YOUR VIEWS
OMICRON has supplanted Delta as the latest variant of the Covid virus. No surprises here as viruses mutate as part of their evolution.
The question on everyone’s mind is what effect it will have on our health, lifestyle, jobs and economy?
We seem poised for another round of lockdowns and lockouts. Why?
Covid in whatever variant will be with us for a long time. We either learn to live with it or abandon our lifestyle, freedoms, and our economic security as individuals, entities, state or nation.
Covid should not be a political football, a potential lever to control our lives through fear and uncertainty. There are costs to this control. Business failures, job loss, economic hardship, deterioration in mental health and finally rebellion against restrictions and mandates.
It’s easy to dismiss the tens of thousands of demonstrators as selfish nonconforming anti-vaxxers, or for the actions of the rare few who indulge in unacceptable violence.
But the vast majority are ordinary citizens, your neighbours, and friends, many of them vaccinated and all participating in their democratic right to dissent, protect their freedom of choice, liberty and right to go where they please.
The incremental loss of freedoms for any reason places a tremendous strain on any society. While vaccination is the door to re-establishing them, the targets our governments have set may never be achieved.
Imposed by force through totalitarian mandates erodes the bonds that bind our society and are poor incentives better left to dictatorial regimes.
There is a second unspoken question in people’s minds: which is the greater threat to our way of life, Covid, or our government’s handling of it?
Some serious choices need to be made, and soon. BOB JANSSEN, GOLD COAST
A WORD in Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s shell-like ear. If the good minister wishes to talk tough with Beijing, l am sure he realises Australia has a force of roughly 60,000 against the middle-kingdom’s two million.
When will he start floating the idea of conscription? Surely it will have crossed his mind?
I am certain Field Marshall DJ Fraser will have also considered this.
So, mums and dads, give your sons and daughters a great Christmas because they will be receiving a letter stamped with On Her Majesty’s Service shortly telling them Australia needs them in this time of concocted peril. Onya, Diggers.
DAVID HALL, COOMBABAH
HEY D J, why don’t you give everyone a laugh? What is your alternative?
DAVE RODGERS, GAVEN