High praise for a husband who confronted ignominy

February 22, 2005

Dear Mr Thompson, don't think everyone regards you as a murderer ("Agony of a man who killed the love of his life", Herald, February 21). I see you as a loving and courageous person, and so would most of those who have had loved ones in similar, hopeless situations. I wish I had had the bravery and opportunity to help my mum in such a way, but instead she survived for six years with dementia in a nursing home - incontinent, without movement, speech or recognition.

My mother had a horror of ending up like this and had often asked me "to give her a pill so she wouldn't wake up" if the situation arose and I was able. I wish I could have done so.

Dementia can have a strong hereditary streak; if my time comes, will society and the law by then allow my children to find a pill for me, or must I hope they will have the courage of Fred Thompson?

Kaye Purnell, Kensington

There is not one part of the story of the late Katerina Thompson that is not tragic.

It is tragic that a young wife and mother was struck down with crippling multiple sclerosis; tragic that her frail body needed 15 years of full-time care that was lovingly provided by her husband, Fred; tragic that he felt the burden of that daily care fell only to him, and that medical and community support and respite care did not meet his needs.

Tragic, too, that Katerina and he could see no alternative more attractive than death, if he should no longer be there to care for her. And tragic now that he finds himself more alone than ever, estranged from children and family because he took Katerina's life.

Life is a gift from God to be treasured and protected, and it is a final tragedy when people feel the burden of life, or the burden to care for life, is more than they can bear.

Claire Smith, Mosman

Anyone who wants to rush into print to condemn Fred Thompson for assisting his wife to leave a life with zero quality should stop and consider their more fortunate circumstances before they cast stones at another.

If they have managed to care for someone for 37 years, the last 16 of them a living hell, and have done better than Mr Thompson, then they can speak. If not, they should be grateful they aren't standing in that man's tragic shoes and should remain silent.

Lynette Chamas, Auburn

Reading your front-page story on Fred Thompson and his late, loved wife Katerina, stirred painful memories for me.

Fifteen years ago I stood at the bedside of my terminally ill husband, holding the pills and the pillow which would have hastened a longed-for death and ended more than two years of his suffering. But in anguish and alone in the bedroom we had shared for so long, I could not do it, fearful of any possible consequences, legal or otherwise.

It still haunts me that I was unable to perform a final act of love and compassion for a devoted husband of 30 years, so condemning him to a further several days of unimaginable pain.

I salute Mr Thompson's compassion and courage.

Name withheld, Bondi Junction

Christmas surprise nice, pity about the rapping

While I can understand Tony Abbott considering himself to be "callow and ill-prepared for fatherhood at 19", what I cannot understand is his failure to appreciate that young women dealing with the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy may similarly feel unprepared for motherhood ("Hey, Dad . . . Tony Abbott's Christmas surprise from the '70s", Herald, February 21).

Some of these women do decide, after much angst and soul-searching, to have an abortion. Unlike certain fathers who can fly the coop, women do not have the luxury of reneging on their parental responsibilities once a child is born.

Teenage mothers in particular face life-long struggles with limited educational and work opportunities and poverty traps. None end up as ministers of government in the Australian Parliament. Face up to the inequitable realities about abortion, Mr Abbott.

Jo Morgan, Newtown

Oh, what a surprise, Tony Abbott talking up his "chance" meeting with this son he gave up for adoption many years ago. He calls it a feelgood story - I suspect it is. It also won't hurt his stance on abortion - isn't Tony on the pro-life side?

Nick Winwood, Randwick

I can accept that in the midst of a public debate on abortion, Tony Abbott's reunion with his son is news. Harder to accept is the Sunday night news on the Packer-owned Channel Nine using the occasion to market it as the cover story in this week's Packer-owned The Bulletin. Of all the events of the day, this was the second story on the evening news.

If this is the norm under the media-ownership laws, we have every reason to be concerned when the Howard Government uses its Senate majority to allow media barons to own newspapers and television stations in the same city. Goodbye journalism, hello marketing.

Steve Goldberg, Dulwich Hill

Dear Daniel, It could have been worse. It could have been Tony Abbott telling you that your mother was Amanda Vandstone.

