million a year at present.
Even a small increase in funding would go such a long way. While there are still over a billion people worldwide living on less than $1 a day, we lucky ones must give them a chance to get out of poverty.
In case the MPs haven't seen the article or heard of microcredit, we should each send our federal member a copy. Make it your compassionate action of the week.
Sue Packham, Woolamai, VIC
Eye on the future
AS I toiled up the hill to the main display area of the Canberra Arboretum's open day, I met a family coming down. One little girl asked, ''Mummy, have we been here before?'' Her mother replied, ''No, dear, no one's ever been here before.'' How true, I thought.
When has any of us been to a place where a politician initiated something that would produce results that will only be fully appreciated by generations to come, rather than with an eye to the next election cycle?
Well done, Jon Stanhope.
Bill Egan, Aranda
Email a friend