Festival deaths
If you were a parent and your child was described in one of the following ways: vibrant, loving young woman; bright and very kind child; really funny and loving kid; quiet and gentle young man: talented musician, you would probably be chuffed.
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All the young people, and more, who were described this way in the Sydney Morning Herald are dead. They died from overdoses of the drug MDMA at one of the many music festivals put on at places around the country in recent times.
At these so called festivals, there is a police presence, with sniffer dogs and a medical tent to treat alcohol and drug overdoses, yet still the young people die. They arrive in their thousands, sometimes preloaded with alcohol and an intent to smuggle in drugs. Alcohol is also available at the site and no doubt drugs are sold.
Thousands don't die. They either just go to enjoy the music or they know the ways to get around the regulations. But many kids do die. That's the reality. Since it is a reality, wouldn't it be better to just ban these so called festivals.
Good music concerts have always been available for young people to enjoy. No doubt there was a certain innocence in the concerts I attended as a teenager at the Sydney Stadium. My daughter went to a few big concerts in parks.
If drugs have ruined these events, then we have a very big problem and maybe the only solution is to stop the so-called festivals" cold turkey. Maybe then a way can be found to present concerts where people just get right into the music and enjoy themselves.
But these wonderful, vibrant, loving, kind, funny, talented young people will need to be the ones to lead the way.
Jan Morris,
West Tamworth
Barnaby Joyce's comments
I am NOT a great fan of Barnaby Joyce or many of his policies. However, his opinion, as expressed in the Northern Daily Leader on July 12, does make a lot of sense.
To divide all states and territories into areas of equal size, each represented by a senator, would give everyone much better representation in the Senate.
It would help to balance the situation in the House of Representatives, which works on the basis of population.
It would also, as Mr Joyce points out, provide an excellent opportunity for indigenous people to attain legitimate representation in the parliament.
Colin Smith,
Tamworth