Brian Johnstone, Leura

Call it green, but it's also a mean weapon

I have long felt that home air-conditioners should carry a warning label: "Use of this device may lead to global warming and environmental disaster." Your editorial proposes a nuclear solution to the greenhouse problem ("The greening of nuclear power", Herald, February 21). It appears the warning should be extended: ". . . And possible nuclear arms proliferation among terrorist networks and rogue states leading ultimately to global thermo-nuclear war."

Carl Sparre, Eastwood

I've often wondered why Earth can't dispose of its nuclear waste by loading it into rockets and shooting them at the sun. Maybe a reader with an understanding of the implications of such an act could enlighten me?

Mark Dixon, Revesby

Rent, for nothing

There must be thousands of rural landholders who have recently received notification of a proposed tenfold increase in rent for "paper roads", which are non-existent roads, represented by lines on maps, drawn up about 100 years ago to ensure access to the small farming blocks that then existed, and which are now irrelevant with the ever increasing amalgamation of farms.

This is an unfair financial impost on farmers and a blatant money-grabbing exercise by the NSW Government.

Peter Gerard, Guyra

Any cloning is unethical

As the UN voted on Saturday to ban all forms of human cloning, Australia is reviewing our laws against cloning ("Scientists lobby to lift cloning ban despite UN vote", Herald, February 21). Scientists suggest a difference between "reproductive" cloning, where the cloned embryo is born, and "therapeutic" cloning, where it is destroyed in experiments. Yet cloning is cloning no matter what you subsequently do with the cloned offspring.

It is sociologically wrong to clone an embryo without biological parents, a mere creation of technicians, and let it be born as an absolute orphan. But it is morally sick to clone such an anonymous embryo, with no parents to defend its interests, simply to kill it for scientific research.

In Australia all governments agreed unanimously that it is wrong to create a human life in order to destroy it for science. At the UN, delegates confirmed that: "No human life should ever be produced to be destroyed for the benefit of another." That key ethical principle cannot change, so there can be no regressing to the barbarous scenario of cloning our young as mere laboratory meat for the consumption of science.

David van Gend, Toowoomba (Qld)

An easy political target

Last week I flew in a light aircraft with a friend from Bankstown Airport to Yarrawonga, on the Victorian border. Our flight path, designated by air traffic controllers in Melbourne, took us above Canberra - in fact, directly over Parliament House.

I couldn't help wondering about the Government's paranoia about terrorism and its plan to build a bomb-proof bunker to hide in in case of attack.

The only checks before take-off were for us to report the number of people on board, planned altitude and expected times to reach designated points along the route. Nobody asked the identity of the passengers or whether we had any bombs we were planning to drop ... and the Government expects everyone to be alert, but not alarmed?

Chris O'Shaughnessy, Waverley

Handy focus on Aceh

Forgive my cynicism but are the latest warnings from the Government to leave Aceh anything to do with an effort once again to divert attention from the difficulties being experienced by several ministers, including the Prime Minister?

M. Kalaf, Warrawee

Problem: double whammy interest rate rise; A-G's daughter involved with a person expelled for being a threat to national security; interrogation of prisoners by Australians; the Cornelia Rau affair.

Solution: children overboard (been there); weapons of mass destruction (done that); terrorists threaten aid workers - brilliant! Let's go with that one.

M. Anderson, Regents Park (Qld)

Bring in the goats

I must say Paul Sheehan's article was well worth a read and dovetailed with some information I heard on ABC radio last week ("The collapse of the wide, brown land", Herald, February 21). Apparently Australia could halve its greenhouse gas emissions if we stopped breeding cattle and switched to animals more appropriate to our big brown land.

The ABC information was that it takes 50 tonnes of water to give us 1 kilogram of prime beef steak. If we switch to kangaroo and chicken we hugely reduce our dependence on water. Ditto goat which, incidentally, is the world's most popular meat and for which there is always demand. Seems a rather simple thing to do in the long run but we, the public, must drive it.

Stephen Crocker, Stanmore

One way past the sand

One can only hope that the mortar recovered on a Hobart golf course ("Mortar shell removed", Herald, February 21) was aimed at the bunker.

Charles Forrester, Epping

More deaths from war

Contrary to the assertion of your correspondent Douglas Kirsner (Letters, February 21), statistics released by the Iraqi Health Ministry (published on the BBC news website) show that operations by US and multinational forces and Iraqi police are killing twice as many Iraqis as attacks by insurgents.

