Denise Lockett giving evidence in the trial of Whanganui MP Chester Borrows.
Personal responsibility is needed
I take issue with Jay Kuten's criticism of Chester Borrows over the recent trial on a careless driving causing injury charge.
He is missing one important point.
Yes, it was a lawful protest - Borrows is not suggesting that the police should have removed them entirely from the site. And, yes, a person's foot is no match in weight to a vehicle.
However, a level of personal responsibility has to be taken into account here.
If a car, slow-moving or not, is moving towards me, I remove myself out of the way.
I am sure the police assumed that Denise Lockett and Ms Treadwell would have stepped back a little from Borrows' vehicle.
Not only did Ms Treadwell not move her foot when she had ample opportunity to do so, she then took Chester Borrows to court over it because he was an easy figure to demonise, given his high-profile in Whanganui.
What Jay Kuten fails to see is that the will of the people shouldn't over-rule individual responsibility for one's own actions.
MARY-ANN EWING, St John's Hill
Futile theatre
Now that Denise Lockett and Tracey Treadwell have been defeated at their "Battle of Wounded Knee" and have retreated to lick their wounds (mainly to their inflated egos), I imagine they are planning their next act of futile theatre.
And if Ms Locket intends to continue sneering at those who pay sombre and grateful remembrance to the fallen on Anzac Day, I trust both women will acknowledge the only reason they are free to engage in offensive behaviour is because others were prepared to defend our freedoms at costs far greater than a grazed knee and bruised egos.
ALLAN ANDERSON, Brunswick
Tale of fury
Denise Lockett's recent letters ("No justice") brings Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2 into contemporary usage - "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Me also thinks that her tale is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Sadly, her acting skills are unlikely to secure employment at The Globe.
Give it a break, Denise - you're giving genuine protesters a bad rep.
JOHN MARTIN, Owhango
White privilege?
If neither Chester Borrows nor Paula Bennet have faith in the police, what chance do the rest of us have in getting justice?
I hope Chester will appeal the verdict that found him not guilty because if a boy racer or someone of ethnic background had driven across a footpath and injured someone, they would almost certainly have been found guilty.
It's all very well to complain about injustice but, in my opinion, someone with real integrity would be very unhappy with the verdict. Is this another case of a relatively rich, white individual in a position of power not getting the same justice as a poor black person?
TERRY O'CONNOR, Whanganui
Catering permits
In response to the statements by Lindsay Hyde and Mainstreet in the Chronicle article regarding lack of support for local business ("Red tape too much for vendor").
Both respondents have misled the public regarding the employment of out-of-town caterers and insinuating not using locals is sour grapes on my part and failure to get on local data bases.
Lindsay Hyde said council asked for expressions of interest for catering at Kowhai Park in 2016. That is true, but he also knows I have never asked for a full catering permit.
I have, for the past four years, applied to council for permission to service private functions or park users only when no other caterer is in attendance and the Lions shop is closed and only after 5pm.
On every occasion I have been denied.
With regard to my statement of the use of out-of-town caterers I am not referring to unauthorised vendors.
I am referring to incidents such as the councillor who asked me to provide ice creams for the children's Christmas in the Park.
This councillor rang Mr Whippy in Bulls and Mrs Kool in Palmerston North and both were booked for other jobs so Mrs Kool said I had an ice cream van in Wanganui. The council only required 25 per cent of my gross takings for the permission to provide this service. I declined on principle, being asked as a last resort and having to pay a ridiculous fee.
Mainstreet's response that caterers need to be on their database would lead the public to believe that I was not, and that was my own fault.
This is also misleading as I have interacted with Mainstreet for several years.
For four years - 2010 to 2014 - I was the caterer who sponsored bottles of water for the Maori wardens doing traffic control for Mainstreet's Christmas parade.
I have catered for Mainstreet Halloween events and, more recently, the Caboodle so I would have thought I would not only be on their database, but it would be easier to identify local caterers even if not on the database than locate out-of-town caterers.
G COOK, Springvale
TPP a relief
What a relief that the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement has been signed by New Zealand.
At last we have taken no notice of those who opposed this trade arrangement for so long.
Even without the United States involved, this agreement has great potential for our international traders.
There are significant obstacles for companies like Pacific Helmets to overcome in the Pacific region.
I just hope that countries like India come on board as our helmets get levied 37 per cent duty when sold there, which almost always prevents sales to that country.
Well done, National Government.
DAVID BENNETT, Pacific Helmets, Whanganui
Name change
The Warriors should be renamed the Worriers. Are they not a bloody worry?
GARY STEWART, Foxton Beach
Mandy Brooke says she has "got so much out of" her 10 years as manager.