Letters: Drone strike, bush fires, decade debate and growing business

Mourners holding posters of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani attend a funeral ceremony for him and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami Square in Tehran, Iran. Photo / AP

Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made a vague call for "restraint and de-escalation" following the execution of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. New Zealand was not briefed before the airstrike, so what does Peters mean by acknowledging "strong US concerns about Iran" and suggesting the "US took action on the basis of information that they had"?

Are we against Trump's dangerous, illegal and provocative act or not? The United States action violates every possible norm or international law.

It was an act of war with unimaginable and unpredictable consequences in the world's most volatile region. Imagine if another nation were to kill our Chief of Defence Staff, Kevin Short, on foreign soil.

The US extinguished the lives of eight people in the drone strike — one of them important Iraqi Shia militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. A huge funeral procession in Baghdad honoured all the dead, making their feelings known at the gates of the US Green zone.

New Zealand forces in Iraq are there as part of a US coalition, so should immediately be withdrawn to signal our rejection of US brinkmanship.

Maire Leadbeater, Mt Albert.

Aboriginal silence

Understandably, there is an avalanche of news on the terrible Australian bush fires.

Why haven't we heard about what must be the devastating effects upon the indigenous population, or anything about how, over thousands of years, they controlled these events?

After a couple of hundred years of colonisation the entire environment is in jeopardy. The silence re the aboriginal population speaks volumes about Aussie culture and values.

Simon Damerell, Ponsonby.

Barbaric assassination

Regarding the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani: If my neighbour's dog had been stealing my chickens under cover of darkness, I may arguably be entitled to lie in wait, catch him in the act and shoot him dead.

But I would be worse than a fool to break into my neighbour's house in broad daylight, and attack the animal in front of those who see him as a beloved family pet.

Likewise, if Soleimani had been killed on the battlefield following a legitimate declaration or war against Iran, that would surely just be a soldier's fate in my view.

But to assassinate him out of the blue, during what is technically a time of peace, is barbaric in the extreme.

It is the difference is between a legitimate boxing match and a coward's sucker punch, and if the latter, let the coward live with the consequences.

Paul Charman, Takapuna.

When time began

In answer to Laura M Holson's contribution to the decade debate (Herald, January 6). May I as a 2000 plus-year-old man, who was born with a tongue in my cheek, state that I can remember everyone celebrating the start of the new decade as the clock struck midnight, thus saying goodbye to the BC period.

At the time everyone naturally agreed the new decade should start on the first second of every year ending in 0. Talk of any other outcome is therefore purely mischievous.

John Norris, Whangamatā.

Growing business

I am afraid we are doomed along with our once stunning planet, this demise accelerated by dropouts in our parliament with no life experience pandering to people's laziness.

When I was 25 and sporting more than just a communications degree like the PM, I also thought I knew everything like Chloe Swarbrick.

But fool was I. Double these years and you might get closer to erudition regardless of the certificates on your wall.

To accelerate your wisdom try owning your own small business. Regardless of long-term success or failure in this arena you start to understand how the world could actually work better.

The NZ economy is fundamentally built on a collection of small businesses, and it could be significantly better if it was not made so jolly hard to grow a business by those without the appropriate experience in parliament.

Lindsay Dalziel, Westmere.

Hand on the pump

Rod Cane is right about one thing in his letter of January 6, Scott Morrison "has a good handle on the general Australian economy". Unfortunately, as so many bush fires at the moment demonstrate, it's the handle of a fuel pump.

And the fact that he has threatened to jail environmental protesters for up to 21 years shows he has no intention of taking his hand away from the handle any time soon.

PC Laird, Milford.

Writing a wrong

Correspondent Lori Dale of Ōpōtiki extols the value of the human rights we enjoy in NZ including the "right to write" and says that is good reason to appreciate living in NZ right now.

The right to write of course may be used to write something that isn't right.

The Dale letter is followed by someone saying Prime Minister Ardern's idea of progress is "opening prison doors, more people on benefits, a wrecked housing and rental industry, collapsed businesses and a management team based on race and gender rather than achievement and experience".

