Letters to the Editor: Swift action can save lives — don’t wait for alarm bell

A mother-of-two from Somalia who had to travel over 40km from the Lower Shabelle region to the hospital with her malnourished twin boys. Picture: Gavin Douglas/Concern Worldwide

I was an aid worker in Somalia 10 years ago, when 3m people faced famine, as a result of a massive drought and violent conflict.

The world delayed a response, knowing that people were dying.

Aid agencies like Concern did everything we could to secure funding and reach families forced to make unimaginable choices about which child would live as food and water disappeared. Parents told us of the choices they made as they walked for days to reach assistance, leaving the weakest children behind. More than 260,000 people died — a conservative estimate.

In contrast, the 2017 drought in Somalia was adequately resourced and the response was swift. When action is taken early, lives are saved.

Today, however, 34m people across the globe are at risk of famine. Donors are being asked to step up again to save lives and livelihoods so that people not only survive but keep their assets, stay in their homes and recover and rebuild.

Waiting for that famine alarm bell in order to respond means thousands are already dead.

Réiseal Ní Chéilleachair

Head of International Advocacy

Concern Worldwide

52-55 Lower Camden Street

Dublin 2

Criminal capers to joke about

The gardaí’s recent seizures of catalytic converters reminds me of one man who was arrested for stealing a car battery, but he was released without being charged.
And of another man who was accused of stealing out-of-date superglue but the DPP couldn’t make the charges stick.

John Williams

Clonmel

Running ring(road)s around Carrigaline

The local politicians could spend their time more productively doing something about the growing daily traffic chaos in Carrigaline.

Ring roads should have been planned when Carrigaline was designated as a satellite town over 40 years ago. All we have is continuing housing development — all of which required planning permission — but absolutely no infrastructure to cater for the resulting increase in traffic.

At the rate things are going, it will be another 40 years before they build a decent road to cater for the port in Ringaskiddy. Sometimes I despair.

Kevin Carroll

Waterpark

Carrigaline

Do we really need USB ports in bed?

Science is again misused and this time it’s not just for making bombs. There is now a bed that comes with two USB ports and this is considered a special feature. USB ports are useful for charging many things, although of course a power board can achieve this and not seem weird.

Although probably useful, it does make you wonder why someone, probably not really a scientist, thought this was worthwhile, given that there are so many other problems to solve. It is also suggested that, for better sleep, people do not take their phones, iPads and other devices to bed.

Wake up to this strange device and go back to sleep.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Box Hill

Vic Melbourne

Australia

Vaccine rollout a ‘headache’ for all

The vaccine rollout has been described as being a “huge headache” for well-paid planners. What about the feelings of those who will have to wait a lot longer than May for their vaccines?

Those with concerns are told to join the back of the queue. This sure sounds democratic to me!

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Why is the expensive HSE unable to execute a simple rollout for our small population, while the UK has vaccinated a huge portion of its enormous population? Added to this incompetence is the proposed salary increase for the secretary general of the Department of Health. Minister Donnelly then praises this non-PUP recipient for so nobly waiving this outrageous salary increase of €80k.

There’s a lot of “feelgood” dribble about civil liberties. We’ll only have real liberty when we all get safely vaccinated as soon as possible.

Dr Florence Craven

Bracknagh

Co Offaly

Sex education is no place for bishops

It is both inopportune and ill advised that the Irish Bishops’ Conference should publish a sex education programme for Catholic primary schools.

It is both inopportune and ill advised that the Irish Bishops’ Conference should publish a sex education programme for Catholic primary schools, says our correspondent.

Do our bishops not realise how utterly bankrupt they and our Church in Ireland are in terms of sexual mores and ethics and as practitioners, appraisers or mentors of human sexuality?

The Church has devastated generations of individuals and families in every corner of this country, not just through indifference, neglect or dereliction, but through deed in terms of sexual activity and abuse and through its judgment of the laity based on self-serving sexual parameters.

Much better that the Bishops’ Conference start laying a bedrock stamped with candour, humility and reticence focused on rebuilding it’s long lost credibility with those of us who continue to hang in there.

Michael Gannon

St Thomas’ Sq

Kilkenny

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Opportunities for Church socialising

Lay Catholic religion need not be lonely (Sean O’Brien “Religious isolation a negative thing” Irish Examiner, April 27). The Bible tells us that “there’s a time for everything”. During Mass, our focus should be exclusively on the cross — on the outstretched arms of Jesus as he thirsts for our active presence. It’s not the time for banter. But the Church provides lay Catholics many opportunities to discuss “individual views about the Gospel” and more.

As a lay Catholic, I have participated in coffee mornings after mass; lectio divina groups (prayerful Bible study); catechesis study groups; Catholic-theme monthly book clubs; spiritual retreats; pilgrimages with other joyful pilgrims; and many other social activities connected to my faith. Our input as lay Catholics was always part of this and I’m very grateful for the insights and company of the many wonderful people I’ve met this way.

Coronavirus has curtailed things but, please God, the world will soon return to some kind of normality and our socially distanced isolation can end. Jesus founded his Church to support and guide us on the narrow path home. God knows humans are social animals and we need each other’s company, support and prayers (Genesis 2:18). In Catholicism,
it’s known as “the communion of saints”.

Nick Folley

Carrigaline

Co Cork

Tackling world’s ills will benefit us all

Every one of us is in a kind of doctor’s waiting room. None of us wants to be here. An obese and unsound global economic model based on the mirage of continuous unending “growth” and consumption. One man’s waste is another man’s livelihood, so this “gout” is very difficult to treat. But the longer we leave it, the worse it will get. After a series of quizzical frowns, reproachful glances and scarifying ‘tuts’, the doctor intones the dreaded words — this is going to hurt. Everyone knows it. Cover your ears and you still hear the music. I reckon we’ll feel relieved once we start to tackle the problem in a meaningful way.

Michael Deasy

Carrigart

Co Donegal