November 26: Working together for humanity only way to defeat terror

From: Anne Marsden, Hardy Meadows, Grassington.

THE violence in Paris is appalling and I ache for all those killed, maimed or traumatised. But I suggest that the terrorists will have triumphed if media, governments and people are distracted from initiatives to counter the causes of local and global tensions.

In Paris, the dialogue of the UN global climate conference has already started. There, 196 countries are participating in exploring and sharing current scientific evidence and symptoms, success stories and ideas for progress using modern technology and old wisdom.

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If we regress ever further into a tit-for-tat mentality, the outlook is indeed grim. We need to be galvanised to pursue mental understanding and cooperation and to take practical steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which so far penalise us in temperature zones less than those in the tropics.

Meanwhile, let’s not lose sight of the Millennium Development Goals which are the world’s time-bound and quantified targets for addressing insecurity and extreme poverty – income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion – while promoting gender equality, education and environmental sustainability.

None of us chose our parents or the era and culture into which we were born. All of us are responsible for the use of the freedoms and the talents we enjoy, to treat others as we would like them to treat us, and so contribute to human flourishing and the disarming of hate.

From: Paul Emsley, Newton Way, Hellifield, Nr Settle.

SO David Cameron’s big idea is to create two Strike Brigades (over the next decade) to react against any direct threat to the United Kingdom, either from the Soviet Union (sorry, I mean Russia), or from terrorist organisations.

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Can’t we just give the United States a government contract, to provide this service? They already provide the aircraft, missiles and armoured vehicles. I can’t think that a 10 year delivery programme is going to deter the so-called Islamic State; nor the Russians.

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield.

I FULLY realise that practice makes perfect but surely the Royal Air Force can find another area to practice in? In Driffield we are subjected to an almost continuous drone and sometimes the roar of jets throughout the day. There are thousands of acres on the North York Moors and Dales. Oh! I forgot, they would disturb the grouse and upset the gentry.

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