Where’s the Muslim women’s march?

My question to all those women who are marching in the latest hysterical de rigueur gathering for whatever they think they’re marching is:

On what date and where will you be marching against female genital mutilation, brutality towards women, female subjugation in the Muslim world and child and female rape there?

Let me know, because that’s worth putting my time into.

Maggie Winterson, Rivervale

Reopen the death penalty debate

Once again we have a criminal who has, in front of hundreds of witnesses, killed a number of people, yet he lives and will continue to live.

One life he destroyed was a baby in a pram, a life that never stood a chance.

Yet, he will still have his life. The right to life brigade will cry out in outrage if it should be suggested that the death penalty be reintroduced.

But they do not seem to mind that a form of death penalty was inflicted on innocent pedestrians in Melbourne.

What right had he to take their lives and not forfeit his own?

He will probably spend the rest of his life in prison with all the usual modern prison life benefits and still have prisoner’s rights to make sure he is cared for properly.

What a crazy world we live in when someone can carry out multiple murders, destroy the lives of people, ruin families and yet come out of it all with just the deprivation of his liberty, living on for many years. Deliberate and premeditated killings should be punished properly with the ultimate penalty — death.

We do not need such types in our society.

The justice system was put into place to protect the innocent and punish the guilty to the full extent of the law.

The perpetrator of crimes such as this one deserves the forfeit of his life for the horror he has caused.

Would these criminals be so keen to carry out their terrible crimes if they realised that they were putting their own life and existence on the line?

Richard Sims, Wilson

Politicians’ honesty

What a sad day for Australia when it seems a committee may be required to oversee the honesty and integrity of our MPs, senators and ministers by monitoring all claims made by them for expenses, to ensure they are within the rules covering the use of taxpayers’ money.

Sandra Payne, Pearsall

Council’s wrong call on protesters

Without consulting ratepayers the City of Cockburn has extended support — that is, free camping facilities on a council reserve — to a bunch of yahoos who have chosen to cause as much havoc as they can regarding Roe 8.

They had their go in court right up to the High Court and lost. They should now desist and let the majority go about enjoying the many benefits the Roe 8, then Roe 9, projects will bring.

Councillors majority support for the dreadlock brigade, without community approval, shows their left-wing agenda to cause the Liberal Government as much grief as possible.

This is not what local government should be about. Council is supposed to work for the benefit of all local ratepayers.

Being openly politically aligned with parties or protest groups that can’t get their way legally is not a good look.

Where was the council and their left-wing mates when other local projects were subject to broadacre clearing?

To name just a few: the clearing of Jandakot airport, the clearing of hundreds of hectare for housing estates and the current clearing of bush off Russell Road near Cockburn Cement. Not one protester was seen to stand up for the animals and plants there.

To think that the access granted to this unruly mob to establish their camp next to Bibra Lake will not have a cost impact to ratepayers to clear litter and toilets after protesters leave, if they ever do, is fanciful.

Is the health department going to regularly inspect and issue defect notices? I hope so.

Are they going to be required to put in an application for signs and comply with rules for the same with the planning department? If not, it makes a complete mockery of the planning and other council enforcement processes.

This approval for a temporary camp site needs to be rethought. The council should be good at that with their signs exhorting “Rethink the link” all about the place.

Tom Barrett, Munster

Mining and conservation

Graham Thomson (Letters, 20/1) accuses me of being “grossly misleading” in relation to mining in the Helena Aurora Range. He obviously didn’t comprehend my letter.

People such as myself are not anti-mining as such. We just want some real balance between mining and conservation, which does not mean that the miners can mine what they like, and what is left over can be “conserved”.

John Irvin, Mullaloo

Clarifying Israel support

Martin Mathew is bewildered at Australian Government support for Israel (Letters, 19/1).

Let me clarify for him that our Government should and will support another democracy — Israel — which is simply attempting to go about its business, growing its economy, inventing cures for diseases such as cancer, Ebola and Aids, developing scientific aids for humanity, assisting other less fortunate nations with disaster relief, and securing and defending the safety of its citizens against terrorist attacks.

I’m not sure what he means when he refers to an “Israel lobby”. However, if he means ordinary Australians who support Israel’s right to exist in peace and democracy with secure borders, then I’m part of that lobby.

Melanie Jones, North Perth

Ban the medieval burqa

M. Bateman is so correct to criticise Premier Colin Barnett for not banning the burqa (Letters, 23/1). If Morocco can do it, as well as France, why not Western Australia? Germany is now calling for such a ban.

I would like to see it banned throughout Australia. Women wearing this medieval garment cannot possibly integrate in our society. We can hardly see their eyes, let alone their faces.

If they are on welfare, they should be available to undertake employment.

Would anyone take them on wearing a burqa?

It is fine to dress modestly but to see young children running around in the Australian sunshine wrapped in scarves is sad.

I have heard quite a few people who will vote for Pauline Hanson simply because she believes in doing this. Mr Barnett, you may be losing many votes on this issue and you should think again.

Marianne Stevens, Halls Head

Making waves

Thank you, Robert Drewe, for bringing to the attention of a wider public the proposed and controversial Wave Park at Alfred Cove (West Weekend, 21-22/1). It will be situated a few kilometres from the Indian Ocean. How many more waves do we need?

Patricia Smith, Palmyra