Another person, Dennis Skillicorn, is to be legally executed in the American state of Missouri. Again we have to ask, how can any nation call itself civilised when it deprives its citizens of the most basic of human rights, the right to life?Vic Adams, Reid

COSTELLO'S SECRETS

I see Peter Costello remains undecided about whether to remain the member for Higgins or return to law (or whatever).

Either he knows something about the goings on in the Liberal Party regarding leadership or he is just as unpopular on the outside world and has nowhere to go. When do we all find out?

Linus Cole, Palmerston

LIBRARY'S SPACE

Given the size of other ACT public libraries the proposed ''shop front'' at Kingston obviously has been suggested by an email reader because nothing else will fit in any quantity. Please reopen the Griffith library so other people can borrow books.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

BLINKERED VISION

I gather that, in the budget, the Federal Government reduced the subsidy for cataract operations. Probably an astute move on its part, in that it will increase the number of people that cannot see what it is up to. I wonder what Australian hero Fred Hollows would have felt about this.

Ed Highley, Kambah

SWAN FLU WARNING

While Rob Gardiner (Letters, May 19) may detect a strategy that has some logic in the federal budget others may see the incubation of a ''Swan flu'' pandemic.

Geoff Mongan Campbell

MORE PET HATES

In relation to the Million Paws Walk, Michael Linke says the result ''shows the support and respect our local community has for their pets'' (''Paws walk success'', May 19, p11).

Unfortunately, hundreds of owners didn't show respect for the rest of the community by not cleaning up their pets' excrement during the walk. Pet owners in Canberra continue to have a long way to go in relation to demonstrating responsible pet ownership.

Gordon Fyfe, Kambah

HEADS OF THE RIVER

John Carmody (Letters, May 19) ought to have known that the prize for which Frederick Septimus Kelly competed at the Henley rowing regatta, and won three times, was the Diamond Sculls trophy, not ''Skulls''. This trophy was also won twice by another Australian sportsman, Mervyn Wood.

R. Richards, Hawker