Letters and short takes November 7 2023

And of course, Israel should be able to defend itself against terror attacks just as the Palestinians should be able to defend themselves against the illegal settlements that I believe amount to ethnic cleansing.

The difference being that while Israel has a powerful military, the Palestinians rely on guerilla tactics that are labelled as terror attacks.

Of course, one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter.

It is a process that has occurred ever since the first armies were formed; the Jewish people used it against the Romans, and then in 1946 against the British including a bomb attack on the King David Hotel in Jerusalem that killed 91 people.

For the perpetrators, the action is taken for perceived injustices and is viewed as a situation where the end justifies the means.

That common expression is believed to have originated from an ancient political philosophy called consequentialism, but it was never meant to justify unnecessary cruelty.

That's a feature almost impossible to enforce because the end justifies the means for both sides of the conflict.

THERE is currently a redistribution of the Federal Seats in NSW with the total number of seats reduced by one. I think from 47 to 46. The finalisation of the redistribution is not due until sometime in October 2024, so not much chance of the next Federal Election being held before then.

One possible result of the redistribution is that Anthony Albanese's seat of Grayndler gets the chop. If so he could move into Linda Burney's seat of Barton (named after Australia's first prime minister).

Then there is the option of Tony Burke's seat of Watson.

Whichever way it works out there is bound to be a bit of a dog fight. Firstly, between Labor and the Liberals about which party loses a seat, and then depending on that outcome which existing member of the House of Representatives finds something else to do.

WRONG, councillor Mitchell Griffin ("Supercars shows why East End belongs to all", Letters, 2/11), the East End is a residential suburb.

Residents of Newcastle, the East End and beyond have sought to correct a wrong decision made by Council of Newcastle, the state government and a private company.

The community survey requested by City of Newcastle council and produced by KPMG clearly demonstrates residents of Newcastle, of greater Newcastle, and beyond, that it is not wanted here.

It is the wrong track. The race needs a specialised track.

The foreshore and beaches are places everyone may share.

Joy Cummings was a true visionary as the first female lord mayor of Newcastle. Ms Cummings had the vision of the foreshore and the foresight of inclusivity I believe is so lacking in many of the recent council doings.

We should all 'maintain the rage' and rail at decisions made for and on behalf of all of us, to favour a private for-profit company for a quarter of the year during summer, autumn or whenever it suits the company.

I can understand it might be difficult for a Maitland City Council councillor to see that.

ASSUMING the comments by Professor Clare Collins ("New weight-loss drug a game-changer", Herald, 4/11), regarding the use of the drug Ozempic for weight loss are accurate, I find them disturbing.

Ozempic is a critical drug in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, and is approved for that use.

The Federal Government and medical authorities have been imploring doctors to restrict the use of Ozempic to the treatment of diabetes because of the acute shortage of the drug over the last 12 months or so, that shortage being driven almost entirely by the use of Ozempic for weight loss.

People with diabetes are suffering significantly and some may well have died because of the effects of not having the drug available.

I think Professor Collins needs to seriously consider her comments, and we must think first and foremost about the people suffering from diabetes and their need for this drug.