Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – It is deeply regretful that Tony Nicklinson has lost his right to die case at the High Court in England.
It is a deeply tragic situation that Mr Nicklinson has such a poor quality of life that he wishes to end his life.
No one with a shred of decency would wish to see Mr Nicklinson suffer unnecessarily.
However, whenever a case like this comes along, where a person wishes to end their own life, the usual brigade of religious oddballs come along and insist that a person has no right to end their own life.
They have a perverted view that a person must suffer because it is God’s will. Ordinarily such people would be wandering around the streets with sandwich boards saying the end is nigh but because they proclaim faith somehow that means that their opinions have to be ”respected”.
So called pro-life campaigners are nothing of the sort. They are fanatical Christians who want to interfere in the lives of others. The right for someone to die is too important an issue to be left to the whim of Christians.
They have no right to tell someone that they must suffer because of scripture.
Alan Hinnrichs.2 Gillespie Terrace,Dundee.
Reason laptop was attractive to bees
Sir, – In Jim Crumley’s article (August 14) about the pluses and minuses of using his laptop al fresco he made reference to his close observations on the seemingly inexplicable behaviour of a green fly and a bee.
He discounts the possibility of their seeking food as they explored his laptop although that is the most likely explanation for their actions.
All insects have a somewhat different vision of the natural world to ours as they utilise a much broader spectrum of light than we do. It is the optical frequencies that they respond to.
To us an evening primrose flower looks bright yellow. To a bee, which uses the ultraviolet and infrared parts of the spectrum for vision, it will look very different.
It will see a flower which is pale pink and has a pattern of darker pink veins leading into the centre which is an even darker pink.
These lines act as a landing guide to the bee, which is naturally attracted to darker colours, directing it past the stamens where she gets her reward of nectar for pollinating the flower on the way.
In the natural world this is a happy symbiotic relationship.
Pity the poor bee who was fooled by the Windows logo and the high-definition digital technology.
Marion Lang.Westermost,Coaltown of Callange,Ceres.
Disregard for community
Sir, – The major impact on the landscape and visual amenity of the Kenly wind turbines will be on the villages of Boarhills, Dunino and Kingsbarns with 84 dwellings within 2km and some as close as 600m to the site.
The residents will be affected by noise and visual disturbance and the saleability/value of the properties will be seriously impaired.
In a recent case in England a property had its council tax banding reduced by 25% due to its proximity to wind turbines.
When you next drive into St Andrews from these villages take a good look at St Rule’s Tower and imagine turbines over three times its height and in the heart of rural Fife.
It would appear that the sole interest of the university is in profit and that it has a total disregard for the community in which it operates.
John Goodwin.3 Old Edinburgh,Boarhills.
We can decide our own future
Sir, – There is not much support from the media or politicians when it comes to the people having a real choice through a fair referendum without obligatory loaded questions.
Politicians don’t like to grasp the nettle, so let the people have their say on the unpalatable questions they fail to adress like immigration, same sex marrage, wind turbines, membership of NATO, hanging, atomic energy, membership of the EU and the keeping of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil etc.
All this can be offered and should be on the table by the SNP after independence if they are really interested in going independent.
No longer should a vocal minority tail wag the dog. We are not children, we can decide our own future.
We don’t need politicians to do it for us, so support a referendum on the future of how a new Scotland should be run.
John George Phimister.63 St Clair.Kirkcaldy.
No mention of EEC opposition
Sir, – With reference to your obituary on Alex Falconer (August 15), why did it not mention that he was strongly opposed to our EEC membership and did his best to expose the harms it was doing to our freedom, democracy and economy?
You mentioned his opposition to the poll tax and his campaign for Socialism in the Labour Party, so why not his opposittion to what is now the EU?
John Greer-Spencer.20 Touch Wards,Dunfermline.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.