ALAN Tutt’s impassioned defence of the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club (‘Unblemished’ welfare record, letters, December 15) in the face of RSPCA criticism was interesting. 
His love for greyhounds is evident. Indeed, I recall him waxing lyrical about this years ago. The big issue is whether there are recalcitrants out there still likely to practice live baiting. Given the strong penalties now in prospect, a heightened public awareness, plus millions of camera phones, could we give the greyhound industry one last chance?
R F Brown, Kambah
Ignorance trumps egalitarianism
WINE writer Richard Calver’s column (“Poor taste of hamfisted service”, CN, January 17) highlights just one aspect of the slovenliness and lack of standards that permeate this country, at least.
To put it in the vernacular, he is obviously a “connor-sewer” of the finer things, but must realise he lives in “Boganville”, where egalitarianism has degenerated into cultural ignorance.
There is an economical upside to this, though: there is no expectation that money can buy you superior service (except in the health service, one place where egalitarianism should prevail).
Edwards, Weston Creek
Moved by drug stand
CONTRARY to Colliss Parrett’s view (letters, CN January 17) on Jon Stanhope’s column (“Handing out needles, I know it’s time for reform”, December 15) I was moved to know that a politician, albeit a former one, was moved by evidence and basic morality to realise that the drug laws we now have are causing more harm than they prevent and it is time for a rethink.
I was particularly moved by Jon’s last comment: “They might be a friend of yours or a close neighbour. I don’t know who they are, but I can tell you they each have a face”.
Colliss Parratt, on the other hand, refuses to look at the evidence. He still believes inmates will be drug free when they leave prison even though evidence shows that inmates still have access to drugs in prison.
I like to think of it in the form of a U-curve. The bottom of the U-curve on one side illustrates the total adverse harms caused by alcohol liberalisation and promotion, the other side of the U-curve illustrates the total adverse harms caused by drug prohibition. Policies that move alcohol and drugs towards the top of the U-curve where least harm occurs is where our policies should be heading.
I hope other politicians will take note.
M McConnell, Giralang
Who’s for Arrival Day?
IN recent decades I have witnessed community hatred in the approach to and on Australia Day.
The country continues to hamorrhage from this verbal and physical conflict, with the distinct probability it will worsen in future years. There is already an International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which is intended to build strong relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous people.
It was in November 1804 that this continent was first named Australia, on the map of Matthew Flinders. So why not remove impediments to goodwill among all Australians by renaming January 26 “Arrival Day”, which would not carry adverse reference to our indigenous people, because they were already here.
Colliss Parrett, Barton
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