My right to write has that as not just wrong but patently silly.

Peter Nicholson, Ruatangata.

Real economic growth

Correspondent Rod Kane has stated that the Australian PM has a good handle on the general Australian economy while our PM wouldn't have an economic clue, let alone any idea of driving the country forward.

This must mean that Rod Kane did not notice the recent well-publicised figures on economic growth, included in the OECD Economic Outlook published last November, which showed a predicted 2020 growth figure for NZ of 2.48 per cent, Australia 2.28 per cent and 2 per cent for the US, which President Trump claims is the envy of the world. This would tend to indicate our PM is achieving economic growth at a much higher rate than many people would like to give her credit for.

David Mairs, Glendowie.

Bygone beliefs

It was appalling to read in the Weekend Herald that a professor of public health recommends recovering hospital patients should continue to be given meat and dairy in preference to plant-based meals.

Grant Schofield further added to his blunder when he claimed that reducing meat and dairy to counter climate change was "nonsense". It may be what the majority of us want to hear, but denying the truth will not help our health, climate change, the environment, wildlife, animals exploited in farming or the planet.

It beggars belief that in 2020, an academic should make such uneducated comments. Mr Schofield is stuck in a bygone era regarding what comprises a healthy human diet and the factors that heavily contribute to climate change, especially in New Zealand.

Heaven help us when tertiary lecturers are given platforms (and publish books) to push their personal beliefs and agendas — in direct opposition to conclusive scientific evidence to the contrary.

Thankfully, reputable academics, Health Minister Julie Anne Genter, Professor John Potter of the Centre for Public Health Research and the District Health Boards all have the good sense to accept and act on the facts. It is to be hoped Mr Schofield reviews his current opinions and catches up with the modern world.

Linda Nunn, Auckland.

Overbearing rules

I assume that Auckland Council will be taking legal action against Australia for breaching both our Smoke-free legislation compliance and Climate Change Emergency resolutions?

Council are wasting enormous amounts of ratepayers' money deliberately congesting the CBD arterial roads and key thoroughfares, so why not waste more of our money enforcing their overbearing rules and restrictions with legal action — at least that will prove they are putting their money where their mouths are?

Roger Hawkins, Herne Bay.

Making it hard to give

A normal part of any disaster, such as the fires we have now in Australia, is the donation of goods or money. Generosity is the norm for people.

One of the odd quirks that has arisen lately is that it can sometimes be difficult to donate cash. Like most people I toss a few coins in the collection tins when you see them or when they knock on your door but not everyone accepts cash.

There are a few, mostly charities that I don't know, that will only take credit card details for automatic regular payments. They tend to operate at shopping centres or by phone and have actually refused to take my cash.

Fortunately most charities will take your money in any form like my small automatic donations to the Fred Hollows Foundation that helps people see again.

Charities, please make it easy to take our donations and people, please donate what you can.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill.

Short & sweet

On Trump

Quick! Could someone in the White House administration please give Potus some McDonald's or a few Democrats to chomp on. Anything to distract him from the red button.

Mary Hearn, Glendowie.

On cricket

In today's fast-paced world, why don't they try four-day tests? Each innings to be no more than one day and max 90 overs. This would encourage better batting rather than stonewalling. Each team would have two innings. If scores are tied, super overs until a winner is found. No more five days' play and no winner.

Jock MacVicar, Hauraki.

On roads

Australian Paul Brown's comparison of road tolls with Queensland does not fit. His state is seven times larger than New Zealand with far straighter roads.

Stuart Mackenzie, Ōhura.

On roadworks

Having experienced the frustration of trying to get somewhere in the city via a plethora of orange cones and temporary one-way lanes, I thought it might ease the motorist's pain somewhat if a notice somewhere explained what the workmen were actually doing.

Pamela Russell, Ōrākei.

On rodeos

Yay, the rodeo is coming to town, so we civilised human beings can be entertained by the sight of animals running and bucking in terror.

What a bunch of barbarians we are.

J Nistelrooy, Kohimarama.