Peddling discontent
ON Wednesday March 26 I asked a friend to take me to Fremantle for a bit of shopping.
After being in Coles we decided to go to Fishing Boat Harbour for a feed of fish and chips. Driving along the station we noticed traffic was getting heavy.
As we approached the side streets leading to the Esplanade, there was a “CLOSED” sign on them.
We turned back and went towards the Markets in very very heavy traffic crawling along at a snail’s pace.
It took us nearly two hours to travel from Coles to Monument Hill. This was the worst shopping day ever and one to remember (Herald, March 29, 2014).
There were no signs anywhere advising the public that the roads were to close that afternoon for a cycling criterium.
Thank you Mayor Brad Pettitt for not letting people know ahead of your intentions for Fremantle.
I certainly won’t go back there again in a hurry.
J Walsh
Cockburn Rd, Munster
The Ed says: It shouldn’t have been hard to erect warning signs at key entry roads to the city, as well as key locations within the CBD.

Think again
THIS weekend’s senate by-election is an opportunity for voters to re-assess their September 2013 vote. While I believe Scott Ludlam is a good senator, voters should consider whether the Greens are good parliamentarians.
In 2009 the Greens twice joined the Liberals in the Senate to vote down Labor’s emissions trading system, thus damaging prime minister Kevin Rudd’s authority.
In 2010, the Greens forced Julia Gillard to adopt a carbon tax as a condition of support in the hung parliament, fatally damaging her credibility. Now it seems likely the new senate, post-July, will throw out that measure.
An opportunity has been lost for Australia to have a well-established carbon pricing scheme by now. The Greens seem to have too many “my way, or the highway” types in their party, and this makes it difficult to get good, progressive policies into legislation for the long-term.
Gordon Payne
Jenkin St, South Fremantle

Language of this land
A COMMENT on Archie Roach’s comment “ancient meets contemporary” in “Singing life into language” (Herald, March 22, 2015).
Aboriginal language is profoundly different from modern tongues. Not only does it incorporate immediate connection with all of the natural environment, it also reflects and reinforces egalitarian relations of the old society and between individuals.
Modern language has picked up a long history of quite different relations. Trapped in our daily speech are the conventions of political control by both state and churches which are sources of resistance to new values.
“Love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) has never grown enough empathy to generate lasting harmony. A new, further step was led by US and Russian leaders Reagan and Gorbachev when they ended the Cold War with the words “We need each other” which implies joint responsibility.
For all of our children to learn an indigenous language at school would help reconciliation and inclusiveness. It would enlarge the imagination to deal with the epochal change going on in our time.
The last such major change was the Copernican/Galilean revolution with the emergence of science, the King James “everyman” bible and modern Socratic politics.
Before that was the Axial Age (circa 500BCE) when the Hebrew bible and the religions of the Middle-East, India and China, the culture of ancient Greece burst on the world.
Among my sources: “Religion in Human Evolution” Robert Bellah, Belknap (Harvard Uni) Press 2011.
Ted Zeffertt
Solomon St, Fremantle

Move the port south
THREE cheers to the Fremantle council for giving Main Roads the heave-ho to this monstrosity of a freeway to be built in the heart of Fremantle (Herald, March 29, 2014). This will only mean two lanes of mobile containers moving along High street. It is about time the container harbour was moved to the industrial area south of Fremantle.
Warren Cassidy
Waddell St, Palmyra

More info, less gloss
THANKS Robyn Campbell for your letter (Herald, March 15, 2014). Like many I am not against immunisation, I am just concerned about potential risks and side effects which I can’t just neglect as if they were non-existent.
By contrast the ”I immunise” campaign is propaganda funded by the PR budget of a pharmaceutical giant. Glossy pictures with a simplified message. They want to sell drugs.
No doubt the medical profession has vested interests, too (just look into how medical research is funded nowadays). But whether they like it or not there is a scientific debate about immunisation.
Our son was born in Germany and we had very open discussions with both a GP and a paediatrician about what is necessary and what is “pharma spin”. It was also recommended not to immunise before our son was six months old.
Kristian Walter
Leaside Way, Spearwood