The numbers showed that from July 1, 2004, to January 1, 2005, 3274 people were killed and 12,657 injured in violence related to the war. Of these, 2041 died as the result of military action (including insurgents, and Iraqi security forces) and 1233 were killed after "terrorist" incidents.

Ian Semmel, Maleny (Qld)

Senator Robert Hill's assertion to the Senate Estimates Committee (Alan Ramsey, Herald, February 19-20) that Australia has been involved with the US in an endeavour to minimise civilian casualties in Iraq rings hollow. If no one in either Government is counting the number of civilian deaths, how will they know whether they are successful in reducing the numbers? Senator Hill seems to have forgotten the basics of simple arithmetic.

Tracey White, Mona Vale

Tram would ease traffic

I see Mr Watkins, the Transport Minister, has said he wants to fix the public transport system before embarking on new projects ("City vision: light rail to beaches, inner west", Herald, February 21). Ignoring the obvious carelessness with the truth here (what's the M4 extension if not a new project?) the fact is that by extending the light rail system, Mr Watkins would be fixing at least part of the existing transport system. A decent - not half-hearted - tram system up and down the spine of the city would allow all buses to stop at the edges. Some bus services to the city could be done away with altogether. I travel every day by light rail and I love it.

Peter Rosier, Annandale

The headline "City vision" gives a sense of deja vu. We had this light rail thing in my youth, but due to the Australian habit of shortening descriptions we called them trams.

G.D. Richardson, Port Macquarie

Cliff, ever a young one

Changing times may require Madame Tussaud's to separate Brad and Jen ("Wax of their tears", Herald, February 21) but after seeing Sir Cliff Richard on Parkinson on Saturday, he is surely the only person whose wax likeness would have to be updated to be more handsome, thinner, and with better teeth and hair.

J. Archer, Dural

4WD owners: high, but maybe not so mighty

No, Mike Carlton, we are not envious of 4WD owners (Herald, February 19-20). We are angry and amazed at the selfishness of them, especially when they mention safety "because you can see all around you". While you are getting this elevated view, your vehicles endanger the rest of us by blocking our view.

Sheila Fielding, Bondi

Confessed 4WD owner Mike Carlton bets 4WD critics are genitally challenged. One of my friends, who is never entirely wrong, disagrees. He bets the size of the bullbar on the front of the wagon is in inverse proportion to the ornament on the front of the owner. Is there any published research on the topic?

Mick Rabbitt, Merewether

Pump reaction

So, using a vacuum device will make your breasts bigger ("Non-surgical boob job aims to suck them in", Herald, February 19-20). Every breastfeeding mother who has used a breast pump knows that already.

Anne-Louise Hargreaves, Waitara

If the breast enlargement device is put into reverse, does it reduce hips and thighs?

Jan McCauley, Bowral

Jams can't be bettered

In "Facelift for fish market" (Herald, February 17), it says there is a plan to relocate the entrance on Bank Street, and change the entry and exit from Pyrmont Bridge Road to improve traffic congestion. Why does traffic congestion need improving? I thought it was pretty good as it is without alteration.

Owen Fisher, Rose Bay

We feel their pain

So sorry to hear of the terrible pain the Adler family is feeling; Rodney's wife is even unable to attend eastern suburbs social functions. I can only imagine it might be something like the pain felt by the shareholders and creditors of HIH who lost everything.

Damien Toogood, Darlinghurst

Blow away those creases

Barely into the footy season and Channel Nine's Ken Sutcliffe chimes in with a pearler - teams "ironing out the cobwebs". Can't wait to see what comes out next - maybe "back-to-back" mixed metaphors.

Phil Armour, Yass

Dope in the White House

So George Bush virtually admits to having used marijuana ("Bush worried young would copy his cannabis use", Herald, February 21). That explains his mind-altered state but I didn't realise the effects were so long-lasting. There's definitely a warning or two there.

Kathryn Newburg, Caringbah

Bush and Wead talk about grass.

R. Baker, Randwick

Knotty problem

Can anyone explain the law of physics that enables shoelaces to regularly untie themselves, yet when one wishes to remove his/her shoes, these same laces knot in such a way that Houdini's skills would be seriously challenged?

Paul Stevens, Chatswood