At the same time as US officials are fulminating at the early release of Abdel Baset al-Magrahi after his conviction and imprisonment relating to the death of 270 persons at Lockerbie in 1988, they might remind us just how many navy personnel served time after the shooting down of Iran Air flight 655 in 1986 with the loss of 290 equally innocent lives. As to al-Magrahi's welcome in Libya, this was far more subdued than the homecoming accorded Lt William Calley held responsible then pardoned for the massacre of over 500 Vietnamese villagers at My Lai in 1968.
John Murray, Fadden Mockery of justice
So, FBI director, Robert Mueller believes that the recent release and repatriation of the man convicted of blowing up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds makes a mockery of justice.
Tell that to the relatives of the 290 passengers and crew of Iran Air Flight 655 killed by the American Navy on the July 3, 1988, when the USS Vincennes blew them out of the sky over the Strait of Hormuz.
Were there charges laid, a trial conducted, a sentencing? No, the officers and crew of the Vincennes were awarded medals for their valorous action. The mockery is for Robert Mueller to lecture a government minister of another country on justice, when he himself was an appointee of the war criminal, George W. Bush.
The anger of the relatives of the dead from Pan Am Flight 103, blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland is understandable, but let us remember a life is a life, whether American, Iranian or whatever and that the families of Iran Air Flight 655 also have a grief unresolved.
Hamish Davidson, Narrabundah
Markets' great value
The Kingston Bus Markets have historic values for their association with Canberra's development. They also have technical value for the early use of large portal frames, aesthetic value for their form and proportion and social value for the many people who visit on market days.
Of added importance is the building's contribution to the revitalised industrial precinct that includes the former power station and the restored workshop. The success of the precinct is due in large part to the historic character of its component parts, each of which reinforces the others.
Precincts such as this are rare in Canberra and it is a real worry when there are moves by the planning agency to demolish something that works so successfully.
We should all be concerned that the Heritage Council have chosen not to acknowledge the building's heritage significance, that ACTPLA fail to recognise its urban design value and that the Ministers for Planning and Heritage appear, in this instance, to be driven more by economic opportunity than their social obligations.
Pip Giovanelli, Curtin
Clean vs green
Could Dr Gideon Polya (Letters, August 21) be confused between clean energy and green energy? While burning Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) might not be the greenest energy source in the world, it is definitely not dirty energy. Trotting out absolute figures in this case as Dr Polya does in her CO2 calculation is absolute nonsense (pardon the pun). I am not disputing the figure she got as it is quite correct, but had China not used LNG they would have used coal which also produces CO2 so a relative figure would have been more informative.
I believe the LNG deal is actually a win for the environment as coal mining, the other energy option China had, will inevitably release methane and CO2 to the environment and as we all know, methane is about 20 times more effective than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.
Burning coal could be labelled as ''dirty energy'' because it generates particulates in the atmosphere and is not good for the health of humans or animals.
Adam Hamilton, Ngunnawal
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