Competition winner

Congratulations to Chris Harrison, who won a $1000 travel voucher in our November subscriber campaign.

On Greens in parliament

David Marrott writes: Re. “Greens team up with government to pass Hockey’s last tax bill” (yesterday). For a very long time the media (including Crikey) has rightfully called out the Greens’ ineffective puritanism, so it beggars belief as to why that very same press is now ragging on the Greens for finally doing something about it. Is this policy ideal? Hell no, but it’s a damn sight better than doing nothing while waiting for the coalition to get kicked out.

On the San Bernardino shooting

John Richardson writes: Re. “Rundle: San Bernardino shootings the result of a nihilistic America” (yesterday). So, Guy Rundle would muddy the waters by attempting to differentiate between the nature of IS “nutters” & the anonymous San Bernardino “nutters”. Not a “terrorist” attack? Not an attack by “radicals”? Not an attack on our “values”? Not an attack on “our way of life”? Not an “act of war”? Not an attack “on all of us”? Not the “work of the devil”? My mother would often express bewilderment at the unspeakable behaviour of people towards one another, without understanding that some behaviour is simply beyond understanding. An attack by “nihilists” or “nutters” but not “terrorists”? Not on your Nellie, Guy.

On anti-abortion protests

Josh Mehlman writes: Re. “Does muzzling anti-abortion protesters infringe freedom of speech?” (yesterday). Big ups to Crikey intern Jess Davis for using the phrase ‘anti-abortion’ to describe people who oppose abortion, rather than the politically loaded euphemism your journalists normally use. If only you could convince your experienced scribes to start using words to convey their literal meaning.