Kevin Rudd has, in his usual overblown style, described people smugglers as ''evil'' that can ''rot in hell''. I suppose we should be thankful that he did not describe them as ''the great moral challenge of our time''.
Rudd is being disingenuous. He and the Labour Party continue to use illegal immigrants as a whip to beat the Liberal Party, while benefiting materially and morally. Attacking ''people smugglers'' is a diversion.
People smugglers are providing a service in the time honoured small business tradition, except that the great majority of illegal aliens are neither capitalist, Christian nor a Democrat.
It is the Australia and John Howard haters such as the Labor Party and illegal immigrant boosters like Marion Le (gently described recently by the NSW Supreme Court as an ''unreliable witness'') and Julian Burnside that provide the market, inspiration and cover for people smugglers.
Just note the overseas born percentage in the strongest Labor suburbs.
Many former ''asylum seekers'' continue to vote Labor from back home in their countries of origin.
In danger my foot! Don't any Muslim countries provide shelter for Muslims?
I know they don't provide shelter for Palestinians, but that was just collusion between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Arab oil states.
Chris Smith, Braddon
I was slightly alarmed to read that Kevin Rudd thinks people smugglers are ''evil scum who should rot not only in jail but also in hell'' (''Another boat stopped as Navy tells of 'threat''', April 18, p1). This does not seem to have much to do with the Christian principle of loving your enemies.
In fact, it is beginning to sound a bit fundamentalist.
It's enough to make you consider going agnostic.
In any case, I'm not sure that people smugglers are necessarily any more evil than drug dealers, for example. Both are simply responding to demand in accordance with the principles of the capitalist economy.
The strength of our anger and hostility towards people smugglers and/or asylum seekers is proportional to our unwillingness to help the latter, and to our sense of guilt that ensues.
Michael McCarthy, Deakin
The Opposition is, once again, trying to frighten Australians with the spectre of asylum seekers. What is its point? Do they imagine Australians believe that hordes of boat people will be landing on our beaches?
Most refugees who come here for a better life arrive by plane.
A very small number risk all they have, including their lives, to travel here by often unseaworthy boats. They deserve our compassion, not our scorn. They certainly don't deserve to be politically exploited.
John Howard brought disgrace to this country with his ruthless, racist dog-whistling in 2001. It seems his successors have learned nothing. Perhaps this sort of grubby opportunism is all they are capable of.
Mark Slater, Melba
Road safety revenue
Before today Southern Cross Drive, at the intersection with Beaurepaire Crescent was wide allowing a vehicle heading west and turning into Beaurepaire Crescent to pull to the left of the road letting the 40 tonne trucks go flying past.
New line markings dictate that 13 of the road is now a no go area and the left turn is now almost 90 degrees.
Thus you slow down, stay in the middle of the lane and hopefully the trucks will also slow down, if not, then an increase in revenue will go to vehicle smash repairers or, God forbid, undertakers, and not to government as stated in the April 22 editorial.
Ken Wood, Holt
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