Tuesday 19 June 2018

Unacceptable!

SOMEONE is going to die because Killarney's only remaining ambulance spends much of its time dealing with call outs in North Cork.

Young Scientist Exhibition could open new avenues of co-operation

Just as this year's Young Scientist Exhibition opened its doors at the RDS on Thursday a much quieter event was taking place at Dublin's Mansion House. Two students from Mzumbe Secondary School in Morogoro, Tanzania presented the Lord Mayor of Dublin Críona Ní Dhálaigh with gifts from their country, symbolising aspects of life in Tanzania.

Different witnesses but same mantra as enquiry fails to shed light on past

Different witnesses but the same story at the banking enquiry. Brian Cowen and Charlie McCreevy's appearances before the enquiry had been expected to shed much more light on the road to Ireland's financial collapse.

Schools could have duty of normalizing homosexuality

Sir, Anyone would think from letters in your paper over the past two weeks that same-sex "marriage" is a benign eccentricity which won't affect the average person.Massachusetts has been cited for weeks as an example.

Constitution leaves no doubt about the definition of 'marriage'

Sir, The Referendum Commission's "Independent Guide" on the marriage referendum recently came fluttering through my letterbox. I have read it (and the similar material on the Commission's website) and the relevant parts of the Irish Constitution carefully and I am convinced that the "Guide" contains two alarmingly misleading statements both of which would very tendentiously ease the way to a Yes-vote in the referendum.

Debate on same-sex marriage is notable for its shallowness

Sir, I was struck by the statement of Cllr Michael Gleeson (The Kerryman letters, April 8) regarding a notice of motion that came before Kerry County Council some months before, calling on the members to vote in support of same sex marriage. The motion was passed by a large majority. In voting against this motion Cllr Gleeson concluded his contribution by saying: "I vote in affirmation of my deeply held belief and without antipathy to persons who think differently."

What 21 year old could become President?

With so much talk and discussion about the Marriage Referendum the Age of Presidential Candidates Referendum is being somewhat forgotten about.

Actions speak louder than apologies from sorry bankers

I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back. So wrote Leo Tolstoy in 1886 as he discussed the life of the average Russian under the Tsars. His words remain as applicable to the ruling elites of our modern times as they were to the elites of Tolstoy's Russia.

We need to value our health and take care of ourselves into old age

Last Wednesday, April 29 was my birthday and the clock hit 66. I can't believe it but I have my birth cert to prove it. One or two other telltale signs as well.

Shocking death of Karen Buckley is every parent's worst nightmare

When the body of Karen Buckley was discovered at High Craighton Farm outside Glasgow last week, the gruesome find sent shockwaves across Scotland and to every corner of these shores.

If money were no object, would all things be possible in the future?

They say money can't buy you happiness, but correspondingly, being rich would make misery a lot more tolerable. Or put another way - money doesn't buy you happiness, but it helps you to look for it in a lot more places.

Attacks on vulnerable bring us to a new low

We sank to a new low last week when a man with special needs was targeted, threatened and viciously assaulted by a gang of thugs in Dublin.

Chance for a more equal society

Sir, As a Kerryman living in Dublin for the past 10 years, I would like to urge all eligible voters in the Kingdom to vote Yes on May 22 in the Marriage Equality Referendum. I hope that people take this opportunity to send out a very positive message of support to gay people, past present and future. This is about children, gay children, your gay children, your gay grandchildren, your gay nieces and nephews and your neighbours' children. This is our chance to make Ireland a better and equal society.

Referendum is an opportunity we should all grasp

Sir, We are being asked to decide if gay and lesbians citizens should have the same right to marry as the rest of us. It's remarkable we've got to this point. Homosexual acts were illegal in this country up to 1993. And now, a few short decades later, the LGBT community is on the cusp of equality. In the US, slaves were freed in 1863 but it took a full century for the government to begin passing legislation that granted African-Americans actual equality. Here, criminal class to near equality, in 20 years. Remarkable.

How old is too old when it comes to IVF?

There has been much debate about the German mother of 13 who is about to give birth to quadruplets.

The power of love shows us how the human race is so amazing

A lot of the items on the news every day are stories that involve hate and malice. There's so many examples of people hating one another, so many stories where 'man's inhumanity to man' is so obvious.

We must not deal lightly with institution of marriage

Sir, When we, the people of Kerry and beyond, go to the polls shortly we have to realise that the Constitution is the basic law of our country and it is the only one over which we have full control. We therefore have to be careful about any proposal to amend it. This care and consideration is particularly important when marriage and the family, as bedrock institutions in our society, are sought to be changed by politicians.