FIRST CASUALTY: Alan Davidson argues the truth is murky in Syria.
Proof doesn't stand up to scrutiny
Christodoulos Moisa wants proof (Letters April 13) about Syria's use of chemical weapons.
The proof is "classified". Usually the US does not need proof: "We just know".
A Turkish advertising agency produces news for both the US and al Qaida. Some of the "news" from Aleppo was filmed in Egypt.
Swedish Doctors for Human Rights suspect White Helmets of killing babies, then pretending to treat them for the camera.
They suspect that one baby was overdosed on opiates, not chlorine as claimed, and was killed by the needle poked into his heart.
In December 2015, the US bombed the Syrian army near Deir az Zor. In September 2016, US, British, Danish and Australian planes "accidentally" bombed the Syrian army near Deir az Zor for an hour, killing 100 soldiers and maiming 100 more, helping an Isis advance.
The recent US missile strike on Shayrat air force base appeared to be co-ordinated with an Isis attack on Palmyra.
Russia joined the war in September 2015, and by March 2016 had stopped the war dead. John Kerry promised that the war would continue.
Last week Nikki Haley promised that there would be no peace in Syria until President Assad is gone. And then what?
Six hundred thousand non-American deaths so far; and two million refugees, fleeing not from the "regime", but from the "opposition".
ALAN DAVIDSON, Gonville
MPs - do more
In some respects I agree with Mr Borrows.
Basically I agree politicians should be doing a lot more. First up, stop paying people for doing nothing and importing people to do the work beneficiaries should do.
The unemployment benefit should come with an automatic cut-off after 60-90 days.
Instead of prisons being glorified motels, they should be places where you are treated military-style and you have to earn your release which means you come out a better person than when you went in. Of course there should be restorative justice.
How often do we see people sent to prison for stealing which means the taxpayer gets taxed to keep them there?
As regards his claim of "intelligent politicians", if it wasn't so absurd it would be laughable. He only has to look at the millions of dollars both parties have given to Maori and then look at their crime statistics.
What has he or his party done to improve them?
I could fill pages on the stupidity of the present government. More prisons, fewer police, more crime, shortage of money for education, health etc but blow $24 million on a flag referendum. It is no wonder people don't vote.
P Smith, Whanganui
Views of experts
John Robinson, on the 18th of April states "there is a danger that if a false story is repeated enough times it may become generally accepted".
I am confident this will not be the case with the false story he then repeats in his letter.
The NZ government set up a board of expert historians, lawyers and judges to consider this issue, called the Waitangi Tribunal.
Their deliberations and decisions show that they do believe that Maaori tribes had their land wrongly confiscated without adequate redress.
Most people would accept the views of government-appointed experts over self-appointed "experts" like John R.
Peter Rochford, Wellington
Mandy Brooke says she has "got so much out of" her 10 years as manager.