Hidden heartaches
IN reply to Roma Lewi (“Imagine the heartache,” Herald letters, March 22, 2014). Yes, I can certainly imagine the heartache of having a child fall victim to a terrible disease. Although it is not well publicised, there are many heartaches caused by the vaccinations themselves, however these stories usually end up several pages into the newspaper and disappear very quickly.
My mother grew up in the 1930s too Roma and her mother was very much into health and well-being. You are right that transmission of infections was not well understood, and sanitation was not what it is now.
My mother lived in Mount Lawley with a backyard toilet, the waste from which was collected regularly by the night cart.  Meanwhile flies and other vermin had a field day spreading disease. This was the case all over Perth. • from page 6
As sanitation has improved so have levels of health. My sisters and I had measles, mumps and chicken pox in the 1950s and my mum, like yours, cared for my sisters and I and we all recovered easily having acquired natural antibodies in the process.
Studies have shown that people who decide not to immunise are almost always well educated and have made an informed choice.  People insist on using the term “anti-vaccination”.  It would be more accurate to describe people who do not vaccinate as “pro informed choice”.
It is laughable to imply the AVN is the one with the power here (as in the article on Katie Atwell)—it is the pharmaceutical companies (some of the richest on the planet) who can afford huge colourful advertisements painted on public walls. I’ve never known the AVN to have that kind of money or power.
I respect everyone’s right to do what they think is best for their children—please respect my right to do the same.
Robyn Campbell
Rennie Cres, Hilton

Draw the blinds on Sunset
IF Sunset Events has not already withdrawn from its venture at J-Shed, it should!
Maryrose Baker’s well documented evidence of “no support” for the scheme (Herald Thinking Allowed, March 22, 2014) should indicate it would lose a lot of money.
In winter and early spring, the venue site is windy. I am a West End local. If I wanted to hear the type of music usually blasted out from speakers I would simply pack a picnic, spread a rug on the beautifully kept lawn alongside the Round House, watch the sunset, avoid the rough and tumble of the common herd and enjoy!
The rest of the herd will have nightmares finding a park within a half-kilometre. Fortunately, I don’t believe this will get off the ground. Resistance is too overwhelming. I believe I will continue to do my evening walk at sundown without ever encountering Sunset.
Colyn Henwood
Pakenham St, Fremantle

My own voice
WHY does the (misleadingly) named inner-city residents’ association think a Facebook support campaign should be ignored but their direct mail campaign is somehow more significant (Herald, March 22, 2014)?
Why does a positive response have to be longer than four lines? or even one? I was unaware of any word limit when I voiced my support.
Loud and well-organised doesn’t mean the FICRA has more support: it just means it is louder and better organised.
This inner-city resident is sick and tired of this group masquerading as the voice of Fremantle. Can we all stop treating it like it is.
Jack Cook
Douglas St, Fremantle

Murphy’s Law?
I LIVE in South Fremantle and love living here. We have been so privileged (and appreciative) of the diverse consumer outlets we enjoy.
However, day by day they are eroding. The behemoth Dan Murphy’s has again prevailed against local opposition and will soon open a monstrous outlet on the corner of Douro and Hampton Roads.
In doing so, we will lose our beloved hardware outlet, to name just one. We will have increased traffic—as if Douro Road is not busy enough—we have potential noise and the social issues on our streets associated with alcohol consumption.
This massive outlet has been approved while there are at least five liquor sale outlets and several restaurants which sell alcohol within one square kilometre of this monstrosity. No doubt those responsible for approval do not live within a cooee of this travesty.
Mattie Turnbull
Daly St, South Fremantle
The Ed says: Chopped for space: sorry, Mattie!