Jay Nauss writes of the Federal Government’s efforts to protect our children’s children from an insidious poison that is ingested by way of smoking. He writes or infers that our legislators are “Professing themselves to be wise; (but that) they have become fools.”
Well let me say publicly that thanks to the courage and tenacity of our governments efforts in the High Court of Australia, we now have “Plain Packaging” and would you have us believe that “these fools” were naïve or lucky in their win in the High Court?
At no time in your article do you give any praise to the government for their stand against the power of the tobacco industry nor do you condemn the actions of the powerful tobacco industry for their sustained and committed unlawful denial, over many decades, of the harmful effects of this insidious poison. I now wonder if you (Jay) have had any siblings or family members suffer the indignity of dying with insufferable pain from cancer?
I acknowledge your right to freedom of speech, but I just wish that it were directed in a constructive manner to those of us who have the “temerity” to fight these purveys of death. This government, who by the way received no campaign funding from the tobacco industry (As opposed to the Opposition) must surely be admired at the very least for their stance. As long as I can remember in my long life I cannot recall such a memorable win against such a formidable opponent?
You quite rightly (or wrongly) point out the many agreements that exist and that they rightly require greater scrutiny, but the proposition has been put to the High Court with doggered persistence by the very capable Nicola Roxon and credit is now due to her on her win by all Australians. If there were to be further litigation on the matters you now propose then I would hope that this government is the incumbent in any battle that may or could be fought on our behalf; for the Right “Honourable” Tony Abbott who does not condemn these persistent deniers, is, to say the least, “conspicuously silent”? My wife of 55 years comes from a very large family and it is with reluctance that I report that nine of her siblings have died from this “silent, painful and insidious disease”. Surely you cannot deny that even the smallest win gained by any government or citizen anywhere around the world is to be hailed as nothing less than a triumph, so why is it that you call our legislators, “FOOLS” as opposed to a government that had the courage to take the fight to the combined wealth and guile of the world wide conglomerates ie; the tobacco industry. I have written to Nicola Roxon on behalf of my wife and I to offer our thanks for her obvious unrelenting effort in bringing this law to the statute books, now I ask of you, will you reciprocate?
Kevin Schintler
Gympie
