No (“Do we like Kyrgios? It’s complicated”, July 8). Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Jesus is a Gunner

Sorry to rain on your parade lads, but Jesus has just signed to play for Arsenal (Letters, July 8), so he’s no longer available. Rhod Jeffrey, Surry Hills

In scary times, no need to add stupidity to the mix

It’s been a scary few days, watching the Wyong River rise, as emergency vehicles pass by on both water and land (“Flood rescues across NSW as state turns to clean-up”, July 8). The sound of sirens is constantly in the background. Fallen trees sail past in the speeding current: one day, even a small car was afloat and heading for Tuggerah Lake. Yet, as the sun emerged, so did recreational boaters. What possessed the driver of the tinny to do laps of the river as if playing chicken with the debris? Did the owner of the small runabout realise that where he had chosen to tie up was usually a park, the depth of the now-receding water there an unknown? Did the paddler consider what would happen to his kayak if it were hit by one of the many logs heading quickly downstream? And, perhaps they all should be reminded that unseen bull sharks can and do live in fresh water, and that snakes can swim and have been known to board boats mid-stream. This boatie is staying on land for now. Randi Svensen, Wyong

The two sides of BoJo

Two writers offer very different takes on Boris Johnson. One finds him to be an instinctive, stupid liar and a sociopath, a view robustly shared by his Conservative colleagues and many in Britain (“Downfall of an incompetent liar”, July 8). The other, George Brandis, finds him to be a hugely consequential politician, an appealing winner, courageous, charismatic, engaging, the smartest person in the room (“Love him or not, Johnson was most consequential PM since Thatcher”, July 8). According to Brandis, he simply “ran out of luck”. Is this the kind of surreal thinking that led to the Coalition’s recent trouncing? Alison Stewart, Riverview

The Brandis panegyric on Johnson’s demise makes a virtue of his manifest failings of character and leadership. Johnson has undoubtedly changed the course of Europe but to what end: the benefit of the people of the United Kingdom or to promote his personal political ambitions? Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs

Bonk ban bonkers

Sad state of affairs, excuse the pun, when a “bonk ban” is necessary, not for a group of hormone-driven teenagers, but for the elected leaders of our community (“‘Bonk ban’ to remain under Albanese”, July 8). What message about appropriate behaviour does it send to our youth, given the problems already being faced by young women in educational facilities. It’s shameful. Elizabeth Kroon, Randwick

Let the dam water out

I don’t understand why we need to raise the wall of Warragamba dam to mitigate the flooding of areas around the Nepean River (Letters, July 8). The Bureau of Meteorology had forecast heavy continuous rain two weeks before it happened. Why can’t the relevant authority start releasing the water at that time, a full two weeks before? This would have given the dam additional capacity if needed by reducing the level by 14 metres. The river would have been able to handle the extra flow. It would be cheaper to crank up the hardly used desalination plant if the forecast was wrong and our water supply was a bit short. Julius Dhanu, Peakhurst

Bishopric betrayal

By failing to pass a motion calling for women to have more senior roles in the church, many Australian Catholic bishops have shown their blind allegiance to this ancient relic of male supremacy (Letters, July 8). Parts of the New Testament do admonish women speaking publicly in the church. But Jesus liberated women from this yoke of slavery and shame that is manifest through the ongoing scourge of domestic violence and sexual exploitation.

Surely, these bishops have betrayed all who suffer such untold indignity, simply by common virtue of their gender. Reverend Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)

Contrary to your correspondents’ laments, there will be further discussion at the Catholic Church’s plenary on the matters seemingly failing to receive support. It needs to be understood it is not just about what people want to happen nor about majorities so they can feel at home in today’s culture, but a reading of the signs of the times where what is truly needed for the world is upheld, established or recognised. Gordana Martinovich, Dulwich Hill

Thanks to your correspondent for verbalising the disappointment many Catholics, men and women, are experiencing. Could I suggest, though, that our faith is in the person of Jesus, not in the patriarchal church that has evolved since he walked among us. Kim Crawford, Springwood

Booze circuit-breaker

For many boozers, drinking in moderation is an impossibility (“Giving up booze for a month is no answer”, July 8). In my experience, as someone who has now been dry for 20 years, the struggle to resist rather than indulge is far more difficult than giving up completely. And giving up is not easy.

Your columnist writes drinkers will feel guilty at failing a self-imposed booze ban. Well, imagine the guilt, shame and self-loathing when you can’t even manage to stop at one instead of one dozen? Abstinence is about self-denial and willpower; however, it doesn’t only require these inner strengths, it builds them up. Health initiatives like the various sober months are not pointless exercises in virtuous hash-tagging. They often function as a circuit-breaker for individuals who then continue onwards in their abstinence. A sustained sobriety that not only improves their own life, but also the lives of those around them. Michael Thompson, Bexley North

Forestry the answer

Elevated extinction risk for any native species should be of great concern to all, and as a society, we should be doing all we can to act (“‘Australian panda’ joins endangered list as extinction looms’, July 5). However, forestry operations, rather than being singled out as a factor contributing to species decline, should be embraced as part of the solution.

The two greatest known impacts on glider populations are catastrophic fires and abnormally high overnight temperatures. There is no scientific consensus that forestry operations have a major impact on overall populations: native forest harvesting occurs on such a small scale that singling out its contribution is an overstatement. Active and adaptive management of forests is an acknowledged method of tackling climate change and building resilience in forests against fire through practices such as prescribed burning. Lachie McCaw, Vice President, Forestry Australia

Credits where they’re due

I don’t begrudge Peter Fyfe (Letters, July 8) his “opt-out” button to avoid TV credits, but while binge-watching 39 episodes of SeaChange (yeah, OK, naff but I love it) I do object to having to press two “opt-in” buttons within half a millisecond before the closing credits in order to hear the finest Australian TV theme-tune ever written. Steve Cornelius, Brookvale

On behalf of all theatre, movie and television technicians and staff, may I offer my humble thanks to your correspondent for pointing out just how insignificant and unworthy of recognition or credit we all are. Well done sir. Please enjoy your future entertainment without sets, costumes, sound or lighting. Alynn Pratt, Grenfell

I have loved movies since I was a small child and I always watch the credits. The credits frequently include junior people in the profession who are delighted to see their names up on the big screen. Sometimes an extra scene or joke is placed after the credits, and you miss it if you scarper before the lights are even up. It is also nice to see the same names become more senior over the years. We need the arts now more than ever. Eva Elbourne, Pennant Hills

Postscript

It was a busy week in the world of news this week, providing correspondents with plenty of good subjects to discuss.

Letter writers congratulated the heroic actions of the Diamantina tugboat crew and many wrote suggesting raising the Warragamba Dam wall was not a smart solution to the recurring flooding. COVID-19 made headlines again, and correspondents were quick to admit their concerns and fears, as well as expressing anger at the many maskless passengers on public transport.

Only one or two correspondents believed that Anthony Albanese had spent too much time overseas, agreeing with Coalition politicians who publicly condemned the PM. Gary Stowe of Springwood summarised the feelings of most: “Do the Liberals actually understand the distinction between work and holidays?”

Tennis fans had to decide if they were going to support Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon after his on-court “bad behaviour” and his free ride into the final. Most were unsupportive of the controversial player, although they were slightly concerned they would be deemed to be un-Australian.

Sports aficionados also had fun trying to decide in which team or position Jesus would play after Derrick Mason, of Boorowa wrote: “If Jesus were to return, he might not only give the Rabbitohs a hand by playing on the wing, but he might also give some of his so-called adherents a lesson in compassion and understanding.” There were many suggestions and Peter FitzSimons dedicated his sports column to the subject, naming a Holy Trinity of football. Today, Rhod Jeffrey of Surry Hills may have brought that discussion to an end by revealing that Jesus is, in fact, a Gunner. Pat Stringa, letters editor

• To submit a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.